the door with her foot and leaned against the jamb for
support.

"Evening, nenko!"'came the familiar voice, and long
thin arms were thrown about her shoulders.

She felt a stab of disappointment, then of joy, on
seeing Andrei. The two sensations merged into one great,
consuming emotion, which caught her up in a warm wave,
lifting her until she fell with her face against Andrei's
shoulder. He held her tight in trembling arms; the mother
cried softly and he stroked her hair, saying in a voice
that was music to her ears, ''Don't cry, nenko, don't bur-
den your heart. They're sure to let him out soon. They
can't get a thing on him; iall the fellows are keeping mum

as boiled fish-----"

With his arm about the mother's shoulders, he led her
into the other room. She pressed close, greedily drinking
in his every word as she wiped the tears from her eyes
with movements as quick as a squirrel's.

"Greetings from Pavel. He's as well and happy as^can
be expected. It's crowded in there. They arrested over a
hundred fellows, from the town as well as our settlement,
and locked them up three and four to a cell. The heads
of the jail are good chaps, and they're worn out from all
the work those devilish gendarmes have given them. The
heads aren't very strict. They keep saying, 'Just keep
quiet, gentlemen, so's not to get us in trouble.' And every-
thing goes along nicely. The fellows talk together, lend
each other books and share their food. It's a fine jail—old
and dirty, but easy on a fellow. The criminal prisoners are
a good lot too and give us plenty of help. Bukin and me
and four others have been let out. Pavel's turn will come
soon. Vesovshchikov'll be the last; he has them all down on
him for cussing them the»way he does. The gendarmes
can't bear the sight of him. They'll put him on trial
or give, him a beating one of these days. Pavel's always
telling him to stop it. Says his swearing won't improve
them in the least. But he just shouts, Til scrape them
off the earth like a scab off a sore!' Pavel behaves well