And some dominate us; they take advantage of our fear and frighten us still more.

Mark this: as long as people are afraid, they will rot like the birches in the marsh.
We must grow bold; it is time! "It's all the same," he said, as he turned from her; "they'll meet in my house, anyway." "Don't be angry with me!" the mother begged sadly.

"How can I help being afraid?
All my life I have lived in fear!" "Forgive me!" was his gentler reply, "but I cannot do otherwise," and he walked away.
For three days her heart was in a tremble, sinking in fright each time she remembered that strange people were soon to come to her house.

She could not picture them to herself, but it seemed to her they were terrible people.

It was they who had shown her son the road he was going.
On Saturday night Pavel came from the factory, washed himself, put on clean clothes, and when walking out of the house said to his mother without looking at her: "When they come, tell them I'll be back soon.