The Black Cross

a flight of steps, ancient and worm-eaten, difficult of climbing by day by reason of a hole here, a worn place there, and the perilous til

s mid

t, but gradually growing blacker and spreading until fin

ight was visible, pale and flickering as the ray from a candle; otherwise t

the light

f the tenement, from under the archway, emerged other shadows, moving slowly like wraiths, hesitating, stop

d, a shadow passed through and another crept forward. No word was spoken, no

felt the walls with their hands softly, gropingly, but the hands were silent like

stantly the floor under them began to quiver and drop, inch by inch, foot by foot, down a well of continued blackness. The minutes passed. They still dropped lower and

. In the centre was a black table, and about the table thirteen chairs also black. The one at the head was occupi

stole forward, also masked to the lips. They passed one by one before the seated mask, touching his hand lightly, fleetingly

height, the strength or delicacy of the chin, the shape and size of the hand, was it alone

he far end of the room about which the candles flickered and sparkled. It was a huge Black Cross suspended as above an alta

in unison, a rapid crisscross motion over the breast, the forehead, the eyes, ending in the low murmu

whole truth and nothing but the tr

intense and charged with sign

arning. They shot, they maimed, they hacked, they burned alive every Jew in the village, men, wom

Do you know this for a fact

fact, from pers

gure, the shoulders bowed and crippled under the cloak. His

ngeons unspeakable. They received no trial; they were convicted of no crime; they never saw their

arrested and

f the Social Democrats and had helped to circul

fists were clenched, and he was breat

They were surrounded by Cossacks, who beat them with knouts, riding them down. They were boys, some of them hardly out of the Gymnasium, the flower of our youth, brave sons of Russia ready to fight for her and die." He hesitated and h

ping silently behind the masks. After a while the Head raised his hand and the fourth rose, slowly, reluctantly,

prisoned"-The voice grew lower and lower. "She was beaten-tortured by the guards; she never ret

one accusation followed the other in swift succession; the candles dropping low in their soc

t, the eyes of the masks sought the bier, resting with slow fascination on the words

hair and the leader rose. The silence was like a pall over the table. When his voice

ontinue to do. Does he merit to live?-Has he deserved to die? For the sake of our country, ou

end of the room, the candles dripped one by one on the bier, falling lower and

nd again their hands flashed out in that curious crisscross motion over the bre

s as the cry of an animal wounded, dying, about to spring. Falling on their knees, they remained motionless

in the shadow of death, their own and another's. Their heads were bowed. Their bodies shook and trembled. With hands raised they took the o

Fate shall fall, I vow the sentence of Death shall be fulfilled, by mine own hands if needs be, without weakness, or hesitation, or mercy.

er, low, intense, prescien

myself-by mine own

over the bier, drawing out, one after the other, a slip of paper folded. Th

Twelve drew blanks. Which of them had the Cross; which? They stared dumbly, questioningly, fearfu

he figures, cloaked and hooded, seemed to melt back into the shadows from whence they had emerged, l

cries and shouting, the sound of wood splintering, the blows of an axe,-a rushing forward of heavy bodies and the trampling of feet. The doors burst open, a

Tysyacha

ho was crouching on the floor before the sacred Icon, rocking herself an

here is nothing!-A copeck, for the love of heaven-half a copeck-a q

oak; on the table the remains of a black loaf and an empty cup. They searched and searched in vain; tapping the

m the other side. Head them off! Run, men, run! Here, this passage, and then straight a

grave, silent, deserted. The old woman glanced over her shoulder. She was still crouching before the Icon, rocking

e wreckage of the doorway closely, suspiciously, like an animal before a trap. The s

r eyes dilated, her mouth twisted with agony. In the centre of

ng, struggling with herself, glancing around fearfully into the shadows. A gleam from the candle fell on

ionless. Glancing to right and left, behind her, to the wreckage of the door, to the furthermost corner, back to the Icon again, her eyes roved, darting from side to side like a creature hunted. Clasping the clo

ll glass

devil t