The Spy: The Story of a Superfluous ManGorky, Maksim
History
The Spy: The Story of a Superfluous Man
Gorky, Maksim
Russia -- History -- Revolution, 1905-1907 -- Fiction; Russian fiction -- Translations into English; Spy stories
"Putting on airs." And he turned his eyes on the street with a wry smile
on his face. He felt very distinctly the nothingness of these restless
jumping people. He clearly understood that dark terror was whipping them
from within, was pushing and carrying them from side to side. They were
fighting, intoxicating themselves with loud shouts, in the desire to
prove to themselves that they were afraid of nothing. They ran around
the car like a pack of hounds just released from the leash, full of
senseless joy, without having had time to free themselves from the
customary fear. Apparently they could not make up their minds to
traverse the broad bright street. They were unable to gather themselves
into one body. They tossed about, roared, and glared around alarmingly,
waiting for something.
Near the car stood a little thin, sharp-bearded muzhik in a torn hat and
short fur coat. He held his eyes closed and his face raised on high. His
hungry mouth gaped displaying his yellow teeth as he shouted in a thin
voice:
"D-o-o-wn! We don't want--"
Tears of fear and excitement ran down his cheeks. His forehead glistened
with sweat. Ceasing to shout, he bent his neck and looked around
distrustfully. Then he raised his shoulders, and closing his eyes again,
yelled once more as if he were being beaten:
"E-e-enough!"
"That's the way I would have become, too," thought Yevsey to himself.
Though the muzhik cut a droll figure, Yevsey was sorry for him and for
himself.
He saw the familiar faces of the janitors, always grim, the
large-whiskered visage of the church watchman Klimych, pious and sullen,
the hungry eyes of the young hooligans, the astonished expression of
timorous muzhiks, and a few creatures who pushed everyone, gave everyone
orders, and filled the will-less blind bodies with their will, with
their sick ferocity. Yevsey well understood that all these petty people
like himself lived in the close captivity of fear, with no strength to
tear themselves from its clutches. A powerful person might gain mastery
over them; in obedience to the will of a still more powerful person they
would overthrow the old receptacle of fear in exchange for a new one.
Now, separated by the windows from the mob, he looked at it from aside
and above, and his eyes were able to embrace much. Everything was clear
to him _ad nauseam_. Anguish and wrath sucked at his heart.
Little Yakov Zarubin was twisting and turning in the middle of the crowd
like an eel. Now he ran up to Melnikov, pulled his sleeve, and said
something to him, nodding his head in the direction of the car.
Klimkov quickly glanced around at the man in the hat, who had already
risen, and was walking to the door, his head lifted high and a frown on
his brow. Yevsey stepped after him, but Melnikov jumped to the platform,
and blocked the doorway with his large body.
"Hat off!" he bawled.
The man faced about abruptly, and walked to the other exit. There he was
met by Zarubin, who shouted in a loud voice:
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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