He drew his shoulders up about his
head, bent over, and turning his blank, bright eyes on all sides, he
fell back, carefully feeling the ground behind him with his feet.
As he withdrew he shouted hoarsely in great excitement:
"All right; take him! I'm leaving! But now, do you know, you cursed
dogs, that he is a political criminal; that he is going against our
Czar; that he stirs up riots--do you know it?--against the Emperor,
the Czar? And you protect him; you, too, are rebels. Aha--a----"
Without budging, without moving her eyes, the strength of reason
gone from her, the mother stood as if in a heavy sleep, overwhelmed
by fear and pity. The outraged, sullen, wrathful shouts of the
people buzzed like bees in her head.
"If he has done something wrong, lead him to court."
"And don't beat him!"
"Forgive him, your Honor!"
"Now, really, what does it mean? Without any law whatever!"
"Why, is it possible? If they begin to beat everybody that way,
what'll happen then?"
"The devils! Our torturers!"
The people fell into two groups--the one surrounding the police
commissioner shouted and exhorted him; the other, less numerous,
remained about the beaten man, humming and sullen.
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