Book 3 Chapter 11 Maslova and her Companions

The political prisoners were kept in two small rooms, the doors
of which opened into a part of the passage partitioned off from
the rest. The first person Nekhludoff saw on entering into this
part of the passage was Simonson in his rubber jacket and with a
log of pine wood in his hands, crouching in front of a stove, the
door of which trembled, drawn in by the heat inside.

When he saw Nekhludoff he looked up at him from under his
protruding brow, and gave him his hand without rising.

"I am glad you have come; I want to speak to you," he said,
looking Nekhludoff straight in the eyes with an expression of
importance.

"Yes; what is it?" Nekhludoff asked.

"It will do later on; I am busy just now," and Simonson turned
again towards the stove, which he was heating according to a
theory of his own, so as to lose as little heat energy as
possible.

Nekhludoff was going to enter in at the first door, when Maslova,
stooping and pushing a large heap of rubbish and dust towards the
stove with a handleless birch broom, came out of the other. She
had a white jacket on, her skirt was tucked up, and a kerchief,
drawn down to her eyebrows, protected her hair from the dust.
When she saw Nekhludoff, she drew herself up, flushing and
animated, put down the broom, wiped her hands on her skirt, and
stopped right in front of him. "You are tidying up the
apartments, I see," said Nekhludoff, shaking hands.