Слепящая тьма | страница 43



"Груди, что чаши с пенным шампанским", -вспомнилось Рубашову.
He stood still on the third black tile from the cell-window, to hear whether No. 402 was still tapping.Он остановился - на третьей черной плитке от окна - и прислушался.
There was no sound.Четыреста второй молчал.
Rubashov went to the spy-hole and looked over to No. 407, who had stretched out his hands for the bread.Рубашов подошел к дверному глазку и выглянул -туда, где Четыреста седьмой протягивал за хлебом худые руки.
He saw the grey steel door of cell 407 with the small black Judas.Он увидел черный зрачок очка и стальную дверь запертой камеры.
Electric light was burning in the corridor as always; it was bleak and silent; one could hardly believe that human beings lived behind those doors.Коридор тонул в глухом безмолвии и бесцветном блеске электрических ламп; было почти невозможно поверить, что за дверьми камер живут люди.
While the young man called Richard was giving his report, Rubashov did not interrupt him.Рубашов терпеливо слушал Рихарда.
Of the thirty men and women whom Richard had grouped together after the catastrophe, only seventeen remained.Из тридцати партийцев, переживших катастрофу, в группке осталось семнадцать человек.
Two, a factory hand and his girl, had thrown themselves out of the window when they came to fetch them.Двое - рабочий и его жена, - догадавшись, что их пришли забирать, выбросились из окна и разбились.
One had deserted-had left the town, vanished.Один дезертировал - уехал, исчез.
Two were suspected of being spies for the police, but this was not certain.Двоих считали агентами полиции, но точно никто ничего не знал.
Three had left the Party as a protest against the policy of the Central Committee; two of them had founded a new oppositional group, the third had joined the Moderates.Трое сами вышли из Партии, выразив свой категорический протест против политики Центрального Комитета.
Five had been arrested last night, among them Anny; it was known that at least two of these five were no longer alive.Четверых и жену Рихарда, Анни, взяли накануне рубашовского приезда; причем двоих сразу же убили.
So there remained seventeen, who continued to distribute pamphlets and scribble on walls.Семнадцать оставшихся расклеивали листовки, вывешивали флаги и писали лозунги.
Richard told him all this in minute detail, so that Rubashov should understand all the personal connections and causes which were particularly important; he did not know that the Central Committee had their own man in the group, who had long ago given Rubashov most of the facts.