Resurrection

When the padlock rattled and the door opened to let Maslova into

the cell, all turned towards her. Even the deacon's daughter

stopped for a moment and looked at her with lifted brows before

resuming her steady striding up and down.

Korableva stuck her needle into the brown sacking and looked

questioningly at Maslova through her spectacles. "Eh, eh, deary

me, so you have come back. And I felt sure they'd acquit you. So

you've got it?" She took off her spectacles and put her work down

beside her on the shelf bed.

"And here have I and the old lady been saying, 'Why, it may well

be they'll let her go free at once.' Why, it happens, ducky,

they'll even give you a heap of money sometimes, that's sure,"

the watchman's wife began, in her singing voice: "Yes, we were

wondering, 'Why's she so long?' And now just see what it is.

Well, our guessing was no use. The Lord willed otherwise," she

went on in musical tones.

"Is it possible? Have they sentenced you?" asked Theodosia, with

concern, looking at Maslova with her bright blue, child-like

eyes; and her merry young face changed as if she were going to

cry.

Maslova did not answer, but went on to her place, the second from

the end, and sat down beside Korableva.

"Have you eaten anything?" said Theodosia, rising and coming up

to Maslova.

Maslova gave no reply, but putting the rolls on the bedstead,

took off her dusty cloak, the kerchief off her curly black head,

and began pulling off her shoes. The old woman who had been

playing with the boy came up and stood in front of Maslova. "Tz,

tz, tz," she clicked with her tongue, shaking her head pityingly.

The boy also came up with her, and, putting out his upper lip,

stared with wide open eyes at the roll Maslova had brought. When

Maslova saw the sympathetic faces of her fellow-prisoners, her

lips trembled and she felt inclined to cry, but she succeeded in

restraining herself until the old woman and the boy came up.

When she heard the kind, pitying clicking of the old woman's

tongue, and met the boy's serious eyes turned from the roll to

her face, she could bear it no longer; her face quivered and she

burst into sobs.

"Didn't I tell you to insist on having a proper advocate?" said

Norableva. "Well, what is it? Exile?"

Maslova could not answer, but took from inside the roll a box of

cigarettes, on which was a picture of a lady with hair done up

very high and dress cut low in front, and passed the box to

Korableva. Korableva looked at it and shook her head, chiefly

because see did not approve of Maslova's putting her money to

such bad use; but still she took out a cigarette, lit it at the

lamp, took a puff, and almost forced it into Maslova's hand.

Maslova, still crying, began greedily to inhale the tobacco

smoke. "Penal servitude," she muttered, blowing out the smoke and

sobbing.