The man's brown eyes softened as he looked at the little lads, who, in spite of all he had done, trusted him still.
"You may sleep in peace, my children; no harm shall come to you," he said gently.
And as they went and lay down, he took from a nail in the wall his big sheepskin coat, and carefully covered them. In a few minutes, he could tell by their regular breathing that they were asleep.
"Ah!" said Gavril, who now returned with the firewood. "So thou hast put the brats to bed. I would dearly love to choke the impudence out of that older boy!"
And the cruel grin widened like a beast's at sight of prey, and the cat-like eyes narrowed till they were only two gleaming slits. He stepped across to the low bed and, stooping, pulled the collar of the sheepskin shoob away from Alf's face and throat. Stepan was watching him closely, distrust and dislike written large in his frowning brow and set lips.
"Hands off, Gavril!" he said sternly. "I promised the children that they should sleep secure, and they shall! Come away from them!"
"Thou soft-hearted old coddle!" sneered Red-scar, replacing the fur, and taking his seat by the stove. "But now to business! How long are we to keep these imps in hiding?"
"How can I tell? Thy purpose was to hold them to ransom; but, pray, who is there to ransom them? The parents and nurse have disappeared; thou dost not know of any reward offered. Much more likely is it that the police will track us down, and give us a taste of Siberia for our pains. Poor little fellows! They have come to trouble before their time, and through no fault of their own."
"Nay, then, if thou art so soft-hearted," said Gavril mockingly, "it is a pity thou art not on the manager's side rather than ours."
"Well, yes," replied Stepan coolly; "if 'our side' means to be with thee, it would certainly be more to my credit if I went back to serve under my old master."