clothes on. These were wives who, with their children, were

following their convict husbands to Siberia. The whole flight of

stairs was filled by the procession. The patter of softly-shod

feet mingled with the voices and now and then a laugh. When

turning, on the landing, Maslova saw her enemy, Botchkova, in

front, and pointed out her angry face to Theodosia. At the bottom

of the stairs the women stopped talking. Bowing and crossing

themselves, they entered the empty church, which glistened with