—— Back on Reconnaissance ——157store staff documents. I easily opened the lid of the top box, but
apparently to no purpose; it contained... female underwear.
I crept under the bed, where there were another two such boxes,
except that one of them was bound with iron. I dragged it out. It
was not locked, fortunately. I opened it and saw that this was it, the
stuff I had been sent for!
I had only just started to stuff the cards and documents into
my pockets and down my shirtfront, when, suddenly, I caught
the sound of cautiously approaching steps. My nerves and hearing
were strained to the limit. I dashed over to the door and pressed
myself sideways against the wall with a grenade raised high in one
hand. With the other, left, hand I gripped the handle of the Finnish
knife. And suddenly I heard a soft whisper from outside:
‘Yevgeni, are you there? Open up! It’s me, Marusia!’
I cautiously opened the door – it was her! Come to pay a visit!
I dragged her into the dugout by the scruff of the neck and went
numb, unable for an instant to articulate a word.
Finally, I acquired the gift of speech and said: ‘So it’s you,
Marusia, you bitch!’ and I poked the grenade and the Finnish knife
under her nose. ‘Have you any idea what I would like to do to you
now?’
‘But I want to see how reconnaissance is carried out,’ Marusia
replied imperturbably and looked at me pitifully.
‘She’s a devil woman, not a child!’ I thought. ‘How did she creep
up like that, so I didn’t hear her? Where has she been all this time?’
Then, calming down a little, I said: ‘Well, take a look! What’s
so interesting about it? At least you haven’t brought anybody after
you, have you?’
‘No, the officer was chatting with the sentry, and they were
having a smoke! So I came in after you. I saw you. I was beside you
the whole time! But I was afraid to call out.. .’
Fobbing her off with a wave of the hand, I began rifling through
the boxes again. I also searched under the pillows and under the
mattress. Marusia helped me, stuffing the documents in her first
aid bag.