"Be good!" and she saw again Mirowska, who bore the most painful wrongs with a smile, who never did anyone any harm, and yet was the laughing stock of the entire company. Then, there was Wolska, who at the expense of her own life saved her child from death and who was cheated and forced into poverty. There was Cabinska's nurse sacrificing herself for a stranger's children. There was, too, the old stage-director, slighted by everybody; there were the peasants in the country, treated like animals, and the exploited workmen in the cities. There were all the swindles, cheatings, and crimes which were going on continually. Janina felt that something within her was trembling, breaking, and crying out in protest; that the suffering of all humanity was pouring into her soul; that all the injustice, all the wrongs, all the suffering and tears stood before her, and a grave voice from above was saying: "Be good, forgive, pray," while round about her a jeering laughter arose, as though in response to it. She arrived at her home and for a long time could not calm herself. She pressed her hands to her head as though trying to still those tumultuous thoughts that were whirling through her brain in such confusion that she could not distinguish truth from falsehood. For in a moment of clairvoyant vision she had seen that both the good and the bad suffered equally, that all were struggling, all were clamoring for salvation and protesting against life. "I shall go mad! I shall go mad!" Janina whispered to herself. On the next morning Wladek came to see her. He seemed to be so good and kissed her hand so tenderly that she could not help noticing his devotion. He complained about Cabinski and aired at length his grievances against his mother. Janina regarded him with a cold look, for she understood almost at once that he wished to borrow money from her. "Go and buy me some powder, for I must go to the theater to-day," she said to him. Wladek rose eagerly to fulfill her behest. "Close the door after you, for I am going to dress." He closed the door with the latch to which he had his own key, and departed. On the street, almost at the very door Wladek spied the counselor. A sudden idea flashed through his mind, for he smiled and cordially approached the old man. "Good morning, esteemed counselor." "Good morning, how are you feeling, eh?" "Thank you, I am entirely well, only Miss Orlowska is ill. The directress has just asked me to see how she was getting along." "What? Miss Janina is ill? They told me so behind the scenes, but I did not believe it, for I thought . . ." "Yes, she is sick. I am just now going for some medicine." "Is she dangerously ill?" "Oh no, but would you like to convince yourself personally?" The counselor started violently, but then, adjusting his glasses, he said: "Indeed, I would like to. I wished to do so many times before, but she is so inaccessible." "I will smooth the way for you."