Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: Ill IN A CELLAR THEY remained in the room behind the shop until the third volley of riflery crackled on the other side of the bridge. Even then they might have stayed, but they heard several half- choked shrieks, and suddenly the shop door burst open and a woman rushed in. She took three little steps forward and tumbled headlong. Then they knew they had better go downstairs at once. The little woman on the floor made no movement. She was lying on her face. Her short, bushy black hair had become loosed from its net. The heavy red stain on her blouse, just beneath the shoulder blade, was widening rapidly. They knew she was dead. Then suddenly the rifles began, and a dog out in the street howled in panic. Sonia laid down her baby. She crossed to the sofa near the door and attempted to pick up the little withered body of the old shopkeeper. Noneof them made a move to help her. She found she couldn't lift him. She dragged him to the door and toward the cellar steps. The red-bearded ragpicker was past her in an instant. His iron-shod heels clattered on the stones. The fat woman who had the old clothes shop up the street hesitated a moment and came after her. The big black-bearded cantor picked up the child and followed. She got him down at last and dragged him to the darkest corner. A sombre yellow light trickled through the grating. The ragpicker crushed past her and squeezed himself between the walls. The old man was very weak. Beyond a stifled groan and the wheezing in his throat, he had uttered no sound for hours. He kept his eyes closed. The second hand clothes dealer came down the stairs with the caution of a cat. She held her skirts up with her right hand. Her left clutched a little parcel of clothes. The cantor was stumbling down behind her. Sonia c...