"
After he had gone the crawling sound of the roaches became audible
in the hut, the blowing of the wind over the roof and its knocking
against the door in the chimney. A fine rain dripped monotonously
on the window. Tatyana prepared a bed for the mother on the bench
with clothing brought from the oven and the storeroom.
"A lively man!" remarked the mother.
The hostess looked at her sidewise.
"A light fellow," she answered. "He rattles on and rattles on;
you can't but hear the rattling at a great distance."
"And how is your husband?" asked the mother.
"So so. A good peasant; he doesn't drink; we live peacefully.
So so. Only he has a weak character." She straightened herself,
and after a pause asked:
"Why, what is it that's wanted nowadays? What's wanted is that the
people should be stirred up to revolt. Of course! Everybody thinks
about it, but privately, for himself. And what's necessary is that he
should speak out aloud. Some one person must be the first to decide
to do it." She sat down on the bench and suddenly asked: "Tell me,
do young ladies also occupy themselves with this? Do they go about
with the workingmen and read? Aren't they squeamish and afraid?" She
listened attentively to the mother's reply and fetched a deep sigh;
then drooping her eyelids and inclining her head, she said: "In one
book I read the words 'senseless life.
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