III

Stepan’s cell was shared among others by the former yard-porter, Vassily, who had been sentenced to deportation for robbery, and by Chouev, sentenced also to deportation.  Vassily sang songs the whole day long with his fine voice, or told his adventures to the other men in the cell.  Chouev was working at something all day, mending his clothes, or reading the Gospel and the Psalter.

Stepan asked him why he was put into prison, and Chouev answered that he was being persecuted because of his true Christian faith by the priests, who were all of them hypocrites and hated those who followed the law of Christ.  Stepan asked what that true law was, and Chouev made clear to him that the true law consists in not worshipping gods made with hands, but worshipping the spirit and the truth.  He told him how he had learnt the truth from the lame tailor at the time when they were dividing the land.

“And what will become of those who have done evil?” asked Stepan.

“The Scriptures give an answer to that,” said Chouev, and read aloud to him Matthew xxv. 31:—­“When the Son of Man shall come in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then shall He sit upon the throne of His glory:  and before Him shall be gathered all nations:  and He shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth His sheep from the goats:  and He shall set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left.  Then shall the King say unto them on His right hand, Come, ye blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:  for I was an hungred, and ye gave Me meat:  I was thirsty, and ye gave Me drink:  I was a stranger, and ye took Me in:  naked, and ye clothed Me:  I was sick, and ye visited Me:  I was in prison, and ye came unto Me.  Then shall the righteous answer Him, saying, Lord, when saw we Thee an hungred, and fed Thee? or thirsty, and gave Thee drink?  When saw we Thee a stranger, and took Thee in? or naked, and clothed Thee?  Or when saw we Thee sick, or in prison, and came unto Thee?  And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these My brethren, ye have done it unto Me.  Then shall He say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from Me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:  for I was an hungred, and ye gave Me no meat:  I was thirsty, and ye gave Me no drink:  I was a stranger and ye took Me not in:  naked, and ye clothed Me not; sick, and in prison, and ye visited Me not.  Then shall they also answer Him, saying, Lord, when saw we Thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto Thee?  Then shall He answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to Me.  And these shall go away into everlasting punishment:  but the righteous into life eternal.”