[ He's had the same thought—almost identical, in fact—but he keeps it to himself and doesn't inquire as to what her frame of reference is. Probably the struggles of that age, which seem to eclipse everything in their importance, not anything involving an execution.

Vasiliy is, fortunately, not one of the many people who find themselves uncomfortable in the presence of tears; a good third of the people he interrogated broke down crying at the first trace of gentleness, however carefully orchestrated it was, or if not at that then when insisting on their innocence, their loyalty to Comrade Stalin and the cause. He quickly learned to keep moving. He feels sorry for her, certainly, but he isn't paralyzed by the awkwardness a lot of people seem to feel in these situations. ]

I don't know. [ He's not one to sugarcoat things. Most of his fellow countrymen aren't. ] I wish I did. [ A pause. ] There are lots of people brought here. Some of them are probably scientists, engineers maybe. Very smart people who also want to find a way to go home.