The Awakening: (The Resurrection)Tolstoy, Leo, graf
General
The Awakening: (The Resurrection)
Tolstoy, Leo, graf
Forgiveness -- Fiction; Russia -- Social life and customs -- Fiction
Korableva, meanwhile, brought the flask of wine. Maslova offered some
to Korableva and Miss Dandy. These three prisoners constituted the
aristocracy of the cell, because they had money and divided among
themselves what they had.
In a few minutes Maslova became brighter and energetically began to
relate what had transpired at the court, mockingly imitating the
prosecutor and rehearsing such parts as had appealed to her most. She
was particularly impressed by the fact that the men paid considerable
attention to her wherever she went. In the court-room every one looked
at her, she said, and for that purpose constantly came into the
prisoners' room.
"Even the guard said: 'It is to look at you that they come here.' Some
one would come and ask for some document or something, but I saw that
it was not for the document that he came. He would devour me with his
eyes," she said, smiling and shaking her head as if perplexed. "They
are good ones!"
"Yes, that is how it is," chimed in the watch-woman in her melodious
voice. "They are like flies on sugar. If you needed them for any other
purpose, be sure they would not come so quickly. They know a good
thing when they see it."
"It was the same here," interrupted Maslova. "As soon as I was brought
here I met with a party coming from the depot. They gave me no rest,
and I could hardly get rid of them. Luckily the warden drove them off.
One of them bothered me particularly."
"How did he look?" asked Miss Dandy.
"He had a dark complexion, and wore a mustache."
"It is he."
"Who?"
"Stchegloff. He passed here just now."
"Who is Stchegloff?"
"She don't know Stchegloff! He twice escaped from Siberia. Now he has
been caught, but he will escape again. Even the officers fear him,"
said Miss Dandy, who delivered notes to prisoners, and knew everything
that transpired in the jail. "He will surely escape."
"If he does he won't take either of us with him," said Korableva.
"You'd better tell me this: What did the lawyer say to you about a
petition--you must send one now."
Maslova said that she did not know anything about a petition.
At this moment the red-haired woman, burying her two freckled hands
into her tangled, thick hair, and scratching her head with her nails,
approached the wine-drinking aristocrats.
"I will tell you, Katherine, everything," she began. "First of all,
you must write on paper: 'I am not satisfied with the trial,' and then
hand it to the prosecutor."
"What do you want here?" Korableva turned to her, speaking in an angry
basso. "You have smelled the wine! We know you. We don't need your
advice; we know what we have to do."
"Who is talking to you?"
"You want some wine--that's what you want."
"Let her alone. Give her some," said Maslova, who always divided with
others what she had.
"Yes, I will give her," and Korableva clenched her fist.
"Try it! Try it!" moving toward Korableva, said the red-haired woman.
"I am not afraid of you."
"You jail bird!"
"You are another!"
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