So she interjected in a cautious, soft voice: "Mikhail Ivanovich wants to fix it so that he should be able to go on with his work, and that others should take the punishment for it." "That's it!" said Rybin, stroking his beard.
"Mother," Pavel asked dryly, "suppose some of our people, Andrey, for example, did something behind my back, and I were put in prison for it, what would you say to that ?" The mother started, looked at her son in perplexity, and said, shaking her head in negation: "Why, is it possible to act that way toward a comrade ?" "Aha! Yes!" Rybin drawled.

"I understand you, Pavel." And with a comical wink toward the mother, he added: "This is a delicate matter, mother." And again turning to Pavel he held forth in a didactic manner: "Your ideas on this subject are very green, brother.

In secret work there is no honor.

Think! In the first place, they'll put those persons in prison on whom they find the books, and not the teachers.

That's number one! Secondly, even though the teachers give the people only legal books to read, you know that they contain prohibited things just the same as in the forbidden books; only they are put in a different language.