Chapter XV

The beginning of these perplexing things was in the
summer; and each time Ona would promise him with
terror in her voice that it would not happen again -- but
in vain. Each crisis would leave Jurgis more and more
frightened, more disposed to distrust Elzbieta's consola~
tions, and to believe that there was some terrible thing
about all this that he was not allowed to know. Once or
twice in these outbreaks he caught Ona's eye, and it
seemed to him like the eye of a hunted animal; there
were broken phrases of anguish and despair now and then,
amid her frantic weeping. It was only because he was
so numb and beaten himself that Jurgis did not worry
more about this. But he never thought of it, except when
he was dragged to it -- he lived like a dumb beast of bur~
den, knowing only the moment in which he was.

The winter was coming on again, more menacing and
cruel than ever. It was October, and the holiday rush
had begun. It was necessary for the packing-machines
to grind till late at night to provide food that would be
eaten at Christmas breakfasts; and Marija and Elzbieta and
Ona, as part of the machine, began working fifteen or six~
teen hours a day. There was no choice about this -- what~
ever work there was to be done they had to do, if they wished
to keep their places; besides that, it added another pittance
to their incomes, so they staggered on with the awful load.
They would start work every morning at seven, and eat
their dinners at noon, and then work until ten or eleven
at night without another mouthful of food. Jurgis wanted
to wait for them, to help them home at night, but they
would not think of this; the fertilizer-mill was not run~
ning overtime, and there was no place for him to wait save

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v?