Book 1, Chapter 38
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18991899

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Author : Leo Tolstoy

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When at five o'clock the following morning, which was
Sunday, the customary whistle blew, Korableva, who was
already awake, roused Maslova.

"A convict," Maslova thought with horror, rubbing her
eyes and involuntarily inhaling the foul morning air. She
wished to fall asleep again, to transfer herself into a state
of unconsciousness, but fear overcame her drowsiness.
She raised herself, crossed her legs under her, and looked
around. The women were already up, only the children
were still sleeping. The moonshining woman with bulging
eyes was carefully removing her coat from under
them. The rioter was drying near the oven some rags
which served for swaddling cloths, while the child, in the
hands of the blue-eyed Theodosia, was crying at the top
of its lungs, the woman lulling it in a gentle voice. The
consumptive, seizing her breast, coughed violently, and,
sighing at intervals, almost screamed. The redheaded
woman lay prone on her back relating a dream she had
had. The old incendiary stood before the image, whispering
the same words, crossing herself and bowing. The
chanter's daughter sat motionless on her cot, and with
dull, half-open eyes was looking into space. Miss Dandy
was curling on her finger her oily, rough, black hair.

Presently resounding steps were heard in the corridor,
the lock creaked open, and two prisoners in short jackets
and gray trousers scarcely reaching their ankles entered,
and, raising the ill-smelling vat on a yoke, carried it away.
The women went to the faucets in the corridor to wash
themselves. The redheaded woman got into a quarrel
with a woman from the adjoining cell. Again there were
cursing, shouting and complaints.

"You will get into the dark-room yet," shouted the
warden, and he slapped the redheaded woman on her
fat, bare back, so that it resounded through the entire
corridor. "Don't let me hear you again."

"Fooling again, you old man?" she said, treating it as
a caress.

"Hurry up! It is time for mass."

Scarcely had Maslova arranged her hair when the inspector
entered with his attendants.

"Make ready for inspection!" shouted the warden.

The women of the two cells formed in two rows along
the corridor, those of the back row placing their hands
on the shoulders of the women in the front row. Then
they were counted.

After the count came the woman inspector and led the
prisoners to the church. Maslova and Theodosia were
in the middle of the column, which consisted of over a
hundred women from all the cells. They all had white
'kerchiefs on their heads, and some few wore their own
colored dresses. These were the wives and children of
convicts. The procession covered the whole stairway. A
soft clatter of prison shoes was heard, here and there
some conversation, and sometimes laughter. At a turn
Maslova noticed the malicious face of her enemy,
Bochkova, who was walking in the front row, and pointed
her out to Theodosia. At the foot of the stairs the women
became silent, and, making the sign of the cross and
bowing, they filed into the open door of the empty, gold-bedecked
chapel. Their place was on the right, where,
crowding each other, they began to arrange themselves
in rows, standing. Behind the women came the male convicts
who were serving terms or detained for transportation
under sentence by the communities. Loudly clearing
their throats, they formed a dense crowd on the left and
the middle of the chapel. Above, on the gallery, were
other convicts with heads half shaven, whose presence was
manifested by a clanking of chains.

This prison chapel had been rebuilt and remodeled by
a rich merchant, who had spent about thirty thousand
rubles on it, and it was all ornamented with gilt and
bright colors.

For a few seconds there was silence, which was broken
only by the blowing of noses, coughing, and clanking of
chains. Suddenly the prisoners who stood in the middle
began to press back, making a passage for the inspector,
who walked to the middle of the chapel, and the services
commenced.

(Source: The Awakening by graf Leo Tolstoy, Translated by Smith, William E., AKA: The Resurrection. Text from Gutenberg.org.)


     From : Gutenberg.org

Events :
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     Book 1, Chapter 38 -- Publication : November 30, 1898

     Book 1, Chapter 38 -- Added : February 11, 2017

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