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In each of them was evident grateful and friendly satisfaction, though they attempted to conceal the feeling which apparently embarrassed them by its novelty. Smiling with eyes dry with the sleepless night, they looked in silence into Sofya's eyes, shifting from one foot to the other. "Won't you drink some milk before you go?" asked Yakob. "Is there any?" queried Yefim. "There's a little."
"Our Olga is in that nunnery," said Sofya Lvovna, and she, too, crossed herself and shuddered. "Why did she go into the nunnery?" said the Colonel. "Par dépit," Rita answered crossly, with obvious allusion to Sofya's marrying Yagitch. "Par dépit is all the fashion nowadays. Defiance of all the world.
Proud of her resourcefulness she looked askance at Sofya's serious, stern face. "How are you?" said Rybin, smiling grimly. He shook her hand, bowed to Sofya, and continued: "Don't lie. This isn't the city. No need of lies. These are all our own people, good people." Yefim, sitting at the table, looked sharply at the pilgrims, and whispered something to his comrades.
Sofya's words awakened a complex feeling in the mother's heart. For some reason she felt sorry for her. Her pity, however, was not offensive; not bred of familiarity. She marveled that here was a lady walking on foot and carrying a dangerous burden on her back. "Who's going to reward you for your labors?" Sofya answered the mother's thought with pride: "We are already rewarded for everything.
We want no more of this life." Sofya's low but powerful voice rang with assurance. "And then the fantastic power of those who are mighty by their greed will crumble; the earth will vanish from under their feet, and their support will be gone." "That's how it will be," said Rybin, bending his head. "Don't pity yourselves, and you will conquer everything."
Liudmila entered, and carefully closing the door after her, said, turning to Vlasova: "Your friend ought to change his clothes without fail, and leave here as soon as possible. So go at once; get him some clothes, and bring them here. I'm sorry Sofya's not here. Hiding people is her specialty." "She's coming to-morrow," remarked Vlasova, throwing her shawl over her shoulders.
The foreman beats him, I dare say. When I looked at this poor mite just now, I thought of my own Grishutka, and my heart went cold within me." A minute passed in silence. "Doesn't remember his mother, I suppose," said the old woman. "How could he remember?" And big tears began dropping from Sofya's eyes.
This costume reduced Sofya's height and gave a yet sterner appearance to her pale face. "You look as if you had walked about monasteries all your life," observed Nikolay on taking leave of his sister, and pressed her hand warmly. The mother again remarked the simplicity and calmness of their relation to each other. It was hard for her to get used to it.
"Ignaty," he said, "let's have our tea. We do housekeeping here by turns. To-day Ignaty provides us with food and drink." "To-day I'd be glad to yield my turn," remarked Ignaty, gathering up pieces of wood and branches for an open-air fire. "We're all interested in our guests," said Yefim, sitting down by Sofya's side. "I'll help you," said Yakob softly.
Nikolay seemed to the mother to bow lower to her than ever before and to press her hand more firmly. Sofya accompanied her to her room, and stopping at the door said softly: "Now rest. I hope you have a good night." Her voice blew a warm breath on the mother, and her gray eyes embraced the mother's face in a caress. She took Sofya's hand and pressing it in hers, answered: "Thank you!
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