The Schoolmaster and other stories - Penn State University

The Schoolmaster & other storiesabruptly to the soldier escorting him. “Where is it?”It was a painful moment! Everyone seemed to winceand as it were shrink together. The same fearful, incrediblethought flashed like lightning through every headin the court, the thought of possibly fatal coincidence,and not one person in the court dared to look at thesoldier’s face. Everyone refused to trust his thought andbelieved that he had heard wrong.“Prisoner, conversation with the guards is forbidden…” the president made haste to say.No one saw the escort’s face, and horror passed overthe hall unseen as in a mask. The usher of the court gotup quietly from his place and tiptoeing with his handheld out to balance himself went out of the court. Halfa minute later there came the muffled sounds and footstepsthat accompany the change of guard.All raised their heads and, trying to look as thoughnothing had happened, went on with their work….BOOTSA PIANO-TUNER called Murkin, a close-shaven man witha yellow face, with a nose stained with snuff, and cotton-woolin his ears, came out of his hotel-room intothe passage, and in a cracked voice cried: “Semyon!Waiter!”And looking at his frightened face one might have supposedthat the ceiling had fallen in on him or that hehad just seen a ghost in his room.“Upon my word, Semyon!” he cried, seeing the attendantrunning towards him. “What is the meaning of it?I am a rheumatic, delicate man and you make me gobarefoot! Why is it you don’t give me my boots all thistime? Where are they?”Semyon went into Murkin’s room, looked at the placewhere he was in the habit of putting the boots he hadcleaned, and scratched his head: the boots were not there.108