Vasilii Petrovich inclined his head in greeting, while the slightly limping Vladychka John, who was therefore hurrying more than the others, waved at him cheerfully. There was something either very childish or Old Testament-like in that gesture. As though a child were saying, “I’m not despairing,” while an old man confirmed it: “Neither should you despair,” all in a single wave.
“How do you know him so well?” asked Artiom.
“How?” answered Vasilii Petrovich. “We were just brought here in the same cargo hold. Everyone was angry and oppressed; he alone smiled and laughed. Even the gangsters didn’t touch him. Next to him, you can’t help feeling that we’re all children. And that, Artiom, is such a warm, such a necessary feeling sometimes. You probably don’t understand that yet…”
Artiom looke
