were never even fined. And now they were imprisoned like criminals.

"We are all masons and belong to the same association. They say that
the prison has burned down, but that isn't our fault. For God's sake,
help us!"

Nekhludoff listened, but scarcely understood what the old man was
saying.

"How is that? Can it be possible that they are kept in prison for that
sole reason?" said Nekhludoff, turning to the assistant.

"Yes, they ought to be sent to their homes," said the assistant.

At that moment a small-sized man, also in prison attire, pushed his
way through the crowd and began to complain excitedly that they were
being tortured without any cause.

"Worse than dogs----" he began.

"Tut, tut! do not talk too much, or else you know----"

"Know what?" said the little man desperately. "Are we guilty of
anything?"

"Silence!" shouted the assistant, and the little man subsided.

"What a peculiar state of things!" Nekhludoff said to himself as he
ran the gauntlet, as it were, of a hundred eyes that followed him
through the corridor.