The Sorrows of Belgium / A Play in Six Scenes

tary district court, with a different set of judges, had tri

ears. In general, he was apparently not inclined to talk, and was silent not only with human beings, but even with animals. He would water the horse in silence, harness it in silence, moving about it, slowly and lazily, with short, irresolute steps, and when the horse, annoyed by his manner, would begin to frolic, to become capricious, he would beat it in silence with a heavy whip. He would beat it cruelly, with stolid, angry

ng the sled and the horse in the snow on the side of the road, he would wait until the train had gone. The sled would stand sideways, almost overturned, the horse standing with widely spread legs up to his belly in a snow-bank, from time to time lowering his head

the station, and would q

ing, half exclaim abrupt, meaningless phrases in Esthonian. But more often he would not sing, but with his teeth gritted together in an onrush of unspeakable rage, suffering and delight, he would drive silently on as though blind. He would not notice those who passed him, he would

lliterate, and as the others did not understand Esthonian, the letter remained unread; and as if not understanding that the letter might bring him tidings from his native home, he flung it into the manure with a certain savage, grim indifference. At one time Yanson tried to

ance, of the buzzing telegraph wires, and the conversation of other people. What the fields and telegraph wires spoke to him he alone knew, and the conversation of the people were disquieting, full of rumors about murders and robberies and arson. And

wished to give such a gun to Yanson, only it was an old one with one barrel. But Yanson turned the gun about in his hand, shook his head and declined it. His

is master sleepily with his glassy eyes,

f having to live w

. The master fell unconscious, and the mistress began to run about, screaming, while Yanson, showing his teeth and brandishing his knife, began to ransack the trunks and the chests of drawers. He found the money he sought, and then, as if noticing the mistress for the first time, and as though unexpectedly even to himself, he rushed upon her in order to violate her. But as he had let his knife drop to the floor, the mistress

of what was going on about him; he appeared to be entirely indifferent. He blinked his white eyelashes, stupidly, without curiosity; examined the sombre, unfamiliar courtroom, and picked his nose with his hard, shriveled, unbending finger. Only those who had seen him on Sundays at church would have kn

to tie and untie the shawl about his neck as though it were choking him. Then he waved his arms stupidly and s

at I should

ce. Every one smiled; some tried to hide their smiles behind their mustaches and their papers. Ya

ou

el

lent, restraining a smile, whom he felt to be a friend, a

be hanged. Why m

e prison

repeating once more, con

st I be

hed finger, that even the soldier of the convoy, breaking the rule,

a fool, y

nged?" repeated Y

so quickly that you'll

convoy angrily. But he himself

take a human life, you foo

d the first soldier, who beg

eople like him, will they?

had become

he had grown accustomed, just as he had become accustomed to everything: to blows,

ething to eat-he had not eaten anything since morning. He had an unpleasant recollection of what had taken place in the cou

garded as an important criminal. They spoke to him accordingly, with neither fear nor respect, just as the

iend, they'v

e?" asked Yanson distrustfully

e party. It isn't worth bothering for one man, especially for

t considered it as an excuse for postponing the execution, preparatory to revoking it altogether. And he was seized with joy; the confused, te

It isn't like hanging a dog, which you take behind the barn-and it is do

Yanson frowned strangely. "He said that

y. This strange gayety of a man who was to be executed was an offence to the prison, as well as to the very executioner; it made them appear absurd. And suddenly, for the briefest instant, it appeared to the old warden,

he spat aside. "Why are you gig

to be hanged-gaga-

ctor, feeling the need of m

he strength of the prison. If he laughed longer, it seemed to the warden as if the walls might fall asunder, the grating melt and drop out, as if the warden

at

d laughing, and was n

arden, with an indefinite threat, and

m so convincing, so wise, so irrefutable, that it was unnecessary to feel uneasy. He had long forgotten about his crime,

was to be hanged, and every morni

" and he would walk off quickly b

on. He began to lose all memory of the trial, and would roll about all day long on his cot, vaguely and happily dreaming about the white melancholy fields, with their snow-mounds, about t

am stout-not worse-looking than the master." But he longed for a drink

eached the prison. And in answer to Yanson's usual

't be l

lmly with an air of im

g now. I suppose

falling asleep, so turbid was th

you j

are not allowed to joke here. You like to joke, but we are

ces it seemed even to hang down. His eyes became sleepy, and all his motions were now so slow and languid as though each turn of the head, each move of the fingers, each step of the foot were a co

on, seeing him on the following day. "

ed man closely and carefully from head to foot. Now everything would go along as necessary. Satan was disgraced, the sacredness

to meet som

at

Have you no mother, for

softly, and looked askance at the

at him and waved h

Yanson grew s

believing in the execution. But the night became terrible to him. Before this Yanson had felt the night simply as darkness, as an especially dark time, when it was necessary to go to sleep, but now he began to be aware of its mysterious and uncanny nature. In o

at the sun should shine, but the night drew its long, dark hours remorselessly over the earth, and there was no power that could hasten its course. And this impossibility, arising for the first time before the weak co

was until one night when he realized fully that death was inevi

d clearly, he saw, he felt that it had entered his cell and was looking for him, grop

and once he struck against the door-it gave forth a dull, empty sound. He stumbled over something and fell upon his face, and then he felt that IT was going to seize him. Lying on his stomach, holding to the floor, hiding his face in the dark, dirty asphalt, Yanson howled in terror. He lay; and cried at

n the head. And this sensation of life returning to him really drove the fear of death away. Yanson opened his eyes, and then, his mind utterly confused, he slept soundly for the remainder of the nigh

t two days later he must die. He did not think of anything. He did not even count the hours, but simply stood in mute stupefaction before this contradiction which tore his brain in two. And he became evenly pale, neither white nor redder in parts, and appeared to be calm. Only he ate nothing and ceased sleeping altogether. He sat all night long on a st

le window, ceased paying further attention to him. This was the customary condition of pr

l his very death," said the warden, looking at hi

ed Yanson, in a dull voice, an

wered the chief warden, a young but very important-looking man with medal

ings without paying for it

to be hanged

plied the chief warden indifferently. "Instead of talking nonsens

rt and a suit of clothes

, at midnight a number of people entered Yanson'

ready. We

and tied his muddy-red muffler about his neck. The man with shoulder-st

ay this will b

to be falling asleep, and he moved so slow

icker! Have you

Yanson

t to be hang

little nose. Notwithstanding that it was night, it was thawing very strongly and drops of water were dripping upon the stones. And waiting while the soldiers, clanking their sabr