they make him leader?"

"He is a man of strong character. Won't give in to anyone. Would sooner
kill if necessary. People are afraid of him."

"And what is Solomin like?" Mariana asked after a pause.

"Solomin is also not good-looking, but has a nice, simple, honest face.
Such faces are to be found among schoolboys of the right sort."

Nejdanov had described Solomin accurately.

Mariana gazed at him for a long, long time, then said, as if to herself:

"You have also a nice face. I think it would be easy to get on with
you."

Nejdanov was touched; he took her hand again and raised it to his lips.

"No more gallantries!" she said laughing. Mariana always laughed when
her hand was kissed. "I've done something very naughty and must ask you
to forgive me."

"What have you done?"

"Well, when you were away, I went into your room and saw a copy-book of
verses lying on your table" (Nejdanov shuddered; he remembered having
left it there), "and I must confess to you that I couldn't overcome my
curiosity and read the contents. Are they your verses?"

"Yes, they are. And do you know, Mariana, that one of the strongest
proofs that I care for you and have the fullest confidence in you is
that I am hardly angry at what you have done?"

"Hardly! Then you are just a tiny bit. I'm so glad you call me Mariana.
I can't call you Nejdanov, so I shall call you Alexai. There is a poem
which begins, 'When I die, dear friend, remember,' is that also yours?"

"Yes. Only please don't talk about this any more...Don't torture me."

Mariana shook her head.

"It's a very sad poem... I hope you wrote it before we became intimate.
The verses are good though... as far as I can judge. I think you have
the making of a literary man in you, but you have chosen a better and
higher calling than literature. It was good to do that kind of work when
it was impossible to do anything else."

Nejdanov looked at her quickly.

"Do you think so? I agree with you. Better ruin there, than success
here."

Mariana stood up with difficulty.

"Yes, my dear, you are right!" she exclaimed, her whole face beaming
with triumph and emotion, "you are right! But perhaps it may not mean
ruin for us yet. We shall succeed, you will see; we'll be useful, our
life won't be wasted. We'll go among the people... Do you know any sort
of handicraft? No? Never mind, we'll work just the same. We'll bring
them, our brothers, everything that we know...If necessary, I can c