01-the forged coupon-第14章

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save　Thyself　and　us。'　But　the　other　answering
rebuked　Him；　saying；　'Dost　not　thou　fear　God；
seeing　thou　art　in　the　same　condemnation？　And
we　indeed　justly；　for　we　receive　the　due　reward　of
our　deeds：　　but　this　man　hath　done　nothing　amiss。'
And　he　said　unto　Jesus；　'Lord；　remember　me
when　Thou　comest　into　Thy　kingdom。'　And　Je…
sus　said　unto　him；　'Verily　I　say　unto　thee；　to…day
shalt　thou　be　with　Me　in　paradise。'〃


Stepan　did　not　say　anything；　and　was　sitting
in　thought；　as　if　he　were　listening。

Now　he　knew　what　the　true　faith　was。　　Those
only　will　be　saved　who　have　given　food　and　drink
to　the　poor　and　visited　the　prisoners；　those　who
have　not　done　it；　go　to　hell。　　And　yet　the　male…
factor　had　repented　on　the　cross；　and　went　never…
theless　to　paradise。　　This　did　not　strike　him　as
being　inconsistent。　　Quite　the　contrary。　　The　one
confirmed　the　other：　　the　fact　that　the　merciful
will　go　to　Heaven；　and　the　unmerciful　to　hell；
meant　that　everybody　ought　to　be　merciful；　and
the　malefactor　having　been　forgiven　by　Christ
meant　that　Christ　was　merciful。　　This　was　all
new　to　Stepan；　and　he　wondered　why　it　had　been
hidden　from　him　so　long。

From　that　day　onward　he　spent　all　his　free　time
with　Chouev；　asking　him　questions　and　listening
to　him。　　He　saw　but　a　single　truth　at　the　bottom
of　the　teaching　of　Christ　as　revealed　to　him　by
Chouev：　　that　all　men　are　brethren；　and　that　they
ought　to　love　and　pity　one　another　in　order　that
all　might　be　happy。　　And　when　he　listened　to
Chouev；　everything　that　was　consistent　with　this
fundamental　truth　came　to　him　like　a　thing　he
had　known　before　and　only　forgotten　since；　while
whatever　he　heard　that　seemed　to　contradict　it；
he　would　take　no　notice　of；　as　he　thought　that　he
simply　had　not　understood　the　real　meaning。　
And　from　that　time　Stepan　was　a　different
man。



IV

STEPAN　had　been　very　submissive　and　meek　ever
since　he　came　to　the　prison；　but　now　he　made　the
prison　authorities　and　all　his　fellow…prisoners
wonder　at　the　change　in　him。　　Without　being　or…
dered；　and　out　of　his　proper　turn　he　would　do　all
the　very　hardest　work　in　prison；　and　the　dirtiest
too。　　But　in　spite　of　his　humility；　the　other　pris…
oners　stood　in　awe　of　him；　and　were　afraid　of　him；
as　they　knew　he　was　a　resolute　man；　possessed　of
great　physical　strength。　　Their　respect　for　him
increased　after　the　incident　of　the　two　tramps
who　fell　upon　him；　he　wrenched　himself　loose
from　them　and　broke　the　arm　of　one　of　them　in
the　fight。　　These　tramps　had　gambled　with　a
young　prisoner　of　some　means　and　deprived　him
of　all　his　money。　　Stepan　took　his　part；　and　de…
prived　the　tramps　of　their　winnings。　　The　tramps
poured　their　abuse　on　him；　but　when　they　attacked
him；　he　got　the　better　of　them。　　When　the　Gov…
ernor　asked　how　the　fight　had　come　about；　the
tramps　declared　that　it　was　Stepan　who　had　begun
it。　Stepan　did　not　try　to　exculpate　himself；　and
bore　patiently　his　sentence　which　was　three　days
in　the　punishment…cell；　and　after　that　solitary　con…
finement。

In　his　solitary　cell　he　suffered　because　he　could
no　longer　listen　to　Chouev　and　his　Gospel。　　He
was　also　afraid　that　the　former　visions　of　HER　and
of　the　black　devils　would　reappear　to　torment
him。　　But　the　visions　were　gone　for　good。　　His
soul　was　full　of　new　and　happy　ideas。　　He　felt
glad　to　be　alone　if　only　he　could　read；　and　if　he
had　the　Gospel。　　He　knew　that　he　might　have
got　hold　of　the　Gospel；　but　he　could　not　read。

He　had　started　to　learn　the　alphabet　in　his
boyhood；　but　could　not　grasp　the　joining　of　the
syllables；　and　remained　illiterate。　　He　made　up
his　mind　to　start　reading　anew；　and　asked　the
guard　to　bring　him　the　Gospels。　　They　were
brought　to　him；　and　he　sat　down　to　work。　　He
contrived　to　recollect　the　letters；　but　could　not　join
them　into　syllables。　　He　tried　as　hard　as　he　could
to　understand　how　the　letters　ought　to　be　put　to…
gether　to　form　words；　but　with　no　result　whatever。　
He　lost　his　sleep；　had　no　desire　to　eat；　and　a　deep
sadness　came　over　him；　which　he　was　unable　to
shake　off。

〃Well；　have　you　not　yet　mastered　it？〃　asked
the　guard　one　day。

〃No。〃

〃Do　you　know　'Our　Father'？〃

〃I　do。〃

〃Since　you　do；　read　it　in　the　Gospels。　　Here
it　is；〃　said　the　guard；　showing　him　the　prayer　in
the　Gospels。　　Stepan　began　to　read　it；　comparing
the　letters　he　knew　with　the　familiar　sounds。

And　all　of　a　sudden　the　mystery　of　the　sylla…
bles　was　revealed　to　him；　and　he　began　to　read。　
This　was　a　great　joy。　　From　that　moment　he
could　read；　and　the　meaning　of　the　words；　spelt
out　with　such　great　pains；　became　more　significant。

Stepan　did　not　mind　any　more　being　alone。　
He　was　so　full　of　his　work　that　he　did　not　feel
glad　when　he　was　transferred　back　to　the　common
cell；　his　private　cell　being　needed　for　a　political
prisoner　who　had　been　just　sent　to　prison。



V

IN　the　meantime　Mahin；　the　schoolboy　who　had
taught　his　friend　Smokovnikov　to　forge　the　cou…
pon；　had　finished　his　career　at　school　and　then　at
the　university；　where　he　had　studied　law。　　He
had　the　advantage　of　being　liked　by　women；　and
as　he　had　won　favour　with　a　vice…minister's　former
mistress；　he　was　appointed　when　still　young　as
examining　magistrate。　　He　was　dishonest；　had
debts；　had　gambled；　and　had　seduced　many
women；　but　he　was　clever；　sagacious；　and　a　good
magistrate。　　He　was　appointed　to　the　court　of
the　district　where　Stepan　Pelageushkine　had　been
tried。　　When　Stepan　was　brought　to　him　the　first
time　to　give　evidence；　his　sincere　and　quiet　answers
puzzled　the　magistrate。　　He　somehow　uncon…
sciously　felt　that　this　man；　brought　to　him　in　fet…
ters　and　with　a　shorn　head；　guarded　by　two
soldiers　who　were　waiting　to　take　him　back　to
prison；　had　a　free　soul　and　was　immeasurably　su…
perior　to　himself。　　He　was　in　consequence　some…
what　troubled；　and　had　to　summon　up　all　his
courage　in　order　to　go　on　with　the　inquiry　and
not　blunder　in　his　questions。　　He　was　amazed
that　Stepan　should　narrate　the　story　of　his　crimes
as　if　they　had　been　things　of　long　ago；　and　com…
mitted　not　by　him　but　by　some　different　man。

〃Had　you　no　pity　for　them？〃　asked　Mahin。　

〃No。　　I　did　not　know　then。〃

〃Well；　and　now？〃

Stepan　smiled　with　a　sad　smile。　　〃Now；〃　he
said；　〃I　would　not　do　it　even　if　I　were　to　be
burned　alive。〃

〃But　why？

〃Because　I　have　come　to　know　that　all　men
are　brethren。〃

〃What　about　me？　Am　I　your　brother　also？〃

〃Of　course　you　are。〃

〃And　how　is　it　that　I；　your　brother；　am　send…
ing　you　to　hard　labour？〃

〃It　is　because　you　don't　know。〃

〃What　do　I　not　know？〃

〃Since　you　judge；　it　means　obviously　that　you
don't　know。〃

〃Go　on。　　。　　。　　。What　next？〃



VI

Now　it　was　not　Chouev；　　but　Stepan　who　used　to
read　the　gospel　in　the　common　cell。　　Some　of　the
prisoners　were　singing　coarse　songs；　while　others
listened　to　Stepan　reading　the　gospel　and　talking
about　what　he　had　read。　　The　most　attentive
among　those　who　listened　were　two　of　the　pris…
oners；　Vassily；　and　a　convict　called　Mahorkin；　a
murderer　who　had　become　a　hangman。　　Twice
during　his　stay　in　this　prison　he　was　called　upon
to　do　duty　as　hangman；　and　both　times　in　far…
away　places　where　nobody　could　be　found　to　ex…
ecute　the　sentences。

Two　of　the　peasants　who　had　killed　Peter
Nikolaevich　Sventizky；　had　been　sentenced　to
the　gallows；　and　Mahorkin　was　ordered　to　go　to
Pensa　to　hang　them。　　On　all　previous　occasions
he　used　to　write　a　petition　to　the　governor　of　the
provincehe　knew　well　how　to　read　and　to　write
stating　that　he　had　been　ordered　to　fulfil　his
duty；　and　asking　for　money　for　his　expenses。　　But
now；　to　the　greatest　astonishment　of　the　prison
authorities；　he　said　he　did　not　intend　to　go；　and
added　that　he　would　not　be　a　hangman　any　more。

〃And　what　about　being　flogged？〃　cried　the
governor　of　the　prison。

〃I　will　have　to　bear　it；　as　the　law　commands
us　not　to　kill。〃

〃Did　you　get　that　from　Pelageushkine？　A
nice　sort　of　a　prison　prophet！　You　just　wait　and
see　what　this　will　cost　you！〃

When　Mahin　was　told　of　that　incident；　he　was
greatly　impressed　by　the　fact　of　Stepan's　influence
on　the　hangman；　who　refused　to　do　his　duty；　run…
ning　the　risk　of　being　han