Under ordinary circumstances Vjera would have
rejoiced at the quantity of work to be done, and as it was, her mental
suffering did not make her fingers awkward or less nervously eager in the
perpetual rolling of the little pieces of paper round the glass tube. Even
acute physical pain is often powerless to affect the mechanical skill of a
hand trained for many years to repeat the same little operation thousands
of times in a day with unvarying perfection. Vjera worked as well and as
quickly as ever, though the hours seemed so endlessly long as to make her
wonder why she did not turn out more work than usual. From time to time
the two men exchanged more or less personal observations after their
manner.
"It seems to me that you work better than usual," remarked the Cossack,
looking at Dumnoff.
"I feel better," laughed the latter. "I feel as though I had been having a
holiday and a country dance."
"For the sake of your health, you ought to have a little excitement now
and then," continued Schmidt. "It is hard for a man of your constitution
to be shut up day after day as you are here. A little bear-fight now and
then would do you almost as much good as an extra bottle of brandy,
besides being cheaper."
"Yes." Dumnoff yawned, displaying all his ferocious white teeth to the
assembled company. "That is true--and then, those green cloth policemen
look so funny when one upsets them. I wish I had a few here."
"You have not heard the last of your merry-making yet," said Fischelowitz,
who was standing in the doorway.
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