She looked intently at the bed and the priest; she too was out of breath with running.

At last whispers, some words in the crowd probably, reached her.

She looked down and took a step forward into the room, still keeping close to the door.
The service was over.

Katerina Ivanovna went up to her husband again.
The priest stepped back and turned to say a few words of admonition and consolation to Katerina Ivanovna on leaving.
"What am I to do with these ?" she interrupted sharply and irritably, pointing to the little ones.
"God is merciful; look to the Most High for succour," the priest began.
"Ach! He is merciful, but not to us." "That's a sin, a sin, madam," observed the priest, shaking his head.
"And isn't that a sin ?" cried Katerina Ivanovna, pointing to the dying man.
"Perhaps those who have involuntarily caused the accident will agree to compensate you, at least for the loss of his earnings." "You don't understand!" cried Katerina Ivanovna angrily waving her hand.
"And why should they compensate me?
Why, he was drunk and threw himself under the horses! What earnings?
He brought us in nothing but misery.
He drank everything away, the drunkard! He robbed us to get drink, he wasted their lives and mine for drink! And thank God he's dying! One less to keep!" "You must forgive in the hour of death, that's a sin, madam, such feelings are a great sin." Katerina Ivanovna was busy with the dying man; she was giving him water, wiping the blood and sweat from his head, setting his pillow straight, and had only turned now and then for a moment to address the priest.

Now she flew at him almost in a frenzy.
"Ah, father! That's words and only words! Forgive! If he'd not been run over, he'd have come home to-day drunk and his only shirt dirty and in rags and he'd have fallen asleep like a log, and I should have been sousing and rinsing till daybreak, washing his rags and the children's and then drying them by the window and as soon as it was daylight I should have been darning them.