The mother for some reason drew a sigh of relief, and suddenly obeying an impulse from within, yielding to an instinct that got the better of her reason, she surprised herself by asking him:
"Can I stay in your house overnight?"
At the question everything in her muscles, her bones, tightened stiffly. She straightened herself, holding her breath, and fixed her eyes on the peasant. Pricking thoughts quickly flashed through her mind: "I'll ruin everybody—Nikolay Ivanovich, Sonyushka—I'll not see Pasha for a long time—they'll kill him——"
Looking on the ground, the peasant answered deliberately, folding his coat over his breast:
"Stay overnight? Yes, you can. Why not? Only my home is very poor!"
"Never mind; I'm not used to luxury," the mother answered uncalculatingly.
"You can stay with me overnight," the peasant repeated, measuring her with a searching glance.
It had already grown dark, and in the twilight his eyes shone cold, his face seemed very pale. The mother looked around, and as if dropping under distress, she said in an undertone:
"Then I'll go at once, and you'll take my valise."
"All right!" He shrugged his shoulders, again folded his coat and said softly: