<>Highlights

"Everyone who comes to my house to make up for the exam before the holiday, stand up!"

A fat, flabby-skinned priest, wearing a cassock and a heavy cross hanging around his neck, looked menacing

glaring at the whole class.

Six students stood up from the bench in response, four boys and two girls.

The priest's two small eyes flashed fiercely, as if he wanted to swallow them whole. The children looked at him in horror.

"You two sit down." The priest waved to the girl and said.

They hurriedly sat down and breathed a sigh of relief.

Priest Vasily’s small eyes were fixed on the four boys.

"Come on, babies!"

Priest Vasily stood up, pushed away his chair, and walked to the four children huddled together.

"You little rascals, who smokes?"

The four children all replied in a low voice: "We don't know how to smoke, priest."

Priest His face turned red with anger.

"You bastard, you can't smoke. Who spread the cigarette powder in the dough? Don't you even know how to smoke? Okay, let's take a look

Look! Turn your pockets over, come on! Do you hear me? Turn them over!"

The three children began to take out the contents of their pockets and put them on the table.

The priest carefully checked every seam of the pocket to see if there was any cigarette powder, but found nothing, so he turned his attention

to the fourth child. The child had dark eyes and wore a gray shirt and blue trousers with knee patches.

"Why are you standing still like a wooden man?"

The black-eyed child suppressed the hatred in his heart, looked at the priest, and replied in a sullen voice: "I didn't Pocket." He touched the sewn mouth of the bag with his hand.

“Humph, there are no pockets! Do you think that this way, I won’t know who did the bad thing and ruined the dough?

Do you think you can still do it this time? Do you want to stay in school? It's not that cheap, baby. It was your mother who asked for mercy last time, but you can't do it this time." He pulled hard! He grabbed one of the boy's ears, pushed him to the corridor, and closed the door.

The classroom was silent, and the students all shrank their necks. No one understands why Paul Korchagin was kicked out of school. Only his good friend Seryosha Bruzak knew what was going on. The six students who failed that day went to the priest's house to make up for the exam. While waiting for the priest in the kitchen, he saw Paul scattering a handful of cigarette powder at the priest's house for the Resurrection

Save the dough.

Paul was kicked out and sat on the bottom step of the door. He thought, how to get home? My mother worked as a cook in the tax collector's house. She was busy from early morning to late at night every day. She was worried about him. How should I explain to her?

Tears choked Paul's throat.

"What can I do now? I blame this damn priest. What kind of cigarette powder should I give him? It's all Seryozha's bad idea." He said, 'Come on, let's give this harmful old guy a try.' p>

Paul and Father Vasily had long been enemies. Once, he had a fight with Mishka Levchukov, and the teacher punished him with detention

and was not allowed to go home for dinner. He was afraid that he would cause mischief in the empty classroom, so he sent the naughty boy away Go to the upperclassroom and have

him sit in the chair in the back.

The senior teacher is a thin man, wearing a black shirt, and is teaching the students about the earth and celestial bodies. He said that the earth has existed for millions of years, and the stars are similar to the earth. When Paul heard what he said, he opened his mouth in surprise. He felt so strange that he almost stood up and said to the teacher: "That's not what the Bible says." But he was afraid of being scolded and did not dare to say anything.

Paul is religious. Her mother was a Christian and often taught him biblical truths. The world was created by God, and it was not created millions of years ago, but not long ago. Paul was convinced of this.

In the Bible class, the priest always gave Paul full marks. He knew the New Testament, the Old Testament, and all the prayers by heart.

He knew them all by heart. He also clearly remembers what God created on any given day. Paul made up his mind to ask Father Vasily for clarification. During the Bible class, as soon as the priest sat down on the chair, Paul raised his hand. After getting permission, he stood up and said: "Priest, why did the senior teacher say that the earth already exists?" Millions of years, not like the five thousand mentioned in the Bible

"

As soon as he said this, he was interrupted by the scream of Father Vasily "You bastard, what are you talking about? How did you study the Bible?"

Before Paul had time to explain, the priest grabbed his ears. , banging his head against the wall.

A minute later, Paul, already bruised and swollen, scared to death, was pushed into the corridor by the priest.

When Paul returned home, he was scolded by his mother again.

The next day, the mother went to school to beg Father Vasily for mercy and let her son return to class. From then on, Paul hated the priest. He hates and fears. He would not allow anyone to insult him even a little bit, and of course he would not forget the priest's unjust beating. He buried his hatred deep in his heart and kept it secret.

Paul suffered many minor insults from Father Vasily: often for trivial matters, he was kicked out of the classroom

and made to stand every day for several weeks. He stood in a corner and never asked him about his homework. Therefore, he had to go to the priest's house to make up the exam before Easter

along with several classmates who had failed. In the kitchen of the priest's house, he sprinkled a handful of cigarette smoke into the Easter dough.

No one saw this, but the priest immediately guessed who did it.

... After class, the children rushed to the yard and surrounded Paul. He sat there with a gloomy expression and said nothing. Seryozha did not come out of the classroom. He felt that he was also at fault, but he could not think of a way to help his partner.

The head of the principal, Yefrem Vasilyevich, poked out of the window of the teacher's room, and his deep voice frightened Paul.

Paul trembled.

"Tell Korchagin to come to me immediately!" he shouted.

Paul walked towards the teacher's room, his heart pounding.

The boss of the station canteen is an older man, with a pale face and dull eyes. He glanced at Paul standing aside.

"How old is he?"

"Twelve years old." Paul's mother answered.

"Okay, let him stay. The salary is eight rubles a month, and he will take care of the food when he is on duty. He will work for a day and a night at the top of the shift, and he will rest at home for a day and a night.

, but you are not allowed to steal anything."

"No way, no way, I guarantee he won't steal anything," the mother said in fear.

"Then let him go to work today." The boss ordered, turned around, and said to a waitress standing at the counter next to him:

"Zina, take this little guy to work." Take him to the washroom and ask Frosya to give him a job to help Grishka."

The waitress was cutting ham. She put down her knife, nodded to Pavel, and walked through the dining room. Walk towards the side door leading to the washroom. Paul followed her. The mother also hurriedly followed and whispered to Paul: "Povrusha, you have to do well

Whatever you are doing, don't be embarrassed!"

She sent her son away with melancholy eyes. After that, he walked towards the gate.

The washroom is very busy. There was a mountain of plates, knives and forks on the table, and several female workers had towels on their shoulders, wiping the pile one by one.

A boy with messy red hair, slightly older than Paul, was busy in front of two large tea stoves.

The large wooden basin for washing household items was filled with boiling water, and the room was filled with mist. When Paul just came in, he couldn't even see the faces of the female workers. He stood there, not knowing what to do or even where to stand.

The waitress Zina walked up to a female worker who was washing household items, pulled her shoulder and said: "Frosya, this

new boy is assigned to you. Yes, please tell him what kind of work he has to do." Zina pointed to the female worker named Frosya and said to Paul: "She is here. The foreman, just do whatever she asks you to do." After that, he turned around and went back to the dining room.

"Yes." Paul agreed softly, and at the same time looked at Frosya standing in front of him, waiting for her to speak. Frosya

wiped the sweat from her forehead and looked at him from top to bottom, as if to estimate what kind of work he could do, and then

then took up her arms. A sleeve slipped off the elbow and said in a very pleasant and loud voice: "Kid, your life is not difficult. You just need to boil this pot early in the morning and don't run out of boiling water throughout the day. Of course, you have to chop the firewood yourself.

It is also your job to clean the knives and forks and pour out the dirty water when the work is tight. .

Children, there is a lot of life, enough to make you sweat a lot." She spoke in Kostroma dialect and always pronounced the "a" sound

very strongly. . When Paul heard this native accent and saw her red face and turned-up little nose, he couldn't help but feel a little happy.

"It seems that this aunt is not bad." He thought in his heart, and then he mustered up the courage to ask Frosya: "Then what should I do now, aunt?"

When he said this, the female workers in the washroom laughed loudly, drowning his words, and he was stunned.

"Hahaha!...Frosya has picked up a big nephew this time..."

"Haha!..." Froxia herself laughed harder than anyone else.

Because the room was full of steam, Paul did not see Frosya's face clearly. In fact, she was only eighteen years old.

Paul felt embarrassed, so he turned around and asked the boy: "What should I do now?"

The boy just replied with a playful smile: "You'd better ask your aunt, she will I'm telling you everything, I'm here to help temporarily." After saying that, he turned around and ran towards the kitchen.

At this time, Paul heard an elderly female worker say: "Come here and help wipe the fork. What are you laughing at? What did this kid say that is so funny? Here, take it Come on," she handed Paul a towel. "Bite one end with your teeth and tighten the other end with your hands.

Then rub the fork tines back and forth on it. It must be clean and there is no dirt at all. We don't do this kind of thing here.

Those gentlemen are very picky, always turning it over and over, looking again and again. If there is even a little dirt on the fork, we will be out of luck, boss lady. I'll kick you out soon."

"What boss lady?" Paul asked in confusion, "Isn't the boss who hired me a man?"

The female worker laughed. : "Child, our boss here is just a decoration, he is a straw bag. His wife has the final say on everything. She is not here today, you will know after a few days of work."

< p>The door to the washroom opened, and three waiters walked in, each carrying a large pile of dirty household items.

One of them, a waiter with broad shoulders, slanted eyes and a square face, said: "Work harder, the twelve o'clock train is almost there

Why are you still dawdling like this? "No."

He saw Paul and asked: "Who is this?"

"New guy," Frosya replied.

"Oh, new here," he said. "Okay then," he pressed Paul's shoulder hard with one hand, pushed him to two large tea stoves, and said, "You have to burn these two big tea stoves. When You have to have water, but look, now

One of them has gone out, and the other one is almost out of sparks. I'll spare you today, but if it happens again tomorrow, I'll make you suffer.

Understand?”

Paul lit the tea stove without saying a word.

This is how Paul's labor career began. It was his first day at work, and he had never worked so hard before.

He knows that this place is different from home. At home, he can disobey his mother, but not here. The squinting eyes make it clear

that if you don't obey, you will be punished.

Paul took off one of his boots and put it on the stove tube. When the wind blew up, the big-bellied tea stove that could hold four buckets of water immediately erupted.

Sparks appeared. One moment he picked up the dirty bucket, ran outside quickly, and poured the dirty water into the pit; the next moment he added firewood to the boiling pot, and the next moment he put the wet towel on the boiling tea stove to dry it. In short, he did all the work he was asked to do. It wasn't until late at night that Paul dragged his tired body down to the kitchen. An older female worker named Anisia looked at the door he had just closed and said, "Look, this kid is acting like a madman. He works without any effort." He must have been sent because the family really had no choice."

"Yes, he is a good young man," said Frosya. "You don't have to rush when you start working."

"When you are tired from running for two days, you won't do it anymore," Lusha retorted. "It was very exciting at the beginning..."

Paul worked non-stop all night long and was exhausted. At seven o'clock in the morning, a boy with a chubby face and two small eyes that looked slutty came to take over. Paul handed him two boiling tea stoves.

When the boy saw that everything had been done and the tea stove was boiling, he put his hands into his pockets and squeezed the tea out from between his clenched teeth

He spat, put on an arrogant posture, looked at Paul with squinting white eyes,

and then said in an unarguable tone: "Hey, you loser, I'll take over at six o'clock tomorrow morning."

"Why six o'clock?" Paul asked. "Isn't the shift changed at seven o'clock?"

"Whoever is willing to do it at seven o'clock can do it at seven o'clock. You have to come at six o'clock. If you are verbose again, I will immediately tell you to grow one on your head.

You kid, you didn’t even think about it, you just showed up.”

The female workers who had just finished their shift were listening to the conversation between the two children with great interest. . The boy's rogue tone and provocative attitude irritated Paul. He took a step closer to the boy. He originally wanted to give him a good beating, but he was afraid that he would be fired on the first day of work, so he held back. He said with a livid face: "Be honest, don't scare others and shoot yourself in the foot. Tomorrow

I will come at seven o'clock. If you want to fight, I don't care about you. If you want to try, Then please!"

The opponent took a step back towards the boiling water pot and looked at the angry Paul in surprise.

He did not expect to encounter such a big nail and was a little overwhelmed.

"Okay, let's see." He said vaguely.

The first day finally passed without incident.

As Paul walked home, he felt that he was already a man who had earned his rest through honest labor. Now that he is working, no one can say that he is doing nothing anymore.

The morning sun rises lazily from behind the tall building of the sawmill.

The Paul family's little house will arrive soon. Look, it's right in front of you, the back of Lesinsky Manor.

"Mom is probably up, and I just came home from work." Paul thought of this, whistling and speeding up

his pace. "It's not bad that the school kicked me out. Anyway, that damn priest won't let you live in peace. Now I really want to spit on his face." Paul thought about this, and he had already arrived home. door. When he pushed open the door of the small courtyard, he remembered again: "Yes, there is also that yellow-haired boy. I must give him a good beating on the dog face. If he were not afraid of being kicked out, I

can’t wait to beat him right away. Sooner or later, I’ll make him taste the power of my fists.”

The mother was busy making a samovar in the yard. When she saw her son coming back, she hurriedly asked. Him: "How is it?"

"Very good." Paul replied.

It seemed that his mother wanted to take care of him for something, but he already understood. From the open window, he saw Brother Artem's broad back.

"Why, Artem is back?" he asked uneasily.

"I came back yesterday. This time I stayed at home and worked in the engine garage."

Paul opened the door hesitantly.

The burly Artem sat at the table with his back to Paul. He turned his head and looked at his younger brother, with two stern eyes shooting out from under his dark and thick eyebrows.

"Ah, the hero who spread the cigarette powder is back? Okay, you are really good!"

Paul had a premonition that the conversation after his brother returned home would not be good for him. Good.

"Artem already knows everything." Paul thought to himself. "I might get scolded this time, maybe get a beating."

Paul was a little afraid of Artem.

However, Artem had no intention of hitting him. He sat on a stool, leaning on the table with both arms, looking at Paul intently, whether with ridicule or contempt.

"So, you have graduated from college and have mastered all kinds of knowledge, and now you are pouring out dirty water?" Argio

said.

Paul stared at a broken floor, concentrating on a nail head that popped out. But Artem stood up from the table and went to the kitchen.

"It looks like I won't be beaten anymore." Paul breathed a sigh of relief.

While drinking tea, Artem calmly asked Paul about what happened in his class in detail.

Paul talked about it in detail.

"If you are acting like this now, what will happen in the future?" said the mother sadly.

"Oh, what can we do with him? Who does he look like like this? My God, this child makes me worry so much

" the mother complained.

Artem pushed away the empty tea cup and said to Paul: "Okay, brother. Forget about the past, you have to be careful in the future.

Don't worry about work. You have to do all the tricking; if you are kicked out from there again, I will make you look good and make you shed your skin. Mom, you have enough to worry about. Damn you, you always cause trouble wherever you go. It's time for you to have enough trouble. I'll ask someone to let you go to the garage. What's the point of being an apprentice and always pouring dirty water on people? You still need to learn a trade. I'll ask someone to help you in another year.

< p>The motorcycle garage might be able to take you in. I've already transferred here, and I won't work here anymore.

I won't bend down when I see any kind of bastard. , I’ve bent enough. But Paul, you have to live up to your expectations and be a good person.”

He stood up, straightened his tall body, put on the coat that was hung on the back of the chair, and then looked at him. My mother said, "I'm going out for an hour to do some errands." After saying that, she bent down and walked out of the room. He walked to the yard and passed by the window.

He added: "I'll bring you a pair of boots and a knife. Mom will give them to you."

< p>The station canteen is open day and night.

Six railways lead to this terminal. The station is always crowded with people, and only at night, between two trains, can it be quiet for two or three hours. There are hundreds of military vehicles at this station coming from various places, and then going to various places. Some came from the front line, and some went to the front line. Wounded soldiers with missing arms and legs were transported from the front line, and a large number of new recruits wearing gray coats were sent to the front line.

Paul worked hard in the canteen for two years. In the past two years, all he had seen was the kitchen and the washroom. In the large kitchen in the basement, the work was extremely busy, with more than twenty people working. Ten waiters were busy running back and forth from the dining room to the kitchen.

Paul's salary increased from eight rubles to ten rubles. He has grown taller and stronger in the past two years. During this period,

He suffered a lot. I started in the kitchen and worked hard for half a year. The powerful head cook didn't like this stubborn kid and often slapped him in the face. He was afraid that Paul would suddenly stab him, so he simply sent him back to the washing room. Had it not been for Paul's inexhaustible energy in his work, they would have driven him away long ago. Paul did more work than anyone else

and never felt tired.

During the busiest times in the cafeteria, he would run around without touching the ground, carrying a tray for a while, stepping up four or five steps at a time, and then going down to the kitchen. Ran up from the kitchen again.

Every night, when the two dining rooms of the cafeteria are quiet, the waiters gather in the storage room of the kitchen below

Betting big, playing "twenty" Come at one o'clock" and "nine o'clock". More than once Paul saw wads of banknotes piled on the gambling table.

Paul was not surprised that they had so much money. He knew that each of them could earn an extra three to four ten rubles as a day-night shift, and a tip would be as little as one ruble or half a ruble. When you have money, you drink and gamble. Paul hated them very much.

"These damn bastards!" he thought to himself. "A first-class fitter like Artem only earns forty eight rubles a month, and I only earn ten rubles; but why do they make so much money in one day and one night? That is, Bring the dishes

and take away the empty plates. When you have money, you will drink and gamble away."

Paul believes that they are the same as those bosses, and they are all him. Enemies. "These scumbags, don't look at them

They are here serving people in a humble manner, while their wives and children are showing off like rich people in the city."

They often I bring my son who is wearing a middle school uniform, and sometimes my wife who is chubby. "Their money

probably is more than the master they serve."

Paul thought so. Nor did he make a fuss about what happened at night in the corners of the kitchen and in the warehouses of the canteen.

Paul knew clearly that if any housemaid or waitress was unwilling to sell her body for a few rubles

to every person with authority in the canteen, Powerful people will not be able to do long-term work here.

Paul looked into the depths of life and at the bottom of life. He pursued all new things and longed to open up a new world.

But what came towards him was The stench of mold and the moisture of mire.

Artem wanted to place his younger brother as an apprentice in the locomotive garage, but failed because the place did not accept young people under the age of fifteen

. Paul looked forward to one day getting rid of this place, and the big blackened stone house in the locomotive garage attracted him.

He often went to Artem, followed him to inspect vehicles, and tried his best to help him with some work.

After Frosya left the cafeteria, Paul felt even more depressed.

This smiling, happy girl is no longer here, and Paul realizes more deeply how deep the friendship between them

is. Now, as soon as he walks into the washroom in the morning and hears the quarrels and curses of the female workers recruited from the refugees, he will feel a sense of emptiness and loneliness.

When he was resting at night, Paul squatted in front of the open stove door and added firewood to the stove; he squinted his eyes and looked at the fire in the stove

The fire was burning. The fire kept him warm and comfortable. He was the only one left in the washroom.

His thoughts unconsciously returned to what happened not long ago, and he thought of Frosya. The scene at that time

reappeared clearly before my eyes.

That was a Saturday. During night's rest, Paul went down the stairs to the kitchen. At the turn, he curiously climbed up the woodpile to see the storeroom, where people usually gathered to gamble.

The gambling was going on there, Zalivanov was sitting on the bank, and his face was flushed with excitement.

There were footsteps on the stairs. Paul turned around and saw the waiter Prohor coming down from the top. Paul quickly hid under the stairs and waited for him to walk over. It was dark under the stairs, and Prohor could not see him.

Prokhor turned a corner and walked down, and Paul saw his broad shoulders and big head.

At this moment, another person ran down from above gently and quickly, and Paul heard a familiar voice: "Pu

Rohor, wait a moment."

Prohor stopped, turned around and looked up.

"What's the matter?" he muttered.

Someone came down the stairs, and Paul recognized it as Frosya.

She pulled the waiter's sleeve, lowered her voice, and stammered: "Prohor, where is the money the lieutenant gave you?"

Prohor suddenly broke away from his arm, He said viciously: "What? Money? Didn't I give it to you?"

"But they gave you three hundred rubles.

"Frosya couldn't restrain herself and almost burst into tears.

"What did you say, three hundred rubles? Prohol said sarcastically. "What, you want them all?" Good lady, is a woman who washes household items worth so much money? As I see it, fifty rubles is a lot for you. Think about it, how lucky you are

! Those young ladies are much cleaner and more educated than you, but they don’t get so much money. Sleeping with me

You can earn fifty rubles for one night, so you have to thank God. There are so many fools out there. Okay, I'll give you another ten or twenty rubles and forget it. As long as you act smarter, there will be plenty of opportunities to make money in the future, and I will attract customers for you. "

After Prohor said the last words, he turned and went to the kitchen.

"You rogue, bad guy! "Frosya chased him and cursed a few times, and then leaned on the firewood and began to cry.

Paul stood in the darkness under the stairs, listening to the conversation, and then watching When Frosya trembled all over and banged her head on the pyre, he felt really indescribable.

Paul didn't show up, didn't say a word, and just died suddenly. Holding tightly onto the iron railing of the stairs, a loud bang came to my mind

A clear and definite thought passed through my mind: "Even she was betrayed, these damn guys. Alas, Frosha, Frosha

Xia..."

The hatred for Prokhor in Paul's heart became deeper and stronger. He hated and hated everything around him. "Alas. , if I were a strong man, I would beat this scoundrel to death! Why am I not as big and strong as Artem? ”

The fire in the furnace rose and fell, the flames trembled, gathered together, and rolled into a long blue tongue of flame; Paul

felt that there seemed to be a person She was laughing at him, taunting him, and sticking her tongue out at him.

The room was quiet except for the occasional beeping sound from the stove and the steady dripping of water from the faucet.

After Ka put the last polished pan on the shelf, there was no one else in the kitchen. The chef on duty and the female workers were all sleeping in the dressing room. At night, the kitchen can be quiet for three hours.

At this time, Klimka always runs up to spend time with Paul in the kitchen.

The little boiler with his eyes was very good. As soon as Klimka came up, he saw Paul squatting in front of the open furnace door. Paul also saw that one on the wall. The familiar figure with shaggy hair said without turning his head: "Sit down, Klimka. "

The little apprentice in the kitchen climbed up to the pile of firewood and lay down. He looked at Paul, who was sitting there silently, and said with a smile:

"What are you doing? La? How to deal with fire? "

Paul finally looked away from the flames. Now these big shining eyes looked directly at Klimka

Klimka. There was a silent sadness in his eyes. This was the first time he saw such a melancholy expression on his partner's face.

"Paul, you are a little weird today. ..." He was silent for a while, and then asked Paul: "What happened to you? "

Paul stood up and sat next to Klimka.

"Nothing," he replied in a sullen voice. "I don't feel happy staying here. "He clenched the two hands on his knees into fists.

"What happened to you today? "Klimka raised himself up with his arms and then asked.

"You asked me what happened today? From the day I came to work here, I have never been very good. Look, what kind of place is this

! We work like camels, but the rewards we get are: whoever is happy will reward you with a few mouths

, and there is not even a person to protect you. The boss hires us because he wants us to work for him, but any one of us has the right to beat you, as long as he has the energy. Even if you have the clone method, you can't serve everyone at once. If you don't serve one, you'll be beaten.

You just work hard, do everything you have to do well, and no one can find fault with you. You just do what you ask for

and you are so busy that you hit the back of your head, and there will always be times when you are not available, then Another slap in the ear..."

Klimka was taken aback and quickly interrupted him: "Don't yell so loudly, maybe someone will come over.

He will heard. "

Paul stood up and stood up.

"If you hear it, hear it. I want to leave here anyway. It's better to plow snow on the railroad than here. What is this place? It's hell. These guys are liars. They all have money, and we are nothing but beasts in their eyes. With the girls, they can do whatever they want. If anyone is pretty but refuses to be submissive,

he will be kicked out immediately. Where can they hide? They are all refugees, with no food or shelter. They

have to fill their stomachs, and at least they have something to eat here. In order not to starve, I had no choice but to be at the mercy of others.

”

Paul talked about these things so indignantly that Klimka was really worried that others would hear their conversation, so he hurriedly stood up and opened the door to the kitchen. It was closed, but Paul still just poured out his anger.

“Take you, Klimka, you always keep silent when people beat you. Why don't you say anything? "

Paul sat on the stool next to the table and rested his head tiredly on his hands. Klimka added some wood to the stove and also sat down at the table

.

“Are we still going to study today? "He asked Paul.

"There are no books to read," Paul replied. "The book stand is not open. "

"What, is the book stand closed today? Klimka asked in surprise.

“The book seller was arrested by the military police, and some things were also confiscated. "Paul replied.

"Why arrest him? ”

“I heard it was because of politics. "

Klimka glanced at Paul inexplicably.

"What is politics? "

Paul shrugged his shoulders and said: "Only the devil knows! I heard that if anyone opposes the Tsar, this is called politics. "

Klimka shivered in fright.

"Is there such a person? ”

“I don’t know. "Paul answered.

The door to the washroom opened, and the sleepy Grasha walked in.

"Why don't you sleep, children? Before the train comes, I can still sleep for an hour. Go to sleep, Paul,

I'll look after the water pot for you for a while. ”

Paul did not expect that he would leave the canteen so quickly, and the reason for leaving was completely beyond his surprise.

It was a cold day in January. Paul After finishing his shift, Paul was ready to go home, but his replacement didn't come. Paul went to the boss's wife and said he wanted to go home, but the boss's wife wouldn't let him go. He was already very tired, but he still had to stay and work another day and night. At night, when everyone was resting, he was exhausted. Several pots were filled with water and boiled before the three o'clock train arrived.

Paul turned on the faucet, but there was no water. It seemed that the water tower was not draining. I fell down on the firewood pile to rest for a while. I couldn't bear it anymore and fell asleep.

After a few minutes, the faucet buzzed and water flowed in. The sink soon overflowed and dripped along the tiles to the floor of the washroom. As usual, there was no one in the washroom.

The floor, flowing under the door into the dining room.

Streams of water flow quietly to the sleeping passengers