Mariana fled into her own room and remained standing in the middle of it, hardly able to breathe. She was mortally afraid ... but of what? She did not know herself.
Solomin’s head appeared through the door.
“Mariana Vikentievna, can I come in? I have brought someone whom it’s absolutely necessary for you to see.”
Mariana merely nodded her head in reply and behind Solomin in walked—Paklin.
XXXIII
“I am a friend of your husband’s,” he said, bowing very low, as if anxious to conceal his frightened face, “and also of Vassily Fedotitch. I hear Alexai Dmitritch is asleep and not very well. Unfortunately, I have brought bad news. I have already told Vassily Fedotitch something about it and am afraid decisive measures will have to be taken.”
Paklin’s voice broke continually, like that of a man who was tortured by thirst. The items of news he had to communicate were certainly very unpleasant ones. Some peasants had seized Markelov and brought him to the town. The stupid clerk had betrayed Golushkin, who was now under arrest, he in his turn was betraying everything and everybody, wanted to go over to the Orthodox Church, had offered to present a portrait of the Bishop Filaret to the public school, and had already given five thousand roubles to be distributed among crippled soldiers. There was not a shadow of a doubt that he had informed against Nejdanov; the police might make a raid upon the factory any moment. Vassily Fedotitch was also in danger. “As for myself,” Paklin added, “I am surprised that I’m still allowed to roam at large, although it’s true that I’ve never really interested myself in practical politics or taken part in any schemes. I have taken advantage of this oversight on the part of the police to put you on your guard and find out what had best be done to avoid any unpleasantness.”
Mariana listened to Paklin to the end. She did not seem alarmed; on the other hand she was quite calm. But something must really be done! She fixed her eyes on Solomin.
He was also composed; only around his lips there was the faintest movement of the muscles; but it was not his habitual smile.
Solomin understood the meaning of Mariana’s glance; she waited for him to say what had best be done.