they fear no loss and no harm--you see?--all life is harmful to
them; they have no place to turn to; they have nothing all around
except 'Stop!' which is shouted at them from all sides."

"I see," said Stepan, nodding and immediately adding: "She's uneasy
about her baggage."

Pyotr gave the mother a shrewd wink, and again reassured her:

"Don't be uneasy; it's all right. Everything will be all right,
mother. Your valise is in my house. Just now when he told me about
you--that you also participate in this work and that you know that
man--I said to him: 'Take care, Stepan! In such a serious business
you must keep your mouth shut.' Well, and you, too, mother, seem to
have scented us when we stood near you. The faces of honest people can
be told at once. Not many of them walk the streets, to speak frankly.
Your valise is in my house." He sat down alongside of her and looked
entreatingly into her eyes. "If you wish to empty it we'll help you,
with pleasure. We need books."

"She wants to give us everything," remarked Stepan.

"First rate, mother! We'll find a place for all of it." He jumped to
his feet, burst into a laugh, and quickly pacing up and down the room
said contentedly: "The matter is perfectly simple: in one place it
snaps, and in another it is tied up. Very well! And the newspaper,
mother, is a good one, and does its work--it peels the people's eyes
open; it's unpleasant to the masters. I do carpentry work for a lady
about five miles from here--a good woman, I must admit. She gives me
various books, sometimes very simple books. I read them over--I might
as well fall asleep. In general we're thankful to her. But I showed
her one book and a number of a newspaper; she was somewhat offended.
'Drop it, Pyotr!' she said. 'Yes, this,' she says, 'is the work of
senseless youngsters; from such a business your troubles can only
increase; prison and Siberia for this,' she says."

He grew abruptly silent, reflected for a moment, and asked: "Tell me,
mother, this man--is he a relative of yours?"

"A stranger."

Pyotr threw his head back and laughed noiselessly, very well satisfied
with something. To the mother, however, it seemed the very next
instant that, in reference to Rybin, the word "stranger" was not in
place; it jarred upon her.

"I'm not a relative of his; but I've known him for a long time, and I
look up to him as to an elder brother."

She was pained and displeased not to find th