The faces of honest people
can be told at once. Not many of them walk the streets, to speak
frankly. Your valise is in my house." He sat down alongside of her
and looked entreatingly into her eyes. "If you wish to empty it
we'll help you, with pleasure. We need books."
"She wants to give us everything," remarked Stepan.
"First rate, mother! We'll find a place for all of it." He jumped
to his feet, burst into a laugh, and quickly pacing up and down the
room said contentedly: "The matter is perfectly simple: in one
place it snaps, and in another it is tied up. Very well! And the
newspaper, mother, is a good one, and does its work--it peels the
people's eyes open; it's unpleasant to the masters. I do carpentry
work for a lady about five miles from here--a good woman, I must
admit. She gives me various books, sometimes very simple books.
I read them over--I might as well fall asleep. In general we're
thankful to her. But I showed her one book and a number of a
newspaper; she was somewhat offended. 'Drop it, Pyotr!' she said.
'Yes, this,' she says, 'is the work of senseless youngsters; from
such a business your troubles can only increase; prison and Siberia
for this,' she says.
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