That's what I'm thinking of. We positively
must begin to work more energetically, and we must persuade Pavel and
Andrey to escape. They are both too invaluable to be sitting there idle."
Nikolay lowered his brows and shook his head in doubt, darting a
glance at the mother.
As she realized the embarrassment they must feel in speaking of her
son in her presence, she walked out into her own room.
There, lying in bed with open eyes, the murmur of low talking in her
ears, she gave herself up to anxious thoughts. She wanted to see
her son at liberty, but at the same time the idea of freeing him
frightened her. She felt that the struggle around her was growing
keener and that a sharp collision was threatening. The silent
patience of the people was wearing away, yielding to a strained
expectation of something new. The excitement was growing perceptibly.
Bitter words were tossed about. Something novel and stirring was
wafted from all quarters; every proclamation evoked lively discussions
in the market place, in the shops, among servants, among workingmen.
Every arrest aroused a timid, uncomprehending, and sometimes unconscious
sympathy when judgment regarding the causes of the arrest was expressed.
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