"Why do you want to know?"
The youth, after an embarrassed pause, explained:
"You see, a student of our circle, that is, a fellow who used to read to us, told us about Pavel's mother—a workingman, you know—and about the first of May demonstration."
She nodded her head and pricked up her ears.
"He was the first one who openly displayed the banner of our party," the youth declared with pride—a pride which found a response in the mother's heart.
"I wasn't present; we were then thinking of making our own demonstration here in the city, but it fizzled out; we were too few of us then. But this year we will—you'll see!"
He choked from agitation, having a foretaste of the future event. Then waving his spoon in the air, he continued:
"So Vlasova—the mother, as I was telling you—she, too, got into the party after that. They say she's a wonder of an old woman."
The mother smiled broadly. It was pleasant for her to hear the boy's enthusiastic praise—pleasant, yet embarrassing. She even had to restrain herself from telling him that she was Vlasova, and she thought sadly, in derision of herself: "Oh, you old fool!"
"Eat more! Get well sooner for the sake of the cause!" She burst out all of a sudden, in agitation, bending toward him: "It awaits powerful young hands, clean hearts, honest minds. It lives by these forces! With them it holds aloof everything evil, everything mean!"