Part 24 (1/2)
”What is it?” he asked
”Come down and I'll tell you Don't let the old htened”
”What did he say?” he asked curiously
Malcolm repeated the words, and Cherry Bi me when they told me, but it's evidently true He's a Jew,” he went on ”Do you think theuys don't kill Jews? Don't you make any mistake about that--they'll kill anybody
This old hter, and one of the coot fresh with him, so poor old Moses--I don't know his name but he looks like the picture of Moses that we had in our Bible at home--shot at this fellow and broke his jaw, so they sent him to be killed in his sleep”
”In his sleep?” repeated Malcolm incredulously, and Cherry Bi as he's awake they won't kill hiuess when his tiuy thinks that so long as he's awake he's safe--do you get me?”
”It's hellish!+” said Malcolm between his teeth ”They must be devils”
”Oh, no, they're not,” said Cherry Bi on the Soviets I bet the fellow that invented that way of torturing the old rand bit of work Say, suppose you turned a lot of kids loose to govern the United States, why Broadould be all cluttered up with dead nurseryin Russia They don't overn, only they don't know ets like this round about rew louder He stood before the barred , crossing himself incessantly
”It is the celebration of the Divine Mystery,” said Malinkoff in a low voice, and reh priests Basil the Great, Gregory the Divine, Nicholas of Myra in Lycia, for Peter and Alexis and Jonas, and all holy high priests,” groaned the man, ”for the holy wonder workers, the disinterested Cosmas and Damiauns, Cyrus and John, Pantaleon and Hermolaus, and all unmercenary saints!
”By the intercession of these, look down upon us, O God!”
He walked back to his seat and, taking compassion upon this man with a white, drawn face, Malcolm went to hi we can do for you?”
He produced his cigarette case, but the pope shook his head
”There is nothing, my son” he replied in a weary voice, which he did not raise above oneBoolba to this cell Oh, for an hour of the old life!” He raised his hand and his voice at the same moment, and the colour came to his cheeks ”I would take this Boolba,” he said, ”as holy Ivan took the traitors before the Kre hot water upon him and then ice cold water, and then I would flay hi him by the ankles; then before he was dead I would cut him in four pieces----”
”Phew!” said Malcolm, and walked away
”Did you expect to find a penitent soul?” asked Malinkoff dryly ”My dear fellow, there is very little difference between the Russian of to-day and the Russian of twelve o, with this exception, that theit hard, and those who had to work and to be judged are now the judges”
Malcol himself as co that he could be, as he was, accustoht have lived in bondage all his life, and he would be prepared to live for ever so long as--he did not want to think of the girl, that sweeper of Boolba's
As to his own fate he was indifferent Somehow he believed that he was not destined to die in this horrible place, and prayed that at least he irl once more before he fell a victiony of ry, a sensation which was shared by his two companions
”I've never known theretfully ”There's usually a bit of black bread, if there's nothing else”
He walked to theand, leaning his arms on the sill, looked disconsolately forth