,,the ,,tales ,,of ,,chekhov ,,volume #aj ,,the ,,horse ,,stealers ,,and ,,other ,,stories ,,by ,,anton ,,tchekhov ,translated by ,,constance ,,garnett ,,contents ,,the ,,horse-,,stealers ,,ward ,,no4 #f ,,the ,,petchenyeg ,a ,,dead ,,body ,a ,,happy ,,ending ,,the ,,looking-,,glass ,,old ,,age ,,darkness ,,the ,,beggar ,a ,,story ,,without ,a ,,title ,,in ,,trouble ,,frost ,a ,,slander ,,minds ,,in ,,ferment ,,gone ,,astray ,,an ,,avenger ,,the ,,jeune ,,premier ,a ,,defenceless ,,creature ,,an ,,enigmatic ,,nature ,a ,,happy ,,man ,a ,,troublesome ,,visitor ,,an ,,actor',s ,,end ,,the ,,horse-,,stealers ,a ,,hospital assistant1 called ,yergunov1 an empty-headed fellow1 known throughout the district as a great braggart and drunkard1 was returning one evening in ,christmas week from the hamlet of ,ryepino1 where he had been to make some purchases for the hospital4 ,that he might get home in good time and not be late1 the doctor had lent him his very best horse4 ,at first it had been a still day1 but at eight o'clock a violent snow-storm came on1 and when he was only about four miles from home ,yergunov completely lost his way4 ,he did not know how to drive1 he did not know the road1 and he drove on at random1 hoping that the horse would find the way of itself4 ,two hours passed2 the horse was exhausted1 he himself was chilled1 and already began to fancy that he was not going home1 but back towards ,ryepino4 ,but at last above the uproar of the storm he heard the far-away barking of a dog1 and a murky red blur came into sight ahead of him3 little by little1 the outlines of a high gate could be discerned1 then a long fence on which there were nails with their points uppermost1 and beyond the fence there stood the slanting crane of a well4 ,the wind drove away the mist of snow from before the eyes1 and where there had been a red blur1 there sprang up a small1 squat little house with a steep thatched roof4 ,of the three little windows one1 covered on the inside with something red1 was lighted up4 ,what sort of place was it8 ,yergunov remembered that to the right of the road1 three and a half or four miles from the hospital1 there was ,andrey ,tchirikov's tavern4 ,he remembered1 too1 that this ,tchirikov1 who had been lately killed by some sledge-drivers1 had left a wife and a daughter called ,lyubka1 who had come to the hospital two years before as a patient4 ,the inn had a bad reputation1 and to visit it late in the evening1 and especially with someone else's horse1 was not free from risk4 ,but there was no help for it4 ,yergunov fumbled in his knapsack for his revolver1 and1 coughing sternly1 tapped at the window-frame with his whip4 ,hey6 who is within8 he cried4 ,hey1 granny6 let me come in and get warm6 ,with a hoarse bark a black dog rolled like a ball under the horse's feet1 then another white one1 then another black one--there must have been a dozen of them4 ,yergunov looked to see which was the biggest1 swung his whip and lashed at it with all his might4 ,a small1 long-legged puppy turned its sharp muzzle upwards and set up a shrill1 piercing howl4 ,yergunov stood for a long while at the window1 tapping4 ,but at last the hoar-frost on the trees near the house glowed red1 and a muffled female figure appeared with a lantern in her hands4 ,let me in to get warm1 granny1 said ,yergunov4 ,i was driving to the hospital1 and ,i have lost my way4 ,it's such weather1 ,god preserve us4 ,don't be afraid2 we are your own people1 granny4 ,all my own people are at home1 and we didn't invite strangers1 said the figure grimly4 ,and what are you knocking for8 ,the gate is not locked4 ,yergunov drove into the yard and stopped at the steps4 ,bid your labourer take my horse out1 granny1 said he4 ,i am not granny4 ,and indeed she was not a granny4 ,while she was putting out the lantern the light fell on her face1 and ,yergunov saw black eyebrows1 and recognized ,lyubka4 ,there are no labourers about now1 she said as she went into the house4 ,some are drunk and asleep1 and some have been gone to ,ryepino since the morning4 ,it's a holiday4 4 4 4 ,as he fastened his horse up in the shed1 ,yergunov heard a neigh1 and distinguished in the darkness another horse1 and felt on it a ,cossack saddle4 ,so there must be someone else in the house besides the woman and her daughter4 ,for greater security ,yergunov unsaddled his horse1 and when he went into the house1 took with him both his purchases and his saddle4 ,the first room into which he went was large and very hot1 and smelt of freshly washed floors4 ,a short1 lean peasant of about forty1 with a small1 fair beard1 wearing a dark blue shirt1 was sitting at the table under the holy images4 ,it was ,kalashnikov1 an arrant scoundrel and horse-stealer1 whose father and uncle kept a tavern in ,bogalyovka1 and disposed of the stolen horses where they could4 ,he too had been to the hospital more than once1 not for medical treatment1 but to see the doctor about horses--to ask whether he had not one for sale1 and whether his honour would not like to swop his bay mare for a dun-coloured gelding4 ,now his head was pomaded and a silver ear-ring glittered in his ear1 and altogether he had a holiday air4 ,frowning and dropping his lower lip1 he was looking intently at a big dog's-eared picture-book4 ,another peasant lay stretched on the floor near the stove2 his head1 his shoulders1 and his chest were covered with a sheepskin--he was probably asleep2 beside his new boots1 with shining bits of metal on the heels1 there were two dark pools of melted snow4 ,seeing the hospital assistant1 ,kalashnikov greeted him4 ,yes1 it is weather1 said ,yergunov1 rubbing his chilled knees with his open hands4 ,the snow is up to one's neck2 ,i am soaked to the skin1 ,i can tell you4 ,and ,i believe my revolver is1 too4 4 4 4 ,he took out his revolver1 looked it all over1 and put it back in his knapsack4 ,but the revolver made no impression at all2 the peasant went on looking at the book4 ,yes1 it is weather4 4 4 4 ,i lost my way1 and if it had not been for the dogs here1 ,i do believe it would have been my death4 ,there would have been a nice to-do4 ,and where are the women8 ,the old woman has gone to ,ryepino1 and the girl is getting supper ready 4 4 4 answered ,kalashnikov4 ,silence followed4 ,yergunov1 shivering and gasping1 breathed on his hands1 huddled up1 and made a show of being very cold and exhausted4 ,the still angry dogs could be heard howling outside4 ,it was dreary4 ,you come from ,bogalyovka1 don't you8 he asked the peasant sternly4 ,yes1 from ,bogalyovka4 ,and to while away the time ,yergunov began to think about ,bogalyovka4 ,it was a big village and it lay in a deep ravine1 so that when one drove along the highroad on a moonlight night1 and looked down into the dark ravine and then up at the sky1 it seemed as though the moon were hanging over a bottomless abyss and it were the end of the world4 ,the path going down was steep1 winding1 and so narrow that when one drove down to ,bogalyovka on account of some epidemic or to vaccinate the people1 one had to shout at the top of one's voice1 or whistle all the way1 for if one met a cart coming up one could not pass4 ,the peasants of ,bogalyovka had the reputation of being good gardeners and horse-stealers4 ,they had well-stocked gardens4 ,in spring the whole village was buried in white cherry-blossom1 and in the summer they sold cherries at three kopecks a pail4 ,one could pay three kopecks and pick as one liked4 ,their women were handsome and looked well fed1 they were fond of finery1 and never did anything even on working-days1 but spent all their time sitting on the ledge in front of their houses and searching in each other's heads4 ,but at last there was the sound of footsteps4 ,lyubka1 a girl of twenty1 with bare feet and a red dress1 came into the room4 4 4 4 ,she looked sideways at ,yergunov and walked twice from one end of the room to the other4 ,she did not move simply1 but with tiny steps1 thrusting forward her bosom2 evidently she enjoyed padding about with her bare feet on the freshly washed floor1 and had taken off her shoes on purpose4 ,kalashnikov laughed at something and beckoned her with his finger4 ,she went up to the table1 and he showed her a picture of the ,prophet ,elijah1 who1 driving three horses abreast1 was dashing up to the sky4 ,lyubka put her elbow on the table2 her plait fell across her shoulder--a long chestnut plait tied with red ribbon at the end--and it almost touched the floor4 ,she1 too1 smiled4 ,a splendid1 wonderful picture1 said ,kalashnikov4 ,wonderful1 he repeated1 and motioned with his hand as though he wanted to take the reins instead of ,elijah4 ,the wind howled in the stove2 something growled and squeaked as though a big dog had strangled a rat4 ,ugh6 the unclean spirits are abroad6 said ,lyubka4 ,that's the wind1 said ,kalashnikov2 and after a pause he raised his eyes to ,yergunov and asked3 ,and what is your learned opinion1 ,osip ,vassilyitch--are there devils in this world or not8 ,what's one to say1 brother8 said ,yergunov1 and he shrugged one shoulder4 ,if one reasons from science1 of course there are no devils1 for it's a superstition2 but if one looks at it simply1 as you and ,i do now1 there are devils1 to put it shortly4 4 4 4 ,i have seen a great deal in my life4 4 4 4 ,when ,i finished my studies ,i served as medical assistant in the army in a regiment of the dragoons1 and ,i have been in the war1 of course4 ,i have a medal and a decoration from the ,red ,cross1 but after the treaty of ,san ,stefano ,i returned to ,russia and went into the service of the ,zemstvo4 ,and in consequence of my enormous circulation about the world1 ,i may say ,i have seen more than many another has dreamed of4 ,it has happened to me to see devils1 too2 that is1 not devils with horns and a tail--that is all nonsense--but just1 to speak precisely1 something of the sort4 ,where8 asked ,kalashnikov4 ,in various places4 ,there is no need to go far4 ,last year ,i met him here--speak of him not at night--near this very inn4 ,i was driving1 ,i remember1 to ,golyshino2 ,i was going there to vaccinate4 ,of course1 as usual1 ,i had the racing droshky and a horse1 and all the necessary paraphernalia1 and1 what's more1 ,i had a watch and all the rest of it1 so ,i was on my guard as ,i drove along1 for fear of some mischance4 ,there are lots of tramps of all sorts4 ,i came up to the ,zmeinoy ,ravine--damnation take it--and was just going down it1 when all at once somebody comes up to me--such a fellow6 ,black hair1 black eyes1 and his whole face looked smutted with soot 4 4 4 4 ,he comes straight up to the horse and takes hold of the left rein3 ',stop6' ,he looked at the horse1 then at me1 then dropped the reins1 and without saying a bad word1 ',where are you going8' says he4 ,and he showed his teeth in a grin1 and his eyes were spiteful-looking4 ',ah1' thought ,i1 'you are a queer customer6' ',i am going to vaccinate for the smallpox1' said ,i4 ',and what is that to you8' ',well1 if that's so1' says he1 'vaccinate me4 ,he bared his arm and thrust it under my nose4 ,of course1 ,i did not bandy words with him2 ,i just vaccinated him to get rid of him4 ,afterwards ,i looked at my lancet and it had gone rusty4 ,the peasant who was asleep near the stove suddenly turned over and flung off the sheepskin2 to his great surprise1 ,yergunov recognized the stranger he had met that day at ,zmeinoy ,ravine4 ,this peasant's hair1 beard1 and eyes were black as soot2 his face was swarthy2 and1 to add to the effect1 there was a black spot the size of a lentil on his right cheek4 ,he looked mockingly at the hospital assistant and said3 ,i did take hold of the left rein--that was so2 but about the smallpox you are lying1 sir4 ,and there was not a word said about the smallpox between us4 ,yergunov was disconcerted4 ,i'm not talking about you1 he said4 ,lie down1 since you are lying down4 ,the dark-skinned peasant had never been to the hospital1 and ,yergunov did not know who he was or where he came from2 and now1 looking at him1 he made up his mind that the man must be a gypsy4 ,the peasant got up and1 stretching and yawning loudly1 went up to ,lyubka and ,kalashnikov1 and sat down beside them1 and he1 too1 began looking at the book4 ,his sleepy face softened and a look of envy came into it4 ,look1 ,merik1 ,lyubka said to him2 get me such horses and ,i will drive to heaven4 ,sinners can't drive to heaven1 said ,kalashnikov4 ,that's for holiness4 ,then ,lyubka laid the table and brought in a big piece of fat bacon1 salted cucumbers1 a wooden platter of boiled meat cut up into little pieces1 then a frying-pan1 in which there were sausages and cabbage spluttering4 ,a cut-glass decanter of vodka1 which diffused a smell of orange-peel all over the room when it was poured out1 was put on the table also4 ,yergunov was annoyed that ,kalashnikov and the dark fellow ,merik talked together and took no notice of him at all1 behaving exactly as though he were not in the room4 ,and he wanted to talk to them1 to brag1 to drink1 to have a good meal1 and if possible to have a little fun with ,lyubka1 who sat down near him half a dozen times while they were at supper1 and1 as though by accident1 brushed against him with her handsome shoulders and passed her hands over her broad hips4 ,she was a healthy1 active girl1 always laughing and never still3 she would sit down1 then get up1 and when she was sitting down she would keep turning first her face and then her back to her neighbour1 like a fidgety child1 and never failed to brush against him with her elbows or her knees4 ,and he was displeased1 too1 that the peasants drank only a glass each and no more1 and it was awkward for him to drink alone4 ,but he could not refrain from taking a second glass1 all the same1 then a third1 and he ate all the sausage4 ,he brought himself to flatter the peasants1 that they might accept him as one of the party instead of holding him at arm's length4 ,you are a fine set of fellows in ,bogalyovka6 he said1 and wagged his head4 ,in what way fine fellows8 enquired ,kalashnikov4 ,why1 about horses1 for instance4 ,fine fellows at stealing6 ,h'm6 fine fellows1 you call them4 ,nothing but thieves and drunkards4 ,they have had their day1 but it is over1 said ,merik1 after a pause4 ,but now they have only ,filya left1 and he is blind4 ,yes1 there is no one but ,filya1 said ,kalashnikov1 with a sigh4 ,reckon it up1 he must be seventy2 the ,german settlers knocked out one of his eyes1 and he does not see well with the other4 ,it is cataract4 ,in old days the police officer would shout as soon as he saw him3 ',hey1 you ,shamil6' and all the peasants called him that--he was ,shamil all over the place2 and now his only name is ,one-eyed ,filya4 ,but he was a fine fellow6 ,lyuba's father1 ,andrey ,grigoritch1 and he stole one night into ,rozhnovo--there were cavalry regiments stationed there--and carried off nine of the soldiers' horses1 the very best of them4 ,they weren't frightened of the sentry1 and in the morning they sold all the horses for twenty roubles to the gypsy ,afonka4 ,yes6 ,but nowadays a man contrives to carry off a horse whose rider is drunk or asleep1 and has no fear of ,god1 but will take the very boots from a drunkard1 and then slinks off and goes away a hundred and fifty miles with a horse1 and haggles at the market1 haggles like a ,jew1 till the policeman catches him1 the fool4 ,there is no fun in it2 it is simply a disgrace6 ,a paltry set of people1 ,i must say4 ,what about ,merik8 asked ,lyubka4 ,merik is not one of us1 said ,kalashnikov4 ,he is a ,harkov man from ,mizhiritch4 ,but that he is a bold fellow1 that's the truth2 there's no gainsaying that he is a fine fellow4 ,lyubka looked slily and gleefully at ,merik1 and said3 ,it wasn't for nothing they dipped him in a hole in the ice4 ,how was that8 asked ,yergunov4 ,it was like this 4 4 4 said ,merik1 and he laughed4 ,filya carried off three horses from the ,samoylenka tenants1 and they pitched upon me4 ,there were ten of the tenants at ,samoylenka1 and with their labourers there were thirty altogether1 and all of them ,molokans 4 4 4 4 ,so one of them says to me at the market3 ',come and have a look1 ,merik2 we have brought some new horses from the fair4' ,i was interested1 of course4 ,i went up to them1 and the whole lot of them1 thirty men1 tied my hands behind me and led me to the river4 ',we'll show you fine horses1' they said4 ,one hole in the ice was there already2 they cut another beside it seven feet away4 ,then1 to be sure1 they took a cord and put a noose under my armpits1 and tied a crooked stick to the other end1 long enough to reach both holes4 ,they thrust the stick in and dragged it through4 ,i went plop into the ice-hole just as ,i was1 in my fur coat and my high boots1 while they stood and shoved me1 one with his foot and one with his stick1 then dragged me under the ice and pulled me out of the other hole4 ,lyubka shuddered and shrugged4 ,at first ,i was in a fever from the cold1 ,merik went on1 but when they pulled me out ,i was helpless1 and lay in the snow1 and the ,molokans stood round and hit me with sticks on my knees and my elbows4 ,it hurt fearfully4 ,they beat me and they went away 4 4 4 and everything on me was frozen1 my clothes were covered with ice4 ,i got up1 but ,i couldn't move4 ,thank ,god1 a woman drove by and gave me a lift4 ,meanwhile ,yergunov had drunk five or six glasses of vodka2 his heart felt lighter1 and he longed to tell some extraordinary1 wonderful story too1 and to show that he1 too1 was a bold fellow and not afraid of anything4 ,i'll tell you what happened to us in ,penza ,province 4 4 4 he began4 ,either because he had drunk a great deal and was a little tipsy1 or perhaps because he had twice been detected in a lie1 the peasants took not the slightest notice of him1 and even left off answering his questions4 ,what was worse1 they permitted themselves a frankness in his presence that made him feel uncomfortable and cold all over1 and that meant that they took no notice of him4 ,kalashnikov had the dignified manners of a sedate and sensible man2 he spoke weightily1 and made the sign of the cross over his mouth every time he yawned1 and no one could have supposed that this was a thief1 a heartless thief who had stripped poor creatures1 who had already been twice in prison1 and who had been sentenced by the commune to exile in ,siberia1 and had been bought off by his father and uncle1 who were as great thieves and rogues as he was4 ,merik gave himself the airs of a bravo4 ,he saw that ,lyubka and ,kalashnikov were admiring him1 and looked upon himself as a very fine fellow1 and put his arms akimbo1 squared his chest1 or stretched so that the bench creaked under him4 4 4 4 ,after supper ,kalashnikov prayed to the holy image without getting up from his seat1 and shook hands with ,merik2 the latter prayed too1 and shook ,kalashnikov's hand4 ,lyubka cleared away the supper1 shook out on the table some peppermint biscuits1 dried nuts1 and pumpkin seeds1 and placed two bottles of sweet wine4 ,the kingdom of heaven and peace everlasting to ,andrey ,grigoritch1 said ,kalashnikov1 clinking glasses with ,merik4 ,when he was alive we used to gather together here or at his brother ,martin's1 and--my word6 my word6 what men1 what talks6 ,remarkable conversations6 ,martin used to be here1 and ,filya1 and ,fyodor ,stukotey4 4 4 4 ,it was all done in style1 it was all in keeping4 4 4 4 ,and what fun we had6 ,we did have fun1 we did have fun6 ,lyubka went out and soon afterwards came back wearing a green kerchief and beads4 ,look1 ,merik1 what ,kalashnikov brought me to-day1 she said4 ,she looked at herself in the looking-glass1 and tossed her head several times to make the beads jingle4 ,and then she opened a chest and began taking out1 first1 a cotton dress with red and blue flowers on it1 and then a red one with flounces which rustled and crackled like paper1 then a new kerchief1 dark blue1 shot with many colours--and all these things she showed and flung up her hands1 laughing as though astonished that she had such treasures4 ,kalashnikov tuned the balalaika and began playing it1 but ,yergunov could not make out what sort of song he was singing1 and whether it was gay or melancholy1 because at one moment it was so mournful he wanted to cry1 and at the next it would be merry4 ,merik suddenly jumped up and began tapping with his heels on the same spot1 then1 brandishing his arms1 he moved on his heels from the table to the stove1 from the stove to the chest1 then he bounded up as though he had been stung1 clicked the heels of his boots together in the air1 and began going round and round in a crouching position4 ,lyubka waved both her arms1 uttered a desperate shriek1 and followed him4 ,at first she moved sideways1 like a snake1 as though she wanted to steal up to someone and strike him from behind4 ,she tapped rapidly with her bare heels as ,merik had done with the heels of his boots1 then she turned round and round like a top and crouched down1 and her red dress was blown out like a bell4 ,merik1 looking angrily at her1 and showing his teeth in a grin1 flew towards her in the same crouching posture as though he wanted to crush her with his terrible legs1 while she jumped up1 flung back her head1 and waving her arms as a big bird does its wings1 floated across the room scarcely touching the floor4 4 4 4 ,what a flame of a girl6 thought ,yergunov1 sitting on the chest1 and from there watching the dance4 ,what fire6 ,give up everything for her1 and it would be too little 4 4 4 4 ,and he regretted that he was a hospital assistant1 and not a simple peasant1 that he wore a reefer coat and a chain with a gilt key on it instead of a blue shirt with a cord tied round the waist4 ,then he could boldly have sung1 danced1 flung both arms round ,lyubka as ,merik did4 4 4 4 ,the sharp tapping1 shouts1 and whoops set the crockery ringing in the cupboard and the flame of the candle dancing4 ,the thread broke and the beads were scattered all over the floor1 the green kerchief slipped off1 and ,lyubka was transformed into a red cloud flitting by and flashing black eyes1 and it seemed as though in another second ,merik's arms and legs would drop off4 ,but finally ,merik stamped for the last time1 and stood still as though turned to stone4 ,exhausted and almost breathless1 ,lyubka sank on to his bosom and leaned against him as against a post1 and he put his arms round her1 and looking into her eyes1 said tenderly and caressingly1 as though in jest3 ,i'll find out where your old mother's money is hidden1 ,i'll murder her and cut your little throat for you1 and after that ,i will set fire to the inn4 4 4 4 ,people will think you have perished in the fire1 and with your money ,i shall go to ,kuban4 ,i'll keep droves of horses and flocks of sheep4 4 4 4 ,lyubka made no answer1 but only looked at him with a guilty air1 and asked3 ,and is it nice in ,kuban1 ,merik8 ,he said nothing1 but went to the chest1 sat down1 and sank into thought2 most likely he was dreaming of ,kuban4 ,it's time for me to be going1 said ,kalashnikov1 getting up4 ,filya must be waiting for me4 ,goodbye1 ,lyuba4 ,yergunov went out into the yard to see that ,kalashnikov did not go off with his horse4 ,the snowstorm still persisted4 ,white clouds were floating about the yard1 their long tails clinging to the rough grass and the bushes1 while on the other side of the fence in the open country huge giants in white robes with wide sleeves were whirling round and falling to the ground1 and getting up again to wave their arms and fight4 ,and the wind1 the wind6 ,the bare birches and cherry-trees1 unable to endure its rude caresses1 bowed low down to the ground and wailed3 ,god1 for what sin hast ,thou bound us to the earth and will not let us go free8 ,wo6 said ,kalashnikov sternly1 and he got on his horse2 one half of the gate was opened1 and by it lay a high snowdrift4 ,well1 get on6 shouted ,kalashnikov4 ,his little short-legged nag set off1 and sank up to its stomach in the drift at once4 ,kalashnikov was white all over with the snow1 and soon vanished from sight with his horse4 ,when ,yergunov went back into the room1 ,lyubka was creeping about the floor picking up her beads2 ,merik was not there4 ,a splendid girl6 thought ,yergunov1 as he lay down on the bench and put his coat under his head4 ,oh1 if only ,merik were not here4 ,lyubka excited him as she crept about the floor by the bench1 and he thought that if ,merik had not been there he would certainly have got up and embraced her1 and then one would see what would happen4 ,it was true she was only a girl1 but not likely to be chaste2 and even if she were--need one stand on ceremony in a den of thieves8 ,lyubka collected her beads and went out4 ,the candle burnt down and the flame caught the paper in the candlestick4 ,yergunov laid his revolver and matches beside him1 and put out the candle4 ,the light before the holy images flickered so much that it hurt his eyes1 and patches of light danced on the ceiling1 on the floor1 and on the cupboard1 and among them he had visions of ,lyubka1 buxom1 full-bosomed3 now she was turning round like a top1 now she was exhausted and breathless4 4 4 4 ,oh1 if the devils would carry off that ,merik1 he thought4 ,the little lamp gave a last flicker1 spluttered1 and went out4 ,someone1 it must have been ,merik1 came into the room and sat down on the bench4 ,he puffed at his pipe1 and for an instant lighted up a dark cheek with a patch on it4 ,yergunov's throat was irritated by the horrible fumes of the tobacco smoke4 ,what filthy tobacco you have got--damnation take it6 said ,yergunov4 ,it makes me positively sick4 ,i mix my tobacco with the flowers of the oats1 answered ,merik after a pause4 ,it is better for the chest4 ,he smoked1 spat1 and went out again4 ,half an hour passed1 and all at once there was the gleam of a light in the passage4 ,merik appeared in a coat and cap1 then ,lyubka with a candle in her hand4 ,do stay1 ,merik1 said ,lyubka in an imploring voice4 ,no1 ,lyuba1 don't keep me4 ,listen1 ,merik1 said ,lyubka1 and her voice grew soft and tender4 ,i know you will find mother's money1 and will do for her and for me1 and will go to ,kuban and love other girls2 but ,god be with you4 ,i only ask you one thing1 sweetheart3 do stay6 ,no1 ,i want some fun 4 4 4 said ,merik1 fastening his belt4 ,but you have nothing to go on4 4 4 4 ,you came on foot2 what are you going on8 ,merik bent down to ,lyubka and whispered something in her ear2 she looked towards the door and laughed through her tears4 ,he is asleep1 the puffed-up devil 4 4 4 she said4 ,merik embraced her1 kissed her vigorously1 and went out4 ,yergunov thrust his revolver into his pocket1 jumped up1 and ran after him4 ,get out of the way6 he said to ,lyubka1 who hurriedly bolted the door of the entry and stood across the threshold4 ,let me pass6 ,why are you standing here8 ,what do you want to go out for8 ,to have a look at my horse4 ,lyubka gazed up at him with a sly and caressing look4 ,why look at it8 ,you had better look at me 4 4 4 4 she said1 then she bent down and touched with her finger the gilt watch-key that hung on his chain4 ,let me pass1 or he will go off on my horse1 said ,yergunov4 ,let me go1 you devil6 he shouted1 and giving her an angry blow on the shoulder1 he pressed his chest against her with all his might to push her away from the door1 but she kept tight hold of the bolt1 and was like iron4 ,let me go6 he shouted1 exhausted2 he will go off with it1 ,i tell you4 ,why should he8 ,he won't4 ,breathing hard and rubbing her shoulder1 which hurt1 she looked up at him again1 flushed a little and laughed4 ,don't go away1 dear heart1 she said2 ,i am dull alone4 ,yergunov looked into her eyes1 hesitated1 and put his arms round her2 she did not resist4 ,come1 no nonsense2 let me go1 he begged her4 ,she did not speak4 ,i heard you just now1 he said1 telling ,merik that you love him4 ,i dare say4 4 4 4 ,my heart knows who it is ,i love4 ,she put her finger on the key again1 and said softly3 ,give me that4 ,yergunov unfastened the key and gave it to her4 ,she suddenly craned her neck and listened with a grave face1 and her expression struck ,yergunov as cold and cunning2 he thought of his horse1 and now easily pushed her aside and ran out into the yard4 ,in the shed a sleepy pig was grunting with lazy regularity and a cow was knocking her horn4 ,yergunov lighted a match and saw the pig1 and the cow1 and the dogs1 which rushed at him on all sides at seeing the light1 but there was no trace of the horse4 ,shouting and waving his arms at the dogs1 stumbling over the drifts and sticking in the snow1 he ran out at the gate and fell to gazing into the darkness4 ,he strained his eyes to the utmost1 and saw only the snow flying and the snowflakes distinctly forming into all sorts of shapes2 at one moment the white1 laughing face of a corpse would peep out of the darkness1 at the next a white horse would gallop by with an ,amazon in a muslin dress upon it1 at the next a string of white swans would fly overhead4 4 4 4 ,shaking with anger and cold1 and not knowing what to do1 ,yergunov fired his revolver at the dogs1 and did not hit one of them2 then he rushed back to the house4 ,when he went into the entry he distinctly heard someone scurry out of the room and bang the door4 ,it was dark in the room4 ,yergunov pushed against the door2 it was locked4 ,then1 lighting match after match1 he rushed back into the entry1 from there into the kitchen1 and from the kitchen into a little room where all the walls were hung with petticoats and dresses1 where there was a smell of cornflowers and fennel1 and a bedstead with a perfect mountain of pillows1 standing in the corner by the stove2 this must have been the old mother's room4 ,from there he passed into another little room1 and here he saw ,lyubka4 ,she was lying on a chest1 covered with a gay-coloured patchwork cotton quilt1 pretending to be asleep4 ,a little ikon-lamp was burning in the corner above the pillow4 ,where is my horse8 ,yergunov asked4 ,lyubka did not stir4 ,where is my horse1 ,i am asking you8 ,yergunov repeated still more sternly1 and he tore the quilt off her4 ,i am asking you1 she-devil6 he shouted4 ,she jumped up on her knees1 and with one hand holding her shift and with the other trying to clutch the quilt1 huddled against the wall 4 4 4 4 ,she looked at ,yergunov with repulsion and terror in her eyes1 and1 like a wild beast in a trap1 kept cunning watch on his faintest movement4 ,tell me where my horse is1 or ,i'll knock the life out of you1 shouted ,yergunov4 ,get away1 dirty brute6 she said in a hoarse voice4 ,yergunov seized her by the shift near the neck and tore it4 ,and then he could not restrain himself1 and with all his might embraced the girl4 ,but hissing with fury1 she slipped out of his arms1 and freeing one hand--the other was tangled in the torn shift--hit him a blow with her fist on the skull4 ,his head was dizzy with the pain1 there was a ringing and rattling in his ears1 he staggered back1 and at that moment received another blow--this time on the temple4 ,reeling and clutching at the doorposts1 that he might not fall1 he made his way to the room where his things were1 and lay down on the bench2 then after lying for a little time1 took the matchbox out of his pocket and began lighting match after match for no object3 he lit it1 blew it out1 and threw it under the table1 and went on till all the matches were gone4 ,meanwhile the air began to turn blue outside1 the cocks began to crow1 but his head still ached1 and there was an uproar in his ears as though he were sitting under a railway bridge and hearing the trains passing over his head4 ,he got1 somehow1 into his coat and cap2 the saddle and the bundle of his purchases he could not find1 his knapsack was empty3 it was not for nothing that someone had scurried out of the room when he came in from the yard4 ,he took a poker from the kitchen to keep off the dogs1 and went out into the yard1 leaving the door open4 ,the snow-storm had subsided and it was calm outside4 4 4 4 ,when he went out at the gate1 the white plain looked dead1 and there was not a single bird in the morning sky4 ,on both sides of the road and in the distance there were bluish patches of young copse4 ,yergunov began thinking how he would be greeted at the hospital and what the doctor would say to him2 it was absolutely necessary to think of that1 and to prepare beforehand to answer questions he would be asked1 but this thought grew blurred and slipped away4 ,he walked along thinking of nothing but ,lyubka1 of the peasants with whom he had passed the night2 he remembered how1 after ,lyubka struck him the second time1 she had bent down to the floor for the quilt1 and how her loose hair had fallen on the floor4 ,his mind was in a maze1 and he wondered why there were in the world doctors1 hospital assistants1 merchants1 clerks1 and peasants instead of simple free men8 ,there are1 to be sure1 free birds1 free beasts1 a free ,merik1 and they are not afraid of anyone1 and don't need anyone6 ,and whose idea was it1 who had decreed that one must get up in the morning1 dine at midday1 go to bed in the evening2 that a doctor takes precedence of a hospital assistant2 that one must live in rooms and love only one's wife8 ,and why not the contrary--dine at night and sleep in the day8 ,ah1 to jump on a horse without enquiring whose it is1 to ride races with the wind like a devil1 over fields and forests and ravines1 to make love to girls1 to mock at everyone 4 4 4 4 ,yergunov thrust the poker into the snow1 pressed his forehead to the cold white trunk of a birch-tree1 and sank into thought2 and his grey1 monotonous life1 his wages1 his subordinate position1 the dispensary1 the everlasting to-do with the bottles and blisters1 struck him as contemptible1 sickening4 ,who says it's a sin to enjoy oneself8 he asked himself with vexation4 ,those who say that have never lived in freedom like ,merik and ,kalashnikov1 and have never loved ,lyubka2 they have been beggars all their lives1 have lived without any pleasure1 and have only loved their wives1 who are like frogs4 ,and he thought about himself that he had not hitherto been a thief1 a swindler1 or even a brigand1 simply because he could not1 or had not yet met with a suitable opportunity4 ---- ,a year and a half passed4 ,in spring1 after ,easter1 ,yergunov1 who had long before been dismissed from the hospital and was hanging about without a job1 came out of the tavern in ,ryepino and sauntered aimlessly along the street4 ,he went out into the open country4 ,here there was the scent of spring1 and a warm caressing wind was blowing4 ,the calm1 starry night looked down from the sky on the earth4 ,my ,god1 how infinite the depth of the sky1 and with what fathomless immensity it stretched over the world6 ,the world is created well enough1 only why and with what right do people1 thought ,yergunov1 divide their fellows into the sober and the drunken1 the employed and the dismissed1 and so on4 ,why do the sober and well fed sleep comfortably in their homes while the drunken and the hungry must wander about the country without a refuge8 ,why was it that if anyone had not a job and did not get a salary he had to go hungry1 without clothes and boots8 ,whose idea was it8 ,why was it the birds and the wild beasts in the woods did not have jobs and get salaries1 but lived as they pleased8 ,far away in the sky a beautiful crimson glow lay quivering1 stretched wide over the horizon4 ,yergunov stopped1 and for a long time he gazed at it1 and kept wondering why was it that if he had carried off someone else's samovar the day before and sold it for drink in the taverns it would be a sin8 ,why was it8 ,two carts drove by on the road2 in one of them there was a woman asleep1 in the other sat an old man without a cap on4 ,grandfather1 where is that fire8 asked ,yergunov4 ,andrey ,tchirikov's inn1 answered the old man4 ,and ,yergunov recalled what had happened to him eighteen months before in the winter1 in that very inn1 and how ,merik had boasted2 and he imagined the old woman and ,lyubka1 with their throats cut1 burning1 and he envied ,merik4 ,and when he walked back to the tavern1 looking at the houses of the rich publicans1 cattle-dealers1 and blacksmiths1 he reflected how nice it would be to steal by night into some rich man's house6 ,,ward ,,no4 #f ,i ,in the hospital yard there stands a small lodge surrounded by a perfect forest of burdocks1 nettles1 and wild hemp4 ,its roof is rusty1 the chimney is tumbling down1 the steps at the front-door are rotting away and overgrown with grass1 and there are only traces left of the stucco4 ,the front of the lodge faces the hospital2 at the back it looks out into the open country1 from which it is separated by the grey hospital fence with nails on it4 ,these nails1 with their points upwards1 and the fence1 and the lodge itself1 have that peculiar1 desolate1 ,god-forsaken look which is only found in our hospital and prison buildings4 ,if you are not afraid of being stung by the nettles1 come by the narrow footpath that leads to the lodge1 and let us see what is going on inside4 ,opening the first door1 we walk into the entry4 ,here along the walls and by the stove every sort of hospital rubbish lies littered about4 ,mattresses1 old tattered dressing-gowns1 trousers1 blue striped shirts1 boots and shoes no good for anything--all these remnants are piled up in heaps1 mixed up and crumpled1 mouldering and giving out a sickly smell4 ,the porter1 ,nikita1 an old soldier wearing rusty good-conduct stripes1 is always lying on the litter with a pipe between his teeth4 ,he has a grim1 surly1 battered-looking face1 overhanging eyebrows which give him the expression of a sheep-dog of the steppes1 and a red nose2 he is short and looks thin and scraggy1 but he is of imposing deportment and his fists are vigorous4 ,he belongs to the class of simple-hearted1 practical1 and dull-witted people1 prompt in carrying out orders1 who like discipline better than anything in the world1 and so are convinced that it is their duty to beat people4 ,he showers blows on the face1 on the chest1 on the back1 on whatever comes first1 and is convinced that there would be no order in the place if he did not4 ,next you come into a big1 spacious room which fills up the whole lodge except for the entry4 ,here the walls are painted a dirty blue1 the ceiling is as sooty as in a hut without a chimney--it is evident that in the winter the stove smokes and the room is full of fumes4 ,the windows are disfigured by iron gratings on the inside4 ,the wooden floor is grey and full of splinters4 ,there is a stench of sour cabbage1 of smouldering wicks1 of bugs1 and of ammonia1 and for the first minute this stench gives you the impression of having walked into a menagerie4 ,there are bedsteads screwed to the floor4 ,men in blue hospital dressing-gowns1 and wearing nightcaps in the old style1 are sitting and lying on them4 ,these are the lunatics4 ,there are five of them in all here4 ,only one is of the upper class1 the rest are all artisans4 ,the one nearest the door--a tall1 lean workman with shining red whiskers and tear-stained eyes--sits with his head propped on his hand1 staring at the same point4 ,day and night he grieves1 shaking his head1 sighing and smiling bitterly4 ,he takes a part in conversation and usually makes no answer to questions2 he eats and drinks mechanically when food is offered him4 ,from his agonizing1 throbbing cough1 his thinness1 and the flush on his cheeks1 one may judge that he is in the first stage of consumption4 ,next to him is a little1 alert1 very lively old man1 with a pointed beard and curly black hair like a negro's4 ,by day he walks up and down the ward from window to window1 or sits on his bed1 cross-legged like a ,turk1 and1 ceaselessly as a bullfinch whistles1 softly sings and titters4 ,he shows his childish gaiety and lively character at night also when he gets up to say his prayers--that is1 to beat himself on the chest with his fists1 and to scratch with his fingers at the door4 ,this is the ,jew ,moiseika1 an imbecile1 who went crazy twenty years ago when his hat factory was burnt down4 ,and of all the inhabitants of ,ward ,no4 #f1 he is the only one who is allowed to go out of the lodge1 and even out of the yard into the street4 ,he has enjoyed this privilege for years1 probably because he is an old inhabitant of the hospital--a quiet1 harmless imbecile1 the buffoon of the town1 where people are used to seeing him surrounded by boys and dogs4 ,in his wretched gown1 in his absurd night-cap1 and in slippers1 sometimes with bare legs and even without trousers1 he walks about the streets1 stopping at the gates and little shops1 and begging for a copper4 ,in one place they will give him some kvass1 in another some bread1 in another a copper1 so that he generally goes back to the ward feeling rich and well fed4 ,everything that he brings back ,nikita takes from him for his own benefit4 ,the soldier does this roughly1 angrily turning the ,jew's pockets inside out1 and calling ,god to witness that he will not let him go into the street again1 and that breach of the regulations is worse to him than anything in the world4 ,moiseika likes to make himself useful4 ,he gives his companions water1 and covers them up when they are asleep2 he promises each of them to bring him back a kopeck1 and to make him a new cap2 he feeds with a spoon his neighbour on the left1 who is paralyzed4 ,he acts in this way1 not from compassion nor from any considerations of a humane kind1 but through imitation1 unconsciously dominated by ,gromov1 his neighbour on the right hand4 ,ivan ,dmitritch ,gromov1 a man of thirty-three1 who is a gentleman by birth1 and has been a court usher and provincial secretary1 suffers from the mania of persecution4 ,he either lies curled up in bed1 or walks from corner to corner as though for exercise2 he very rarely sits down4 ,he is always excited1 agitated1 and overwrought by a sort of vague1 undefined expectation4 ,the faintest rustle in the entry or shout in the yard is enough to make him raise his head and begin listening3 whether they are coming for him1 whether they are looking for him4 ,and at such times his face expresses the utmost uneasiness and repulsion4 ,i like his broad face with its high cheek-bones1 always pale and unhappy1 and reflecting1 as though in a mirror1 a soul tormented by conflict and long-continued terror4 ,his grimaces are strange and abnormal1 but the delicate lines traced on his face by profound1 genuine suffering show intelligence and sense1 and there is a warm and healthy light in his eyes4 ,i like the man himself1 courteous1 anxious to be of use1 and extraordinarily gentle to everyone except ,nikita4 ,when anyone drops a button or a spoon1 he jumps up from his bed quickly and picks it up2 every day he says good-morning to his companions1 and when he goes to bed he wishes them good-night4 ,besides his continually overwrought condition and his grimaces1 his madness shows itself in the following way also4 ,sometimes in the evenings he wraps himself in his dressing-gown1 and1 trembling all over1 with his teeth chattering1 begins walking rapidly from corner to corner and between the bedsteads4 ,it seems as though he is in a violent fever4 ,from the way he suddenly stops and glances at his companions1 it can be seen that he is longing to say something very important1 but1 apparently reflecting that they would not listen1 or would not understand him1 he shakes his head impatiently and goes on pacing up and down4 ,but soon the desire to speak gets the upper hand of every consideration1 and he will let himself go and speak fervently and passionately4 ,his talk is disordered and feverish like delirium1 disconnected1 and not always intelligible1 but1 on the other hand1 something extremely fine may be felt in it1 both in the words and the voice4 ,when he talks you recognize in him the lunatic and the man4 ,it is difficult to reproduce on paper his insane talk4 ,he speaks of the baseness of mankind1 of violence trampling on justice1 of the glorious life which will one day be upon earth1 of the window-gratings1 which remind him every minute of the stupidity and cruelty of oppressors4 ,it makes a disorderly1 incoherent potpourri of themes old but not yet out of date4 ,,ii ,some twelve or fifteen years ago an official called ,gromov1 a highly respectable and prosperous person1 was living in his own house in the principal street of the town4 ,he had two sons1 ,sergey and ,ivan4 ,when ,sergey was a student in his fourth year he was taken ill with galloping consumption and died1 and his death was1 as it were1 the first of a whole series of calamities which suddenly showered on the ,gromov family4 ,within a week of ,sergey's funeral the old father was put on trial for fraud and misappropriation1 and he died of typhoid in the prison hospital soon afterwards4 ,the house1 with all their belongings1 was sold by auction1 and ,ivan ,dmitritch and his mother were left entirely without means4 ,hitherto in his father's lifetime1 ,ivan ,dmitritch1 who was studying in the ,university of ,petersburg1 had received an allowance of sixty or seventy roubles a month1 and had had no conception of poverty2 now he had to make an abrupt change in his life4 ,he had to spend his time from morning to night giving lessons for next to nothing1 to work at copying1 and with all that to go hungry1 as all his earnings were sent to keep his mother4 ,ivan ,dmitritch could not stand such a life2 he lost heart and strength1 and1 giving up the university1 went home4 ,here1 through interest1 he obtained the post of teacher in the district school1 but could not get on with his colleagues1 was not liked by the boys1 and soon gave up the post4 ,his mother died4 ,he was for six months without work1 living on nothing but bread and water2 then he became a court usher4 ,he kept this post until he was dismissed owing to his illness4 ,he had never even in his young student days given the impression of being perfectly healthy4 ,he had always been pale1 thin1 and given to catching cold2 he ate little and slept badly4 ,a single glass of wine went to his head and made him hysterical4 ,he always had a craving for society1 but1 owing to his irritable temperament and suspiciousness1 he never became very intimate with anyone1 and had no friends4 ,he always spoke with contempt of his fellow-townsmen1 saying that their coarse ignorance and sleepy animal existence seemed to him loathsome and horrible4 ,he spoke in a loud tenor1 with heat1 and invariably either with scorn and indignation1 or with wonder and enthusiasm1 and always with perfect sincerity4 ,whatever one talked to him about he always brought it round to the same subject3 that life was dull and stifling in the town2 that the townspeople had no lofty interests1 but lived a dingy1 meaningless life1 diversified by violence1 coarse profligacy1 and hypocrisy2 that scoundrels were well fed and clothed1 while honest men lived from hand to mouth2 that they needed schools1 a progressive local paper1 a theatre1 public lectures1 the co-ordination of the intellectual elements2 that society must see its failings and be horrified4 ,in his criticisms of people he laid on the colours thick1 using only black and white1 and no fine shades2 mankind was divided for him into honest men and scoundrels3 there was nothing in between4 ,he always spoke with passion and enthusiasm of women and of love1 but he had never been in love4 ,in spite of the severity of his judgments and his nervousness1 he was liked1 and behind his back was spoken of affectionately as ,vanya4 ,his innate refinement and readiness to be of service1 his good breeding1 his moral purity1 and his shabby coat1 his frail appearance and family misfortunes1 aroused a kind1 warm1 sorrowful feeling4 ,moreover1 he was well educated and well read2 according to the townspeople's notions1 he knew everything1 and was in their eyes something like a walking encyclopedia4 ,he had read a great deal4 ,he would sit at the club1 nervously pulling at his beard and looking through the magazines and books2 and from his face one could see that he was not reading1 but devouring the pages without giving himself time to digest what he read4 ,it must be supposed that reading was one of his morbid habits1 as he fell upon anything that came into his hands with equal avidity1 even last year's newspapers and calendars4 ,at home he always read lying down4 ,,iii ,one autumn morning ,ivan ,dmitritch1 turning up the collar of his greatcoat and splashing through the mud1 made his way by side-streets and back lanes to see some artisan1 and to collect some payment that was owing4 ,he was in a gloomy mood1 as he always was in the morning4 ,in one of the side-streets he was met by two convicts in fetters and four soldiers with rifles in charge of them4 ,ivan ,dmitritch had very often met convicts before1 and they had always excited feelings of compassion and discomfort in him2 but now this meeting made a peculiar1 strange impression on him4 ,it suddenly seemed to him for some reason that he1 too1 might be put into fetters and led through the mud to prison like that4 ,after visiting the artisan1 on the way home he met near the post office a police superintendent of his acquaintance1 who greeted him and walked a few paces along the street with him1 and for some reason this seemed to him suspicious4 ,at home he could not get the convicts or the soldiers with their rifles out of his head all day1 and an unaccountable inward agitation prevented him from reading or concentrating his mind4 ,in the evening he did not light his lamp1 and at night he could not sleep1 but kept thinking that he might be arrested1 put into fetters1 and thrown into prison4 ,he did not know of any harm he had done1 and could be certain that he would never be guilty of murder1 arson1 or theft in the future either2 but was it not easy to commit a crime by accident1 unconsciously1 and was not false witness always possible1 and1 indeed1 miscarriage of justice8 ,it was not without good reason that the agelong experience of the simple people teaches that beggary and prison are ills none can be safe from4 ,a judicial mistake is very possible as legal proceedings are conducted nowadays1 and there is nothing to be wondered at in it4 ,people who have an official1 professional relation to other men's sufferings--for instance1 judges1 police officers1 doctors--in course of time1 through habit1 grow so callous that they cannot1 even if they wish it1 take any but a formal attitude to their clients2 in this respect they are not different from the peasant who slaughters sheep and calves in the back-yard1 and does not notice the blood4 ,with this formal1 soulless attitude to human personality the judge needs but one thing--time--in order to deprive an innocent man of all rights of property1 and to condemn him to penal servitude4 ,only the time spent on performing certain formalities for which the judge is paid his salary1 and then--it is all over4 ,then you may look in vain for justice and protection in this dirty1 wretched little town a hundred and fifty miles from a railway station6 ,and1 indeed1 is it not absurd even to think of justice when every kind of violence is accepted by society as a rational and consistent necessity1 and every act of mercy--for instance1 a verdict of acquittal--calls forth a perfect outburst of dissatisfied and revengeful feeling8 ,in the morning ,ivan ,dmitritch got up from his bed in a state of horror1 with cold perspiration on his forehead1 completely convinced that he might be arrested any minute4 ,since his gloomy thoughts of yesterday had haunted him so long1 he thought1 it must be that there was some truth in them4 ,they could not1 indeed1 have come into his mind without any grounds whatever4 ,a policeman walking slowly passed by the windows3 that was not for nothing4 ,here were two men standing still and silent near the house4 ,why were they silent8 ,and agonizing days and nights followed for ,ivan ,dmitritch4 ,everyone who passed by the windows or came into the yard seemed to him a spy or a detective4 ,at midday the chief of the police usually drove down the street with a pair of horses2 he was going from his estate near the town to the police department2 but ,ivan ,dmitritch fancied every time that he was driving especially quickly1 and that he had a peculiar expression3 it was evident that he was in haste to announce that there was a very important criminal in the town4 ,ivan ,dmitritch started at every ring at the bell and knock at the gate1 and was agitated whenever he came upon anyone new at his landlady's2 when he met police officers and gendarmes he smiled and began whistling so as to seem unconcerned4 ,he could not sleep for whole nights in succession expecting to be arrested1 but he snored loudly and sighed as though in deep sleep1 that his landlady might think he was asleep2 for if he could not sleep it meant that he was tormented by the stings of conscience--what a piece of evidence6 ,facts and common sense persuaded him that all these terrors were nonsense and morbidity1 that if one looked at the matter more broadly there was nothing really terrible in arrest and imprisonment--so long as the conscience is at ease2 but the more sensibly and logically he reasoned1 the more acute and agonizing his mental distress became4 ,it might be compared with the story of a hermit who tried to cut a dwelling-place for himself in a virgin forest2 the more zealously he worked with his axe1 the thicker the forest grew4 ,in the end ,ivan ,dmitritch1 seeing it was useless1 gave up reasoning altogether1 and abandoned himself entirely to despair and terror4 ,he began to avoid people and to seek solitude4 ,his official work had been distasteful to him before3 now it became unbearable to him4 ,he was afraid they would somehow get him into trouble1 would put a bribe in his pocket unnoticed and then denounce him1 or that he would accidentally make a mistake in official papers that would appear to be fraudulent1 or would lose other people's money4 ,it is strange that his imagination had never at other times been so agile and inventive as now1 when every day he thought of thousands of different reasons for being seriously anxious over his freedom and honour2 but1 on the other hand1 his interest in the outer world1 in books in particular1 grew sensibly fainter1 and his memory began to fail him4 ,in the spring when the snow melted there were found in the ravine near the cemetery two half-decomposed corpses--the bodies of an old woman and a boy bearing the traces of death by violence4 ,nothing was talked of but these bodies and their unknown murderers4 ,that people might not think he had been guilty of the crime1 ,ivan ,dmitritch walked about the streets1 smiling1 and when he met acquaintances he turned pale1 flushed1 and began declaring that there was no greater crime than the murder of the weak and defenceless4 ,but this duplicity soon exhausted him1 and after some reflection he decided that in his position the best thing to do was to hide in his landlady's cellar4 ,he sat in the cellar all day and then all night1 then another day1 was fearfully cold1 and waiting till dusk1 stole secretly like a thief back to his room4 ,he stood in the middle of the room till daybreak1 listening without stirring4 ,very early in the morning1 before sunrise1 some workmen came into the house4 ,ivan ,dmitritch knew perfectly well that they had come to mend the stove in the kitchen1 but terror told him that they were police officers disguised as workmen4 ,he slipped stealthily out of the flat1 and1 overcome by terror1 ran along the street without his cap and coat4 ,dogs raced after him barking1 a peasant shouted somewhere behind him1 the wind whistled in his ears1 and it seemed to ,ivan ,dmitritch that the force and violence of the whole world was massed together behind his back and was chasing after him4 ,he was stopped and brought home1 and his landlady sent for a doctor4 ,doctor ,andrey ,yefimitch1 of whom we shall have more to say hereafter1 prescribed cold compresses on his head and laurel drops1 shook his head1 and went away1 telling the landlady he should not come again1 as one should not interfere with people who are going out of their minds4 ,as he had not the means to live at home and be nursed1 ,ivan ,dmitritch was soon sent to the hospital1 and was there put into the ward for venereal patients4 ,he could not sleep at night1 was full of whims and fancies1 and disturbed the patients1 and was soon afterwards1 by ,andrey ,yefimitch's orders1 transferred to ,ward ,no4 #f4 ,within a year ,ivan ,dmitritch was completely forgotten in the town1 and his books1 heaped up by his landlady in a sledge in the shed1 were pulled to pieces by boys4 ,,iv ,ivan ,dmitritch's neighbour on the left hand is1 as ,i have said already1 the ,jew ,moiseika2 his neighbour on the right hand is a peasant so rolling in fat that he is almost spherical1 with a blankly stupid face1 utterly devoid of thought4 ,this is a motionless1 gluttonous1 unclean animal who has long ago lost all powers of thought or feeling4 ,an acrid1 stifling stench always comes from him4 ,nikita1 who has to clean up after him1 beats him terribly with all his might1 not sparing his fists2 and what is dreadful is not his being beaten--that one can get used to--but the fact that this stupefied creature does not respond to the blows with a sound or a movement1 nor by a look in the eyes1 but only sways a little like a heavy barrel4 ,the fifth and last inhabitant of ,ward ,no4 #f is a man of the artisan class who had once been a sorter in the post office1 a thinnish1 fair little man with a good-natured but rather sly face4 ,to judge from the clear1 cheerful look in his calm and intelligent eyes1 he has some pleasant idea in his mind1 and has some very important and agreeable secret4 ,he has under his pillow and under his mattress something that he never shows anyone1 not from fear of its being taken from him and stolen1 but from modesty4 ,sometimes he goes to the window1 and turning his back to his companions1 puts something on his breast1 and bending his head1 looks at it2 if you go up to him at such a moment1 he is overcome with confusion and snatches something off his breast4 ,but it is not difficult to guess his secret4 ,congratulate me1 he often says to ,ivan ,dmitritch2 ,i have been presented with the ,stanislav order of the second degree with the star4 ,the second degree with the star is only given to foreigners1 but for some reason they want to make an exception for me1 he says with a smile1 shrugging his shoulders in perplexity4 ,that ,i must confess ,i did not expect4 ,i don't understand anything about that1 ,ivan ,dmitritch replies morosely4 ,but do you know what ,i shall attain to sooner or later8 the former sorter persists1 screwing up his eyes slyly4 ,i shall certainly get the ,swedish ',polar ,star4' ,that's an order it is worth working for1 a white cross with a black ribbon4 ,it's very beautiful4 ,probably in no other place is life so monotonous as in this ward4 ,in the morning the patients1 except the paralytic and the fat peasant1 wash in the entry at a big tab and wipe themselves with the skirts of their dressing-gowns2 after that they drink tea out of tin mugs which ,nikita brings them out of the main building4 ,everyone is allowed one mugful4 ,at midday they have soup made out of sour cabbage and boiled grain1 in the evening their supper consists of grain left from dinner4 ,in the intervals they lie down1 sleep1 look out of window1 and walk from one corner to the other4 ,and so every day4 ,even the former sorter always talks of the same orders4 ,fresh faces are rarely seen in ,ward ,no4 #f4 ,the doctor has not taken in any new mental cases for a long time1 and the people who are fond of visiting lunatic asylums are few in this world4 ,once every two months ,semyon ,lazaritch1 the barber1 appears in the ward4 ,how he cuts the patients' hair1 and how ,nikita helps him to do it1 and what a trepidation the lunatics are always thrown into by the arrival of the drunken1 smiling barber1 we will not describe4 ,no one even looks into the ward except the barber4 ,the patients are condemned to see day after day no one but ,nikita4 ,a rather strange rumour has1 however1 been circulating in the hospital of late4 ,it is rumoured that the doctor has begun to visit ,ward ,no4 #f4 ,v ,a strange rumour6 ,dr4 ,andrey ,yefimitch ,ragin is a strange man in his way4 ,they say that when he was young he was very religious1 and prepared himself for a clerical career1 and that when he had finished his studies at the high school in #ahfc he intended to enter a theological academy1 but that his father1 a surgeon and doctor of medicine1 jeered at him and declared point-blank that he would disown him if he became a priest4 ,how far this is true ,i don't know1 but ,andrey ,yefimitch himself has more than once confessed that he has never had a natural bent for medicine or science in general4 ,however that may have been1 when he finished his studies in the medical faculty he did not enter the priesthood4 ,he showed no special devoutness1 and was no more like a priest at the beginning of his medical career than he is now4 ,his exterior is heavy--coarse like a peasant's1 his face1 his beard1 his flat hair1 and his coarse1 clumsy figure1 suggest an overfed1 intemperate1 and harsh innkeeper on the highroad4 ,his face is surly-looking and covered with blue veins1 his eyes are little and his nose is red4 ,with his height and broad shoulders he has huge hands and feet2 one would think that a blow from his fist would knock the life out of anyone1 but his step is soft1 and his walk is cautious and insinuating2 when he meets anyone in a narrow passage he is always the first to stop and make way1 and to say1 not in a bass1 as one would expect1 but in a high1 soft tenor3 ,i beg your pardon6 ,he has a little swelling on his neck which prevents him from wearing stiff starched collars1 and so he always goes about in soft linen or cotton shirts4 ,altogether he does not dress like a doctor4 ,he wears the same suit for ten years1 and the new clothes1 which he usually buys at a ,jewish shop1 look as shabby and crumpled on him as his old ones2 he sees patients and dines and pays visits all in the same coat2 but this is not due to niggardliness1 but to complete carelessness about his appearance4 ,when ,andrey ,yefimitch came to the town to take up his duties the institution founded to the glory of ,god was in a terrible condition4 ,one could hardly breathe for the stench in the wards1 in the passages1 and in the courtyards of the hospital4 ,the hospital servants1 the nurses1 and their children slept in the wards together with the patients4 ,they complained that there was no living for beetles1 bugs1 and mice4 ,the surgical wards were never free from erysipelas4 ,there were only two scalpels and not one thermometer in the whole hospital2 potatoes were kept in the baths4 ,the superintendent1 the housekeeper1 and the medical assistant robbed the patients1 and of the old doctor1 ,andrey ,yefimitch's predecessor1 people declared that he secretly sold the hospital alcohol1 and that he kept a regular harem consisting of nurses and female patients4 ,these disorderly proceedings were perfectly well known in the town1 and were even exaggerated1 but people took them calmly2 some justified them on the ground that there were only peasants and working men in the hospital1 who could not be dissatisfied1 since they were much worse off at home than in the hospital--they couldn't be fed on woodcocks6 ,others said in excuse that the town alone1 without help from the ,zemstvo1 was not equal to maintaining a good hospital2 thank ,god for having one at all1 even a poor one4 ,and the newly formed ,zemstvo did not open infirmaries either in the town or the neighbourhood1 relying on the fact that the town already had its hospital4 ,after looking over the hospital ,andrey ,yefimitch came to the conclusion that it was an immoral institution and extremely prejudicial to the health of the townspeople4 ,in his opinion the most sensible thing that could be done was to let out the patients and close the hospital4 ,but he reflected that his will alone was not enough to do this1 and that it would be useless2 if physical and moral impurity were driven out of one place1 they would only move to another2 one must wait for it to wither away of itself4 ,besides1 if people open a hospital and put up with having it1 it must be because they need it2 superstition and all the nastiness and abominations of daily life were necessary1 since in process of time they worked out to something sensible1 just as manure turns into black earth4 ,there was nothing on earth so good that it had not something nasty about its first origin4 ,when ,andrey ,yefimitch undertook his duties he was apparently not greatly concerned about the irregularities at the hospital4 ,he only asked the attendants and nurses not to sleep in the wards1 and had two cupboards of instruments put up2 the superintendent1 the housekeeper1 the medical assistant1 and the erysipelas remained unchanged4 ,andrey ,yefimitch loved intelligence and honesty intensely1 but he had no strength of will nor belief in his right to organize an intelligent and honest life about him4 ,he was absolutely unable to give orders1 to forbid things1 and to insist4 ,it seemed as though he had taken a vow never to raise his voice and never to make use of the imperative4 ,it was difficult for him to say ,fetch or ,bring2 when he wanted his meals he would cough hesitatingly and say to the cook1 ,how about tea84 4 4 or ,how about dinner8 4 4 4 ,to dismiss the superintendent or to tell him to leave off stealing1 or to abolish the unnecessary parasitic post altogether1 was absolutely beyond his powers4 ,when ,andrey ,yefimitch was deceived or flattered1 or accounts he knew to be cooked were brought him to sign1 he would turn as red as a crab and feel guilty1 but yet he would sign the accounts4 ,when the patients complained to him of being hungry or of the roughness of the nurses1 he would be confused and mutter guiltily3 ,very well1 very well1 ,i will go into it later 4 4 4 4 ,most likely there is some misunderstanding4 4 4 ,at first ,andrey ,yefimitch worked very zealously4 ,he saw patients every day from morning till dinner-time1 performed operations1 and even attended confinements4 ,the ladies said of him that he was attentive and clever at diagnosing diseases1 especially those of women and children4 ,but in process of time the work unmistakably wearied him by its monotony and obvious uselessness4 ,to-day one sees thirty patients1 and to-morrow they have increased to thirty-five1 the next day forty1 and so on from day to day1 from year to year1 while the mortality in the town did not decrease and the patients did not leave off coming4 ,to be any real help to forty patients between morning and dinner was not physically possible1 so it could but lead to deception4 ,if twelve thousand patients were seen in a year it meant1 if one looked at it simply1 that twelve thousand men were deceived4 ,to put those who were seriously ill into wards1 and to treat them according to the principles of science1 was impossible1 too1 because though there were principles there was no science2 if he were to put aside philosophy and pedantically follow the rules as other doctors did1 the things above all necessary were cleanliness and ventilation instead of dirt1 wholesome nourishment instead of broth made of stinking1 sour cabbage1 and good assistants instead of thieves2 and1 indeed1 why hinder people dying if death is the normal and legitimate end of everyone8 ,what is gained if some shop-keeper or clerk lives an extra five or ten years8 ,if the aim of medicine is by drugs to alleviate suffering1 the question forces itself on one3 why alleviate it8 ,in the first place1 they say that suffering leads man to perfection2 and in the second1 if mankind really learns to alleviate its sufferings with pills and drops1 it will completely abandon religion and philosophy1 in which it has hitherto found not merely protection from all sorts of trouble1 but even happiness4 ,pushkin suffered terrible agonies before his death1 poor ,heine lay paralyzed for several years2 why1 then1 should not some ,andrey ,yefimitch or ,matryona ,savishna be ill1 since their lives had nothing of importance in them1 and would have been entirely empty and like the life of an amoeba except for suffering8 ,oppressed by such reflections1 ,andrey ,yefimitch relaxed his efforts and gave up visiting the hospital every day4 ,,vi ,his life was passed like this4 ,as a rule he got up at eight o'clock in the morning1 dressed1 and drank his tea4 ,then he sat down in his study to read1 or went to the hospital4 ,at the hospital the out-patients were sitting in the dark1 narrow little corridor waiting to be seen by the doctor4 ,the nurses and the attendants1 tramping with their boots over the brick floors1 ran by them2 gaunt-looking patients in dressing-gowns passed2 dead bodies and vessels full of filth were carried by2 the children were crying1 and there was a cold draught4 ,andrey ,yefimitch knew that such surroundings were torture to feverish1 consumptive1 and impressionable patients2 but what could be done8 ,in the consulting-room he was met by his assistant1 ,sergey ,sergeyitch--a fat little man with a plump1 well-washed shaven face1 with soft1 smooth manners1 wearing a new loosely cut suit1 and looking more like a senator than a medical assistant4 ,he had an immense practice in the town1 wore a white tie1 and considered himself more proficient than the doctor1 who had no practice4 ,in the corner of the consulting-room there stood a large ikon in a shrine with a heavy lamp in front of it1 and near it a candle-stand with a white cover on it4 ,on the walls hung portraits of bishops1 a view of the ,svyatogorsky ,monastery1 and wreaths of dried cornflowers4 ,sergey ,sergeyitch was religious1 and liked solemnity and decorum4 ,the ikon had been put up at his expense2 at his instructions some one of the patients read the hymns of praise in the consulting-room on ,sundays1 and after the reading ,sergey ,sergeyitch himself went through the wards with a censer and burned incense4 ,there were a great many patients1 but the time was short1 and so the work was confined to the asking of a few brief questions and the administration of some drugs1 such as castor-oil or volatile ointment4 ,andrey ,yefimitch would sit with his cheek resting in his hand1 lost in thought and asking questions mechanically4 ,sergey ,sergeyitch sat down too1 rubbing his hands1 and from time to time putting in his word4 ,we suffer pain and poverty1 he would say1 because we do not pray to the merciful ,god as we should4 ,yes6 ,andrey ,yefimitch never performed any operation when he was seeing patients2 he had long ago given up doing so1 and the sight of blood upset him4 ,when he had to open a child's mouth in order to look at its throat1 and the child cried and tried to defend itself with its little hands1 the noise in his ears made his head go round and brought tears to his eyes4 ,he would make haste to prescribe a drug1 and motion to the woman to take the child away4 ,he was soon wearied by the timidity of the patients and their incoherence1 by the proximity of the pious ,sergey ,sergeyitch1 by the portraits on the walls1 and by his own questions which he had asked over and over again for twenty years4 ,and he would go away after seeing five or six patients4 ,the rest would be seen by his assistant in his absence4 ,with the agreeable thought that1 thank ,god1 he had no private practice now1 and that no one would interrupt him1 ,andrey ,yefimitch sat down to the table immediately on reaching home and took up a book4 ,he read a great deal and always with enjoyment4 ,half his salary went on buying books1 and of the six rooms that made up his abode three were heaped up with books and old magazines4 ,he liked best of all works on history and philosophy2 the only medical publication to which he subscribed was ,the ,doctor1 of which he always read the last pages first4 ,he would always go on reading for several hours without a break and without being weary4 ,he did not read as rapidly and impulsively as ,ivan ,dmitritch had done in the past1 but slowly and with concentration1 often pausing over a passage which he liked or did not find intelligible4 ,near the books there always stood a decanter of vodka1 and a salted cucumber or a pickled apple lay beside it1 not on a plate1 but on the baize table-cloth4 ,every half-hour he would pour himself out a glass of vodka and drink it without taking his eyes off the book4 ,then without looking at it he would feel for the cucumber and bite off a bit4 ,at three o'clock he would go cautiously to the kitchen door2 cough1 and say1 ,daryushka1 what about dinner8 4 4 ,after his dinner--a rather poor and untidily served one--,andrey ,yefimitch would walk up and down his rooms with his arms folded1 thinking4 ,the clock would strike four1 then five1 and still he would be walking up and down thinking4 ,occasionally the kitchen door would creak1 and the red and sleepy face of ,daryushka would appear4 ,andrey ,yefimitch1 isn't it time for you to have your beer8 she would ask anxiously4 ,no1 it's not time yet 4 4 4 he would answer4 ,i'll wait a little 4 4 4 4 ,i'll wait a little4 4 4 ,towards the evening the postmaster1 ,mihail ,averyanitch1 the only man in town whose society did not bore ,andrey ,yefimitch1 would come in4 ,mihail ,averyanitch had once been a very rich landowner1 and had served in the calvary1 but had come to ruin1 and was forced by poverty to take a job in the post office late in life4 ,he had a hale and hearty appearance1 luxuriant grey whiskers1 the manners of a well-bred man1 and a loud1 pleasant voice4 ,he was good-natured and emotional1 but hot-tempered4 ,when anyone in the post office made a protest1 expressed disagreement1 or even began to argue1 ,mihail ,averyanitch would turn crimson1 shake all over1 and shout in a voice of thunder1 ,hold your tongue6 so that the post office had long enjoyed the reputation of an institution which it was terrible to visit4 ,mihail ,averyanitch liked and respected ,andrey ,yefimitch for his culture and the loftiness of his soul2 he treated the other inhabitants of the town superciliously1 as though they were his subordinates4 ,here ,i am1 he would say1 going in to ,andrey ,yefimitch4 ,good evening1 my dear fellow6 ,i'll be bound1 you are getting sick of me1 aren't you8 ,on the contrary1 ,i am delighted1 said the doctor4 ,i am always glad to see you4 ,the friends would sit on the sofa in the study and for some time would smoke in silence4 ,daryushka1 what about the beer8 ,andrey ,yefimitch would say4 ,they would drink their first bottle still in silence1 the doctor brooding and ,mihail ,averyanitch with a gay and animated face1 like a man who has something very interesting to tell4 ,the doctor was always the one to begin the conversation4 ,what a pity1 he would say quietly and slowly1 not looking his friend in the face 7he never looked anyone in the face7--what a great pity it is that there are no people in our town who are capable of carrying on intelligent and interesting conversation1 or care to do so4 ,it is an immense privation for us4 ,even the educated class do not rise above vulgarity2 the level of their development1 ,i assure you1 is not a bit higher than that of the lower orders4 ,perfectly true4 ,i agree4 ,you know1 of course1 the doctor went on quietly and deliberately1 that everything in this world is insignificant and uninteresting except the higher spiritual manifestations of the human mind4 ,intellect draws a sharp line between the animals and man1 suggests the divinity of the latter1 and to some extent even takes the place of the immortality which does not exist4 ,consequently the intellect is the only possible source of enjoyment4 ,we see and hear of no trace of intellect about us1 so we are deprived of enjoyment4 ,we have books1 it is true1 but that is not at all the same as living talk and converse4 ,if you will allow me to make a not quite apt comparison3 books are the printed score1 while talk is the singing4 ,perfectly true4 ,a silence would follow4 ,daryushka would come out of the kitchen and with an expression of blank dejection would stand in the doorway to listen1 with her face propped on her fist4 ,eh6 ,mihail ,averyanitch would sigh4 ,to expect intelligence of this generation6 ,and he would describe how wholesome1 entertaining1 and interesting life had been in the past4 ,how intelligent the educated class in ,russia used to be1 and what lofty ideas it had of honour and friendship2 how they used to lend money without an ,,iou1 and it was thought a disgrace not to give a helping hand to a comrade in need2 and what campaigns1 what adventures1 what skirmishes1 what comrades1 what women6 ,and the ,caucasus1 what a marvellous country6 ,the wife of a battalion commander1 a queer woman1 used to put on an officer's uniform and drive off into the mountains in the evening1 alone1 without a guide4 ,it was said that she had a love affair with some princeling in the native village4 ,queen of ,heaven1 ,holy ,mother444 ,daryushka would sigh4 ,and how we drank6 ,and how we ate6 ,and what desperate liberals we were6 ,andrey ,yefimitch would listen without hearing2 he was musing as he sipped his beer4 ,i often dream of intellectual people and conversation with them1 he said suddenly1 interrupting ,mihail ,averyanitch4 ,my father gave me an excellent education1 but under the influence of the ideas of the sixties made me become a doctor4 ,i believe if ,i had not obeyed him then1 by now ,i should have been in the very centre of the intellectual movement4 ,most likely ,i should have become a member of some university4 ,of course1 intellect1 too1 is transient and not eternal1 but you know why ,i cherish a partiality for it4 ,life is a vexatious trap2 when a thinking man reaches maturity and attains to full consciousness he cannot help feeling that he is in a trap from which there is no escape4 ,indeed1 he is summoned without his choice by fortuitous circumstances from non-existence into life 4 4 4 what for8 ,he tries to find out the meaning and object of his existence2 he is told nothing1 or he is told absurdities2 he knocks and it is not opened to him2 death comes to him--also without his choice4 ,and so1 just as in prison men held together by common misfortune feel more at ease when they are together1 so one does not notice the trap in life when people with a bent for analysis and generalization meet together and pass their time in the interchange of proud and free ideas4 ,in that sense the intellect is the source of an enjoyment nothing can replace4 ,perfectly true4 ,not looking his friend in the face1 ,andrey ,yefimitch would go on1 quietly and with pauses1 talking about intellectual people and conversation with them1 and ,mihail ,averyanitch would listen attentively and agree3 ,perfectly true4 ,and you do not believe in the immortality of the soul8 he would ask suddenly4 ,no1 honoured ,mihail ,averyanitch2 ,i do not believe it1 and have no grounds for believing it4 ,i must own ,i doubt it too4 ,and yet ,i have a feeling as though ,i should never die4 ,oh1 ,i think to myself3 ',old fogey1 it is time you were dead6' ,but there is a little voice in my soul says3 ',don't believe it2 you won't die4' ,soon after nine o'clock ,mihail ,averyanitch would go away4 ,as he put on his fur coat in the entry he would say with a sigh3 ,what a wilderness fate has carried us to1 though1 really6 ,what's most vexatious of all is to have to die here4 ,ech6 4 4 ,,vii ,after seeing his friend out ,andrey ,yefimitch would sit down at the table and begin reading again4 ,the stillness of the evening1 and afterwards of the night1 was not broken by a single sound1 and it seemed as though time were standing still and brooding with the doctor over the book1 and as though there were nothing in existence but the books and the lamp with the green shade4 ,the doctor's coarse peasant-like face was gradually lighted up by a smile of delight and enthusiasm over the progress of the human intellect4 ,oh1 why is not man immortal8 he thought4 ,what is the good of the brain centres and convolutions1 what is the good of sight1 speech1 self-consciousness1 genius1 if it is all destined to depart into the soil1 and in the end to grow cold together with the earth's crust1 and then for millions of years to fly with the earth round the sun with no meaning and no object8 ,to do that there was no need at all to draw man with his lofty1 almost godlike intellect out of non-existence1 and then1 as though in mockery1 to turn him into clay4 ,the transmutation of substances6 ,but what cowardice to comfort oneself with that cheap substitute for immortality6 ,the unconscious processes that take place in nature are lower even than the stupidity of man1 since in stupidity there is1 anyway1 consciousness and will1 while in those processes there is absolutely nothing4 ,only the coward who has more fear of death than dignity can comfort himself with the fact that his body will in time live again in the grass1 in the stones1 in the toad4 ,to find one's immortality in the transmutation of substances is as strange as to prophesy a brilliant future for the case after a precious violin has been broken and become useless4 ,when the clock struck1 ,andrey ,yefimitch would sink back into his chair and close his eyes to think a little4 ,and under the influence of the fine ideas of which he had been reading he would1 unawares1 recall his past and his present4 ,the past was hateful--better not to think of it4 ,and it was the same in the present as in the past4 ,he knew that at the very time when his thoughts were floating together with the cooling earth round the sun1 in the main building beside his abode people were suffering in sickness and physical impurity3 someone perhaps could not sleep and was making war upon the insects1 someone was being infected by erysipelas1 or moaning over too tight a bandage2 perhaps the patients were playing cards with the nurses and drinking vodka4 ,according to the yearly return1 twelve thousand people had been deceived2 the whole hospital rested as it had done twenty years ago on thieving1 filth1 scandals1 gossip1 on gross quackery1 and1 as before1 it was an immoral institution extremely injurious to the health of the inhabitants4 ,he knew that ,nikita knocked the patients about behind the barred windows of ,ward ,no4 #f1 and that ,moiseika went about the town every day begging alms4 ,on the other hand1 he knew very well that a magical change had taken place in medicine during the last twenty-five years4 ,when he was studying at the university he had fancied that medicine would soon be overtaken by the fate of alchemy and metaphysics2 but now when he was reading at night the science of medicine touched him and excited his wonder1 and even enthusiasm4 ,what unexpected brilliance1 what a revolution6 ,thanks to the antiseptic system operations were performed such as the great ,pirogov had considered impossible even in spe4 ,ordinary ,zemstvo doctors were venturing to perform the resection of the kneecap2 of abdominal operations only one per cent4 was fatal2 while stone was considered such a trifle that they did not even write about it4 ,a radical cure for syphilis had been discovered4 ,and the theory of heredity1 hypnotism1 the discoveries of ,pasteur and of ,koch1 hygiene based on statistics1 and the work of ,zemstvo doctors6 ,psychiatry with its modern classification of mental diseases1 methods of diagnosis1 and treatment1 was a perfect ,elborus in comparison with what had been in the past4 ,they no longer poured cold water on the heads of lunatics nor put strait-waistcoats upon them2 they treated them with humanity1 and even1 so it was stated in the papers1 got up balls and entertainments for them4 ,andrey ,yefimitch knew that with modern tastes and views such an abomination as ,ward ,no4 #f was possible only a hundred and fifty miles from a railway in a little town where the mayor and all the town council were half-illiterate tradesmen who looked upon the doctor as an oracle who must be believed without any criticism even if he had poured molten lead into their mouths2 in any other place the public and the newspapers would long ago have torn this little ,bastille to pieces4 ,but1 after all1 what of it8 ,andrey ,yefimitch would ask himself1 opening his eyes4 ,there is the antiseptic system1 there is ,koch1 there is ,pasteur1 but the essential reality is not altered a bit2 ill-health and mortality are still the same4 ,they get up balls and entertainments for the mad1 but still they don't let them go free2 so it's all nonsense and vanity1 and there is no difference in reality between the best ,vienna clinic and my hospital4 ,but depression and a feeling akin to envy prevented him from feeling indifferent2 it must have been owing to exhaustion4 ,his heavy head sank on to the book1 he put his hands under his face to make it softer1 and thought3 ,i serve in a pernicious institution and receive a salary from people whom ,i am deceiving4 ,i am not honest1 but then1 ,i of myself am nothing1 ,i am only part of an inevitable social evil3 all local officials are pernicious and receive their salary for doing nothing4 4 4 4 ,and so for my dishonesty it is not ,i who am to blame1 but the times4444 ,if ,i had been born two hundred years later ,i should have been different4 4 4 ,when it struck three he would put out his lamp and go into his bedroom2 he was not sleepy4 ,,viii ,two years before1 the ,zemstvo in a liberal mood had decided to allow three hundred roubles a year to pay for additional medical service in the town till the ,zemstvo hospital should be opened1 and the district doctor1 ,yevgeny ,fyodoritch ,hobotov1 was invited to the town to assist ,andrey ,yefimitch4 ,he was a very young man--not yet thirty--tall and dark1 with broad cheek-bones and little eyes2 his forefathers had probably come from one of the many alien races of ,russia4 ,he arrived in the town without a farthing1 with a small portmanteau1 and a plain young woman whom he called his cook4 ,this woman had a baby at the breast4 ,yevgeny ,fyodoritch used to go about in a cap with a peak1 and in high boots1 and in the winter wore a sheepskin4 ,he made great friends with ,sergey ,sergeyitch1 the medical assistant1 and with the treasurer1 but held aloof from the other officials1 and for some reason called them aristocrats4 ,he had only one book in his lodgings1 ,the ,latest ,prescriptions of the ,vienna ,clinic for #ahha4 ,when he went to a patient he always took this book with him4 ,he played billiards in the evening at the club3 he did not like cards4 ,he was very fond of using in conversation such expressions as endless bobbery1 canting soft soap1 shut up with your finicking4 4 4 ,he visited the hospital twice a week1 made the round of the wards1 and saw out-patients4 ,the complete absence of antiseptic treatment and the cupping roused his indignation1 but he did not introduce any new system1 being afraid of offending ,andrey ,yefimitch4 ,he regarded his colleague as a sly old rascal1 suspected him of being a man of large means1 and secretly envied him4 ,he would have been very glad to have his post4 ,,ix ,on a spring evening towards the end of ,march1 when there was no snow left on the ground and the starlings were singing in the hospital garden1 the doctor went out to see his friend the postmaster as far as the gate4 ,at that very moment the ,jew ,moiseika1 returning with his booty1 came into the yard4 ,he had no cap on1 and his bare feet were thrust into goloshes2 in his hand he had a little bag of coppers4 ,give me a kopeck6 he said to the doctor1 smiling1 and shivering with cold4 ,andrey ,yefimitch1 who could never refuse anyone anything1 gave him a ten-kopeck piece4 ,how bad that is6 he thought1 looking at the ,jew's bare feet with their thin red ankles4 ,why1 it's wet4 ,and stirred by a feeling akin both to pity and disgust1 he went into the lodge behind the ,jew1 looking now at his bald head1 now at his ankles4 ,as the doctor went in1 ,nikita jumped up from his heap of litter and stood at attention4 ,good-day1 ,nikita1 ,andrey ,yefimitch said mildly4 ,that ,jew should be provided with boots or something1 he will catch cold4 ,certainly1 your honour4 ,i'll inform the superintendent4 ,please do2 ask him in my name4 ,tell him that ,i asked4 ,the door into the ward was open4 ,ivan ,dmitritch1 lying propped on his elbow on the bed1 listened in alarm to the unfamiliar voice1 and suddenly recognized the doctor4 ,he trembled all over with anger1 jumped up1 and with a red and wrathful face1 with his eyes starting out of his head1 ran out into the middle of the road4 ,the doctor has come6 he shouted1 and broke into a laugh4 ,at last6 ,gentlemen1 ,i congratulate you4 ,the doctor is honouring us with a visit6 ,cursed reptile6 he shrieked1 and stamped in a frenzy such as had never been seen in the ward before4 ,kill the reptile6 ,no1 killing's too good4 ,drown him in the midden-pit6 ,andrey ,yefimitch1 hearing this1 looked into the ward from the entry and asked gently3 ,what for8 ,what for8 shouted ,ivan ,dmitritch1 going up to him with a menacing air and convulsively wrapping himself in his dressing-gown4 ,what for8 ,thief6 he said with a look of repulsion1 moving his lips as though he would spit at him4 ,quack6 hangman6 ,calm yourself1 said ,andrey ,yefimitch1 smiling guiltily4 ,i assure you ,i have never stolen anything2 and as to the rest1 most likely you greatly exaggerate4 ,i see you are angry with me4 ,calm yourself1 ,i beg1 if you can1 and tell me coolly what are you angry for8 ,what are you keeping me here for8 ,because you are ill4 ,yes1 ,i am ill4 ,but you know dozens1 hundreds of madmen are walking about in freedom because your ignorance is incapable of distinguishing them from the sane4 ,why am ,i and these poor wretches to be shut up here like scapegoats for all the rest8 ,you1 your assistant1 the superintendent1 and all your hospital rabble1 are immeasurably inferior to every one of us morally2 why then are we shut up and you not8 ,where's the logic of it8 ,morality and logic don't come in1 it all depends on chance4 ,if anyone is shut up he has to stay1 and if anyone is not shut up he can walk about1 that's all4 ,there is neither morality nor logic in my being a doctor and your being a mental patient1 there is nothing but idle chance4 ,that twaddle ,i don't understand4 4 4 ,ivan ,dmitritch brought out in a hollow voice1 and he sat down on his bed4 ,moiseika1 whom ,nikita did not venture to search in the presence of the doctor1 laid out on his bed pieces of bread1 bits of paper1 and little bones1 and1 still shivering with cold1 began rapidly in a singsong voice saying something in ,yiddish4 ,he most likely imagined that he had opened a shop4 ,let me out1 said ,ivan ,dmitritch1 and his voice quivered4 ,i cannot4 ,but why1 why8 ,because it is not in my power4 ,think1 what use will it be to you if ,i do let you out8 ,go4 ,the townspeople or the police will detain you or bring you back4 ,yes1 yes1 that's true1 said ,ivan ,dmitritch1 and he rubbed his forehead4 ,it's awful6 ,but what am ,i to do1 what8 ,andrey ,yefimitch liked ,ivan ,dmitritch's voice and his intelligent young face with its grimaces4 ,he longed to be kind to the young man and soothe him2 he sat down on the bed beside him1 thought1 and said3 ,you ask me what to do4 ,the very best thing in your position would be to run away4 ,but1 unhappily1 that is useless4 ,you would be taken up4 ,when society protects itself from the criminal1 mentally deranged1 or otherwise inconvenient people1 it is invincible4 ,there is only one thing left for you3 to resign yourself to the thought that your presence here is inevitable4 ,it is no use to anyone4 ,so long as prisons and madhouses exist someone must be shut up in them4 ,if not you1 ,i4 ,if not ,i1 some third person4 ,wait till in the distant future prisons and madhouses no longer exist1 and there will be neither bars on the windows nor hospital gowns4 ,of course1 that time will come sooner or later4 ,ivan ,dmitritch smiled ironically4 ,you are jesting1 he said1 screwing up his eyes4 ,such gentlemen as you and your assistant ,nikita have nothing to do with the future1 but you may be sure1 sir1 better days will come6 ,i may express myself cheaply1 you may laugh1 but the dawn of a new life is at hand2 truth and justice will triumph1 and--our turn will come6 ,i shall not live to see it1 ,i shall perish1 but some people's great-grandsons will see it4 ,i greet them with all my heart and rejoice1 rejoice with them6 ,onward6 ,god be your help1 friends6 ,with shining eyes ,ivan ,dmitritch got up1 and stretching his hands towards the window1 went on with emotion in his voice3 ,from behind these bars ,i bless you6 ,hurrah for truth and justice6 ,i rejoice6 ,i see no particular reason to rejoice1 said ,andrey ,yefimitch1 who thought ,ivan ,dmitritch's movement theatrical1 though he was delighted by it4 ,prisons and madhouses there will not be1 and truth1 as you have just expressed it1 will triumph2 but the reality of things1 you know1 will not change1 the laws of nature will still remain the same4 ,people will suffer pain1 grow old1 and die just as they do now4 ,however magnificent a dawn lighted up your life1 you would yet in the end be nailed up in a coffin and thrown into a hole4 ,and immortality8 ,oh1 come1 now6 ,you don't believe in it1 but ,i do4 ,somebody in ,dostoevsky or ,voltaire said that if there had not been a ,god men would have invented him4 ,and ,i firmly believe that if there is no immortality the great intellect of man will sooner or later invent it4 ,well said1 observed ,andrey ,yefimitch1 smiling with pleasure2 its a good thing you have faith4 ,with such a belief one may live happily even shut up within walls4 ,you have studied somewhere1 ,i presume8 ,yes1 ,i have been at the university1 but did not complete my studies4 ,you are a reflecting and a thoughtful man4 ,in any surroundings you can find tranquillity in yourself4 ,free and deep thinking which strives for the comprehension of life1 and complete contempt for the foolish bustle of the world--those are two blessings beyond any that man has ever known4 ,and you can possess them even though you lived behind threefold bars4 ,diogenes lived in a tub1 yet he was happier than all the kings of the earth4 ,your ,diogenes was a blockhead1 said ,ivan ,dmitritch morosely4 ,why do you talk to me about ,diogenes and some foolish comprehension of life8 he cried1 growing suddenly angry and leaping up4 ,i love life2 ,i love it passionately4 ,i have the mania of persecution1 a continual agonizing terror2 but ,i have moments when ,i am overwhelmed by the thirst for life1 and then ,i am afraid of going mad4 ,i want dreadfully to live1 dreadfully6 ,he walked up and down the ward in agitation1 and said1 dropping his voice3 ,when ,i dream ,i am haunted by phantoms4 ,people come to me1 ,i hear voices and music1 and ,i fancy ,i am walking through woods or by the seashore1 and ,i long so passionately for movement1 for interests 4 4 4 4 ,come1 tell me1 what news is there8 asked ,ivan ,dmitritch2 what's happening8 ,do you wish to know about the town or in general8 ,well1 tell me first about the town1 and then in general4 ,well1 in the town it is appallingly dull4 4 4 4 ,there's no one to say a word to1 no one to listen to4 ,there are no new people4 ,a young doctor called ,hobotov has come here recently4 ,he had come in my time4 ,well1 he is a low cad1 isn't he8 ,yes1 he is a man of no culture4 ,it's strange1 you know4 4 4 4 ,judging by every sign1 there is no intellectual stagnation in our capital cities2 there is a movement--so there must be real people there too2 but for some reason they always send us such men as ,i would rather not see4 ,it's an unlucky town6 ,yes1 it is an unlucky town1 sighed ,ivan ,dmitritch1 and he laughed4 ,and how are things in general8 ,what are they writing in the papers and reviews8 ,it was by now dark in the ward4 ,the doctor got up1 and1 standing1 began to describe what was being written abroad and in ,russia1 and the tendency of thought that could be noticed now4 ,ivan ,dmitritch listened attentively and put questions1 but suddenly1 as though recalling something terrible1 clutched at his head and lay down on the bed with his back to the doctor4 ,what's the matter8 asked ,andrey ,yefimitch4 ,you will not hear another word from me1 said ,ivan ,dmitritch rudely4 ,leave me alone4 ,why so8 ,i tell you1 leave me alone4 ,why the devil do you persist8 ,andrey ,yefimitch shrugged his shoulders1 heaved a sigh1 and went out4 ,as he crossed the entry he said3 ,you might clear up here1 ,nikita 4 4 4 there's an awfully stuffy smell4 ,certainly1 your honour4 ,what an agreeable young man6 thought ,andrey ,yefimitch1 going back to his flat4 ,in all the years ,i have been living here ,i do believe he is the first ,i have met with whom one can talk4 ,he is capable of reasoning and is interested in just the right things4 ,while he was reading1 and afterwards1 while he was going to bed1 he kept thinking about ,ivan ,dmitritch1 and when he woke next morning he remembered that he had the day before made the acquaintance of an intelligent and interesting man1 and determined to visit him again as soon as possible4 ,x ,ivan ,dmitritch was lying in the same position as on the previous day1 with his head clutched in both hands and his legs drawn up4 ,his face was not visible4 ,good-day1 my friend1 said ,andrey ,yefimitch4 ,you are not asleep1 are you8 ,in the first place1 ,i am not your friend1 ,ivan ,dmitritch articulated into the pillow2 and in the second1 your efforts are useless2 you will not get one word out of me4 ,strange1 muttered ,andrey ,yefimitch in confusion4 ,yesterday we talked peacefully1 but suddenly for some reason you took offence and broke off all at once4 4 4 4 ,probably ,i expressed myself awkwardly1 or perhaps gave utterance to some idea which did not fit in with your convictions4 4 4 4 ,yes1 a likely idea6 said ,ivan ,dmitritch1 sitting up and looking at the doctor with irony and uneasiness4 ,his eyes were red4 ,you can go and spy and probe somewhere else1 it's no use your doing it here4 ,i knew yesterday what you had come for4 ,a strange fancy1 laughed the doctor4 ,so you suppose me to be a spy8 ,yes1 ,i do4 4 4 4 ,a spy or a doctor who has been charged to test me--it's all the same ---- ,oh excuse me1 what a queer fellow you are really6 ,the doctor sat down on the stool near the bed and shook his head reproachfully4 ,but let us suppose you are right1 he said1 let us suppose that ,i am treacherously trying to trap you into saying something so as to betray you to the police4 ,you would be arrested and then tried4 ,but would you be any worse off being tried and in prison than you are here8 ,if you are banished to a settlement1 or even sent to penal servitude1 would it be worse than being shut up in this ward8 ,i imagine it would be no worse4 4 4 4 ,what1 then1 are you afraid of8 ,these words evidently had an effect on ,ivan ,dmitritch4 ,he sat down quietly4 ,it was between four and five in the afternoon--the time when ,andrey ,yefimitch usually walked up and down his rooms1 and ,daryushka asked whether it was not time for his beer4 ,it was a still1 bright day4 ,i came out for a walk after dinner1 and here ,i have come1 as you see1 said the doctor4 ,it is quite spring4 ,what month is it8 ,march8 asked ,ivan ,dmitritch4 ,yes1 the end of ,march4 ,is it very muddy8 ,no1 not very4 ,there are already paths in the garden4 ,it would be nice now to drive in an open carriage somewhere into the country1 said ,ivan ,dmitritch1 rubbing his red eyes as though he were just awake1 then to come home to a warm1 snug study1 and 4 4 4 and to have a decent doctor to cure one's headache4 4 4 4 ,it's so long since ,i have lived like a human being4 ,it's disgusting here6 ,insufferably disgusting6 ,after his excitement of the previous day he was exhausted and listless1 and spoke unwillingly4 ,his fingers twitched1 and from his face it could be seen that he had a splitting headache4 ,there is no real difference between a warm1 snug study and this ward1 said ,andrey ,yefimitch4 ,a man's peace and contentment do not lie outside a man1 but in himself4 ,what do you mean8 ,the ordinary man looks for good and evil in external things--that is1 in carriages1 in studies--but a thinking man looks for it in himself4 ,you should go and preach that philosophy in ,greece1 where it's warm and fragrant with the scent of pomegranates1 but here it is not suited to the climate4 ,with whom was it ,i was talking of ,diogenes8 ,was it with you8 ,yes1 with me yesterday4 ,diogenes did not need a study or a warm habitation2 it's hot there without4 ,you can lie in your tub and eat oranges and olives4 ,but bring him to ,russia to live3 he'd be begging to be let indoors in ,may1 let alone ,december4 ,he'd be doubled up with the cold4 ,no4 ,one can be insensible to cold as to every other pain4 ,marcus ,aurelius says3 ',a pain is a vivid idea of pain2 make an effort of will to change that idea1 dismiss it1 cease to complain1 and the pain will disappear4' ,that is true4 ,the wise man1 or simply the reflecting1 thoughtful man1 is distinguished precisely by his contempt for suffering2 he is always contented and surprised at nothing4 ,then ,i am an idiot1 since ,i suffer and am discontented and surprised at the baseness of mankind4 ,you are wrong in that2 if you will reflect more on the subject you will understand how insignificant is all that external world that agitates us4 ,one must strive for the comprehension of life1 and in that is true happiness4 ,comprehension 4 4 4 repeated ,ivan ,dmitritch frowning4 ,external1 internal4 4 4 4 ,excuse me1 but ,i don't understand it4 ,i only know1 he said1 getting up and looking angrily at the doctor--,i only know that ,god has created me of warm blood and nerves1 yes1 indeed6 ,if organic tissue is capable of life it must react to every stimulus4 ,and ,i do6 ,to pain ,i respond with tears and outcries1 to baseness with indignation1 to filth with loathing4 ,to my mind1 that is just what is called life4 ,the lower the organism1 the less sensitive it is1 and the more feebly it reacts to stimulus2 and the higher it is1 the more responsively and vigorously it reacts to reality4 ,how is it you don't know that8 ,a doctor1 and not know such trifles6 ,to despise suffering1 to be always contented1 and to be surprised at nothing1 one must reach this condition--and ,ivan ,dmitritch pointed to the peasant who was a mass of fat--or to harden oneself by suffering to such a point that one loses all sensibility to it--that is1 in other words1 to cease to live4 ,you must excuse me1 ,i am not a sage or a philosopher1 ,ivan ,dmitritch continued with irritation1 and ,i don't understand anything about it4 ,i am not capable of reasoning4 ,on the contrary1 your reasoning is excellent4 ,the ,stoics1 whom you are parodying1 were remarkable people1 but their doctrine crystallized two thousand years ago and has not advanced1 and will not advance1 an inch forward1 since it is not practical or living4 ,it had a success only with the minority which spends its life in savouring all sorts of theories and ruminating over them2 the majority did not understand it4 ,a doctrine which advocates indifference to wealth and to the comforts of life1 and a contempt for suffering and death1 is quite unintelligible to the vast majority of men1 since that majority has never known wealth or the comforts of life2 and to despise suffering would mean to it despising life itself1 since the whole existence of man is made up of the sensations of hunger1 cold1 injury1 and a ,hamlet-like dread of death4 ,the whole of life lies in these sensations2 one may be oppressed by it1 one may hate it1 but one cannot despise it4 ,yes1 so1 ,i repeat1 the doctrine of the ,stoics can never have a future2 from the beginning of time up to to-day you see continually increasing the struggle1 the sensibility to pain1 the capacity of responding to stimulus4 ,ivan ,dmitritch suddenly lost the thread of his thoughts1 stopped1 and rubbed his forehead with vexation4 ,i meant to say something important1 but ,i have lost it1 he said4 ,what was ,i saying8 ,oh1 yes6 ,this is what ,i mean3 one of the ,stoics sold himself into slavery to redeem his neighbour1 so1 you see1 even a ,stoic did react to stimulus1 since1 for such a generous act as the destruction of oneself for the sake of one's neighbour1 he must have had a soul capable of pity and indignation4 ,here in prison ,i have forgotten everything ,i have learned1 or else ,i could have recalled something else4 ,take ,christ1 for instance3 ,christ responded to reality by weeping1 smiling1 being sorrowful and moved to wrath1 even overcome by misery4 ,he did not go to meet ,his sufferings with a smile1 ,he did not despise death1 but prayed in the ,garden of ,gethsemane that this cup might pass ,him by4 ,ivan ,dmitritch laughed and sat down4 ,granted that a man's peace and contentment lie not outside but in himself1 he said1 granted that one must despise suffering and not be surprised at anything1 yet on what ground do you preach the theory8 ,are you a sage8 ,a philosopher8 ,no1 ,i am not a philosopher1 but everyone ought to preach it because it is reasonable4 ,no1 ,i want to know how it is that you consider yourself competent to judge of 'comprehension1' contempt for suffering1 and so on4 ,have you ever suffered8 ,have you any idea of suffering8 ,allow me to ask you1 were you ever thrashed in your childhood8 ,no1 my parents had an aversion for corporal punishment4 ,my father used to flog me cruelly2 my father was a harsh1 sickly ,government clerk with a long nose and a yellow neck4 ,but let us talk of you4 ,no one has laid a finger on you all your life1 no one has scared you nor beaten you2 you are as strong as a bull4 ,you grew up under your father's wing and studied at his expense1 and then you dropped at once into a sinecure4 ,for more than twenty years you have lived rent free with heating1 lighting1 and service all provided1 and had the right to work how you pleased and as much as you pleased1 even to do nothing4 ,you were naturally a flabby1 lazy man1 and so you have tried to arrange your life so that nothing should disturb you or make you move4 ,you have handed over your work to the assistant and the rest of the rabble while you sit in peace and warmth1 save money1 read1 amuse yourself with reflections1 with all sorts of lofty nonsense1 and 7,ivan ,dmitritch looked at the doctor's red nose7 with boozing2 in fact1 you have seen nothing of life1 you know absolutely nothing of it1 and are only theoretically acquainted with reality2 you despise suffering and are surprised at nothing for a very simple reason3 vanity of vanities1 the external and the internal1 contempt for life1 for suffering and for death1 comprehension1 true happiness--that's the philosophy that suits the ,russian sluggard best4 ,you see a peasant beating his wife1 for instance4 ,why interfere8 ,let him beat her1 they will both die sooner or later1 anyway2 and1 besides1 he who beats injures by his blows1 not the person he is beating1 but himself4 ,to get drunk is stupid and unseemly1 but if you drink you die1 and if you don't drink you die4 ,a peasant woman comes with toothache 4 4 4 well1 what of it8 ,pain is the idea of pain1 and besides 'there is no living in this world without illness2 we shall all die1 and so1 go away1 woman1 don't hinder me from thinking and drinking vodka4' ,a young man asks advice1 what he is to do1 how he is to live2 anyone else would think before answering1 but you have got the answer ready3 strive for 'comprehension' or for true happiness4 ,and what is that fantastic 'true happiness'8 ,there's no answer1 of course4 ,we are kept here behind barred windows1 tortured1 left to rot2 but that is very good and reasonable1 because there is no difference at all between this ward and a warm1 snug study4 ,a convenient philosophy4 ,you can do nothing1 and your conscience is clear1 and you feel you are wise 4 4 4 4 ,no1 sir1 it is not philosophy1 it's not thinking1 it's not breadth of vision1 but laziness1 fakirism1 drowsy stupefaction4 ,yes1 cried ,ivan ,dmitritch1 getting angry again1 you despise suffering1 but ,i'll be bound if you pinch your finger in the door you will howl at the top of your voice4 ,and perhaps ,i shouldn't howl1 said ,andrey ,yefimitch1 with a gentle smile4 ,oh1 ,i dare say6 ,well1 if you had a stroke of paralysis1 or supposing some fool or bully took advantage of his position and rank to insult you in public1 and if you knew he could do it with impunity1 then you would understand what it means to put people off with comprehension and true happiness4 ,that's original1 said ,andrey ,yefimitch1 laughing with pleasure and rubbing his hands4 ,i am agreeably struck by your inclination for drawing generalizations1 and the sketch of my character you have just drawn is simply brilliant4 ,i must confess that talking to you gives me great pleasure4 ,well1 ,i've listened to you1 and now you must graciously listen to me4 ,,xi ,the conversation went on for about an hour longer1 and apparently made a deep impression on ,andrey ,yefimitch4 ,he began going to the ward every day4 ,he went there in the mornings and after dinner1 and often the dusk of evening found him in conversation with ,ivan ,dmitritch4 ,at first ,ivan ,dmitritch held aloof from him1 suspected him of evil designs1 and openly expressed his hostility4 ,but afterwards he got used to him1 and his abrupt manner changed to one of condescending irony4 ,soon it was all over the hospital that the doctor1 ,andrey ,yefimitch1 had taken to visiting ,ward ,no4 #f4 ,no one--neither ,sergey ,sergevitch1 nor ,nikita1 nor the nurses--could conceive why he went there1 why he stayed there for hours together1 what he was talking about1 and why he did not write prescriptions4 ,his actions seemed strange4 ,often ,mihail ,averyanitch did not find him at home1 which had never happened in the past1 and ,daryushka was greatly perturbed1 for the doctor drank his beer now at no definite time1 and sometimes was even late for dinner4 ,one day--it was at the end of ,june--,dr4 ,hobotov went to see ,andrey ,yefimitch about something4 ,not finding him at home1 he proceeded to look for him in the yard2 there he was told that the old doctor had gone to see the mental patients4 ,going into the lodge and stopping in the entry1 ,hobotov heard the following conversation3 ,we shall never agree1 and you will not succeed in converting me to your faith1 ,ivan ,dmitritch was saying irritably2 you are utterly ignorant of reality1 and you have never known suffering1 but have only like a leech fed beside the sufferings of others1 while ,i have been in continual suffering from the day of my birth till to-day4 ,for that reason1 ,i tell you frankly1 ,i consider myself superior to you and more competent in every respect4 ,it's not for you to teach me4 ,i have absolutely no ambition to convert you to my faith1 said ,andrey ,yefimitch gently1 and with regret that the other refused to understand him4 ,and that is not what matters1 my friend2 what matters is not that you have suffered and ,i have not4 ,joy and suffering are passing2 let us leave them1 never mind them4 ,what matters is that you and ,i think2 we see in each other people who are capable of thinking and reasoning1 and that is a common bond between us however different our views4 ,if you knew1 my friend1 how sick ,i am of the universal senselessness1 ineptitude1 stupidity1 and with what delight ,i always talk with you6 ,you are an intelligent man1 and ,i enjoyed your company4 ,hobotov opened the door an inch and glanced into the ward2 ,ivan ,dmitritch in his night-cap and the doctor ,andrey ,yefimitch were sitting side by side on the bed4 ,the madman was grimacing1 twitching1 and convulsively wrapping himself in his gown1 while the doctor sat motionless with bowed head1 and his face was red and look helpless and sorrowful4 ,hobotov shrugged his shoulders1 grinned1 and glanced at ,nikita4 ,nikita shrugged his shoulders too4 ,next day ,hobotov went to the lodge1 accompanied by the assistant4 ,both stood in the entry and listened4 ,i fancy our old man has gone clean off his chump6 said ,hobotov as he came out of the lodge4 ,lord have mercy upon us sinners6 sighed the decorous ,sergey ,sergeyitch1 scrupulously avoiding the puddles that he might not muddy his polished boots4 ,i must own1 honoured ,yevgeny ,fyodoritch1 ,i have been expecting it for a long time4 ,,xii ,after this ,andrey ,yefimitch began to notice a mysterious air in all around him4 ,the attendants1 the nurses1 and the patients looked at him inquisitively when they met him1 and then whispered together4 ,the superintendent's little daughter ,masha1 whom he liked to meet in the hospital garden1 for some reason ran away from him now when he went up with a smile to stroke her on the head4 ,the postmaster no longer said1 ,perfectly true1 as he listened to him1 but in unaccountable confusion muttered1 ,yes1 yes1 yes 4 4 4 and looked at him with a grieved and thoughtful expression2 for some reason he took to advising his friend to give up vodka and beer1 but as a man of delicate feeling he did not say this directly1 but hinted it1 telling him first about the commanding officer of his battalion1 an excellent man1 and then about the priest of the regiment1 a capital fellow1 both of whom drank and fell ill1 but on giving up drinking completely regained their health4 ,on two or three occasions ,andrey ,yefimitch was visited by his colleague ,hobotov1 who also advised him to give up spirituous liquors1 and for no apparent reason recommended him to take bromide4 ,in ,august ,andrey ,yefimitch got a letter from the mayor of the town asking him to come on very important business4 ,on arriving at the town hall at the time fixed1 ,andrey ,yefimitch found there the military commander1 the superintendent of the district school1 a member of the town council1 ,hobotov1 and a plump1 fair gentleman who was introduced to him as a doctor4 ,this doctor1 with a ,polish surname difficult to pronounce1 lived at a pedigree stud-farm twenty miles away1 and was now on a visit to the town4 ,there's something that concerns you1 said the member of the town council1 addressing ,andrey ,yefimitch after they had all greeted one another and sat down to the table4 ,here ,yevgeny ,fyodoritch says that there is not room for the dispensary in the main building1 and that it ought to be transferred to one of the lodges4 ,that's of no consequence--of course it can be transferred1 but the point is that the lodge wants doing up4 ,yes1 it would have to be done up1 said ,andrey ,yefimitch after a moment's thought4 ,if the corner lodge1 for instance1 were fitted up as a dispensary1 ,i imagine it would cost at least five hundred roubles4 ,an unproductive expenditure6 ,everyone was silent for a space4 ,i had the honour of submitting to you ten years ago1 ,andrey ,yefimitch went on in a low voice1 that the hospital in its present form is a luxury for the town beyond its means4 ,it was built in the forties1 but things were different then4 ,the town spends too much on unnecessary buildings and superfluous staff4 ,i believe with a different system two model hospitals might be maintained for the same money4 ,well1 let us have a different system1 then6 the member of the town council said briskly4 ,i have already had the honour of submitting to you that the medical department should be transferred to the supervision of the ,zemstvo4 ,yes1 transfer the money to the ,zemstvo and they will steal it1 laughed the fair-haired doctor4 ,that's what it always comes to1 the member of the council assented1 and he also laughed4 ,andrey ,yefimitch looked with apathetic1 lustreless eyes at the fair-haired doctor and said3 ,one should be just4 ,again there was silence4 ,tea was brought in4 ,the military commander1 for some reason much embarrassed1 touched ,andrey ,yefimitch's hand across the table and said3 ,you have quite forgotten us1 doctor4 ,but of course you are a hermit3 you don't play cards and don't like women4 ,you would be dull with fellows like us4 ,they all began saying how boring it was for a decent person to live in such a town4 ,no theatre1 no music1 and at the last dance at the club there had been about twenty ladies and only two gentlemen4 ,the young men did not dance1 but spent all the time crowding round the refreshment bar or playing cards4 ,not looking at anyone and speaking slowly in a low voice1 ,andrey ,yefimitch began saying what a pity1 what a terrible pity it was that the townspeople should waste their vital energy1 their hearts1 and their minds on cards and gossip1 and should have neither the power nor the inclination to spend their time in interesting conversation and reading1 and should refuse to take advantage of the enjoyments of the mind4 ,the mind alone was interesting and worthy of attention1 all the rest was low and petty4 ,hobotov listened to his colleague attentively and suddenly asked3 ,andrey ,yefimitch1 what day of the month is it8 ,having received an answer1 the fair-haired doctor and he1 in the tone of examiners conscious of their lack of skill1 began asking ,andrey ,yefimitch what was the day of the week1 how many days there were in the year1 and whether it was true that there was a remarkable prophet living in ,ward ,no4 #f4 ,in response to the last question ,andrey ,yefimitch turned rather red and said3 ,yes1 he is mentally deranged1 but he is an interesting young man4 ,they asked him no other questions4 ,when he was putting on his overcoat in the entry1 the military commander laid a hand on his shoulder and said with a sigh3 ,it's time for us old fellows to rest6 ,as he came out of the hall1 ,andrey ,yefimitch understood that it had been a committee appointed to enquire into his mental condition4 ,he recalled the questions that had been asked him1 flushed crimson1 and for some reason1 for the first time in his life1 felt bitterly grieved for medical science4 ,my ,god4 4 4 he thought1 remembering how these doctors had just examined him2 why1 they have only lately been hearing lectures on mental pathology2 they had passed an examination--what's the explanation of this crass ignorance8 ,they have not a conception of mental pathology6 ,and for the first time in his life he felt insulted and moved to anger4 ,in the evening of the same day ,mihail ,averyanitch came to see him4 ,the postmaster went up to him without waiting to greet him1 took him by both hands1 and said in an agitated voice3 ,my dear fellow1 my dear friend1 show me that you believe in my genuine affection and look on me as your friend6 ,and preventing ,andrey ,yefimitch from speaking1 he went on1 growing excited3 ,i love you for your culture and nobility of soul4 ,listen to me1 my dear fellow4 ,the rules of their profession compel the doctors to conceal the truth from you1 but ,i blurt out the plain truth like a soldier4 ,you are not well6 ,excuse me1 my dear fellow1 but it is the truth2 everyone about you has been noticing it for a long time4 ,dr4 ,yevgeny ,fyodoritch has just told me that it is essential for you to rest and distract your mind for the sake of your health4 ,perfectly true6 ,excellent6 ,in a day or two ,i am taking a holiday and am going away for a sniff of a different atmosphere4 ,show that you are a friend to me1 let us go together6 ,let us go for a jaunt as in the good old days4 ,i feel perfectly well1 said ,andrey ,yefimitch after a moment's thought4 ,i can't go away4 ,allow me to show you my friendship in some other way4 ,to go off with no object1 without his books1 without his ,daryushka1 without his beer1 to break abruptly through the routine of life1 established for twenty years--the idea for the first minute struck him as wild and fantastic1 but he remembered the conversation at the ,zemstvo committee and the depressing feelings with which he had returned home1 and the thought of a brief absence from the town in which stupid people looked on him as a madman was pleasant to him4 ,and where precisely do you intend to go8 he asked4 ,to ,moscow1 to ,petersburg1 to ,warsaw4 4 4 4 ,i spent the five happiest years of my life in ,warsaw4 ,what a marvellous town6 ,let us go1 my dear fellow6 ,,xiii ,a week later it was suggested to ,andrey ,yefimitch that he should have a rest--that is1 send in his resignation--a suggestion he received with indifference1 and a week later still1 ,mihail ,averyanitch and he were sitting in a posting carriage driving to the nearest railway station4 ,the days were cool and bright1 with a blue sky and a transparent distance4 ,they were two days driving the hundred and fifty miles to the railway station1 and stayed two nights on the way4 ,when at the posting station the glasses given them for their tea had not been properly washed1 or the drivers were slow in harnessing the horses1 ,mihail ,averyanitch would turn crimson1 and quivering all over would shout3 ,hold your tongue6 ,don't argue6 ,and in the carriage he talked without ceasing for a moment1 describing his campaigns in the ,caucasus and in ,poland4 ,what adventures he had had1 what meetings6 ,he talked loudly and opened his eyes so wide with wonder that he might well be thought to be lying4 ,moreover1 as he talked he breathed in ,andrey ,yefimitch's face and laughed into his ear4 ,this bothered the doctor and prevented him from thinking or concentrating his mind4 ,in the train they travelled1 from motives of economy1 third-class in a non-smoking compartment4 ,half the passengers were decent people4 ,mihail ,averyanitch soon made friends with everyone1 and moving from one seat to another1 kept saying loudly that they ought not to travel by these appalling lines4 ,it was a regular swindle6 ,a very different thing riding on a good horse3 one could do over seventy miles a day and feel fresh and well after it4 ,and our bad harvests were due to the draining of the ,pinsk marshes2 altogether1 the way things were done was dreadful4 ,he got excited1 talked loudly1 and would not let others speak4 ,this endless chatter to the accompaniment of loud laughter and expressive gestures wearied ,andrey ,yefimitch4 ,which of us is the madman8 he thought with vexation4 ,i1 who try not to disturb my fellow-passengers in any way1 or this egoist who thinks that he is cleverer and more interesting than anyone here1 and so will leave no one in peace8 ,in ,moscow ,mihail ,averyanitch put on a military coat without epaulettes and trousers with red braid on them4 ,he wore a military cap and overcoat in the street1 and soldiers saluted him4 ,it seemed to ,andrey ,yefimitch1 now1 that his companion was a man who had flung away all that was good and kept only what was bad of all the characteristics of a country gentleman that he had once possessed4 ,he liked to be waited on even when it was quite unnecessary4 ,the matches would be lying before him on the table1 and he would see them and shout to the waiter to give him the matches2 he did not hesitate to appear before a maidservant in nothing but his underclothes2 he used the familiar mode of address to all footmen indiscriminately1 even old men1 and when he was angry called them fools and blockheads4 ,this1 ,andrey ,yefimitch thought1 was like a gentleman1 but disgusting4 ,first of all ,mihail ,averyanitch led his friend to the ,iversky ,madonna4 ,he prayed fervently1 shedding tears and bowing down to the earth1 and when he had finished1 heaved a deep sigh and said3 ,even though one does not believe it makes one somehow easier when one prays a little4 ,kiss the ikon1 my dear fellow4 ,andrey ,yefimitch was embarrassed and he kissed the image1 while ,mihail ,averyanitch pursed up his lips and prayed in a whisper1 and again tears came into his eyes4 ,then they went to the ,kremlin and looked there at the ,tsar-cannon and the ,tsar-bell1 and even touched them with their fingers1 admired the view over the river1 visited ,st4 ,saviour's and the ,rumyantsev museum4 ,they dined at ,tyestov's4 ,mihail ,averyanitch looked a long time at the menu1 stroking his whiskers1 and said in the tone of a gourmand accustomed to dine in restaurants3 ,we shall see what you give us to eat to-day1 angel6 ,,xiv ,the doctor walked about1 looked at things1 ate and drank1 but he had all the while one feeling3 annoyance with ,mihail ,averyanitch4 ,he longed to have a rest from his friend1 to get away from him1 to hide himself1 while the friend thought it was his duty not to let the doctor move a step away from him1 and to provide him with as many distractions as possible4 ,when there was nothing to look at he entertained him with conversation4 ,for two days ,andrey ,yefimitch endured it1 but on the third he announced to his friend that he was ill and wanted to stay at home for the whole day2 his friend replied that in that case he would stay too--that really he needed rest1 for he was run off his legs already4 ,andrey ,yefimitch lay on the sofa1 with his face to the back1 and clenching his teeth1 listened to his friend1 who assured him with heat that sooner or later ,france would certainly thrash ,germany1 that there were a great many scoundrels in ,moscow1 and that it was impossible to judge of a horse's quality by its outward appearance4 ,the doctor began to have a buzzing in his ears and palpitations of the heart1 but out of delicacy could not bring himself to beg his friend to go away or hold his tongue4 ,fortunately ,mihail ,averyanitch grew weary of sitting in the hotel room1 and after dinner he went out for a walk4 ,as soon as he was alone ,andrey ,yefimitch abandoned himself to a feeling of relief4 ,how pleasant to lie motionless on the sofa and to know that one is alone in the room6 ,real happiness is impossible without solitude4 ,the fallen angel betrayed ,god probably because he longed for solitude1 of which the angels know nothing4 ,andrey ,yefimitch wanted to think about what he had seen and heard during the last few days1 but he could not get ,mihail ,averyanitch out of his head4 ,why1 he has taken a holiday and come with me out of friendship1 out of generosity1 thought the doctor with vexation2 nothing could be worse than this friendly supervision4 ,i suppose he is good-natured and generous and a lively fellow1 but he is a bore4 ,an insufferable bore4 ,in the same way there are people who never say anything but what is clever and good1 yet one feels that they are dull-witted people4 ,for the following days ,andrey ,yefimitch declared himself ill and would not leave the hotel room2 he lay with his face to the back of the sofa1 and suffered agonies of weariness when his friend entertained him with conversation1 or rested when his friend was absent4 ,he was vexed with himself for having come1 and with his friend1 who grew every day more talkative and more free-and-easy2 he could not succeed in attuning his thoughts to a serious and lofty level4 ,this is what ,i get from the real life ,ivan ,dmitritch talked about1 he thought1 angry at his own pettiness4 ,it's of no consequence1 though4 4 4 4 ,i shall go home1 and everything will go on as before 4 4 4 4 ,it was the same thing in ,petersburg too2 for whole days together he did not leave the hotel room1 but lay on the sofa and only got up to drink beer4 ,mihail ,averyanitch was all haste to get to ,warsaw4 ,my dear man1 what should ,i go there for8 said ,andrey ,yefimitch in an imploring voice4 ,you go alone and let me get home6 ,i entreat you6 ,on no account1 protested ,mihail ,averyanitch4 ,it's a marvellous town4 ,andrey ,yefimitch had not the strength of will to insist on his own way1 and much against his inclination went to ,warsaw4 ,there he did not leave the hotel room1 but lay on the sofa1 furious with himself1 with his friend1 and with the waiters1 who obstinately refused to understand ,russian2 while ,mihail ,averyanitch1 healthy1 hearty1 and full of spirits as usual1 went about the town from morning to night1 looking for his old acquaintances4 ,several times he did not return home at night4 ,after one night spent in some unknown haunt he returned home early in the morning1 in a violently excited condition1 with a red face and tousled hair4 ,for a long time he walked up and down the rooms muttering something to himself1 then stopped and said3 ,honour before everything4 ,after walking up and down a little longer he clutched his head in both hands and pronounced in a tragic voice3 ,yes1 honour before everything6 ,accursed be the moment when the idea first entered my head to visit this ,babylon6 ,my dear friend1 he added1 addressing the doctor1 you may despise me1 ,i have played and lost2 lend me five hundred roubles6 ,andrey ,yefimitch counted out five hundred roubles and gave them to his friend without a word4 ,the latter1 still crimson with shame and anger1 incoherently articulated some useless vow1 put on his cap1 and went out4 ,returning two hours later he flopped into an easy-chair1 heaved a loud sigh1 and said3 ,my honour is saved4 ,let us go1 my friend2 ,i do not care to remain another hour in this accursed town4 ,scoundrels6 ,austrian spies6 ,by the time the friends were back in their own town it was ,november1 and deep snow was lying in the streets4 ,dr4 ,hobotov had ,andrey ,yefimitch's post2 he was still living in his old lodgings1 waiting for ,andrey ,yefimitch to arrive and clear out of the hospital apartments4 ,the plain woman whom he called his cook was already established in one of the lodges4 ,fresh scandals about the hospital were going the round of the town4 ,it was said that the plain woman had quarrelled with the superintendent1 and that the latter had crawled on his knees before her begging forgiveness4 ,on the very first day he arrived ,andrey ,yefimitch had to look out for lodgings4 ,my friend1 the postmaster said to him timidly1 excuse an indiscreet question3 what means have you at your disposal8 ,andrey ,yefimitch1 without a word1 counted out his money and said3 ,eighty-six roubles4 ,i don't mean that1 ,mihail ,averyanitch brought out in confusion1 misunderstanding him2 ,i mean1 what have you to live on8 ,i tell you1 eighty-six roubles 4 4 4 ,i have nothing else4 ,mihail ,averyanitch looked upon the doctor as an honourable man1 yet he suspected that he had accumulated a fortune of at least twenty thousand4 ,now learning that ,andrey ,yefimitch was a beggar1 that he had nothing to live on he was for some reason suddenly moved to tears and embraced his friend4 ,,xv ,andrey ,yefimitch now lodged in a little house with three windows4 ,there were only three rooms besides the kitchen in the little house4 ,the doctor lived in two of them which looked into the street1 while ,daryushka and the landlady with her three children lived in the third room and the kitchen4 ,sometimes the landlady's lover1 a drunken peasant who was rowdy and reduced the children and ,daryushka to terror1 would come for the night4 ,when he arrived and established himself in the kitchen and demanded vodka1 they all felt very uncomfortable1 and the doctor would be moved by pity to take the crying children into his room and let them lie on his floor1 and this gave him great satisfaction4 ,he got up as before at eight o'clock1 and after his morning tea sat down to read his old books and magazines3 he had no money for new ones4 ,either because the books were old1 or perhaps because of the change in his surroundings1 reading exhausted him1 and did not grip his attention as before4 ,that he might not spend his time in idleness he made a detailed catalogue of his books and gummed little labels on their backs1 and this mechanical1 tedious work seemed to him more interesting than reading4 ,the monotonous1 tedious work lulled his thoughts to sleep in some unaccountable way1 and the time passed quickly while he thought of nothing4 ,even sitting in the kitchen1 peeling potatoes with ,daryushka or picking over the buckwheat grain1 seemed to him interesting4 ,on ,saturdays and ,sundays he went to church4 ,standing near the wall and half closing his eyes1 he listened to the singing and thought of his father1 of his mother1 of the university1 of the religions of the world2 he felt calm and melancholy1 and as he went out of the church afterwards he regretted that the service was so soon over4 ,he went twice to the hospital to talk to ,ivan ,dmitritch4 ,but on both occasions ,ivan ,dmitritch was unusually excited and ill-humoured2 he bade the doctor leave him in peace1 as he had long been sick of empty chatter1 and declared1 to make up for all his sufferings1 he asked from the damned scoundrels only one favour--solitary confinement4 ,surely they would not refuse him even that8 ,on both occasions when ,andrey ,yefimitch was taking leave of him and wishing him good-night1 he answered rudely and said3 ,go to hell6 ,and ,andrey ,yefimitch did not know now whether to go to him for the third time or not4 ,he longed to go4 ,in old days ,andrey ,yefimitch used to walk about his rooms and think in the interval after dinner1 but now from dinner-time till evening tea he lay on the sofa with his face to the back and gave himself up to trivial thoughts which he could not struggle against4 ,he was mortified that after more than twenty years of service he had been given neither a pension nor any assistance4 ,it is true that he had not done his work honestly1 but1 then1 all who are in the ,service get a pension without distinction whether they are honest or not4 ,contemporary justice lies precisely in the bestowal of grades1 orders1 and pensions1 not for moral qualities or capacities1 but for service whatever it may have been like4 ,why was he alone to be an exception8 ,he had no money at all4 ,he was ashamed to pass by the shop and look at the woman who owned it4 ,he owed thirty-two roubles for beer already4 ,there was money owing to the landlady also4 ,daryushka sold old clothes and books on the sly1 and told lies to the landlady1 saying that the doctor was just going to receive a large sum of money4 ,he was angry with himself for having wasted on travelling the thousand roubles he had saved up4 ,how useful that thousand roubles would have been now6 ,he was vexed that people would not leave him in peace4 ,hobotov thought it his duty to look in on his sick colleague from time to time4 ,everything about him was revolting to ,andrey ,yefimitch--his well-fed face and vulgar1 condescending tone1 and his use of the word colleague1 and his high top-boots2 the most revolting thing was that he thought it was his duty to treat ,andrey ,yefimitch1 and thought that he really was treating him4 ,on every visit he brought a bottle of bromide and rhubarb pills4 ,mihail ,averyanitch1 too1 thought it his duty to visit his friend and entertain him4 ,every time he went in to ,andrey ,yefimitch with an affectation of ease1 laughed constrainedly1 and began assuring him that he was looking very well to-day1 and that1 thank ,god1 he was on the highroad to recovery1 and from this it might be concluded that he looked on his friend's condition as hopeless4 ,he had not yet repaid his ,warsaw debt1 and was overwhelmed by shame2 he was constrained1 and so tried to laugh louder and talk more amusingly4 ,his anecdotes and descriptions seemed endless now1 and were an agony both to ,andrey ,yefimitch and himself4 ,in his presence ,andrey ,yefimitch usually lay on the sofa with his face to the wall1 and listened with his teeth clenched2 his soul was oppressed with rankling disgust1 and after every visit from his friend he felt as though this disgust had risen higher1 and was mounting into his throat4 ,to stifle petty thoughts he made haste to reflect that he himself1 and ,hobotov1 and ,mihail ,averyanitch1 would all sooner or later perish without leaving any trace on the world4 ,if one imagined some spirit flying by the earthly globe in space in a million years he would see nothing but clay and bare rocks4 ,everything--culture and the moral law--would pass away and not even a burdock would grow out of them4 ,of what consequence was shame in the presence of a shopkeeper1 of what consequence was the insignificant ,hobotov or the wearisome friendship of ,mihail ,averyanitch8 ,it was all trivial and nonsensical4 ,but such reflections did not help him now4 ,scarcely had he imagined the earthly globe in a million years1 when ,hobotov in his high top-boots or ,mihail ,averyanitch with his forced laugh would appear from behind a bare rock1 and he even heard the shamefaced whisper3 ,the ,warsaw debt4 4 4 4 ,i will repay it in a day or two1 my dear fellow1 without fail4 4 4 4 ,,xvi ,one day ,mihail ,averyanitch came after dinner when ,andrey ,yefimitch was lying on the sofa4 ,it so happened that ,hobotov arrived at the same time with his bromide4 ,andrey ,yefimitch got up heavily and sat down1 leaning both arms on the sofa4 ,you have a much better colour to-day than you had yesterday1 my dear man1 began ,mihail ,averyanitch4 ,yes1 you look jolly4 ,upon my soul1 you do6 ,it's high time you were well1 dear colleague1 said ,hobotov1 yawning4 ,i'll be bound1 you are sick of this bobbery4 ,and we shall recover1 said ,mihail ,averyanitch cheerfully4 ,we shall live another hundred years6 ,to be sure6 ,not a hundred years1 but another twenty1 ,hobotov said reassuringly4 ,it's all right1 all right1 colleague2 don't lose heart4 4 4 4 ,don't go piling it on6 ,we'll show what we can do1 laughed ,mihail ,averyanitch1 and he slapped his friend on the knee4 ,we'll show them yet6 ,next summer1 please ,god1 we shall be off to the ,caucasus1 and we will ride all over it on horseback--trot1 trot1 trot6 ,and when we are back from the ,caucasus ,i shouldn't wonder if we will all dance at the wedding4 ,mihail ,averyanitch gave a sly wink4 ,we'll marry you1 my dear boy1 we'll marry you4 4 4 4 ,andrey ,yefimitch felt suddenly that the rising disgust had mounted to his throat1 his heart began beating violently4 ,that's vulgar1 he said1 getting up quickly and walking away to the window4 ,don't you understand that you are talking vulgar nonsense8 ,he meant to go on softly and politely1 but against his will he suddenly clenched his fists and raised them above his head4 ,leave me alone1 he shouted in a voice unlike his own1 blushing crimson and shaking all over4 ,go away1 both of you6 ,mihail ,averyanitch and ,hobotov got up and stared at him first with amazement and then with alarm4 ,go away1 both6 ,andrey ,yefimitch went on shouting4 ,stupid people6 ,foolish people6 ,i don't want either your friendship or your medicines1 stupid man6 ,vulgar6 ,nasty6 ,hobotov and ,mihail ,averyanitch1 looking at each other in bewilderment1 staggered to the door and went out4 ,andrey ,yefimitch snatched up the bottle of bromide and flung it after them2 the bottle broke with a crash on the door-frame4 ,go to the devil6 he shouted in a tearful voice1 running out into the passage4 ,to the devil6 ,when his guests were gone ,andrey ,yefimitch lay down on the sofa1 trembling as though in a fever1 and went on for a long while repeating3 ,stupid people6 ,foolish people6 ,when he was calmer1 what occurred to him first of all was the thought that poor ,mihail ,averyanitch must be feeling fearfully ashamed and depressed now1 and that it was all dreadful4 ,nothing like this had ever happened to him before4 ,where was his intelligence and his tact8 ,where was his comprehension of things and his philosophical indifference8 ,the doctor could not sleep all night for shame and vexation with himself1 and at ten o'clock next morning he went to the post office and apologized to the postmaster4 ,we won't think again of what has happened1 ,mihail ,averyanitch1 greatly touched1 said with a sigh1 warmly pressing his hand4 ,let bygones be bygones4 ,lyubavkin1 he suddenly shouted so loud that all the postmen and other persons present started1 hand a chair2 and you wait1 he shouted to a peasant woman who was stretching out a registered letter to him through the grating4 ,don't you see that ,i am busy8 ,we will not remember the past1 he went on1 affectionately addressing ,andrey ,yefimitch2 sit down1 ,i beg you1 my dear fellow4 ,for a minute he stroked his knees in silence1 and then said3 ,i have never had a thought of taking offence4 ,illness is no joke1 ,i understand4 ,your attack frightened the doctor and me yesterday1 and we had a long talk about you afterwards4 ,my dear friend1 why won't you treat your illness seriously8 ,you can't go on like this 4 4 4 4 ,excuse me speaking openly as a friend1 whispered ,mihail ,averyanitch4 ,you live in the most unfavourable surroundings1 in a crowd1 in uncleanliness1 no one to look after you1 no money for proper treatment4 4 4 4 ,my dear friend1 the doctor and ,i implore you with all our hearts1 listen to our advice3 go into the hospital6 ,there you will have wholesome food and attendance and treatment4 ,though1 between ourselves1 ,yevgeny ,fyodoritch is mauvais ton1 yet he does understand his work1 you can fully rely upon him4 ,he has promised me he will look after you4 ,andrey ,yefimitch was touched by the postmaster's genuine sympathy and the tears which suddenly glittered on his cheeks4 ,my honoured friend1 don't believe it6 he whispered1 laying his hand on his heart2 don't believe them4 ,it's all a sham4 ,my illness is only that in twenty years ,i have only found one intelligent man in the whole town1 and he is mad4 ,i am not ill at all1 it's simply that ,i have got into an enchanted circle which there is no getting out of4 ,i don't care2 ,i am ready for anything4 ,go into the hospital1 my dear fellow4 ,i don't care if it were into the pit4 ,give me your word1 my dear man1 that you will obey ,yevgeny ,fyodoritch in everything4 ,certainly ,i will give you my word4 ,but ,i repeat1 my honoured friend1 ,i have got into an enchanted circle4 ,now everything1 even the genuine sympathy of my friends1 leads to the same thing--to my ruin4 ,i am going to my ruin1 and ,i have the manliness to recognize it4 ,my dear fellow1 you will recover4 ,what's the use of saying that8 said ,andrey ,yefimitch1 with irritation4 ,there are few men who at the end of their lives do not experience what ,i am experiencing now4 ,when you are told that you have something such as diseased kidneys or enlarged heart1 and you begin being treated for it1 or are told you are mad or a criminal--that is1 in fact1 when people suddenly turn their attention to you--you may be sure you have got into an enchanted circle from which you will not escape4 ,you will try to escape and make things worse4 ,you had better give in1 for no human efforts can save you4 ,so it seems to me4 ,meanwhile the public was crowding at the grating4 ,that he might not be in their way1 ,andrey ,yefimitch got up and began to take leave4 ,mihail ,averyanitch made him promise on his honour once more1 and escorted him to the outer door4 ,towards evening on the same day ,hobotov1 in his sheepskin and his high top-boots1 suddenly made his appearance1 and said to ,andrey ,yefimitch in a tone as though nothing had happened the day before3 ,i have come on business1 colleague4 ,i have come to ask you whether you would not join me in a consultation4 ,eh8 ,thinking that ,hobotov wanted to distract his mind with an outing1 or perhaps really to enable him to earn something1 ,andrey ,yefimitch put on his coat and hat1 and went out with him into the street4 ,he was glad of the opportunity to smooth over his fault of the previous day and to be reconciled1 and in his heart thanked ,hobotov1 who did not even allude to yesterday's scene and was evidently sparing him4 ,one would never have expected such delicacy from this uncultured man4 ,where is your invalid8 asked ,andrey ,yefimitch4 ,in the hospital4 4 4 4 ,i have long wanted to show him to you4 ,a very interesting case4 ,they went into the hospital yard1 and going round the main building1 turned towards the lodge where the mental cases were kept1 and all this1 for some reason1 in silence4 ,when they went into the lodge ,nikita as usual jumped up and stood at attention4 ,one of the patients here has a lung complication4 ,hobotov said in an undertone1 going into the yard with ,andrey ,yefimitch4 ,you wait here1 ,i'll be back directly4 ,i am going for a stethoscope4 ,and he went away4 ,,xvii ,it was getting dusk4 ,ivan ,dmitritch was lying on his bed with his face thrust unto his pillow2 the paralytic was sitting motionless1 crying quietly and moving his lips4 ,the fat peasant and the former sorter were asleep4 ,it was quiet4 ,andrey ,yefimitch sat down on ,ivan ,dmitritch's bed and waited4 ,but half an hour passed1 and instead of ,hobotov1 ,nikita came into the ward with a dressing-gown1 some underlinen1 and a pair of slippers in a heap on his arm4 ,please change your things1 your honour1 he said softly4 ,here is your bed2 come this way1 he added1 pointing to an empty bedstead which had obviously recently been brought into the ward4 ,it's all right2 please ,god1 you will recover4 ,andrey ,yefimitch understood it all4 ,without saying a word he crossed to the bed to which ,nikita pointed and sat down2 seeing that ,nikita was standing waiting1 he undressed entirely and he felt ashamed4 ,then he put on the hospital clothes2 the drawers were very short1 the shirt was long1 and the dressing-gown smelt of smoked fish4 ,please ,god1 you will recover1 repeated ,nikita1 and he gathered up ,andrey ,yefimitch's clothes into his arms1 went out1 and shut the door after him4 ,no matter 4 4 4 thought ,andrey ,yefimitch1 wrapping himself in his dressing-gown in a shamefaced way and feeling that he looked like a convict in his new costume4 ,it's no matter4 4 4 4 ,it does not matter whether it's a dress-coat or a uniform or this dressing-gown4 ,but how about his watch8 ,and the notebook that was in the side-pocket8 ,and his cigarettes8 ,where had ,nikita taken his clothes8 ,now perhaps to the day of his death he would not put on trousers1 a waistcoat1 and high boots4 ,it was all somehow strange and even incomprehensible at first4 ,andrey ,yefimitch was even now convinced that there was no difference between his landlady's house and ,ward ,no4 #f1 that everything in this world was nonsense and vanity of vanities4 ,and yet his hands were trembling1 his feet were cold1 and he was filled with dread at the thought that soon ,ivan ,dmitritch would get up and see that he was in a dressing-gown4 ,he got up and walked across the room and sat down again4 ,here he had been sitting already half an hour1 an hour1 and he was miserably sick of it3 was it really possible to live here a day1 a week1 and even years like these people8 ,why1 he had been sitting here1 had walked about and sat down again2 he could get up and look out of window and walk from corner to corner again1 and then what8 ,sit so all the time1 like a post1 and think8 ,no1 that was scarcely possible4 ,andrey ,yefimitch lay down1 but at once got up1 wiped the cold sweat from his brow with his sleeve and felt that his whole face smelt of smoked fish4 ,he walked about again4 ,it's some misunderstanding 4 4 4 he said1 turning out the palms of his hands in perplexity4 ,it must be cleared up4 ,there is a misunderstanding4 ,meanwhile ,ivan ,dmitritch woke up2 he sat up and propped his cheeks on his fists4 ,he spat4 ,then he glanced lazily at the doctor1 and apparently for the first minute did not understand2 but soon his sleepy face grew malicious and mocking4 ,aha6 so they have put you in here1 too1 old fellow8 he said in a voice husky from sleepiness1 screwing up one eye4 ,very glad to see you4 ,you sucked the blood of others1 and now they will suck yours4 ,excellent6 ,it's a misunderstanding 4 4 4 ,andrey ,yefimitch brought out1 frightened by ,ivan ,dmitritch's words2 he shrugged his shoulders and repeated3 ,it's some misunderstanding4 ,ivan ,dmitritch spat again and lay down4 ,cursed life1 he grumbled1 and what's bitter and insulting1 this life will not end in compensation for our sufferings1 it will not end with apotheosis as it would in an opera1 but with death2 peasants will come and drag one's dead body by the arms and the legs to the cellar4 ,ugh6 ,well1 it does not matter4 4 4 4 ,we shall have our good time in the other world4 4 4 4 ,i shall come here as a ghost from the other world and frighten these reptiles4 ,i'll turn their hair grey4 ,moiseika returned1 and1 seeing the doctor1 held out his hand4 ,give me one little kopeck1 he said4 ,,xviii ,andrey ,yefimitch walked away to the window and looked out into the open country4 ,it was getting dark1 and on the horizon to the right a cold crimson moon was mounting upwards4 ,not far from the hospital fence1 not much more than two hundred yards away1 stood a tall white house shut in by a stone wall4 ,this was the prison4 ,so this is real life1 thought ,andrey ,yefimitch1 and he felt frightened4 ,the moon and the prison1 and the nails on the fence1 and the far-away flames at the bone-charring factory were all terrible4 ,behind him there was the sound of a sigh4 ,andrey ,yefimitch looked round and saw a man with glittering stars and orders on his breast1 who was smiling and slyly winking4 ,and this1 too1 seemed terrible4 ,andrey ,yefimitch assured himself that there was nothing special about the moon or the prison1 that even sane persons wear orders1 and that everything in time will decay and turn to earth1 but he was suddenly overcome with desire2 he clutched at the grating with both hands and shook it with all his might4 ,the strong grating did not yield4 ,then that it might not be so dreadful he went to ,ivan ,dmitritch's bed and sat down4 ,i have lost heart1 my dear fellow1 he muttered1 trembling and wiping away the cold sweat1 ,i have lost heart4 ,you should be philosophical1 said ,ivan ,dmitritch ironically4 ,my ,god1 my ,god4 4 4 4 ,yes1 yes4 4 4 4 ,you were pleased to say once that there was no philosophy in ,russia1 but that all people1 even the paltriest1 talk philosophy4 ,but you know the philosophizing of the paltriest does not harm anyone1 said ,andrey ,yefimitch in a tone as if he wanted to cry and complain4 ,why1 then1 that malignant laugh1 my friend1 and how can these paltry creatures help philosophizing if they are not satisfied8 ,for an intelligent1 educated man1 made in ,god's image1 proud and loving freedom1 to have no alternative but to be a doctor in a filthy1 stupid1 wretched little town1 and to spend his whole life among bottles1 leeches1 mustard plasters6 ,quackery1 narrowness1 vulgarity6 ,oh1 my ,god6 ,you are talking nonsense4 ,if you don't like being a doctor you should have gone in for being a statesman4 ,i could not1 ,i could not do anything4 ,we are weak1 my dear friend 4 4 4 4 ,i used to be indifferent4 ,i reasoned boldly and soundly1 but at the first coarse touch of life upon me ,i have lost heart4 4 4 4 ,prostration4 4 4 4 4 ,we are weak1 we are poor creatures 4 4 4 and you1 too1 my dear friend1 you are intelligent1 generous1 you drew in good impulses with your mother's milk1 but you had hardly entered upon life when you were exhausted and fell ill4 4 4 4 ,weak1 weak6 ,andrey ,yefimitch was all the while at the approach of evening tormented by another persistent sensation besides terror and the feeling of resentment4 ,at last he realized that he was longing for a smoke and for beer4 ,i am going out1 my friend1 he said4 ,i will tell them to bring a light2 ,i can't put up with this4 4 4 4 ,i am not equal to it4 4 4 4 ,andrey ,yefimitch went to the door and opened it1 but at once ,nikita jumped up and barred his way4 ,where are you going8 ,you can't1 you can't6 he said4 ,it's bedtime4 ,but ,i'm only going out for a minute to walk about the yard1 said ,andrey ,yefimitch4 ,you can't1 you can't2 it's forbidden4 ,you know that yourself4 ,but what difference will it make to anyone if ,i do go out8 asked ,andrey ,yefimitch1 shrugging his shoulders4 ,i don't understand4 ,nikita1 ,i must go out6 he said in a trembling voice4 ,i must4 ,don't be disorderly1 it's not right1 ,nikita said peremptorily4 ,this is beyond everything1 ,ivan ,dmitritch cried suddenly1 and he jumped up4 ,what right has he not to let you out8 ,how dare they keep us here8 ,i believe it is clearly laid down in the law that no one can be deprived of freedom without trial6 ,it's an outrage6 ,it's tyranny6 ,of course it's tyranny1 said ,andrey ,yefimitch1 encouraged by ,ivan ,dmitritch's outburst4 ,i must go out1 ,i want to4 ,he has no right6 ,open1 ,i tell you4 ,do you hear1 you dull-witted brute8 cried ,ivan ,dmitritch1 and he banged on the door with his fist4 ,open the door1 or ,i will break it open6 ,torturer6 ,open the door1 cried ,andrey ,yefimitch1 trembling all over2 ,i insist6 ,talk away6 ,nikita answered through the door1 talk away4 4 4 4 ,anyhow1 go and call ,yevgeny ,fyodoritch6 ,say that ,i beg him to come for a minute6 ,his honour will come of himself to-morrow4 ,they will never let us out1 ,ivan ,dmitritch was going on meanwhile4 ,they will leave us to rot here6 ,oh1 ,lord1 can there really be no hell in the next world1 and will these wretches be forgiven8 ,where is justice8 ,open the door1 you wretch6 ,i am choking6 he cried in a hoarse voice1 and flung himself upon the door4 ,i'll dash out my brains1 murderers6 ,nikita opened the door quickly1 and roughly with both his hands and his knee shoved ,andrey ,yefimitch back1 then swung his arm and punched him in the face with his fist4 ,it seemed to ,andrey ,yefimitch as though a huge salt wave enveloped him from his head downwards and dragged him to the bed2 there really was a salt taste in his mouth3 most likely the blood was running from his teeth4 ,he waved his arms as though he were trying to swim out and clutched at a bedstead1 and at the same moment felt ,nikita hit him twice on the back4 ,ivan ,dmitritch gave a loud scream4 ,he must have been beaten too4 ,then all was still1 the faint moonlight came through the grating1 and a shadow like a net lay on the floor4 ,it was terrible4 ,andrey ,yefimitch lay and held his breath3 he was expecting with horror to be struck again4 ,he felt as though someone had taken a sickle1 thrust it into him1 and turned it round several times in his breast and bowels4 ,he bit the pillow from pain and clenched his teeth1 and all at once through the chaos in his brain there flashed the terrible unbearable thought that these people1 who seemed now like black shadows in the moonlight1 had to endure such pain day by day for years4 ,how could it have happened that for more than twenty years he had not known it and had refused to know it8 ,he knew nothing of pain1 had no conception of it1 so he was not to blame1 but his conscience1 as inexorable and as rough as ,nikita1 made him turn cold from the crown of his head to his heels4 ,he leaped up1 tried to cry out with all his might1 and to run in haste to kill ,nikita1 and then ,hobotov1 the superintendent and the assistant1 and then himself2 but no sound came from his chest1 and his legs would not obey him4 ,gasping for breath1 he tore at the dressing-gown and the shirt on his breast1 rent them1 and fell senseless on the bed4 ,,xix ,next morning his head ached1 there was a droning in his ears and a feeling of utter weakness all over4 ,he was not ashamed at recalling his weakness the day before4 ,he had been cowardly1 had even been afraid of the moon1 had openly expressed thoughts and feelings such as he had not expected in himself before2 for instance1 the thought that the paltry people who philosophized were really dissatisfied4 ,but now nothing mattered to him4 ,he ate nothing2 he drank nothing4 ,he lay motionless and silent4 ,it is all the same to me1 he thought when they asked him questions4 ,i am not going to answer4 4 4 4 ,it's all the same to me4 ,after dinner ,mihail ,averyanitch brought him a quarter pound of tea and a pound of fruit pastilles4 ,daryushka came too and stood for a whole hour by the bed with an expression of dull grief on her face4 ,dr4 ,hobotov visited him4 ,he brought a bottle of bromide and told ,nikita to fumigate the ward with something4 ,towards evening ,andrey ,yefimitch died of an apoplectic stroke4 ,at first he had a violent shivering fit and a feeling of sickness2 something revolting as it seemed1 penetrating through his whole body1 even to his finger-tips1 strained from his stomach to his head and flooded his eyes and ears4 ,there was a greenness before his eyes4 ,andrey ,yefimitch understood that his end had come1 and remembered that ,ivan ,dmitritch1 ,mihail ,averyanitch1 and millions of people believed in immortality4 ,and what if it really existed8 ,but he did not want immortality--and he thought of it only for one instant4 ,a herd of deer1 extraordinarily beautiful and graceful1 of which he had been reading the day before1 ran by him2 then a peasant woman stretched out her hand to him with a registered letter 4 4 4 4 ,mihail ,averyanitch said something1 then it all vanished1 and ,andrey ,yefimitch sank into oblivion for ever4 ,the hospital porters came1 took him by his arms and legs1 and carried him away to the chapel4 ,there he lay on the table1 with open eyes1 and the moon shed its light upon him at night4 ,in the morning ,sergey ,sergeyitch came1 prayed piously before the crucifix1 and closed his former chief's eyes4 ,next day ,andrey ,yefimitch was buried4 ,mihail ,averyanitch and ,daryushka were the only people at the funeral4 ,,the ,,petchenyeg ,,ivan ,,abramitch ,,zhmuhin1 a retired ,cossack officer1 who had once served in the ,caucasus1 but now lived on his own farm1 and who had once been young1 strong1 and vigorous1 but now was old1 dried up1 and bent1 with shaggy eyebrows and a greenish-grey moustache1 was returning from the town to his farm one hot summer's day4 ,in the town he had confessed and received absolution1 and had made his will at the notary's 7a fortnight before he had had a slight stroke71 and now all the while he was in the railway carriage he was haunted by melancholy1 serious thoughts of approaching death1 of the vanity of vanities1 of the transitoriness of all things earthly4 ,at the station of ,provalye--there is such a one on the ,donetz line--a fair-haired1 plump1 middle-aged gentleman with a shabby portfolio stepped into the carriage and sat down opposite4 ,they got into conversation4 ,yes1 said ,ivan ,abramitch1 looking pensively out of window1 it is never too late to marry4 ,i myself married when ,i was forty-eight2 ,i was told it was late1 but it has turned out that it was not late or early1 but simply that it would have been better not to marry at all4 ,everyone is soon tired of his wife1 but not everyone tells the truth1 because1 you know1 people are ashamed of an unhappy home life and conceal it4 ,it's ',manya this' and ',manya that' with many a man by his wife's side1 but if he had his way he'd put that ,manya in a sack and drop her in the water4 ,it's dull with one's wife1 it's mere foolishness4 ,and it's no better with one's children1 ,i make bold to assure you4 ,i have two of them1 the rascals4 ,there's nowhere for them to be taught out here in the steppe2 ,i haven't the money to send them to school in ,novo ,tcherkask1 and they live here like young wolves4 ,next thing they will be murdering someone on the highroad4 ,the fair-haired gentleman listened attentively1 answered questions briefly in a low voice1 and was apparently a gentleman of gentle and modest disposition4 ,he mentioned that he was a lawyer1 and that he was going to the village ,dyuevka on business4 ,why1 merciful heavens1 that is six miles from me6 said ,zhmuhin in a tone of voice as though someone were disputing with him4 ,but excuse me1 you won't find horses at the station now4 ,to my mind1 the very best thing you can do1 you know1 is to come straight to me1 stay the night1 you know1 and in the morning drive over with my horses4 ,the lawyer thought a moment and accepted the invitation4 ,when they reached the station the sun was already low over the steppe4 ,they said nothing all the way from the station to the farm3 the jolting prevented conversation4 ,the trap bounded up and down1 squeaked1 and seemed to be sobbing1 and the lawyer1 who was sitting very uncomfortably1 stared before him1 miserably hoping to see the farm4 ,after they had driven five or six miles there came into view in the distance a low-pitched house and a yard enclosed by a fence made of dark1 flat stones standing on end2 the roof was green1 the stucco was peeling off1 and the windows were little narrow slits like screwed-up eyes4 ,the farm stood in the full sunshine1 and there was no sign either of water or trees anywhere round4 ,among the neighbouring landowners and the peasants it was known as the ,petchenyegs' farm4 ,many years before1 a land surveyor1 who was passing through the neighbourhood and put up at the farm1 spent the whole night talking to ,ivan ,abramitch1 was not favourably impressed1 and as he was driving away in the morning said to him grimly3 ,you are a ,petchenyeg199 my good sir6 99 ,the ,petchenyegs were a tribe of wild ,mongolian nomads who made frequent inroads upon the ,russians in the tenth and eleventh centuries4--,translator's ,note4 ,from this came the nickname1 the ,petchenyegs' farm1 which stuck to the place even more when ,zhmuhin's boys grew up and began to make raids on the orchards and kitchen-gardens4 ,ivan ,abramitch was called ,you ,know1 as he usually talked a very great deal and frequently made use of that expression4 ,in the yard near a barn ,zhmuhin's sons were standing1 one a young man of nineteen1 the other a younger lad1 both barefoot and bareheaded4 ,just at the moment when the trap drove into the yard the younger one flung high up a hen which1 cackling1 described an arc in the air2 the elder shot at it with a gun and the hen fell dead on the earth4 ,those are my boys learning to shoot birds flying1 said ,zhmuhin4 ,in the entry the travellers were met by a little thin woman with a pale face1 still young and beautiful2 from her dress she might have been taken for a servant4 ,and this1 allow me to introduce her1 said ,zhmuhin1 is the mother of my young cubs4 ,come1 ,lyubov ,osipovna1 he said1 addressing her1 you must be spry1 mother1 and get something for our guest4 ,let us have supper4 ,look sharp6 ,the house consisted of two parts3 in one was the parlour and beside it old ,zhmuhin's bedroom1 both stuffy rooms with low ceilings and multitudes of flies and wasps1 and in the other was the kitchen in which the cooking and washing was done and the labourers had their meals2 here geese and turkey-hens were sitting on their eggs under the benches1 and here were the beds of ,lyubov ,osipovna and her two sons4 ,the furniture in the parlour was unpainted and evidently roughly made by a carpenter2 guns1 game-bags1 and whips were hanging on the walls1 and all this old rubbish was covered with the rust of years and looked grey with dust4 ,there was not one picture2 in the corner was a dingy board which had at one time been an ikon4 ,a young ,little ,russian woman laid the table and handed ham1 then beetroot soup4 ,the visitor refused vodka and ate only bread and cucumbers4 ,how about ham8 asked ,zhmuhin4 ,thank you1 ,i don't eat it1 answered the visitor1 ,i don't eat meat at all4 ,why is that8 ,i am a vegetarian4 ,killing animals is against my principles4 ,zhmuhin thought a minute and then said slowly with a sigh3 ,yes 4 4 4 to be sure4 4 4 4 ,i saw a man who did not eat meat in town1 too4 ,it's a new religion they've got now4 ,well1 it's good4 ,we can't go on always shooting and slaughtering1 you know2 we must give it up some day and leave even the beasts in peace4 ,it's a sin to kill1 it's a sin1 there is no denying it4 ,sometimes one kills a hare and wounds him in the leg1 and he cries like a child4 4 4 4 ,so it must hurt him6 ,of course it hurts him2 animals suffer just like human beings4 ,that's true1 ,zhmuhin assented4 ,i understand that very well1 he went on1 musing1 only there is this one thing ,i don't understand3 suppose1 you know1 everyone gave up eating meat1 what would become of the domestic animals--fowls and geese1 for instance8 ,fowls and geese would live in freedom like wild birds4 ,now ,i understand4 ,to be sure1 crows and jackdaws get on all right without us4 ,yes4 4 4 4 ,fowls and geese and hares and sheep1 all will live in freedom1 rejoicing1 you know1 and praising ,god2 and they will not fear us1 peace and concord will come4 ,only there is one thing1 you know1 ,i can't understand1 ,zhmuhin went on1 glancing at the ham4 ,how will it be with the pigs8 ,what is to be done with them8 ,they will be like all the rest--that is1 they will live in freedom4 ,ah6 ,yes4 ,but allow me to say1 if they were not slaughtered they would multiply1 you know1 and then good-bye to the kitchen-gardens and the meadows4 ,why1 a pig1 if you let it free and don't look after it1 will ruin everything in a day4 ,a pig is a pig1 and it is not for nothing it is called a pig4 4 4 4 ,they finished supper4 ,zhmuhin got up from the table and for a long while walked up and down the room1 talking and talking4 4 4 4 ,he was fond of talking of something important or serious and was fond of meditating1 and in his old age he had a longing to reach some haven1 to be reassured1 that he might not be so frightened of dying4 ,he had a longing for meekness1 spiritual calm1 and confidence in himself1 such as this guest of theirs had1 who had satisfied his hunger on cucumbers and bread1 and believed that doing so made him more perfect2 he was sitting on a chest1 plump and healthy1 keeping silent and patiently enduring his boredom1 and in the dusk when one glanced at him from the entry he looked like a big round stone which one could not move from its place4 ,if a man has something to lay hold of in life he is all right4 ,zhmuhin went through the entry to the porch1 and then he could be heard sighing and saying reflectively to himself3 ,yes4 4 4 4 ,to be sure4 4 4 4 ,by now it was dark1 and here and there stars could be seen in the sky4 ,they had not yet lighted up indoors4 ,someone came into the parlour as noiselessly as a shadow and stood still near the door4 ,it was ,lyubov ,osipovna1 ,zhmuhin's wife4 ,are you from the town8 she asked timidly1 not looking at her visitor4 ,yes1 ,i live in the town4 ,perhaps you are something in the learned way1 sir2 be so kind as to advise us4 ,we ought to send in a petition4 ,to whom8 asked the visitor4 ,we have two sons1 kind gentleman1 and they ought to have been sent to school long ago1 but we never see anyone and have no one to advise us4 ,and ,i know nothing4 ,for if they are not taught they will have to serve in the army as common ,cossacks4 ,it's not right1 sir6 ,they can't read and write1 they are worse than peasants1 and ,ivan ,abramitch himself can't stand them and won't let them indoors4 ,but they are not to blame4 ,the younger one1 at any rate1 ought to be sent to school1 it is such a pity6 she said slowly1 and there was a quiver in her voice2 and it seemed incredible that a woman so small and so youthful could have grown-up children4 ,oh1 it's such a pity6 ,you don't know anything about it1 mother1 and it is not your affair1 said ,zhmuhin1 appearing in the doorway4 ,don't pester our guest with your wild talk4 ,go away1 mother6 ,lyubov ,osipovna went out1 and in the entry repeated once more in a thin little voice3 ,oh1 it's such a pity6 ,a bed was made up for the visitor on the sofa in the parlour1 and that it might not be dark for him they lighted the lamp before the ikon4 ,zhmuhin went to bed in his own room4 ,and as he lay there he thought of his soul1 of his age1 of his recent stroke which had so frightened him and made him think of death4 ,he was fond of philosophizing when he was in quietness by himself1 and then he fancied that he was a very earnest1 deep thinker1 and that nothing in this world interested him but serious questions4 ,and now he kept thinking and he longed to pitch upon some one significant thought unlike others1 which would be a guide to him in life1 and he wanted to think out principles of some sort for himself so as to make his life as deep and earnest as he imagined that he felt himself to be4 ,it would be a good thing for an old man like him to abstain altogether from meat1 from superfluities of all sorts4 ,the time when men give up killing each other and animals would come sooner or later1 it could not but be so1 and he imagined that time to himself and clearly pictured himself living in peace with all the animals1 and suddenly he thought again of the pigs1 and everything was in a tangle in his brain4 ,it's a queer business1 ,lord have mercy upon us1 he muttered1 sighing heavily4 ,are you asleep8 he asked4 ,no4 ,zhmuhin got out of bed and stopped in the doorway with nothing but his shirt on1 displaying to his guest his sinewy legs1 that looked as dry as sticks4 ,nowadays1 you know1 he began1 all sorts of telegraphs1 telephones1 and marvels of all kinds1 in fact1 have come in1 but people are no better than they were4 ,they say that in our day1 thirty or forty years ago1 men were coarse and cruel2 but isn't it just the same now8 ,we certainly did not stand on ceremony in our day4 ,i remember in the ,caucasus when we were stationed by a little river with nothing to do for four whole months--,i was an under-officer at that time--something queer happened1 quite in the style of a novel4 ,just on the banks of that river1 you know1 where our division was encamped1 a wretched prince whom we had killed not long before was buried4 ,and at night1 you know1 the princess used to come to his grave and weep4 ,she would wail and wail1 and moan and moan1 and make us so depressed we couldn't sleep1 and that's the fact4 ,we couldn't sleep one night1 we couldn't sleep a second2 well1 we got sick of it4 ,and from a common-sense point of view you really can't go without your sleep for the devil knows what 7excuse the expression74 ,we took that princess and gave her a good thrashing1 and she gave up coming4 ,there's an instance for you4 ,nowadays1 of course1 there is not the same class of people1 and they are not given to thrashing and they live in cleaner style1 and there is more learning1 but1 you know1 the soul is just the same3 there is no change4 ,now1 look here1 there's a landowner living here among us2 he has mines1 you know2 all sorts of tramps without passports who don't know where to go work for him4 ,on ,saturdays he has to settle up with the workmen1 but he doesn't care to pay them1 you know1 he grudges the money4 ,so he's got hold of a foreman who is a tramp too1 though he does wear a hat4 ',don't you pay them anything1' he says1 'not a kopeck2 they'll beat you1 and let them beat you1' says he1 'but you put up with it1 and ,i'll pay you ten roubles every ,saturday for it4' ,so on the ,saturday evening the workmen come to settle up in the usual way2 the foreman says to them3 ',nothing6' ,well1 word for word1 as the master said1 they begin swearing and using their fists4 4 4 4 ,they beat him and they kick him 4 4 4 you know1 they are a set of men brutalized by hunger--they beat him till he is senseless1 and then they go each on his way4 ,the master gives orders for cold water to be poured on the foreman1 then flings ten roubles in his face4 ,and he takes it and is pleased too1 for indeed he'd be ready to be hanged for three roubles1 let alone ten4 ,yes 4 4 4 and on ,monday a new gang of workmen arrive2 they work1 for they have nowhere to go 4 4 4 4 ,on ,saturday it is the same story over again4 ,the visitor turned over on the other side with his face to the back of the sofa and muttered something4 ,and here's another instance1 ,zhmuhin went on4 ,we had the ,siberian plague here1 you know--the cattle die off like flies1 ,i can tell you--and the veterinary surgeons came here1 and strict orders were given that the dead cattle were to be buried at a distance deep in the earth1 that lime was to be thrown over them1 and so on1 you know1 on scientific principles4 ,my horse died too4 ,i buried it with every precaution1 and threw over three hundredweight of lime over it4 ,and what do you think8 ,my fine fellows--my precious sons1 ,i mean--dug it up1 skinned it1 and sold the hide for three roubles2 there's an instance for you4 ,so people have grown no better1 and however you feed a wolf he will always look towards the forest2 there it is4 ,it gives one something to think about1 eh8 ,how do you look at it8 ,on one side a flash of lightning gleamed through a chink in the window-blinds4 ,there was the stifling feeling of a storm coming1 the gnats were biting1 and ,zhmuhin1 as he lay in his bedroom meditating1 sighed and groaned and said to himself3 ,yes1 to be sure ---- and there was no possibility of getting to sleep4 ,somewhere far1 far away there was a growl of thunder4 ,are you asleep8 ,no1 answered the visitor4 ,zhmuhin got up1 and thudding with his heels walked through the parlour and the entry to the kitchen to get a drink of water4 ,the worst thing in the world1 you know1 is stupidity1 he said a little later1 coming back with a dipper4 ,my ,lyubov ,osipovna is on her knees saying her prayers4 ,she prays every night1 you know1 and bows down to the ground1 first that her children may be sent to school2 she is afraid her boys will go into the army as simple ,cossacks1 and that they will be whacked across their backs with sabres4 ,but for teaching one must have money1 and where is one to get it8 ,you may break the floor beating your head against it1 but if you haven't got it you haven't4 ,and the other reason she prays is because1 you know1 every woman imagines there is no one in the world as unhappy as she is4 ,i am a plain-spoken man1 and ,i don't want to conceal anything from you4 ,she comes of a poor family1 a village priest's daughter4 ,i married her when she was seventeen1 and they accepted my offer chiefly because they hadn't enough to eat2 it was nothing but poverty and misery1 while ,i have anyway land1 you see--a farm--and after all ,i am an officer2 it was a step up for her to marry me1 you know4 ,on the very first day when she was married she cried1 and she has been crying ever since1 all these twenty years2 she has got a watery eye4 ,and she's always sitting and thinking1 and what do you suppose she is thinking about8 ,what can a woman think about8 ,why1 nothing4 ,i must own ,i don't consider a woman a human being4 ,the visitor got up abruptly and sat on the bed4 ,excuse me1 ,i feel stifled1 he said2 ,i will go outside4 ,zhmuhin1 still talking about women1 drew the bolt in the entry and they both went out4 ,a full moon was floating in the sky just over the yard1 and in the moonlight the house and barn looked whiter than by day2 and on the grass brilliant streaks of moonlight1 white too1 stretched between the black shadows4 ,far away on the right could be seen the steppe1 above it the stars were softly glowing--and it was all mysterious1 infinitely far away1 as though one were gazing into a deep abyss2 while on the left heavy storm-clouds1 black as soot1 were piling up one upon another above the steppe2 their edges were lighted up by the moon1 and it looked as though there were mountains there with white snow on their peaks1 dark forests1 the sea4 ,there was a flash of lightning1 a faint rumble of thunder1 and it seemed as though a battle were being fought in the mountains4 ,quite close to the house a little night-owl screeched monotonously3 ,asleep6 asleep6 ,what time is it now8 asked the visitor4 ,just after one4 ,how long it is still to dawn6 ,they went back to the house and lay down again4 ,it was time to sleep1 and one can usually sleep so splendidly before rain2 but the old man had a hankering after serious1 weighty thoughts2 he wanted not simply to think but to meditate1 and he meditated how good it would be1 as death was near at hand1 for the sake of his soul to give up the idleness which so imperceptibly swallowed up day after day1 year after year1 leaving no trace2 to think out for himself some great exploit--for instance1 to walk on foot far1 far away1 or to give up meat like this young man4 ,and again he pictured to himself the time when animals would not be killed1 pictured it clearly and distinctly as though he were living through that time himself2 but suddenly it was all in a tangle again in his head and all was muddled4 ,the thunderstorm had passed over1 but from the edges of the storm-clouds came rain softly pattering on the roof4 ,zhmuhin got up1 stretching and groaning with old age1 and looked into the parlour4 ,noticing that his visitor was not asleep1 he said3 ,when we were in the ,caucasus1 you know1 there was a colonel there who was a vegetarian1 too2 he didn't eat meat1 never went shooting1 and would not let his servants catch fish4 ,of course1 ,i understand that every animal ought to live in freedom and enjoy its life2 only ,i don't understand how a pig can go about where it likes without being looked after4 4 4 4 ,the visitor got up and sat down4 ,his pale1 haggard face expressed weariness and vexation2 it was evident that he was exhausted1 and only his gentleness and the delicacy of his soul prevented him from expressing his vexation in words4 ,it's getting light1 he said mildly4 ,please have the horse brought round for me4 ,why so8 ,wait a little and the rain will be over4 ,no1 ,i entreat you1 said the visitor in horror1 with a supplicating voice2 it is essential for me to go at once4 ,and he began hurriedly dressing4 ,by the time the horse was harnessed the sun was rising4 ,it had just left off raining1 the clouds were racing swiftly by1 and the patches of blue were growing bigger and bigger in the sky4 ,the first rays of the sun were timidly reflected below in the big puddles4 ,the visitor walked through the entry with his portfolio to get into the trap1 and at that moment ,zhmuhin's wife1 pale1 and it seemed paler than the day before1 with tear-stained eyes1 looked at him intently without blinking1 with the nave expression of a little girl1 and it was evident from her dejected face that she was envying him his freedom--oh1 with what joy she would have gone away from there6--and she wanted to say something to him1 most likely to ask advice about her children4 ,and what a pitiable figure she was6 ,this was not a wife1 not the head of a house1 not even a servant1 but more like a dependent1 a poor relation not wanted by anyone1 a nonentity 4 4 4 4 ,her husband1 fussing about1 talking unceasingly1 was seeing his visitor off1 continually running in front of him1 while she huddled up to the wall with a timid1 guilty air1 waiting for a convenient minute to speak4 ,please come again another time1 the old man kept repeating incessantly2 what we have we are glad to offer1 you know4 ,the visitor hurriedly got into the trap1 evidently with relief1 as though he were afraid every minute that they would detain him4 ,the trap lurched about as it had the day before1 squeaked1 and furiously rattled the pail that was tied on at the back4 ,he glanced round at ,zhmuhin with a peculiar expression2 it looked as though he wanted to call him a ,petchenyeg1 as the surveyor had once done1 or some such name1 but his gentleness got the upper hand4 ,he controlled himself and said nothing4 ,but in the gateway he suddenly could not restrain himself2 he got up and shouted loudly and angrily3 ,you have bored me to death4 ,and he disappeared through the gate4 ,near the barn ,zhmuhin's sons were standing2 the elder held a gun1 while the younger had in his hands a grey cockerel with a bright red comb4 ,the younger flung up the cockerel with all his might2 the bird flew upwards higher than the house and turned over in the air like a pigeon4 ,the elder boy fired and the cockerel fell like a stone4 ,the old man1 overcome with confusion1 not knowing how to explain the visitor's strange1 unexpected shout1 went slowly back into the house4 ,and sitting down at the table he spent a long while meditating on the intellectual tendencies of the day1 on the universal immorality1 on the telegraph1 on the telephone1 on velocipedes1 on how unnecessary it all was2 little by little he regained his composure1 then slowly had a meal1 drank five glasses of tea1 and lay down for a nap4 ,a ,,dead ,,body ,a ,,still ,august night4 ,a mist is rising slowly from the fields and casting an opaque veil over everything within eyesight4 ,lighted up by the moon1 the mist gives the impression at one moment of a calm1 boundless sea1 at the next of an immense white wall4 ,the air is damp and chilly4 ,morning is still far off4 ,a step from the bye-road which runs along the edge of the forest a little fire is gleaming4 ,a dead body1 covered from head to foot with new white linen1 is lying under a young oak-tree4 ,a wooden ikon is lying on its breast4 ,beside the corpse almost on the road sits the watch--two peasants performing one of the most disagreeable and uninviting of peasants' duties4 ,one1 a tall young fellow with a scarcely perceptible moustache and thick black eyebrows1 in a tattered sheepskin and bark shoes1 is sitting on the wet grass1 his feet stuck out straight in front of him1 and is trying to while away the time with work4 ,he bends his long neck1 and breathing loudly through his nose1 makes a spoon out of a big crooked bit of wood2 the other--a little scraggy1 pock-marked peasant with an aged face1 a scanty moustache1 and a little goat's beard--sits with his hands dangling loose on his knees1 and without moving gazes listlessly at the light4 ,a small camp-fire is lazily burning down between them1 throwing a red glow on their faces4 ,there is perfect stillness4 ,the only sounds are the scrape of the knife on the wood and the crackling of damp sticks in the fire4 ,don't you go to sleep1 ,syoma 4 4 4 says the young man4 ,i 4 4 4 ,i am not asleep 4 4 4 stammers the goat-beard4 ,that's all right4 4 4 4 ,it would be dreadful to sit here alone1 one would be frightened4 ,you might tell me something1 ,syoma4 ,you are a queer fellow1 ,syomushka6 ,other people will laugh and tell a story and sing a song1 but you--there is no making you out4 ,you sit like a scarecrow in the garden and roll your eyes at the fire4 ,you can't say anything properly 4 4 4 when you speak you seem frightened4 ,i dare say you are fifty1 but you have less sense than a child4 ,aren't you sorry that you are a simpleton8 ,i am sorry1 the goat-beard answers gloomily4 ,and we are sorry to see your foolishness1 you may be sure4 ,you are a good-natured1 sober peasant1 and the only trouble is that you have no sense in your head4 ,you should have picked up some sense for yourself if the ,lord has afflicted you and given you no understanding4 ,you must make an effort1 ,syoma4 4 4 4 ,you should listen hard when anything good's being said1 note it well1 and keep thinking and thinking4 4 4 4 ,if there is any word you don't understand1 you should make an effort and think over in your head in what meaning the word is used4 ,do you see8 ,make an effort6 ,if you don't gain some sense for yourself you'll be a simpleton and of no account at all to your dying day4 ,all at once a long drawn-out1 moaning sound is heard in the forest4 ,something rustles in the leaves as though torn from the very top of the tree and falls to the ground4 ,all this is faintly repeated by the echo4 ,the young man shudders and looks enquiringly at his companion4 ,it's an owl at the little birds1 says ,syoma1 gloomily4 ,why1 ,syoma1 it's time for the birds to fly to the warm countries6 ,to be sure1 it is time4 ,it is chilly at dawn now4 ,it is co-old4 ,the crane is a chilly creature1 it is tender4 ,such cold is death to it4 ,i am not a crane1 but ,i am frozen4 4 4 4 ,put some more wood on6 ,syoma gets up and disappears in the dark undergrowth4 ,while he is busy among the bushes1 breaking dry twigs1 his companion puts his hand over his eyes and starts at every sound4 ,syoma brings an armful of wood and lays it on the fire4 ,the flame irresolutely licks the black twigs with its little tongues1 then suddenly1 as though at the word of command1 catches them and throws a crimson light on the faces1 the road1 the white linen with its prominences where the hands and feet of the corpse raise it1 the ikon4 ,the watch is silent4 ,the young man bends his neck still lower and sets to work with still more nervous haste4 ,the goat-beard sits motionless as before and keeps his eyes fixed on the fire4 4 4 4 ,ye that love not ,zion 4 4 4 shall be put to shame by the ,lord4 ,a falsetto voice is suddenly heard singing in the stillness of the night1 then slow footsteps are audible1 and the dark figure of a man in a short monkish cassock and a broad-brimmed hat1 with a wallet on his shoulders1 comes into sight on the road in the crimson firelight4 ,thy will be done1 ,o ,lord6 ,holy ,mother6 the figure says in a husky falsetto4 ,i saw the fire in the outer darkness and my soul leapt for joy4 4 4 4 ,at first ,i thought it was men grazing a drove of horses1 then ,i thought it can't be that1 since no horses were to be seen4 ',aren't they thieves1' ,i wondered1 'aren't they robbers lying in wait for a rich ,lazarus8 ,aren't they the gypsy people offering sacrifices to idols8 ,and my soul leapt for joy4 ',go1 ,feodosy1 servant of ,god1' ,i said to myself1 'and win a martyr's crown6' ,and ,i flew to the fire like a light-winged moth4 ,now ,i stand before you1 and from your outer aspect ,i judge of your souls3 you are not thieves and you are not heathens4 ,peace be to you6 ,good-evening4 ,good orthodox people1 do you know how to reach the ,makuhinsky ,brickyards from here8 ,it's close here4 ,you go straight along the road2 when you have gone a mile and a half there will be ,ananova1 our village4 ,from the village1 father1 you turn to the right by the river-bank1 and so you will get to the brickyards4 ,it's two miles from ,ananova4 ,god give you health4 ,and why are you sitting here8 ,we are sitting here watching4 ,you see1 there is a dead body4 4 4 4 ,what8 what body8 ,holy ,mother6 ,the pilgrim sees the white linen with the ikon on it1 and starts so violently that his legs give a little skip4 ,this unexpected sight has an overpowering effect upon him4 ,he huddles together and stands as though rooted to the spot1 with wide-open mouth and staring eyes4 ,for three minutes he is silent as though he could not believe his eyes1 then begins muttering3 ,o ,lord6 ,holy ,mother6 ,i was going along not meddling with anyone1 and all at once such an affliction4 ,what may you be8 enquires the young man4 ,of the clergy8 ,no 4 4 4 no4 4 4 4 ,i go from one monastery to another4 4 4 4 ,do you know ,mi 4 4 4 ,mihail ,polikarpitch1 the foreman of the brickyard8 ,well1 ,i am his nephew4 4 4 4 ,thy will be done1 ,o ,lord6 ,why are you here8 ,we are watching 4 4 4 we are told to4 ,yes1 yes 4 4 4 mutters the man in the cassock1 passing his hand over his eyes4 ,and where did the deceased come from8 ,he was a stranger4 ,such is life6 ,but ,i'll 4 4 4 er 4 4 4 be getting on1 brothers4 4 4 4 ,i feel flustered4 ,i am more afraid of the dead than of anything1 my dear souls6 ,and only fancy6 while this man was alive he wasn't noticed1 while now when he is dead and given over to corruption we tremble before him as before some famous general or a bishop4 4 4 4 ,such is life2 was he murdered1 or what8 ,the ,lord knows6 ,maybe he was murdered1 or maybe he died of himself4 ,yes1 yes4 4 4 4 ,who knows1 brothers8 ,maybe his soul is now tasting the joys of ,paradise4 ,his soul is still hovering here1 near his body1 says the young man4 ,it does not depart from the body for three days4 ,h'm1 yes6 4 4 4 ,how chilly the nights are now6 ,it sets one's teeth chattering4 4 4 4 ,so then ,i am to go straight on and on8 4 4 4 ,till you get to the village1 and then you turn to the right by the river-bank4 ,by the river-bank4 4 4 4 ,to be sure4 4 4 4 ,why am ,i standing still8 ,i must go on4 ,farewell1 brothers4 ,the man in the cassock takes five steps along the road and stops4 ,i've forgotten to put a kopeck for the burying1 he says4 ,good orthodox friends1 can ,i give the money8 ,you ought to know best1 you go the round of the monasteries4 ,if he died a natural death it would go for the good of his soul2 if it's a suicide it's a sin4 ,that's true4 4 4 4 ,and maybe it really was a suicide6 ,so ,i had better keep my money4 ,oh1 sins1 sins6 ,give me a thousand roubles and ,i would not consent to sit here4 4 4 4 ,farewell1 brothers4 ,the cassock slowly moves away and stops again4 ,i can't make up my mind what ,i am to do1 he mutters4 ,to stay here by the fire and wait till daybreak4 4 4 4 ,i am frightened2 to go on is dreadful1 too4 ,the dead man will haunt me all the way in the darkness4 4 4 4 ,the ,lord has chastised me indeed6 ,over three hundred miles ,i have come on foot and nothing happened1 and now ,i am near home and there's trouble4 ,i can't go on4 4 4 4 ,it is dreadful1 that is true4 ,i am not afraid of wolves1 of thieves1 or of darkness1 but ,i am afraid of the dead4 ,i am afraid of them1 and that is all about it4 ,good orthodox brothers1 ,i entreat you on my knees1 see me to the village4 ,we've been told not to go away from the body4 ,no one will see1 brothers4 ,upon my soul1 no one will see6 ,the ,lord will reward you a hundredfold6 ,old man1 come with me1 ,i beg6 ,old man6 ,why are you silent8 ,he is a bit simple1 says the young man4 ,you come with me1 friend2 ,i will give you five kopecks4 ,for five kopecks ,i might1 says the young man1 scratching his head1 but ,i was told not to4 ,if ,syoma here1 our simpleton1 will stay alone1 ,i will take you4 ,syoma1 will you stay here alone8 ,i'll stay1 the simpleton consents4 ,well1 that's all right1 then4 ,come along6 ,the young man gets up1 and goes with the cassock4 ,a minute later the sound of their steps and their talk dies away4 ,syoma shuts his eyes and gently dozes4 ,the fire begins to grow dim1 and a big black shadow falls on the dead body4 ,a ,,happy ,,ending ,,lyubov ,,grigoryevna1 a substantial1 buxom lady of forty who undertook matchmaking and many other matters of which it is usual to speak only in whispers1 had come to see ,stytchkin1 the head guard1 on a day when he was off duty4 ,stytchkin1 somewhat embarrassed1 but1 as always1 grave1 practical1 and severe1 was walking up and down the room1 smoking a cigar and saying3 ,very pleased to make your acquaintance4 ,semyon ,ivanovitch recommended you on the ground that you may be able to assist me in a delicate and very important matter affecting the happiness of my life4 ,i have1 ,lyubov ,grigoryevna1 reached the age of fifty-two2 that is a period of life at which very many have already grown-up children4 ,my position is a secure one4 ,though my fortune is not large1 yet ,i am in a position to support a beloved being and children at my side4 ,i may tell you between ourselves that apart from my salary ,i have also money in the bank which my manner of living has enabled me to save4 ,i am a practical and sober man1 ,i lead a sensible and consistent life1 so that ,i may hold myself up as an example to many4 ,but one thing ,i lack--a domestic hearth of my own and a partner in life1 and ,i live like a wandering ,magyar1 moving from place to place without any satisfaction4 ,i have no one with whom to take counsel1 and when ,i am ill no one to give me water1 and so on4 ,apart from that1 ,lyubov ,grigoryevna1 a married man has always more weight in society than a bachelor4 4 4 4 ,i am a man of the educated class1 with money1 but if you look at me from a point of view1 what am ,i8 ,a man with no kith and kin1 no better than some ,polish priest4 ,and therefore ,i should be very desirous to be united in the bonds of ,hymen--that is1 to enter into matrimony with some worthy person4 ,an excellent thing1 said the matchmaker1 with a sigh4 ,i am a solitary man and in this town ,i know no one4 ,where can ,i go1 and to whom can ,i apply1 since all the people here are strangers to me8 ,that is why ,semyon ,ivanovitch advised me to address myself to a person who is a specialist in this line1 and makes the arrangement of the happiness of others her profession4 ,and therefore ,i most earnestly beg you1 ,lyubov ,grigoryevna1 to assist me in ordering my future4 ,you know all the marriageable young ladies in the town1 and it is easy for you to accommodate me4 ,i can4 4 4 4 ,a glass of wine1 ,i beg you4 4 4 4 ,with an habitual gesture the matchmaker raised her glass to her mouth and tossed it off without winking4 ,i can1 she repeated4 ,and what sort of bride would you like1 ,nikolay ,nikolayitch8 ,should ,i like8 ,the bride fate sends me4 ,well1 of course it depends on your fate1 but everyone has his own taste1 you know4 ,one likes dark ladies1 the other prefers fair ones4 ,you see1 ,lyubov ,grigoryevna1 said ,stytchkin1 sighing sedately1 ,i am a practical man and a man of character2 for me beauty and external appearance generally take a secondary place1 for1 as you know yourself1 beauty is neither bowl nor platter1 and a pretty wife involves a great deal of anxiety4 ,the way ,i look at it is1 what matters most in a woman is not what is external1 but what lies within--that is1 that she should have soul and all the qualities4 ,a glass of wine1 ,i beg4 4 4 4 ,of course1 it would be very agreeable that one's wife should be rather plump1 but for mutual happiness it is not of great consequence2 what matters is the mind4 ,properly speaking1 a woman does not need mind either1 for if she has brains she will have too high an opinion of herself1 and take all sorts of ideas into her head4 ,one cannot do without education nowadays1 of course1 but education is of different kinds4 ,it would be pleasing for one's wife to know ,french and ,german1 to speak various languages1 very pleasing2 but what's the use of that if she can't sew on one's buttons1 perhaps8 ,i am a man of the educated class3 ,i am just as much at home1 ,i may say1 with ,prince ,kanitelin as ,i am with you here now4 ,but my habits are simple1 and ,i want a girl who is not too much a fine lady4 ,above all1 she must have respect for me and feel that ,i have made her happiness4 ,to be sure4 ,well1 now as regards the essential4 4 4 4 ,i do not want a wealthy bride2 ,i would never condescend to anything so low as to marry for money4 ,i desire not to be kept by my wife1 but to keep her1 and that she may be sensible of it4 ,but ,i do not want a poor girl either4 ,though ,i am a man of means1 and am marrying not from mercenary motives1 but from love1 yet ,i cannot take a poor girl1 for1 as you know yourself1 prices have gone up so1 and there will be children4 ,one might find one with a dowry1 said the matchmaker4 ,a glass of wine1 ,i beg4 4 4 4 ,there was a pause of five minutes4 ,the matchmaker heaved a sigh1 took a sidelong glance at the guard1 and asked3 ,well1 now1 my good sir 4 4 4 do you want anything in the bachelor line8 ,i have some fine bargains4 ,one is a ,french girl and one is a ,greek4 ,well worth the money4 ,the guard thought a moment and said3 ,no1 ,i thank you4 ,in view of your favourable disposition1 allow me to enquire now how much you ask for your exertions in regard to a bride8 ,i don't ask much4 ,give me twenty-five roubles and the stuff for a dress1 as is usual1 and ,i will say thank you 4 4 4 but for the dowry1 that's a different account4 ,stytchkin folded his arms over his chest and fell to pondering in silence4 ,after some thought he heaved a sigh and said3 ,that's dear4 4 4 4 ,it's not at all dear1 ,nikolay ,nikolayitch6 ,in old days when there were lots of weddings one did do it cheaper1 but nowadays what are our earnings8 ,if you make fifty roubles in a month that is not a fast1 you may be thankful4 ,it's not on weddings we make our money1 my good sir4 ,stytchkin looked at the matchmaker in amazement and shrugged his shoulders4 ,h'm6 4 4 4 ,do you call fifty roubles little8 he asked4 ,of course it is little6 ,in old days we sometimes made more than a hundred4 ,h'm6 ,i should never have thought it was possible to earn such a sum by these jobs4 ,fifty roubles6 ,it is not every man that earns as much6 ,pray drink your wine4 4 4 4 ,the matchmaker drained her glass without winking4 ,stytchkin looked her over from head to foot in silence1 then said3 ,fifty roubles4 4 4 4 ,why1 that is six hundred roubles a year4 4 4 4 ,please take some more4 4 4 ,with such dividends1 you know1 ,lyubov ,grigoryevna1 you would have no difficulty in making a match for yourself4 4 4 4 ,for myself1 laughed the matchmaker1 ,i am an old woman4 ,not at all4 4 4 4 ,you have such a figure1 and your face is plump and fair1 and all the rest of it4 ,the matchmaker was embarrassed4 ,stytchkin was also embarrassed and sat down beside her4 ,you are still very attractive1 said he2 if you met with a practical1 steady1 careful husband1 with his salary and your earnings you might even attract him very much1 and you'd get on very well together4 4 4 4 ,goodness knows what you are saying1 ,nikolay ,nikolayitch4 ,well1 ,i meant no harm4 4 4 4 ,a silence followed4 ,stytchkin began loudly blowing his nose1 while the matchmaker turned crimson1 and looking bashfully at him1 asked3 ,and how much do you get1 ,nikolay ,nikolayitch8 ,i8 ,seventy-five roubles1 besides tips4 4 4 4 ,apart from that we make something out of candles and hares4 ,you go hunting1 then8 ,no4 ,passengers who travel without tickets are called hares with us4 ,another minute passed in silence4 ,stytchkin got up and walked about the room in excitement4 ,i don't want a young wife1 said he4 ,i am a middle-aged man1 and ,i want someone who 4 4 4 as it might be like you 4 4 4 staid and settled and a figure something like yours4 4 4 4 ,goodness knows what you are saying 4 4 4 giggled the matchmaker1 hiding her crimson face in her kerchief4 ,there is no need to be long thinking about it4 ,you are after my own heart1 and you suit me in your qualities4 ,i am a practical1 sober man1 and if you like me 4 4 4 what could be better8 ,allow me to make you a proposal6 ,the matchmaker dropped a tear1 laughed1 and1 in token of her consent1 clinked glasses with ,stytchkin4 ,well1 said the happy railway guard1 now allow me to explain to you the behaviour and manner of life ,i desire from you4 4 4 4 ,i am a strict1 respectable1 practical man4 ,i take a gentlemanly view of everything4 ,and ,i desire that my wife should be strict also1 and should understand that to her ,i am a benefactor and the foremost person in the world4 ,he sat down1 and1 heaving a deep sigh1 began expounding to his bride-elect his views on domestic life and a wife's duties4 ,,the ,,looking-,,glass ,,new ,,year',s ,,eve4 ,nellie1 the daughter of a landowner and general1 a young and pretty girl1 dreaming day and night of being married1 was sitting in her room1 gazing with exhausted1 half-closed eyes into the looking-glass4 ,she was pale1 tense1 and as motionless as the looking-glass4 ,the non-existent but apparent vista of a long1 narrow corridor with endless rows of candles1 the reflection of her face1 her hands1 of the frame--all this was already clouded in mist and merged into a boundless grey sea4 ,the sea was undulating1 gleaming and now and then flaring crimson4 4 4 4 ,looking at ,nellie's motionless eyes and parted lips1 one could hardly say whether she was asleep or awake1 but nevertheless she was seeing4 ,at first she saw only the smile and soft1 charming expression of someone's eyes1 then against the shifting grey background there gradually appeared the outlines of a head1 a face1 eyebrows1 beard4 ,it was he1 the destined one1 the object of long dreams and hopes4 ,the destined one was for ,nellie everything1 the significance of life1 personal happiness1 career1 fate4 ,outside him1 as on the grey background of the looking-glass1 all was dark1 empty1 meaningless4 ,and so it was not strange that1 seeing before her a handsome1 gently smiling face1 she was conscious of bliss1 of an unutterably sweet dream that could not be expressed in speech or on paper4 ,then she heard his voice1 saw herself living under the same roof with him1 her life merged into his4 ,months and years flew by against the grey background4 ,and ,nellie saw her future distinctly in all its details4 ,picture followed picture against the grey background4 ,now ,nellie saw herself one winter night knocking at the door of ,stepan ,lukitch1 the district doctor4 ,the old dog hoarsely and lazily barked behind the gate4 ,the doctor's windows were in darkness4 ,all was silence4 ,for ,god's sake1 for ,god's sake6 whispered ,nellie4 ,but at last the garden gate creaked and ,nellie saw the doctor's cook4 ,is the doctor at home8 ,his honour's asleep1 whispered the cook into her sleeve1 as though afraid of waking her master4 ,he's only just got home from his fever patients1 and gave orders he was not to be waked4 ,but ,nellie scarcely heard the cook4 ,thrusting her aside1 she rushed headlong into the doctor's house4 ,running through some dark and stuffy rooms1 upsetting two or three chairs1 she at last reached the doctor's bedroom4 ,stepan ,lukitch was lying on his bed1 dressed1 but without his coat1 and with pouting lips was breathing into his open hand4 ,a little night-light glimmered faintly beside him4 ,without uttering a word ,nellie sat down and began to cry4 ,she wept bitterly1 shaking all over4 ,my husband is ill6 she sobbed out4 ,stepan ,lukitch was silent4 ,he slowly sat up1 propped his head on his hand1 and looked at his visitor with fixed1 sleepy eyes4 ,my husband is ill6 ,nellie continued1 restraining her sobs4 ,for mercy's sake come quickly4 ,make haste4 4 4 4 ,make haste6 ,eh8 growled the doctor1 blowing into his hand4 ,come6 ,come this very minute6 ,or 4 4 4 it's terrible to think6 ,for mercy's sake6 ,and pale1 exhausted ,nellie1 gasping and swallowing her tears1 began describing to the doctor her husband's illness1 her unutterable terror4 ,her sufferings would have touched the heart of a stone1 but the doctor looked at her1 blew into his open hand1 and--not a movement4 ,i'll come to-morrow6 he muttered4 ,that's impossible6 cried ,nellie4 ,i know my husband has typhus6 ,at once 4 4 4 this very minute you are needed6 ,i 4 4 4 er 4 4 4 have only just come in1 muttered the doctor4 ,for the last three days ,i've been away1 seeing typhus patients1 and ,i'm exhausted and ill myself4 4 4 4 ,i simply can't6 ,absolutely6 ,i've caught it myself6 ,there6 ,and the doctor thrust before her eyes a clinical thermometer4 ,my temperature is nearly forty4 4 4 4 ,i absolutely can't4 ,i can scarcely sit up4 ,excuse me4 ,i'll lie down4 4 4 4 ,the doctor lay down4 ,but ,i implore you1 doctor1 ,nellie moaned in despair4 ,i beseech you6 ,help me1 for mercy's sake6 ,make a great effort and come6 ,i will repay you1 doctor6 ,oh1 dear6 4 4 4 ,why1 ,i have told you already4 ,ah6 ,nellie leapt up and walked nervously up and down the bedroom4 ,she longed to explain to the doctor1 to bring him to reason4 4 4 4 ,she thought if only he knew how dear her husband was to her and how unhappy she was1 he would forget his exhaustion and his illness4 ,but how could she be eloquent enough8 ,go to the ,zemstvo doctor1 she heard ,stepan ,lukitch's voice4 ,that's impossible6 ,he lives more than twenty miles from here1 and time is precious4 ,and the horses can't stand it4 ,it is thirty miles from us to you1 and as much from here to the ,zemstvo doctor4 ,no1 it's impossible6 ,come along1 ,stepan ,lukitch4 ,i ask of you an heroic deed4 ,come1 perform that heroic deed6 ,have pity on us6 ,it's beyond everything4 4 4 4 ,i'm in a fever 4 4 4 my head's in a whirl 4 4 4 and she won't understand6 ,leave me alone6 ,but you are in duty bound to come6 ,you cannot refuse to come6 ,it's egoism6 ,a man is bound to sacrifice his life for his neighbour1 and you 4 4 4 you refuse to come6 ,i will summon you before the ,court4 ,nellie felt that she was uttering a false and undeserved insult1 but for her husband's sake she was capable of forgetting logic1 tact1 sympathy for others4 4 4 4 ,in reply to her threats1 the doctor greedily gulped a glass of cold water4 ,nellie fell to entreating and imploring like the very lowest beggar4 4 4 4 ,at last the doctor gave way4 ,he slowly got up1 puffing and panting1 looking for his coat4 ,here it is6 cried ,nellie1 helping him4 ,let me put it on to you4 ,come along6 ,i will repay you4 4 4 4 ,all my life ,i shall be grateful to you4 4 4 4 ,but what agony6 ,after putting on his coat the doctor lay down again4 ,nellie got him up and dragged him to the hall4 ,then there was an agonizing to-do over his goloshes1 his overcoat4 4 4 4 ,his cap was lost4 4 4 4 ,but at last ,nellie was in the carriage with the doctor4 ,now they had only to drive thirty miles and her husband would have a doctor's help4 ,the earth was wrapped in darkness4 ,one could not see one's hand before one's face4 4 4 4 ,a cold winter wind was blowing4 ,there were frozen lumps under their wheels4 ,the coachman was continually stopping and wondering which road to take4 ,nellie and the doctor sat silent all the way4 ,it was fearfully jolting1 but they felt neither the cold nor the jolts4 ,get on1 get on6 ,nellie implored the driver4 ,at five in the morning the exhausted horses drove into the yard4 ,nellie saw the familiar gates1 the well with the crane1 the long row of stables and barns4 ,at last she was at home4 ,wait a moment1 ,i will be back directly1 she said to ,stepan ,lukitch1 making him sit down on the sofa in the dining-room4 ,sit still and wait a little1 and ,i'll see how he is going on4 ,on her return from her husband1 ,nellie found the doctor lying down4 ,he was lying on the sofa and muttering4 ,doctor1 please6 4 4 4 doctor6 ,eh8 ,ask ,domna6 muttered ,stepan ,lukitch4 ,what8 ,they said at the meeting 4 4 4 ,vlassov said 4 4 4 ,who8 4 4 4 what8 ,and to her horror ,nellie saw that the doctor was as delirious as her husband4 ,what was to be done8 ,i must go for the ,zemstvo doctor1 she decided4 ,then again there followed darkness1 a cutting cold wind1 lumps of frozen earth4 ,she was suffering in body and in soul1 and delusive nature has no arts1 no deceptions to compensate these sufferings4 4 4 4 ,then she saw against the grey background how her husband every spring was in straits for money to pay the interest for the mortgage to the bank4 ,he could not sleep1 she could not sleep1 and both racked their brains till their heads ached1 thinking how to avoid being visited by the clerk of the ,court4 ,she saw her children3 the everlasting apprehension of colds1 scarlet fever1 diphtheria1 bad marks at school1 separation4 ,out of a brood of five or six one was sure to die4 ,the grey background was not untouched by death4 ,that might well be4 ,a husband and wife cannot die simultaneously4 ,whatever happened one must bury the other4 ,and ,nellie saw her husband dying4 ,this terrible event presented itself to her in every detail4 ,she saw the coffin1 the candles1 the deacon1 and even the footmarks in the hall made by the undertaker4 ,why is it1 what is it for8 she asked1 looking blankly at her husband's face4 ,and all the previous life with her husband seemed to her a stupid prelude to this4 ,something fell from ,nellie's hand and knocked on the floor4 ,she started1 jumped up1 and opened her eyes wide4 ,one looking-glass she saw lying at her feet4 ,the other was standing as before on the table4 ,she looked into the looking-glass and saw a pale1 tear-stained face4 ,there was no grey background now4 ,i must have fallen asleep1 she thought with a sigh of relief4 ,,old ,,age ,,uzelkov1 an architect with the rank of civil councillor1 arrived in his native town1 to which he had been invited to restore the church in the cemetery4 ,he had been born in the town1 had been at school1 had grown up and married in it4 ,but when he got out of the train he scarcely recognized it4 ,everything was changed4 4 4 4 ,eighteen years ago when he had moved to ,petersburg the street-boys used to catch marmots1 for instance1 on the spot where now the station was standing2 now when one drove into the chief street1 a hotel of four storeys stood facing one2 in old days there was an ugly grey fence just there2 but nothing--neither fences nor houses--had changed as much as the people4 ,from his enquiries of the hotel waiter ,uzelkov learned that more than half of the people he remembered were dead1 reduced to poverty1 forgotten4 ,and do you remember ,uzelkov8 he asked the old waiter about himself4 ,uzelkov the architect who divorced his wife8 ,he used to have a house in ,svirebeyevsky ,street 4 4 4 you must remember4 ,i don't remember1 sir4 ,how is it you don't remember8 ,the case made a lot of noise1 even the cabmen all knew about it4 ,think1 now6 ,shapkin the attorney managed my divorce for me1 the rascal 4 4 4 the notorious cardsharper1 the fellow who got a thrashing at the club4 4 4 4 ,ivan ,nikolaitch8 ,yes1 yes4 4 4 4 ,well1 is he alive8 ,is he dead8 ,alive1 sir1 thank ,god4 ,he is a notary now and has an office4 ,he is very well off4 ,he has two houses in ,kirpitchny ,street4 4 4 4 ,his daughter was married the other day4 ,uzelkov paced up and down the room1 thought a bit1 and in his boredom made up his mind to go and see ,shapkin at his office4 ,when he walked out of the hotel and sauntered slowly towards ,kirpitchny ,street it was midday4 ,he found ,shapkin at his office and scarcely recognized him4 ,from the once well-made1 adroit attorney with a mobile1 insolent1 and always drunken face ,shapkin had changed into a modest1 grey-headed1 decrepit old man4 ,you don't recognize me1 you have forgotten me1 began ,uzelkov4 ,i am your old client1 ,uzelkov4 ,uzelkov1 what ,uzelkov8 ,ah6 ,shapkin remembered1 recognized1 and was struck all of a heap4 ,there followed a shower of exclamations1 questions1 recollections4 ,this is a surprise6 ,this is unexpected6 cackled ,shapkin4 ,what can ,i offer you8 ,do you care for champagne8 ,perhaps you would like oysters8 ,my dear fellow1 ,i have had so much from you in my time that ,i can't offer you anything equal to the occasion4 4 4 4 ,please don't put yourself out 4 4 4 said ,uzelkov4 ,i have no time to spare4 ,i must go at once to the cemetery and examine the church2 ,i have undertaken the restoration of it4 ,that's capital6 ,we'll have a snack and a drink and drive together4 ,i have capital horses4 ,i'll take you there and introduce you to the church-warden2 ,i will arrange it all4 4 4 4 ,but why is it1 my angel1 you seem to be afraid of me and hold me at arm's length8 ,sit a little nearer6 ,there is no need for you to be afraid of me nowadays4 ,he-he6 4 4 4 ,at one time1 it is true1 ,i was a cunning blade1 a dog of a fellow 4 4 4 no one dared approach me2 but now ,i am stiller than water and humbler than the grass4 ,i have grown old1 ,i am a family man1 ,i have children4 ,it's time ,i was dead4 ,the friends had lunch1 had a drink1 and with a pair of horses drove out of the town to the cemetery4 ,yes1 those were times6 ,shapkin recalled as he sat in the sledge4 ,when you remember them you simply can't believe in them4 ,do you remember how you divorced your wife8 ,it's nearly twenty years ago1 and ,i dare say you have forgotten it all2 but ,i remember it as though ,i'd divorced you yesterday4 ,good ,lord1 what a lot of worry ,i had over it6 ,i was a sharp fellow1 tricky and cunning1 a desperate character4 4 4 4 ,sometimes ,i was burning to tackle some ticklish business1 especially if the fee were a good one1 as1 for instance1 in your case4 ,what did you pay me then8 ,five or six thousand6 ,that was worth taking trouble for1 wasn't it8 ,you went off to ,petersburg and left the whole thing in my hands to do the best ,i could1 and1 though ,sofya ,mihailovna1 your wife1 came only of a merchant family1 she was proud and dignified4 ,to bribe her to take the guilt on herself was difficult1 awfully difficult6 ,i would go to negotiate with her1 and as soon as she saw me she called to her maid3 ',masha1 didn't ,i tell you not to admit that scoundrel8' ,well1 ,i tried one thing and another4 4 4 4 ,i wrote her letters and contrived to meet her accidentally--it was no use6 ,i had to act through a third person4 ,i had a lot of trouble with her for a long time1 and she only gave in when you agreed to give her ten thousand4 4 4 4 ,she couldn't resist ten thousand1 she couldn't hold out4 4 4 4 ,she cried1 she spat in my face1 but she consented1 she took the guilt on herself6 ,i thought it was fifteen thousand she had from me1 not ten1 said ,uzelkov4 ,yes1 yes 4 4 4 fifteen--,i made a mistake1 said ,shapkin in confusion4 ,it's all over and done with1 though1 it's no use concealing it4 ,i gave her ten and the other five ,i collared for myself4 ,i deceived you both4 4 4 4 ,it's all over and done with1 it's no use to be ashamed4 ,and indeed1 judge for yourself1 ,boris ,petrovitch1 weren't you the very person for me to get money out of8 4 4 4 ,you were a wealthy man and had everything you wanted4 4 4 4 ,your marriage was an idle whim1 and so was your divorce4 ,you were making a lot of money4 4 4 4 ,i remember you made a scoop of twenty thousand over one contract4 ,whom should ,i have fleeced if not you8 ,and ,i must own ,i envied you4 ,if you grabbed anything they took off their caps to you1 while they would thrash me for a rouble and slap me in the face at the club4 4 4 4 ,but there1 why recall it8 ,it is high time to forget it4 ,tell me1 please1 how did ,sofya ,mihailovna get on afterwards8 ,with her ten thousand8 ,very badly4 ,god knows what it was--she lost her head1 perhaps1 or maybe her pride and her conscience tormented her at having sold her honour1 or perhaps she loved you2 but1 do you know1 she took to drink4 4 4 4 ,as soon as she got her money she was off driving about with officers4 ,it was drunkenness1 dissipation1 debauchery4 4 4 4 ,when she went to a restaurant with officers she was not content with port or anything light1 she must have strong brandy1 fiery stuff to stupefy her4 ,yes1 she was eccentric4 4 4 4 ,i had a lot to put up with from her 4 4 4 sometimes she would take offence at something and begin being hysterical4 4 4 4 ,and what happened afterwards8 ,one week passed and then another4 4 4 4 ,i was sitting at home1 writing something4 ,all at once the door opened and she walked in 4 4 4 drunk4 ',take back your cursed money1' she said1 and flung a roll of notes in my face4 4 4 4 ,so she could not keep it up4 ,i picked up the notes and counted them4 ,it was five hundred short of the ten thousand1 so she had only managed to get through five hundred4 ,where did you put the money8 ,it's all ancient history 4 4 4 there's no reason to conceal it now4 4 4 4 ,in my pocket1 of course4 ,why do you look at me like that8 ,wait a bit for what will come later4 4 4 4 ,it's a regular novel1 a pathological study4 ,a couple of months later ,i was going home one night in a nasty drunken condition4 4 4 4 ,i lighted a candle1 and lo and behold6 ,sofya ,mihailovna was sitting on my sofa1 and she was drunk1 too1 and in a frantic state--as wild as though she had run out of ,bedlam4 ',give me back my money1' she said1 ',i have changed my mind2 if ,i must go to ruin ,i won't do it by halves1 ,i'll have my fling6 ,be quick1 you scoundrel1 give me my money6' ,a disgraceful scene6 ,and you 4 4 4 gave it her8 ,i gave her1 ,i remember1 ten roubles4 ,oh6 ,how could you8 cried ,uzelkov1 frowning4 ,if you couldn't or wouldn't have given it her1 you might have written to me4 4 4 4 ,and ,i didn't know6 ,i didn't know6 ,my dear fellow1 what use would it have been for me to write1 considering that she wrote to you herself when she was lying in the hospital afterwards8 ,yes1 but ,i was so taken up then with my second marriage4 ,i was in such a whirl that ,i had no thoughts to spare for letters4 4 4 4 ,but you were an outsider1 you had no antipathy for ,sofya4 4 4 why didn't you give her a helping hand8 4 4 4 ,you can't judge by the standards of to-day1 ,boris ,petrovitch2 that's how we look at it now1 but at the time we thought very differently4 4 4 4 ,now maybe ,i'd give her a thousand roubles1 but then even that ten-rouble note ,i did not give her for nothing4 ,it was a bad business6 4 4 4 ,we must forget it4 4 4 4 ,but here we are4 4 4 4 ,the sledge stopped at the cemetery gates4 ,uzelkov and ,shapkin got out of the sledge1 went in at the gate1 and walked up a long1 broad avenue4 ,the bare cherry-trees and acacias1 the grey crosses and tombstones1 were silvered with hoar-frost1 every little grain of snow reflected the bright1 sunny day4 ,there was the smell there always is in cemeteries1 the smell of incense and freshly dug earth4 4 4 4 ,our cemetery is a pretty one1 said ,uzelkov1 quite a garden6 ,yes1 but it is a pity thieves steal the tombstones4 4 4 4 ,and over there1 beyond that iron monument on the right1 ,sofya ,mihailovna is buried4 ,would you like to see8 ,the friends turned to the right and walked through the deep snow to the iron monument4 ,here it is1 said ,shapkin1 pointing to a little slab of white marble4 ,a lieutenant put the stone on her grave4 ,uzelkov slowly took off his cap and exposed his bald head to the sun4 ,shapkin1 looking at him1 took off his cap too1 and another bald patch gleamed in the sunlight4 ,there was the stillness of the tomb all around as though the air1 too1 were dead4 ,the friends looked at the grave1 pondered1 and said nothing4 ,she sleeps in peace1 said ,shapkin1 breaking the silence4 ,it's nothing to her now that she took the blame on herself and drank brandy4 ,you must own1 ,boris ,petrovitch 4 4 4 4 ,own what8 ,uzelkov asked gloomily4 ,why4 4 4 4 ,however hateful the past1 it was better than this4 ,and ,shapkin pointed to his grey head4 ,i used not to think of the hour of death4 4 4 4 ,i fancied ,i could have given death points and won the game if we had had an encounter2 but now4 4 4 4 ,but what's the good of talking6 ,uzelkov was overcome with melancholy4 ,he suddenly had a passionate longing to weep1 as once he had longed for love1 and he felt those tears would have tasted sweet and refreshing4 ,a moisture came into his eyes and there was a lump in his throat1 but 4 4 4 ,shapkin was standing beside him and ,uzelkov was ashamed to show weakness before a witness4 ,he turned back abruptly and went into the church4 ,only two hours later1 after talking to the churchwarden and looking over the church1 he seized a moment when ,shapkin was in conversation with the priest and hastened away to weep4 4 4 4 ,he stole up to the grave secretly1 furtively1 looking round him every minute4 ,the little white slab looked at him pensively1 mournfully1 and innocently as though a little girl lay under it instead of a dissolute1 divorced wife4 ,to weep1 to weep6 thought ,uzelkov4 ,but the moment for tears had been missed2 though the old man blinked his eyes1 though he worked up his feelings1 the tears did not flow nor the lump come in his throat4 ,after standing for ten minutes1 with a gesture of despair1 ,uzelkov went to look for ,shapkin4 ,,darkness ,a ,,young peasant1 with white eyebrows and eyelashes and broad cheekbones1 in a torn sheepskin and big black felt overboots1 waited till the ,zemstvo doctor had finished seeing his patients and came out to go home from the hospital2 then he went up to him1 diffidently4 ,please1 your honour1 he said4 ,what do you want8 ,the young man passed the palm of his hand up and over his nose1 looked at the sky1 and then answered3 ,please1 your honour4 4 4 4 ,you've got my brother ,vaska the blacksmith from ,varvarino in the convict ward here1 your honour4 4 4 4 ,yes1 what then8 ,i am ,vaska's brother1 you see4 4 4 4 ,father has the two of us3 him1 ,vaska1 and me1 ,kirila2 besides us there are three sisters1 and ,vaska's a married man with a little one4 4 4 4 ,there are a lot of us and no one to work4 4 4 4 ,in the smithy it's nearly two years now since the forge has been heated4 ,i am at the cotton factory1 ,i can't do smith's work1 and how can father work8 ,let alone work1 he can't eat properly1 he can't lift the spoon to his mouth4 ,what do you want from me8 ,be merciful6 ,let ,vaska go6 ,the doctor looked wonderingly at ,kirila1 and without saying a word walked on4 ,the young peasant ran on in front and flung himself in a heap at his feet4 ,doctor1 kind gentleman6 he besought him1 blinking and again passing his open hand over his nose4 ,show heavenly mercy2 let ,vaska go home6 ,we shall remember you in our prayers for ever6 ,your honour1 let him go6 ,they are all starving6 ,mother's wailing day in1 day out1 ,vaska's wife's wailing 4 4 4 it's worse than death6 ,i don't care to look upon the light of day4 ,be merciful2 let him go1 kind gentleman6 ,are you stupid or out of your senses8 asked the doctor angrily4 ,how can ,i let him go8 ,why1 he is a convict4 ,kirila began crying4 ,let him go6 ,tfoo1 queer fellow6 ,what right have ,i8 ,am ,i a gaoler or what8 ,they brought him to the hospital for me to treat him1 but ,i have as much right to let him out as ,i have to put you in prison1 silly fellow6 ,but they have shut him up for nothing6 ,he was in prison a year before the trial1 and now there is no saying what he is there for4 ,it would have been a different thing if he had murdered someone1 let us say1 or stolen horses2 but as it is1 what is it all about8 ,very likely1 but how do ,i come in8 ,they shut a man up and they don't know themselves what for4 ,he was drunk1 your honour1 did not know what he was doing1 and even hit father on the ear and scratched his own cheek on a branch1 and two of our fellows--they wanted some ,turkish tobacco1 you see-began telling him to go with them and break into the ,armenian's shop at night for tobacco4 ,being drunk1 he obeyed them1 the fool4 ,they broke the lock1 you know1 got in1 and did no end of mischief2 they turned everything upside down1 broke the windows1 and scattered the flour about4 ,they were drunk1 that is all one can say6 ,well1 the constable turned up 4 4 4 and with one thing and another they took them off to the magistrate4 ,they have been a whole year in prison1 and a week ago1 on the ,wednesday1 they were all three tried in the town4 ,a soldier stood behind them with a gun 4 4 4 people were sworn in4 ,vaska was less to blame than any1 but the gentry decided that he was the ringleader4 ,the other two lads were sent to prison1 but ,vaska to a convict battalion for three years4 ,and what for8 ,one should judge like a ,christian6 ,i have nothing to do with it1 ,i tell you again4 ,go to the authorities4 ,i have been already6 ,i've been to the court2 ,i have tried to send in a petition--they wouldn't take a petition2 ,i have been to the police captain1 and ,i have been to the examining magistrate1 and everyone says1 ',it is not my business6' ,whose business is it1 then8 ,but there is no one above you here in the hospital2 you do what you like1 your honour4 ,you simpleton1 sighed the doctor1 once the jury have found him guilty1 not the governor1 not even the minister1 could do anything1 let alone the police captain4 ,it's no good your trying to do anything6 ,and who judged him1 then8 ,the gentlemen of the jury4 4 4 4 ,they weren't gentlemen1 they were our peasants6 ,andrey ,guryev was one2 ,aloshka ,huk was one4 ,well1 ,i am cold talking to you4 4 4 4 ,the doctor waved his hand and walked quickly to his own door4 ,kirila was on the point of following him1 but1 seeing the door slam1 he stopped4 ,for ten minutes he stood motionless in the middle of the hospital yard1 and without putting on his cap stared at the doctor's house1 then he heaved a deep sigh1 slowly scratched himself1 and walked towards the gate4 ,to whom am ,i to go8 he muttered as he came out on to the road4 ,one says it is not his business1 another says it is not his business4 ,whose business is it1 then8 ,no1 till you grease their hands you will get nothing out of them4 ,the doctor says that1 but he keeps looking all the while at my fist to see whether ,i am going to give him a blue note4 ,well1 brother1 ,i'll go1 if it has to be to the governor4 ,shifting from one foot to the other and continually looking round him in an objectless way1 he trudged lazily along the road and was apparently wondering where to go4 4 4 4 ,it was not cold and the snow faintly crunched under his feet4 ,not more than half a mile in front of him the wretched little district town in which his brother had just been tried lay outstretched on the hill4 ,on the right was the dark prison with its red roof and sentry-boxes at the corners2 on the left was the big town copse1 now covered with hoar-frost4 ,it was still2 only an old man1 wearing a woman's short jacket and a huge cap1 was walking ahead1 coughing and shouting to a cow which he was driving to the town4 ,good-day1 grandfather1 said ,kirila1 overtaking him4 ,good-day4 4 4 4 ,are you driving it to the market8 ,no1 the old man answered lazily4 ,are you a townsman8 ,they got into conversation2 ,kirila told him what he had come to the hospital for1 and what he had been talking about to the doctor4 ,the doctor does not know anything about such matters1 that is a sure thing1 the old man said to him as they were both entering the town2 though he is a gentleman1 he is only taught to cure by every means1 but to give you real advice1 or1 let us say1 write out a petition for you--that he cannot do4 ,there are special authorities to do that4 ,you have been to the justice of the peace and to the police captain--they are no good for your business either4 ,where am ,i to go8 ,the permanent member of the rural board is the chief person for peasants' affairs4 ,go to him1 ,mr4 ,sineokov4 ,the one who is at ,zolotovo8 ,why1 yes1 at ,zolotovo4 ,he is your chief man4 ,if it is anything that has to do with you peasants even the police captain has no authority against him4 ,it's a long way to go1 old man4 4 4 4 ,i dare say it's twelve miles and may be more4 ,one who needs something will go seventy4 ,that is so4 4 4 4 ,should ,i send in a petition to him1 or what8 ,you will find out there4 ,if you should have a petition the clerk will write you one quick enough4 ,the permanent member has a clerk4 ,after parting from the old man ,kirila stood still in the middle of the square1 thought a little1 and walked back out of the town4 ,he made up his mind to go to ,zolotovo4 ,five days later1 as the doctor was on his way home after seeing his patients1 he caught sight of ,kirila again in his yard4 ,this time the young peasant was not alone1 but with a gaunt1 very pale old man who nodded his head without ceasing1 like a pendulum1 and mumbled with his lips4 ,your honour1 ,i have come again to ask your gracious mercy1 began ,kirila4 ,here ,i have come with my father4 ,be merciful1 let ,vaska go6 ,the permanent member would not talk to me4 ,he said3 ',go away6' ,your honour1 the old man hissed in his throat1 raising his twitching eyebrows1 be merciful6 ,we are poor people1 we cannot repay your honour1 but if you graciously please1 ,kiryushka or ,vaska can repay you in work4 ,let them work4 ,we will pay with work1 said ,kirila1 and he raised his hand above his head as though he would take an oath4 ,let him go6 ,they are starving1 they are crying day and night1 your honour6 ,the young peasant bent a rapid glance on his father1 pulled him by the sleeve1 and both of them1 as at the word of command1 fell at the doctor's feet4 ,the latter waved his hand in despair1 and1 without looking round1 walked quickly in at his door4 ,,the ,,beggar ,,kind sir1 be so good as to notice a poor1 hungry man4 ,i have not tasted food for three days4 ,i have not a five-kopeck piece for a night's lodging4 ,i swear by ,god6 ,for five years ,i was a village schoolmaster and lost my post through the intrigues of the ,zemstvo4 ,i was the victim of false witness4 ,i have been out of a place for a year now4 ,skvortsov1 a ,petersburg lawyer1 looked at the speaker's tattered dark blue overcoat1 at his muddy1 drunken eyes1 at the red patches on his cheeks1 and it seemed to him that he had seen the man before4 ,and now ,i am offered a post in the ,kaluga province1 the beggar continued1 but ,i have not the means for the journey there4 ,graciously help me6 ,i am ashamed to ask1 but 4 4 4 ,i am compelled by circumstances4 ,skvortsov looked at his goloshes1 of which one was shallow like a shoe1 while the other came high up the leg like a boot1 and suddenly remembered4 ,listen1 the day before yesterday ,i met you in ,sadovoy ,street1 he said1 and then you told me1 not that you were a village schoolmaster1 but that you were a student who had been expelled4 ,do you remember8 ,n-o4 ,no1 that cannot be so6 the beggar muttered in confusion4 ,i am a village schoolmaster1 and if you wish it ,i can show you documents to prove it4 ,that's enough lies6 ,you called yourself a student1 and even told me what you were expelled for4 ,do you remember8 ,skvortsov flushed1 and with a look of disgust on his face turned away from the ragged figure4 ,it's contemptible1 sir6 he cried angrily4 ,it's a swindle6 ,i'll hand you over to the police1 damn you6 ,you are poor and hungry1 but that does not give you the right to lie so shamelessly6 ,the ragged figure took hold of the door-handle and1 like a bird in a snare1 looked round the hall desperately4 ,i 4 4 4 ,i am not lying1 he muttered4 ,i can show documents4 ,who can believe you8 ,skvortsov went on1 still indignant4 ,to exploit the sympathy of the public for village schoolmasters and students--it's so low1 so mean1 so dirty6 ,it's revolting6 ,skvortsov flew into a rage and gave the beggar a merciless scolding4 ,the ragged fellow's insolent lying aroused his disgust and aversion1 was an offence against what he1 ,skvortsov1 loved and prized in himself3 kindliness1 a feeling heart1 sympathy for the unhappy4 ,by his lying1 by his treacherous assault upon compassion1 the individual had1 as it were1 defiled the charity which he liked to give to the poor with no misgivings in his heart4 ,the beggar at first defended himself1 protested with oaths1 then he sank into silence and hung his head1 overcome with shame4 ,sir6 he said1 laying his hand on his heart1 ,i really was 4 4 4 lying6 ,i am not a student and not a village schoolmaster4 ,all that's mere invention6 ,i used to be in the ,russian choir1 and ,i was turned out of it for drunkenness4 ,but what can ,i do8 ,believe me1 in ,god's name1 ,i can't get on without lying--when ,i tell the truth no one will give me anything4 ,with the truth one may die of hunger and freeze without a night's lodging6 ,what you say is true1 ,i understand that1 but 4 4 4 what am ,i to do8 ,what are you to do8 ,you ask what are you to do8 cried ,skvortsov1 going close up to him4 ,work--that's what you must do6 ,you must work6 ,work4 4 4 4 ,i know that myself1 but where can ,i get work8 ,nonsense4 ,you are young1 strong1 and healthy1 and could always find work if you wanted to4 ,but you know you are lazy1 pampered1 drunken6 ,you reek of vodka like a pothouse6 ,you have become false and corrupt to the marrow of your bones and fit for nothing but begging and lying6 ,if you do graciously condescend to take work1 you must have a job in an office1 in the ,russian choir1 or as a billiard-marker1 where you will have a salary and have nothing to do6 ,but how would you like to undertake manual labour8 ,i'll be bound1 you wouldn't be a house porter or a factory hand6 ,you are too genteel for that6 ,what things you say1 really 4 4 4 said the beggar1 and he gave a bitter smile4 ,how can ,i get manual work8 ,it's rather late for me to be a shopman1 for in trade one has to begin from a boy2 no one would take me as a house porter1 because ,i am not of that class 4 4 4 4 ,and ,i could not get work in a factory2 one must know a trade1 and ,i know nothing4 ,nonsense6 ,you always find some justification6 ,wouldn't you like to chop wood8 ,i would not refuse to1 but the regular woodchoppers are out of work now4 ,oh1 all idlers argue like that6 ,as soon as you are offered anything you refuse it4 ,would you care to chop wood for me8 ,certainly ,i will4 4 4 ,very good1 we shall see4 4 4 4 ,excellent4 ,we'll see6 ,skvortsov1 in nervous haste2 and not without malignant pleasure1 rubbing his hands1 summoned his cook from the kitchen4 ,here1 ,olga1 he said to her1 take this gentleman to the shed and let him chop some wood4 ,the beggar shrugged his shoulders as though puzzled1 and irresolutely followed the cook4 ,it was evident from his demeanour that he had consented to go and chop wood1 not because he was hungry and wanted to earn money1 but simply from shame and amour propre1 because he had been taken at his word4 ,it was clear1 too1 that he was suffering from the effects of vodka1 that he was unwell1 and felt not the faintest inclination to work4 ,skvortsov hurried into the dining-room4 ,there from the window which looked out into the yard he could see the woodshed and everything that happened in the yard4 ,standing at the window1 ,skvortsov saw the cook and the beggar come by the back way into the yard and go through the muddy snow to the woodshed4 ,olga scrutinized her companion angrily1 and jerking her elbow unlocked the woodshed and angrily banged the door open4 ,most likely we interrupted the woman drinking her coffee1 thought ,skvortsov4 ,what a cross creature she is6 ,then he saw the pseudo-schoolmaster and pseudo-student seat himself on a block of wood1 and1 leaning his red cheeks upon his fists1 sink into thought4 ,the cook flung an axe at his feet1 spat angrily on the ground1 and1 judging by the expression of her lips1 began abusing him4 ,the beggar drew a log of wood towards him irresolutely1 set it up between his feet1 and diffidently drew the axe across it4 ,the log toppled and fell over4 ,the beggar drew it towards him1 breathed on his frozen hands1 and again drew the axe along it as cautiously as though he were afraid of its hitting his golosh or chopping off his fingers4 ,the log fell over again4 ,skvortsov's wrath had passed off by now1 he felt sore and ashamed at the thought that he had forced a pampered1 drunken1 and perhaps sick man to do hard1 rough work in the cold4 ,never mind1 let him go on 4 4 4 he thought1 going from the dining-room into his study4 ,i am doing it for his good6 ,an hour later ,olga appeared and announced that the wood had been chopped up4 ,here1 give him half a rouble1 said ,skvortsov4 ,if he likes1 let him come and chop wood on the first of every month4 4 4 4 ,there will always be work for him4 ,on the first of the month the beggar turned up and again earned half a rouble1 though he could hardly stand4 ,from that time forward he took to turning up frequently1 and work was always found for him3 sometimes he would sweep the snow into heaps1 or clear up the shed1 at another he used to beat the rugs and the mattresses4 ,he always received thirty to forty kopecks for his work1 and on one occasion an old pair of trousers was sent out to him4 ,when he moved1 ,skvortsov engaged him to assist in packing and moving the furniture4 ,on this occasion the beggar was sober1 gloomy1 and silent2 he scarcely touched the furniture1 walked with hanging head behind the furniture vans1 and did not even try to appear busy2 he merely shivered with the cold1 and was overcome with confusion when the men with the vans laughed at his idleness1 feebleness1 and ragged coat that had once been a gentleman's4 ,after the removal ,skvortsov sent for him4 ,well1 ,i see my words have had an effect upon you1 he said1 giving him a rouble4 ,this is for your work4 ,i see that you are sober and not disinclined to work4 ,what is your name8 ,lushkov4 ,i can offer you better work1 not so rough1 ,lushkov4 ,can you write8 ,yes1 sir4 ,then go with this note to-morrow to my colleague and he will give you some copying to do4 ,work1 don't drink1 and don't forget what ,i said to you4 ,good-bye4 ,skvortsov1 pleased that he had put a man in the path of rectitude1 patted ,lushkov genially on the shoulder1 and even shook hands with him at parting4 ,lushkov took the letter1 departed1 and from that time forward did not come to the back-yard for work4 ,two years passed4 ,one day as ,skvortsov was standing at the ticket-office of a theatre1 paying for his ticket1 he saw beside him a little man with a lambskin collar and a shabby cat's-skin cap4 ,the man timidly asked the clerk for a gallery ticket and paid for it with kopecks4 ,lushkov1 is it you8 asked ,skvortsov1 recognizing in the little man his former woodchopper4 ,well1 what are you doing8 ,are you getting on all right8 ,pretty well4 4 4 4 ,i am in a notary's office now4 ,i earn thirty-five roubles4 ,well1 thank ,god1 that's capital4 ,i rejoice for you4 ,i am very1 very glad1 ,lushkov4 ,you know1 in a way1 you are my godson4 ,it was ,i who shoved you into the right way4 ,do you remember what a scolding ,i gave you1 eh8 ,you almost sank through the floor that time4 ,well1 thank you1 my dear fellow1 for remembering my words4 ,thank you too1 said ,lushkov4 ,if ,i had not come to you that day1 maybe ,i should be calling myself a schoolmaster or a student still4 ,yes1 in your house ,i was saved1 and climbed out of the pit4 ,i am very1 very glad4 ,thank you for your kind words and deeds4 ,what you said that day was excellent4 ,i am grateful to you and to your cook1 ,god bless that kind1 noble-hearted woman4 ,what you said that day was excellent2 ,i am indebted to you as long as ,i live1 of course1 but it was your cook1 ,olga1 who really saved me4 ,how was that8 ,why1 it was like this4 ,i used to come to you to chop wood and she would begin3 ',ah1 you drunkard6 ,you ,god-forsaken man6 ,and yet death does not take you6' and then she would sit opposite me1 lamenting1 looking into my face and wailing3 ',you unlucky fellow6 ,you have no gladness in this world1 and in the next you will burn in hell1 poor drunkard6 ,you poor sorrowful creature6' and she always went on in that style1 you know4 ,how often she upset herself1 and how many tears she shed over me ,i can't tell you4 ,but what affected me most--she chopped the wood for me6 ,do you know1 sir1 ,i never chopped a single log for you--she did it all6 ,how it was she saved me1 how it was ,i changed1 looking at her1 and gave up drinking1 ,i can't explain4 ,i only know that what she said and the noble way she behaved brought about a change in my soul1 and ,i shall never forget it4 ,it's time to go up1 though1 they are just going to ring the bell4 ,lushkov bowed and went off to the gallery4 ,a ,,story ,,without ,a ,,title ,,in the fifth century1 just as now1 the sun rose every morning and every evening retired to rest4 ,in the morning1 when the first rays kissed the dew1 the earth revived1 the air was filled with the sounds of rapture and hope2 while in the evening the same earth subsided into silence and plunged into gloomy darkness4 ,one day was like another1 one night like another4 ,from time to time a storm-cloud raced up and there was the angry rumble of thunder1 or a negligent star fell out of the sky1 or a pale monk ran to tell the brotherhood that not far from the monastery he had seen a tiger--and that was all1 and then each day was like the next4 ,the monks worked and prayed1 and their ,father ,superior played on the organ1 made ,latin verses1 and wrote music4 ,the wonderful old man possessed an extraordinary gift4 ,he played on the organ with such art that even the oldest monks1 whose hearing had grown somewhat dull towards the end of their lives1 could not restrain their tears when the sounds of the organ floated from his cell4 ,when he spoke of anything1 even of the most ordinary things--for instance of the trees1 of the wild beasts1 or of the sea--they could not listen to him without a smile or tears1 and it seemed that the same chords vibrated in his soul as in the organ4 ,if he were moved to anger or abandoned himself to intense joy1 or began speaking of something terrible or grand1 then a passionate inspiration took possession of him1 tears came into his flashing eyes1 his face flushed1 and his voice thundered1 and as the monks listened to him they felt that their souls were spell-bound by his inspiration2 at such marvellous1 splendid moments his power over them was boundless1 and if he had bidden his elders fling themselves into the sea1 they would all1 every one of them1 have hastened to carry out his wishes4 ,his music1 his voice1 his poetry in which he glorified ,god1 the heavens and the earth1 were a continual source of joy to the monks4 ,it sometimes happened that through the monotony of their lives they grew weary of the trees1 the flowers1 the spring1 the autumn1 their ears were tired of the sound of the sea1 and the song of the birds seemed tedious to them1 but the talents of their ,father ,superior were as necessary to them as their daily bread4 ,dozens of years passed by1 and every day was like every other day1 every night was like every other night4 ,except the birds and the wild beasts1 not one soul appeared near the monastery4 ,the nearest human habitation was far away1 and to reach it from the monastery1 or to reach the monastery from it1 meant a journey of over seventy miles across the desert4 ,only men who despised life1 who had renounced it1 and who came to the monastery as to the grave1 ventured to cross the desert4 ,what was the amazement of the monks1 therefore1 when one night there knocked at their gate a man who turned out to be from the town1 and the most ordinary sinner who loved life4 ,before saying his prayers and asking for the ,father ,superior's blessing1 this man asked for wine and food4 ,to the question how he had come from the town into the desert1 he answered by a long story of hunting2 he had gone out hunting1 had drunk too much1 and lost his way4 ,to the suggestion that he should enter the monastery and save his soul1 he replied with a smile3 ,i am not a fit companion for you6 ,when he had eaten and drunk he looked at the monks who were serving him1 shook his head reproachfully1 and said3 ,you don't do anything1 you monks4 ,you are good for nothing but eating and drinking4 ,is that the way to save one's soul8 ,only think1 while you sit here in peace1 eat and drink and dream of beatitude1 your neighbours are perishing and going to hell4 ,you should see what is going on in the town6 ,some are dying of hunger1 others1 not knowing what to do with their gold1 sink into profligacy and perish like flies stuck in honey4 ,there is no faith1 no truth in men4 ,whose task is it to save them8 ,whose work is it to preach to them8 ,it is not for me1 drunk from morning till night as ,i am4 ,can a meek spirit1 a loving heart1 and faith in ,god have been given you for you to sit here within four walls doing nothing8 ,the townsman's drunken words were insolent and unseemly1 but they had a strange effect upon the ,father ,superior4 ,the old man exchanged glances with his monks1 turned pale1 and said3 ,my brothers1 he speaks the truth1 you know4 ,indeed1 poor people in their weakness and lack of understanding are perishing in vice and infidelity1 while we do not move1 as though it did not concern us4 ,why should ,i not go and remind them of the ,christ whom they have forgotten8 ,the townsman's words had carried the old man away4 ,the next day he took his staff1 said farewell to the brotherhood1 and set off for the town4 ,and the monks were left without music1 and without his speeches and verses4 ,they spent a month drearily1 then a second1 but the old man did not come back4 ,at last after three months had passed the familiar tap of his staff was heard4 ,the monks flew to meet him and showered questions upon him1 but instead of being delighted to see them he wept bitterly and did not utter a word4 ,the monks noticed that he looked greatly aged and had grown thinner2 his face looked exhausted and wore an expression of profound sadness1 and when he wept he had the air of a man who has been outraged4 ,the monks fell to weeping too1 and began with sympathy asking him why he was weeping1 why his face was so gloomy1 but he locked himself in his cell without uttering a word4 ,for seven days he sat in his cell1 eating and drinking nothing1 weeping and not playing on his organ4 ,to knocking at his door and to the entreaties of the monks to come out and share his grief with them he replied with unbroken silence4 ,at last he came out4 ,gathering all the monks around him1 with a tear-stained face and with an expression of grief and indignation1 he began telling them of what had befallen him during those three months4 ,his voice was calm and his eyes were smiling while he described his journey from the monastery to the town4 ,on the road1 he told them1 the birds sang to him1 the brooks gurgled1 and sweet youthful hopes agitated his soul2 he marched on and felt like a soldier going to battle and confident of victory2 he walked on dreaming1 and composed poems and hymns1 and reached the end of his journey without noticing it4 ,but his voice quivered1 his eyes flashed1 and he was full of wrath when he came to speak of the town and of the men in it4 ,never in his life had he seen or even dared to imagine what he met with when he went into the town4 ,only then for the first time in his life1 in his old age1 he saw and understood how powerful was the devil1 how fair was evil and how weak and faint-hearted and worthless were men4 ,by an unhappy chance the first dwelling he entered was the abode of vice4 ,some fifty men in possession of much money were eating and drinking wine beyond measure4 ,intoxicated by the wine1 they sang songs and boldly uttered terrible1 revolting words such as a ,god-fearing man could not bring himself to pronounce2 boundlessly free1 self-confident1 and happy1 they feared neither ,god nor the devil1 nor death1 but said and did what they liked1 and went whither their lust led them4 ,and the wine1 clear as amber1 flecked with sparks of gold1 must have been irresistibly sweet and fragrant1 for each man who drank it smiled blissfully and wanted to drink more4 ,to the smile of man it responded with a smile and sparkled joyfully when they drank it1 as though it knew the devilish charm it kept hidden in its sweetness4 ,the old man1 growing more and more incensed and weeping with wrath1 went on to describe what he had seen4 ,on a table in the midst of the revellers1 he said1 stood a sinful1 half-naked woman4 ,it was hard to imagine or to find in nature anything more lovely and fascinating4 ,this reptile1 young1 longhaired1 dark-skinned1 with black eyes and full lips1 shameless and insolent1 showed her snow-white teeth and smiled as though to say3 ,look how shameless1 how beautiful ,i am4 ,silk and brocade fell in lovely folds from her shoulders1 but her beauty would not hide itself under her clothes1 but eagerly thrust itself through the folds1 like the young grass through the ground in spring4 ,the shameless woman drank wine1 sang songs1 and abandoned herself to anyone who wanted her4 ,then the old man1 wrathfully brandishing his arms1 described the horse-races1 the bull-fights1 the theatres1 the artists' studios where they painted naked women or moulded them of clay4 ,he spoke with inspiration1 with sonorous beauty1 as though he were playing on unseen chords1 while the monks1 petrified1 greedily drank in his words and gasped with rapture4 4 4 4 ,after describing all the charms of the devil1 the beauty of evil1 and the fascinating grace of the dreadful female form1 the old man cursed the devil1 turned and shut himself up in his cell4 4 4 4 ,when he came out of his cell in the morning there was not a monk left in the monastery2 they had all fled to the town4 ,,in ,,trouble ,,pyotr ,,semyonitch1 the bank manager1 together with the book-keeper1 his assistant1 and two members of the board1 were taken in the night to prison4 ,the day after the upheaval the merchant ,avdeyev1 who was one of the committee of auditors1 was sitting with his friends in the shop saying3 ,so it is ,god's will1 it seems4 ,there is no escaping your fate4 ,here to-day we are eating caviare and to-morrow1 for aught we know1 it will be prison1 beggary1 or maybe death4 ,anything may happen4 ,take ,pyotr ,semyonitch1 for instance4 4 4 4 ,he spoke1 screwing up his drunken eyes1 while his friends went on drinking1 eating caviare1 and listening4 ,having described the disgrace and helplessness of ,pyotr ,semyonitch1 who only the day before had been powerful and respected by all1 ,avdeyev went on with a sigh3 ,the tears of the mouse come back to the cat4 ,serve them right1 the scoundrels6 ,they could steal1 the rooks1 so let them answer for it6 ,you'd better look out1 ,ivan ,danilitch1 that you don't catch it too6 one of his friends observed4 ,what has it to do with me8 ,why1 they were stealing1 and what were you auditors thinking about8 ,i'll be bound1 you signed the audit4 ,it's all very well to talk6 laughed ,avdeyev3 ,signed it1 indeed6 ,they used to bring the accounts to my shop and ,i signed them4 ,as though ,i understood6 ,give me anything you like1 ,i'll scrawl my name to it4 ,if you were to write that ,i murdered someone ,i'd sign my name to it4 ,i haven't time to go into it2 besides1 ,i can't see without my spectacles4 ,after discussing the failure of the bank and the fate of ,pyotr ,semyonitch1 ,avdeyev and his friends went to eat pie at the house of a friend whose wife was celebrating her name-day4 ,at the name-day party everyone was discussing the bank failure4 ,avdeyev was more excited than anyone1 and declared that he had long foreseen the crash and knew two years before that things were not quite right at the bank4 ,while they were eating pie he described a dozen illegal operations which had come to his knowledge4 ,if you knew1 why did you not give information8 asked an officer who was present4 ,i wasn't the only one3 the whole town knew of it1 laughed ,avdeyev4 ,besides1 ,i haven't the time to hang about the law courts1 damn them6 ,he had a nap after the pie and then had dinner1 then had another nap1 then went to the evening service at the church of which he was a warden2 after the service he went back to the name-day party and played preference till midnight4 ,everything seemed satisfactory4 ,but when ,avdeyev hurried home after midnight the cook1 who opened the door to him1 looked pale1 and was trembling so violently that she could not utter a word4 ,his wife1 ,elizaveta ,trofimovna1 a flabby1 overfed woman1 with her grey hair hanging loose1 was sitting on the sofa in the drawing-room quivering all over1 and vacantly rolling her eyes as though she were drunk4 ,her elder son1 ,vassily1 a high-school boy1 pale too1 and extremely agitated1 was fussing round her with a glass of water4 ,what's the matter8 asked ,avdeyev1 and looked angrily sideways at the stove 7his family was constantly being upset by the fumes from it74 ,the examining magistrate has just been with the police1 answered ,vassily2 they've made a search4 ,avdeyev looked round him4 ,the cupboards1 the chests1 the tables--everything bore traces of the recent search4 ,for a minute ,avdeyev stood motionless as though petrified1 unable to understand2 then his whole inside quivered and seemed to grow heavy1 his left leg went numb1 and1 unable to endure his trembling1 he lay down flat on the sofa4 ,he felt his inside heaving and his rebellious left leg tapping against the back of the sofa4 ,in the course of two or three minutes he recalled the whole of his past1 but could not remember any crime deserving of the attention of the police4 ,it's all nonsense1 he said1 getting up4 ,they must have slandered me4 ,to-morrow ,i must lodge a complaint of their having dared to do such a thing4 ,next morning after a sleepless night ,avdeyev1 as usual1 went to his shop4 ,his customers brought him the news that during the night the public prosecutor had sent the deputy manager and the head-clerk to prison as well4 ,this news did not disturb ,avdeyev4 ,he was convinced that he had been slandered1 and that if he were to lodge a complaint to-day the examining magistrate would get into trouble for the search of the night before4 ,between nine and ten o'clock he hurried to the town hall to see the secretary1 who was the only educated man in the town council4 ,vladimir ,stepanitch1 what's this new fashion8 he said1 bending down to the secretary's ear4 ,people have been stealing1 but how do ,i come in8 ,what has it to do with me8 ,my dear fellow1 he whispered1 there has been a search at my house last night6 ,upon my word6 ,have they gone crazy8 ,why touch me8 ,because one shouldn't be a sheep1 the secretary answered calmly4 ,before you sign you ought to look4 ,look at what8 ,but if ,i were to look at those accounts for a thousand years ,i could not make head or tail of them6 ,it's all ,greek to me6 ,i am no book-keeper4 ,they used to bring them to me and ,i signed them4 ,excuse me4 ,apart from that you and your committee are seriously compromised4 ,you borrowed nineteen thousand from the bank1 giving no security4 ,lord have mercy upon us6 cried ,avdeyev in amazement4 ,i am not the only one in debt to the bank6 ,the whole town owes it money4 ,i pay the interest and ,i shall repay the debt4 ,what next6 ,and besides1 to tell the honest truth1 it wasn't ,i myself borrowed the money4 ,pyotr ,semyonitch forced it upon me4 ',take it1' he said1 'take it4 ,if you don't take it1' he said1 'it means that you don't trust us and fight shy of us4 ,you take it1' he said1 'and build your father a mill4' ,so ,i took it4 ,well1 you see1 none but children or sheep can reason like that4 ,in any case1 signor1 you need not be anxious4 ,you can't escape trial1 of course1 but you are sure to be acquitted4 ,the secretary's indifference and calm tone restored ,avdeyev's composure4 ,going back to his shop and finding friends there1 he again began drinking1 eating caviare1 and airing his views4 ,he almost forgot the police search1 and he was only troubled by one circumstance which he could not help noticing3 his left leg was strangely numb1 and his stomach for some reason refused to do its work4 ,that evening destiny dealt another overwhelming blow at ,avdeyev3 at an extraordinary meeting of the town council all members who were on the staff of the bank1 ,avdeyev among them1 were asked to resign1 on the ground that they were charged with a criminal offence4 ,in the morning he received a request to give up immediately his duties as churchwarden4 ,after that ,avdeyev lost count of the blows dealt him by fate1 and strange1 unprecedented days flitted rapidly by1 one after another1 and every day brought some new1 unexpected surprise4 ,among other things1 the examining magistrate sent him a summons1 and he returned home after the interview1 insulted and red in the face4 ,he gave me no peace1 pestering me to tell him why ,i had signed4 ,i signed1 that's all about it4 ,i didn't do it on purpose4 ,they brought the papers to the shop and ,i signed them4 ,i am no great hand at reading writing4 ,young men with unconcerned faces arrived1 sealed up the shop1 and made an inventory of all the furniture of the house4 ,suspecting some intrigue behind this1 and1 as before1 unconscious of any wrongdoing1 ,avdeyev in his mortification ran from one ,government office to another lodging complaints4 ,he spent hours together in waiting-rooms1 composed long petitions1 shed tears1 swore4 ,to his complaints the public prosecutor and the examining magistrate made the indifferent and rational reply3 ,come to us when you are summoned3 we have not time to attend to you now4 ,while others answered3 ,it is not our business4 ,the secretary1 an educated man1 who1 ,avdeyev thought1 might have helped him1 merely shrugged his shoulders and said3 ,it's your own fault4 ,you shouldn't have been a sheep4 ,the old man exerted himself to the utmost1 but his left leg was still numb1 and his digestion was getting worse and worse4 ,when he was weary of doing nothing and was getting poorer and poorer1 he made up his mind to go to his father's mill1 or to his brother1 and begin dealing in corn4 ,his family went to his father's and he was left alone4 ,the days flitted by1 one after another4 ,without a family1 without a shop1 and without money1 the former churchwarden1 an honoured and respected man1 spent whole days going the round of his friends' shops1 drinking1 eating1 and listening to advice4 ,in the mornings and in the evenings1 to while away the time1 he went to church4 ,looking for hours together at the ikons1 he did not pray1 but pondered4 ,his conscience was clear1 and he ascribed his position to mistake and misunderstanding2 to his mind1 it was all due to the fact that the officials and the examining magistrates were young men and inexperienced4 ,it seemed to him that if he were to talk it over in detail and open his heart to some elderly judge1 everything would go right again4 ,he did not understand his judges1 and he fancied they did not understand him4 ,the days raced by1 and at last1 after protracted1 harassing delays1 the day of the trial came4 ,avdeyev borrowed fifty roubles1 and providing himself with spirit to rub on his leg and a decoction of herbs for his digestion1 set off for the town where the circuit court was being held4 ,the trial lasted for ten days4 ,throughout the trial ,avdeyev sat among his companions in misfortune with the stolid composure and dignity befitting a respectable and innocent man who is suffering for no fault of his own3 he listened and did not understand a word4 ,he was in an antagonistic mood4 ,he was angry at being detained so long in the court1 at being unable to get ,lenten food anywhere1 at his defending counsel's not understanding him1 and1 as he thought1 saying the wrong thing4 ,he thought that the judges did not understand their business4 ,they took scarcely any notice of ,avdeyev1 they only addressed him once in three days1 and the questions they put to him were of such a character that ,avdeyev raised a laugh in the audience each time he answered them4 ,when he tried to speak of the expenses he had incurred1 of his losses1 and of his meaning to claim his costs from the court1 his counsel turned round and made an incomprehensible grimace1 the public laughed1 and the judge announced sternly that that had nothing to do with the case4 ,the last words that he was allowed to say were not what his counsel had instructed him to say1 but something quite different1 which raised a laugh again4 ,during the terrible hour when the jury were consulting in their room he sat angrily in the refreshment bar1 not thinking about the jury at all4 ,he did not understand why they were so long deliberating when everything was so clear1 and what they wanted of him4 ,getting hungry1 he asked the waiter to give him some cheap ,lenten dish4 ,for forty kopecks they gave him some cold fish and carrots4 ,he ate it and felt at once as though the fish were heaving in a chilly lump in his stomach2 it was followed by flatulence1 heartburn1 and pain4 ,afterwards1 as he listened to the foreman of the jury reading out the questions point by point1 there was a regular revolution taking place in his inside1 his whole body was bathed in a cold sweat1 his left leg was numb2 he did not follow1 understood nothing1 and suffered unbearably at not being able to sit or lie down while the foreman was reading4 ,at last1 when he and his companions were allowed to sit down1 the public prosecutor got up and said something unintelligible1 and all at once1 as though they had sprung out of the earth1 some police officers appeared on the scene with drawn swords and surrounded all the prisoners4 ,avdeyev was told to get up and go4 ,now he understood that he was found guilty and in charge of the police1 but he was not frightened nor amazed2 such a turmoil was going on in his stomach that he could not think about his guards4 ,so they won't let us go back to the hotel8 he asked one of his companions4 ,but ,i have three roubles and an untouched quarter of a pound of tea in my room there4 ,he spent the night at the police station2 all night he was aware of a loathing for fish1 and was thinking about the three roubles and the quarter of a pound of tea4 ,early in the morning1 when the sky was beginning to turn blue1 he was told to dress and set off4 ,two soldiers with bayonets took him to prison4 ,never before had the streets of the town seemed to him so long and endless4 ,he walked not on the pavement but in the middle of the road in the muddy1 thawing snow4 ,his inside was still at war with the fish1 his left leg was numb2 he had forgotten his goloshes either in the court or in the police station1 and his feet felt frozen4 ,five days later all the prisoners were brought before the court again to hear their sentence4 ,avdeyev learnt that he was sentenced to exile in the province of ,tobolsk4 ,and that did not frighten nor amaze him either4 ,he fancied for some reason that the trial was not yet over1 that there were more adjournments to come1 and that the final decision had not been reached yet4 4 4 4 ,he went on in the prison expecting this final decision every day4 ,only six months later1 when his wife and his son ,vassily came to say good-bye to him1 and when in the wasted1 wretchedly dressed old woman he scarcely recognized his once fat and dignified ,elizaveta ,trofimovna1 and when he saw his son wearing a short1 shabby reefer-jacket and cotton trousers instead of the high-school uniform1 he realized that his fate was decided1 and that whatever new decision there might be1 his past would never come back to him4 ,and for the first time since the trial and his imprisonment the angry expression left his face1 and he wept bitterly4 ,,frost ,a ,,popular fte with a philanthropic object had been arranged on the ,feast of ,epiphany in the provincial town of ,n----4 ,they had selected a broad part of the river between the market and the bishop's palace1 fenced it round with a rope1 with fir-trees and with flags1 and provided everything necessary for skating1 sledging1 and tobogganing4 ,the festivity was organized on the grandest scale possible4 ,the notices that were distributed were of huge size and promised a number of delights3 skating1 a military band1 a lottery with no blank tickets1 an electric sun1 and so on4 ,but the whole scheme almost came to nothing owing to the hard frost4 ,from the eve of ,epiphany there were twenty-eight degrees of frost with a strong wind2 it was proposed to put off the fte1 and this was not done only because the public1 which for a long while had been looking forward to the fte impatiently1 would not consent to any postponement4 ,only think1 what do you expect in winter but a frost6 said the ladies persuading the governor1 who tried to insist that the fte should be postponed4 ,if anyone is cold he can go and warm himself4 ,the trees1 the horses1 the men's beards were white with frost2 it even seemed that the air itself crackled1 as though unable to endure the cold2 but in spite of that the frozen public were skating4 ,immediately after the blessing of the waters and precisely at one o'clock the military band began playing4 ,between three and four o'clock in the afternoon1 when the festivity was at its height1 the select society of the place gathered together to warm themselves in the governor's pavilion1 which had been put up on the river-bank4 ,the old governor and his wife1 the bishop1 the president of the local court1 the head master of the high school1 and many others1 were there4 ,the ladies were sitting in armchairs1 while the men crowded round the wide glass door1 looking at the skating4 ,holy ,saints6 said the bishop in surprise2 what flourishes they execute with their legs6 ,upon my soul1 many a singer couldn't do a twirl with his voice as those cut-throats do with their legs4 ,aie6 he'll kill himself6 ,that's ,smirnov4 4 4 4 ,that's ,gruzdev 4 4 4 said the head master1 mentioning the names of the schoolboys who flew by the pavilion4 ,bah6 he's all alive-oh6 laughed the governor4 ,look1 gentlemen1 our mayor is coming4 4 4 4 ,he is coming this way4 4 4 4 ,that's a nuisance1 he will talk our heads off now4 ,a little thin old man1 wearing a big cap and a fur-lined coat hanging open1 came from the opposite bank towards the pavilion1 avoiding the skaters4 ,this was the mayor of the town1 a merchant1 ,eremeyev by name1 a millionaire and an old inhabitant of ,n----4 ,flinging wide his arms and shrugging at the cold1 he skipped along1 knocking one golosh against the other1 evidently in haste to get out of the wind4 ,half-way he suddenly bent down1 stole up to some lady1 and plucked at her sleeve from behind4 ,when she looked round he skipped away1 and probably delighted at having succeeded in frightening her1 went off into a loud1 aged laugh4 ,lively old fellow1 said the governor4 ,it's a wonder he's not skating4 ,as he got near the pavilion the mayor fell into a little tripping trot1 waved his hands1 and1 taking a run1 slid along the ice in his huge golosh boots up to the very door4 ,yegor ,ivanitch1 you ought to get yourself some skates6 the governor greeted him4 ,that's just what ,i am thinking1 he answered in a squeaky1 somewhat nasal tenor1 taking off his cap4 ,i wish you good health1 your ,excellency6 ,your ,holiness6 ,long life to all the other gentlemen and ladies6 ,here's a frost6 ,yes1 it is a frost1 bother it6 ,it's deadly6 ,winking with his red1 frozen eyes1 ,yegor ,ivanitch stamped on the floor with his golosh boots and swung his arms together like a frozen cabman4 ,such a damnable frost1 worse than any dog6 he went on talking1 smiling all over his face4 ,it's a real affliction6 ,it's healthy1 said the governor2 frost strengthens a man and makes him vigorous4 4 4 4 ,though it may be healthy1 it would be better without it at all1 said the mayor1 wiping his wedge-shaped beard with a red handkerchief4 ,it would be a good riddance6 ,to my thinking1 your ,excellency1 the ,lord sends it us as a punishment--the frost1 ,i mean4 ,we sin in the summer and are punished in the winter4 4 4 4 ,yes6 ,yegor ,ivanitch looked round him quickly and flung up his hands4 ,why1 where's the needful 4 4 4 to warm us up8 he asked1 looking in alarm first at the governor and then at the bishop4 ,your ,excellency6 ,your ,holiness6 ,i'll be bound1 the ladies are frozen too6 ,we must have something1 this won't do6 ,everyone began gesticulating and declaring that they had not come to the skating to warm themselves1 but the mayor1 heeding no one1 opened the door and beckoned to someone with his crooked finger4 ,a workman and a fireman ran up to him4 ,here1 run off to ,savatin1 he muttered1 and tell him to make haste and send here 4 4 4 what do you call it8 4 4 4 ,what's it to be8 ,tell him to send a dozen glasses 4 4 4 a dozen glasses of mulled wine1 the very hottest1 or punch1 perhaps4 4 4 4 ,there was laughter in the pavilion4 ,a nice thing to treat us to6 ,never mind1 we will drink it1 muttered the mayor2 a dozen glasses1 then 4 4 4 and some ,benedictine1 perhaps 4 4 4 and tell them to warm two bottles of red wine4 4 4 4 ,oh1 and what for the ladies8 ,well1 you tell them to bring cakes1 nuts 4 4 4 sweets of some sort1 perhaps4 4 4 4 ,there1 run along1 look sharp6 ,the mayor was silent for a minute and then began again abusing the frost1 banging his arms across his chest and thumping with his golosh boots4 ,no1 ,yegor ,ivanitch1 said the governor persuasively1 don't be unfair1 the ,russian frost has its charms4 ,i was reading lately that many of the good qualities of the ,russian people are due to the vast expanse of their land and to the climate1 the cruel struggle for existence 4 4 4 that's perfectly true6 ,it may be true1 your ,excellency1 but it would be better without it4 ,the frost did drive out the ,french1 of course1 and one can freeze all sorts of dishes1 and the children can go skating--that's all true6 ,for the man who is well fed and well clothed the frost is only a pleasure1 but for the working man1 the beggar1 the pilgrim1 the crazy wanderer1 it's the greatest evil and misfortune4 ,it's misery1 your ,holiness6 ,in a frost like this poverty is twice as hard1 and the thief is more cunning and evildoers more violent4 ,there's no gainsaying it6 ,i am turned seventy1 ,i've a fur coat now1 and at home ,i have a stove and rums and punches of all sorts4 ,the frost means nothing to me now2 ,i take no notice of it1 ,i don't care to know of it1 but how it used to be in old days1 ,holy ,mother6 ,it's dreadful to recall it6 ,my memory is failing me with years and ,i have forgotten everything2 my enemies1 and my sins and troubles of all sorts--,i forget them all1 but the frost--ough6 ,how ,i remember it6 ,when my mother died ,i was left a little devil--this high--a homeless orphan 4 4 4 no kith nor kin1 wretched1 ragged1 little clothes1 hungry1 nowhere to sleep--in fact1 'we have here no abiding city1 but seek the one to come4' ,in those days ,i used to lead an old blind woman about the town for five kopecks a day 4 4 4 the frosts were cruel1 wicked4 ,one would go out with the old woman and begin suffering torments4 ,my ,creator6 ,first of all you would be shivering as in a fever1 shrugging and dancing about4 ,then your ears1 your fingers1 your feet1 would begin aching4 ,they would ache as though someone were squeezing them with pincers4 ,but all that would have been nothing1 a trivial matter1 of no great consequence4 ,the trouble was when your whole body was chilled4 ,one would walk for three blessed hours in the frost1 your ,holiness1 and lose all human semblance4 ,your legs are drawn up1 there is a weight on your chest1 your stomach is pinched2 above all1 there is a pain in your heart that is worse than anything4 ,your heart aches beyond all endurance1 and there is a wretchedness all over your body as though you were leading ,death by the hand instead of an old woman4 ,you are numb all over1 turned to stone like a statue2 you go on and feel as though it were not you walking1 but someone else moving your legs instead of you4 ,when your soul is frozen you don't know what you are doing3 you are ready to leave the old woman with no one to guide her1 or to pull a hot roll from off a hawker's tray1 or to fight with someone4 ,and when you come to your night's lodging into the warmth after the frost1 there is not much joy in that either6 ,you lie awake till midnight1 crying1 and don't know yourself what you are crying for4 4 4 4 ,we must walk about the skating-ground before it gets dark1 said the governor's wife1 who was bored with listening4 ,who's coming with me8 ,the governor's wife went out and the whole company trooped out of the pavilion after her4 ,only the governor1 the bishop1 and the mayor remained4 ,queen of ,heaven6 and what ,i went through when ,i was a shopboy in a fish-shop6 ,yegor ,ivanitch went on1 flinging up his arms so that his fox-lined coat fell open4 ,one would go out to the shop almost before it was light 4 4 4 by eight o'clock ,i was completely frozen1 my face was blue1 my fingers were stiff so that ,i could not fasten my buttons nor count the money4 ,one would stand in the cold1 turn numb1 and think1 ',lord1 ,i shall have to stand like this right on till evening6' ,by dinner-time my stomach was pinched and my heart was aching4 4 4 4 ,yes6 ,and ,i was not much better afterwards when ,i had a shop of my own4 ,the frost was intense and the shop was like a mouse-trap with draughts blowing in all directions2 the coat ,i had on was1 pardon me1 mangy1 as thin as paper1 threadbare4 4 4 4 ,one would be chilled through and through1 half dazed1 and turn as cruel as the frost oneself3 ,i would pull one by the ear so that ,i nearly pulled the ear off2 ,i would smack another on the back of the head2 ,i'd glare at a customer like a ruffian1 a wild beast1 and be ready to fleece him2 and when ,i got home in the evening and ought to have gone to bed1 ,i'd be ill-humoured and set upon my family1 throwing it in their teeth that they were living upon me2 ,i would make a row and carry on so that half a dozen policemen couldn't have managed me4 ,the frost makes one spiteful and drives one to drink4 ,yegor ,ivanitch clasped his hands and went on3 ,and when we were taking fish to ,moscow in the winter1 ,holy ,mother6 ,and spluttering as he talked1 he began describing the horrors he endured with his shopmen when he was taking fish to ,moscow4 4 4 4 ,yes1 sighed the governor1 it is wonderful what a man can endure6 ,you used to take wagon-loads of fish to ,moscow1 ,yegor ,ivanitch1 while ,i in my time was at the war4 ,i remember one extraordinary instance4 4 4 4 ,and the governor described how1 during the last ,russo-,turkish ,war1 one frosty night the division in which he was had stood in the snow without moving for thirteen hours in a piercing wind2 from fear of being observed the division did not light a fire1 nor make a sound or a movement2 they were forbidden to smoke4 4 4 4 ,reminiscences followed4 ,the governor and the mayor grew lively and good-humoured1 and1 interrupting each other1 began recalling their experiences4 ,and the bishop told them how1 when he was serving in ,siberia1 he had travelled in a sledge drawn by dogs2 how one day1 being drowsy1 in a time of sharp frost he had fallen out of the sledge and been nearly frozen2 when the ,tunguses turned back and found him he was barely alive4 ,then1 as by common agreement1 the old men suddenly sank into silence1 sat side by side1 and mused4 ,ech6 whispered the mayor2 you'd think it would be time to forget1 but when you look at the water-carriers1 at the schoolboys1 at the convicts in their wretched gowns1 it brings it all back6 ,why1 only take those musicians who are playing now4 ,i'll be bound1 there is a pain in their hearts2 a pinch at their stomachs1 and their trumpets are freezing to their lips4 4 4 4 ,they play and think3 ',holy ,mother6 we have another three hours to sit here in the cold4' ,the old men sank into thought4 ,they thought of that in man which is higher than good birth1 higher than rank and wealth and learning1 of that which brings the lowest beggar near to ,god3 of the helplessness of man1 of his sufferings and his patience4 4 4 4 ,meanwhile the air was turning blue 4 4 4 the door opened and two waiters from ,savatin's walked in1 carrying trays and a big muffled teapot4 ,when the glasses had been filled and there was a strong smell of cinnamon and clove in the air1 the door opened again1 and there came into the pavilion a beardless young policeman whose nose was crimson1 and who was covered all over with frost2 he went up to the governor1 and1 saluting1 said3 ,her ,excellency told me to inform you that she has gone home4 ,looking at the way the policeman put his stiff1 frozen fingers to his cap1 looking at his nose1 his lustreless eyes1 and his hood covered with white frost near the mouth1 they all for some reason felt that this policeman's heart must be aching1 that his stomach must feel pinched1 and his soul numb4 4 4 4 ,i say1 said the governor hesitatingly1 have a drink of mulled wine6 ,it's all right 4 4 4 it's all right6 ,drink it up6 the mayor urged him1 gesticulating2 don't be shy6 ,the policeman took the glass in both hands1 moved aside1 and1 trying to drink without making any sound1 began discreetly sipping from the glass4 ,he drank and was overwhelmed with embarrassment while the old men looked at him in silence1 and they all fancied that the pain was leaving the young policeman's heart1 and that his soul was thawing4 ,the governor heaved a sigh4 ,it's time we were at home1 he said1 getting up4 ,good-bye6 ,i say1 he added1 addressing the policeman1 tell the musicians there to 4 4 4 leave off playing1 and ask ,pavel ,semyonovitch from me to see they are given 4 4 4 beer or vodka4 ,the governor and the bishop said good-bye to the mayor and went out of the pavilion4 ,yegor ,ivanitch attacked the mulled wine1 and before the policeman had finished his glass succeeded in telling him a great many interesting things4 ,he could not be silent4 ,a ,,slander ,,serge ,,kapitonich ,,ahineev1 the writing master1 was marrying his daughter to the teacher of history and geography4 ,the wedding festivities were going off most successfully4 ,in the drawing room there was singing1 playing1 and dancing4 ,waiters hired from the club were flitting distractedly about the rooms1 dressed in black swallow-tails and dirty white ties4 ,there was a continual hubbub and din of conversation4 ,sitting side by side on the sofa1 the teacher of mathematics1 ,tarantulov1 the ,french teacher1 ,pasdequoi1 and the junior assessor of taxes1 ,mzda1 were talking hurriedly and interrupting one another as they described to the guests cases of persons being buried alive1 and gave their opinions on spiritualism4 ,none of them believed in spiritualism1 but all admitted that there were many things in this world which would always be beyond the mind of man4 ,in the next room the literature master1 ,dodonsky1 was explaining to the visitors the cases in which a sentry has the right to fire on passers-by4 ,the subjects1 as you perceive1 were alarming1 but very agreeable4 ,persons whose social position precluded them from entering were looking in at the windows from the yard4 ,just at midnight the master of the house went into the kitchen to see whether everything was ready for supper4 ,the kitchen from floor to ceiling was filled with fumes composed of goose1 duck1 and many other odours4 ,on two tables the accessories1 the drinks and light refreshments1 were set out in artistic disorder4 ,the cook1 ,marfa1 a red-faced woman whose figure was like a barrel with a belt around it1 was bustling about the tables4 ,show me the sturgeon1 ,marfa1 said ,ahineev1 rubbing his hands and licking his lips4 ,what a perfume6 ,i could eat up the whole kitchen4 ,come1 show me the sturgeon4 ,marfa went up to one of the benches and cautiously lifted a piece of greasy newspaper4 ,under the paper on an immense dish there reposed a huge sturgeon1 masked in jelly and decorated with capers1 olives1 and carrots4 ,ahineev gazed at the sturgeon and gasped4 ,his face beamed1 he turned his eyes up4 ,he bent down and with his lips emitted the sound of an ungreased wheel4 ,after standing a moment he snapped his fingers with delight and once more smacked his lips4 ,ah-ah6 the sound of a passionate kiss4 4 4 4 ,who is it you're kissing out there1 little ,marfa8 came a voice from the next room1 and in the doorway there appeared the cropped head of the assistant usher1 ,vankin4 ,who is it8 ,a-a-h6 4 4 4 ,delighted to meet you6 ,sergei ,kapitonich6 ,you're a fine grandfather1 ,i must say6 ,tte--tte with the fair sex--tette6 ,i'm not kissing1 said ,ahineev in confusion4 ,who told you so1 you fool8 ,i was only 4 4 4 ,i smacked my lips 4 4 4 in reference to 4 4 4 as an indication of 4 4 4 pleasure 4 4 4 at the sight of the fish4 ,tell that to the marines6 ,the intrusive face vanished1 wearing a broad grin4 ,ahineev flushed4 ,hang it6 he thought1 the beast will go now and talk scandal4 ,he'll disgrace me to all the town1 the brute4 ,ahineev went timidly into the drawing-room and looked stealthily round for ,vankin4 ,vankin was standing by the piano1 and1 bending down with a jaunty air1 was whispering something to the inspector's sister-in-law1 who was laughing4 ,talking about me6 thought ,ahineev4 ,about me1 blast him6 ,and she believes it 4 4 4 believes it6 ,she laughs6 ,mercy on us6 ,no1 ,i can't let it pass 4 4 4 ,i can't4 ,i must do something to prevent his being believed4 4 4 4 ,i'll speak to them all1 and he'll be shown up for a fool and a gossip4 ,ahineev scratched his head1 and still overcome with embarrassment1 went up to ,pasdequoi4 ,i've just been in the kitchen to see after the supper1 he said to the ,frenchman4 ,i know you are fond of fish1 and ,i've a sturgeon1 my dear fellow1 beyond everything6 ,a yard and a half long6 ,ha1 ha1 ha6 ,and1 by the way 4 4 4 ,i was just forgetting4 4 4 4 ,in the kitchen just now1 with that sturgeon 4 4 4 quite a little story6 ,i went into the kitchen just now and wanted to look at the supper dishes4 ,i looked at the sturgeon and ,i smacked my lips with relish 4 4 4 at the piquancy of it4 ,and at the very moment that fool ,vankin came in and said3 4 4 4 ',ha1 ha1 ha6 4 4 4 ,so you're kissing here6' ,kissing ,marfa1 the cook6 ,what a thing to imagine1 silly fool6 ,the woman is a perfect fright1 like all the beasts put together1 and he talks about kissing6 ,queer fish6 ,who's a queer fish8 asked ,tarantulov1 coming up4 ,why he1 over there--,vankin6 ,i went into the kitchen 4 4 4 ,and he told the story of ,vankin4 4 4 4 ,he amused me1 queer fish6 ,i'd rather kiss a dog than ,marfa1 if you ask me1 added ,ahineev4 ,he looked round and saw behind him ,mzda4 ,we were talking of ,vankin1 he said4 ,queer fish1 he is6 ,he went into the kitchen1 saw me beside ,marfa1 and began inventing all sorts of silly stories4 ',why are you kissing8' he says4 ,he must have had a drop too much4 ',and ,i'd rather kiss a turkeycock than ,marfa1' ,i said1 ',and ,i've a wife of my own1 you fool1' said ,i4 ,he did amuse me6 ,who amused you8 asked the priest who taught ,scripture in the school1 going up to ,ahineev4 ,vankin4 ,i was standing in the kitchen1 you know1 looking at the sturgeon4 4 4 4 ,and so on4 ,within half an hour or so all the guests knew the incident of the sturgeon and ,vankin4 ,let him tell away now6 thought ,ahineev1 rubbing his hands4 ,let him6 ,he'll begin telling his story and they'll say to him at once1 ',enough of your improbable nonsense1 you fool1 we know all about it6' ,and ,ahineev was so relieved that in his joy he drank four glasses too many4 ,after escorting the young people to their room1 he went to bed and slept like an innocent babe1 and next day he thought no more of the incident with the sturgeon4 ,but1 alas6 man proposes1 but ,god disposes4 ,an evil tongue did its evil work1 and ,ahineev's strategy was of no avail4 ,just a week later--to be precise1 on ,wednesday after the third lesson--when ,ahineev was standing in the middle of the teacher's room1 holding forth on the vicious propensities of a boy called ,visekin1 the head master went up to him and drew him aside3 ,look here1 ,sergei ,kapitonich1 said the head master1 you must excuse me4 4 4 4 ,it's not my business2 but all the same ,i must make you realize4 4 4 4 ,it's my duty4 ,you see1 there are rumors that you are romancing with that 4 4 4 cook4 4 4 4 ,it's nothing to do with me1 but 4 4 4 flirt with her1 kiss her 4 4 4 as you please1 but don't let it be so public1 please4 ,i entreat you6 ,don't forget that you're a schoolmaster4 ,ahineev turned cold and faint4 ,he went home like a man stung by a whole swarm of bees1 like a man scalded with boiling water4 ,as he walked home1 it seemed to him that the whole town was looking at him as though he were smeared with pitch4 ,at home fresh trouble awaited him4 ,why aren't you gobbling up your food as usual8 his wife asked him at dinner4 ,what are you so pensive about8 ,brooding over your amours8 ,pining for your ,marfa8 ,i know all about it1 ,mohammedan6 ,kind friends have opened my eyes6 ,o-o-o6 4 4 4 you savage6 ,and she slapped him in the face4 ,he got up from the table1 not feeling the earth under his feet1 and without his hat or coat1 made his way to ,vankin4 ,he found him at home4 ,you scoundrel6 he addressed him4 ,why have you covered me with mud before all the town8 ,why did you set this slander going about me8 ,what slander8 ,what are you talking about8 ,who was it gossiped of my kissing ,marfa8 ,wasn't it you8 ,tell me that4 ,wasn't it you1 you brigand8 ,vankin blinked and twitched in every fibre of his battered countenance1 raised his eyes to the icon and articulated1 ,god blast me6 ,strike me blind and lay me out1 if ,i said a single word about you6 ,may ,i be left without house and home1 may ,i be stricken with worse than cholera6 ,vankin's sincerity did not admit of doubt4 ,it was evidently not he who was the author of the slander4 ,but who1 then1 who8 ,ahineev wondered1 going over all his acquaintances in his mind and beating himself on the breast4 ,who1 then8 ,who1 then8 ,we1 too1 ask the reader4 ,,minds ,,in ,,ferment 7,,from ,,the ,,annals ,,of ,a ,,town7 ,,the earth was like an oven4 ,the afternoon sun blazed with such energy that even the thermometer hanging in the excise officer's room lost its head3 it ran up to #aab4e and stopped there1 irresolute4 ,the inhabitants streamed with perspiration like overdriven horses1 and were too lazy to mop their faces4 ,two of the inhabitants were walking along the market-place in front of the closely shuttered houses4 ,one was ,potcheshihin1 the local treasury clerk1 and the other was ,optimov1 the agent1 for many years a correspondent of the ,son of the ,fatherland newspaper4 ,they walked in silence1 speechless from the heat4 ,optimov felt tempted to find fault with the local authorities for the dust and disorder of the market-place1 but1 aware of the peace-loving disposition and moderate views of his companion1 he said nothing4 ,in the middle of the market-place ,potcheshihin suddenly halted and began gazing into the sky4 ,what are you looking at8 ,those starlings that flew up4 ,i wonder where they have settled4 ,clouds and clouds of them4 4 4 4 ,if one were to go and take a shot at them1 and if one were to pick them up 4 4 4 and if 4 4 4 ,they have settled in the ,father ,prebendary's garden6 ,oh no6 ,they are not in the ,father ,prebendary's1 they are in the ,father ,deacon's4 ,if you did have a shot at them from here you wouldn't kill anything4 ,fine shot won't carry so far2 it loses its force4 ,and why should you kill them1 anyway8 ,they're birds destructive of the fruit1 that's true2 still1 they're fowls of the air1 works of the ,lord4 ,the starling sings1 you know4 4 4 4 ,and what does it sing1 pray8 ,a song of praise4 4 4 4 ',all ye fowls of the air1 praise ye the ,lord4' ,no4 ,i do believe they have settled in the ,father ,prebendary's garden4 ,three old pilgrim women1 wearing bark shoes and carrying wallets1 passed noiselessly by the speakers4 ,looking enquiringly at the gentlemen who were for some unknown reason staring at the ,father ,prebendary's house1 they slackened their pace1 and when they were a few yards off stopped1 glanced at the friends once more1 and then fell to gazing at the house themselves4 ,yes1 you were right2 they have settled in the ,father ,prebendary's1 said ,optimov4 ,his cherries are ripe now1 so they have gone there to peck them4 ,from the garden gate emerged the ,father ,prebendary himself1 accompanied by the sexton4 ,seeing the attention directed upon his abode and wondering what people were staring at1 he stopped1 and he1 too1 as well as the sexton1 began looking upwards to find out4 ,the father is going to a service somewhere1 ,i suppose1 said ,potcheshihin4 ,the ,lord be his succour6 ,some workmen from ,purov's factory1 who had been bathing in the river1 passed between the friends and the priest4 ,seeing the latter absorbed in contemplation of the heavens and the pilgrim women1 too1 standing motionless with their eyes turned upwards1 they stood still and stared in the same direction4 ,a small boy leading a blind beggar and a peasant1 carrying a tub of stinking fish to throw into the market-place1 did the same4 ,there must be something the matter1 ,i should think1 said ,potcheshihin1 a fire or something4 ,but there's no sign of smoke anywhere4 ,hey6 ,kuzma6 he shouted to the peasant1 what's the matter8 ,the peasant made some reply1 but ,potcheshihin and ,optimov did not catch it4 ,sleepy-looking shopmen made their appearance at the doors of all the shops4 ,some plasterers at work on a warehouse near left their ladders and joined the workmen4 ,the fireman1 who was describing circles with his bare feet1 on the watch-tower1 halted1 and1 after looking steadily at them for a few minutes1 came down4 ,the watch-tower was left deserted4 ,this seemed suspicious4 ,there must be a fire somewhere4 ,don't shove me6 ,you damned swine6 ,where do you see the fire8 ,what fire8 ,pass on1 gentlemen6 ,i ask you civilly6 ,it must be a fire indoors6 ,asks us civilly and keeps poking with his elbows4 ,keep your hands to yourself6 ,though you are a head constable1 you have no sort of right to make free with your fists6 ,he's trodden on my corn6 ,ah6 ,i'll crush you6 ,crushed8 ,who's crushed8 ,lads6 a man's been crushed6 ,what's the meaning of this crowd8 ,what do you want8 ,a man's been crushed1 please your honour6 ,where8 ,pass on6 ,i ask you civilly6 ,i ask you civilly1 you blockheads6 ,you may shove a peasant1 but you daren't touch a gentleman6 ,hands off6 ,did you ever know such people8 ,there's no doing anything with them by fair words1 the devils6 ,sidorov1 run for ,akim ,danilitch6 ,look sharp6 ,it'll be the worse for you1 gentlemen6 ,akim ,danilitch is coming1 and he'll give it to you6 ,you here1 ,parfen8 ,a blind man1 and at his age too6 ,can't see1 but he must be like other people and won't do what he's told4 ,smirnov1 put his name down6 ,yes1 sir6 ,and shall ,i write down the men from ,purov's8 ,that man there with the swollen cheek1 he's from ,purov's works4 ,don't put down the men from ,purov's4 ,it's ,purov's birthday to-morrow4 ,the starlings rose in a black cloud from the ,father ,prebendary's garden1 but ,potcheshihin and ,optimov did not notice them4 ,they stood staring into the air1 wondering what could have attracted such a crowd1 and what it was looking at4 ,akim ,danilitch appeared4 ,still munching and wiping his lips1 he cut his way into the crowd1 bellowing3 ,firemen1 be ready6 ,disperse6 ,mr4 ,optimov1 disperse1 or it'll be the worse for you6 ,instead of writing all kinds of things about decent people in the papers1 you had better try to behave yourself more conformably6 ,no good ever comes of reading the papers6 ,kindly refrain from reflections upon literature6 cried ,optimov hotly4 ,i am a literary man1 and ,i will allow no one to make reflections upon literature6 though1 as is the duty of a citizen1 ,i respect you as a father and benefactor6 ,firemen1 turn the hose on them6 ,there's no water1 please your honour6 ,don't answer me6 ,go and get some6 ,look sharp6 ,we've nothing to get it in1 your honour4 ,the major has taken the fire-brigade horses to drive his aunt to the station4 ,disperse6 ,stand back1 damnation take you6 ,is that to your taste8 ,put him down1 the devil6 ,i've lost my pencil1 please your honour6 ,the crowd grew larger and larger4 ,there is no telling what proportions it might have reached if the new organ just arrived from ,moscow had not fortunately begun playing in the tavern close by4 ,hearing their favourite tune1 the crowd gasped and rushed off to the tavern4 ,so nobody ever knew why the crowd had assembled1 and ,potcheshihin and ,optimov had by now forgotten the existence of the starlings who were innocently responsible for the proceedings4 ,an hour later the town was still and silent again1 and only a solitary figure was to be seen--the fireman pacing round and round on the watch-tower4 ,the same evening ,akim ,danilitch sat in the grocer's shop drinking limonade gaseuse and brandy1 and writing3 ,in addition to the official report1 ,i venture1 your ,excellency1 to append a few supplementary observations of my own4 ,father and benefactor6 ,in very truth1 but for the prayers of your virtuous spouse in her salubrious villa near our town1 there's no knowing what might not have come to pass4 ,what ,i have been through to-day ,i can find no words to express4 ,the efficiency of ,krushensky and of the major of the fire brigade are beyond all praise6 ,i am proud of such devoted servants of our country6 ,as for me1 ,i did all that a weak man could do1 whose only desire is the welfare of his neighbour2 and sitting now in the bosom of my family1 with tears in my eyes ,i thank ,him ,who spared us bloodshed6 ,in absence of evidence1 the guilty parties remain in custody1 but ,i propose to release them in a week or so4 ,it was their ignorance that led them astray6 ,,gone ,,astray ,a ,,country village wrapped in the darkness of night4 ,one o'clock strikes from the belfry4 ,two lawyers1 called ,kozyavkin and ,laev1 both in the best of spirits and a little unsteady on their legs1 come out of the wood and turn towards the cottages4 ,well1 thank ,god1 we've arrived1 says ,kozyavkin1 drawing a deep breath4 ,tramping four miles from the station in our condition is a feat4 ,i am fearfully done up6 ,and1 as ill-luck would have it1 not a fly to be seen4 ,petya1 my dear fellow4 4 4 4 ,i can't4 4 4 4 ,i feel like dying if ,i'm not in bed in five minutes4 ,in bed6 ,don't you think it1 my boy6 ,first we'll have supper and a glass of red wine1 and then you can go to bed4 ,verotchka and ,i will wake you up4 4 4 4 ,ah1 my dear fellow1 it's a fine thing to be married6 ,you don't understand it1 you cold-hearted wretch6 ,i shall be home in a minute1 worn out and exhausted4 4 4 4 ,a loving wife will welcome me1 give me some tea and something to eat1 and repay me for my hard work and my love with such a fond and loving look out of her darling black eyes that ,i shall forget how tired ,i am1 and forget the burglary and the law courts and the appeal division 4 4 4 4 ,it's glorious6 ,yes--,i say1 ,i feel as though my legs were dropping off1 ,i can scarcely get along4 4 4 4 ,i am frightfully thirsty4 4 4 4 ,well1 here we are at home4 ,the friends go up to one of the cottages1 and stand still under the nearest window4 ,it's a jolly cottage1 said ,kozyavkin4 ,you will see to-morrow what views we have6 ,there's no light in the windows4 ,verotchka must have gone to bed1 then2 she must have got tired of sitting up4 ,she's in bed1 and must be worrying at my not having turned up4 7,he pushes the window with his stick1 and it opens47 ,plucky girl6 ,she goes to bed without bolting the window4 7,he takes off his cape and flings it with his portfolio in at the window47 ,i am hot6 ,let us strike up a serenade and make her laugh6 7,he sings47 ,the moon floats in the midnight sky4 4 4 4 ,faintly stir the tender breezes 4 4 4 4 ,faintly rustle in the treetops4 4 4 4 ,sing1 sing1 ,alyosha6 ,verotchka1 shall we sing you ,schubert's ,serenade8 7,he sings47 ,his performance is cut short by a sudden fit of coughing4 ,tphoo6 ,verotchka1 tell ,aksinya to unlock the gate for us6 7,a pause47 ,verotchka6 don't be lazy1 get up1 darling6 7,he stands on a stone and looks in at the window47 ,verotchka1 my dumpling2 ,verotchka1 my poppet 4 4 4 my little angel1 my wife beyond compare1 get up and tell ,aksinya to unlock the gate for us6 ,you are not asleep1 you know4 ,little wife1 we are really so done up and exhausted that we're not in the mood for jokes4 ,we've trudged all the way from the station6 ,don't you hear8 ,ah1 hang it all6 7,he makes an effort to climb up to the window and falls down47 ,you know this isn't a nice trick to play on a visitor6 ,i see you are just as great a schoolgirl as ever1 ,vera1 you are always up to mischief6 ,perhaps ,vera ,stepanovna is asleep1 says ,laev4 ,she isn't asleep6 ,i bet she wants me to make an outcry and wake up the whole neighbourhood4 ,i'm beginning to get cross1 ,vera6 ,ach1 damn it all6 ,give me a leg up1 ,alyosha2 ,i'll get in4 ,you are a naughty girl1 nothing but a regular schoolgirl4 4 4 ,give me a hoist4 ,puffing and panting1 ,laev gives him a leg up1 and ,kozyavkin climbs in at the window and vanishes into the darkness within4 ,vera6 ,laev hears a minute later1 where are you8 4 4 4 ,d--damnation6 ,tphoo6 ,i've put my hand into something6 ,tphoo6 ,there is a rustling sound1 a flapping of wings1 and the desperate cackling of a fowl4 ,a nice state of things1 ,laev hears4 ,vera1 where on earth did these chickens come from8 ,why1 the devil1 there's no end of them6 ,there's a basket with a turkey in it4 4 4 4 ,it pecks1 the nasty creature4 ,two hens fly out of the window1 and cackling at the top of their voices1 flutter down the village street4 ,alyosha1 we've made a mistake6 says ,kozyavkin in a lachrymose voice4 ,there are a lot of hens here4 4 4 4 ,i must have mistaken the house4 ,confound you1 you are all over the place1 you cursed brutes6 ,well1 then1 make haste and come down4 ,do you hear8 ,i am dying of thirst6 ,in a minute4 4 4 4 ,i am looking for my cape and portfolio4 ,light a match4 ,the matches are in the cape4 4 4 4 ,i was a crazy idiot to get into this place4 ,the cottages are exactly alike2 the devil himself couldn't tell them apart in the dark4 ,aie1 the turkey's pecked my cheek1 nasty creature6 ,make haste and get out or they'll think we are stealing the chickens4 ,in a minute4 4 4 4 ,i can't find my cape anywhere4 4 4 4 ,there are lots of old rags here1 and ,i can't tell where the cape is4 ,throw me a match4 ,i haven't any4 ,we are in a hole1 ,i must say6 ,what am ,i to do8 ,i can't go without my cape and my portfolio4 ,i must find them4 ,i can't understand a man's not knowing his own cottage1 says ,laev indignantly4 ,drunken beast4 4 4 4 ,if ,i'd known ,i was in for this sort of thing ,i would never have come with you4 ,i should have been at home and fast asleep by now1 and a nice fix ,i'm in here4 4 4 4 ,i'm fearfully done up and thirsty1 and my head is going round4 ,in a minute1 in a minute4 4 4 4 ,you won't expire4 ,a big cock flies crowing over ,laev's head4 ,laev heaves a deep sigh1 and with a hopeless gesture sits down on a stone4 ,he is beset with a burning thirst1 his eyes are closing1 his head drops forward4 4 4 4 ,five minutes pass1 ten1 twenty1 and ,kozyavkin is still busy among the hens4 ,petya1 will you be long8 ,a minute4 ,i found the portfolio1 but ,i have lost it again4 ,laev lays his head on his fists1 and closes his eyes4 ,the cackling of the fowls grows louder and louder4 ,the inhabitants of the empty cottage fly out of the window and flutter round in circles1 he fancies1 like owls over his head4 ,his ears ring with their cackle1 he is overwhelmed with terror4 ,the beast6 he thinks4 ,he invited me to stay1 promising me wine and junket1 and then he makes me walk from the station and listen to these hens4 4 4 4 ,in the midst of his indignation his chin sinks into his collar1 he lays his head on his portfolio1 and gradually subsides4 ,weariness gets the upper hand and he begins to doze4 ,i've found the portfolio6 he hears ,kozyavkin cry triumphantly4 ,i shall find the cape in a minute and then off we go6 ,then through his sleep he hears the barking of dogs4 ,first one dog barks1 then a second1 and a third4 4 4 4 ,and the barking of the dogs blends with the cackling of the fowls into a sort of savage music4 ,someone comes up to ,laev and asks him something4 ,then he hears someone climb over his head into the window1 then a knocking and a shouting4 4 4 4 ,a woman in a red apron stands beside him with a lantern in her hand and asks him something4 ,you've no right to say so1 he hears ,kozyavkin's voice4 ,i am a lawyer1 a bachelor of laws--,kozyavkin--here's my visiting card4 ,what do ,i want with your card8 says someone in a husky bass4 ,you've disturbed all my fowls1 you've smashed the eggs6 ,look what you've done4 ,the turkey poults were to have come out to-day or to-morrow1 and you've smashed them4 ,what's the use of your giving me your card1 sir8 ,how dare you interfere with me6 ,no6 ,i won't have it6 ,i am thirsty1 thinks ,laev1 trying to open his eyes1 and he feels somebody climb down from the window over his head4 ,my name is ,kozyavkin6 ,i have a cottage here4 ,everyone knows me4 ,we don't know anyone called ,kozyavkin4 ,what are you saying8 ,call the elder4 ,he knows me4 ,don't get excited1 the constable will be here directly4 4 4 4 ,we know all the summer visitors here1 but ,i've never seen you in my life4 ,i've had a cottage in ,rottendale for five years4 ,whew6 ,do you take this for the ,dale8 ,this is ,sicklystead1 but ,rottendale is farther to the right1 beyond the match factory4 ,it's three miles from here4 ,bless my soul6 ,then ,i've taken the wrong turning6 ,the cries of men and fowls mingle with the barking of dogs1 and the voice of ,kozyavkin rises above the chaos of confused sounds3 ,you shut up6 ,i'll pay4 ,i'll show you whom you have to deal with6 ,little by little the voices die down4 ,laev feels himself being shaken by the shoulder4 4 4 4 ,,an ,,avenger ,,shortly after finding his wife in flagrante delicto ,fyodor ,fyodorovitch ,sigaev was standing in ,schmuck and ,co4's1 the gunsmiths1 selecting a suitable revolver4 ,his countenance expressed wrath1 grief1 and unalterable determination4 ,i know what ,i must do1 he was thinking4 ,the sanctities of the home are outraged1 honour is trampled in the mud1 vice is triumphant1 and therefore as a citizen and a man of honour ,i must be their avenger4 ,first1 ,i will kill her and her lover and then myself4 ,he had not yet chosen a revolver or killed anyone1 but already in imagination he saw three bloodstained corpses1 broken skulls1 brains oozing from them1 the commotion1 the crowd of gaping spectators1 the post-mortem4 4 4 4 ,with the malignant joy of an insulted man he pictured the horror of the relations and the public1 the agony of the traitress1 and was mentally reading leading articles on the destruction of the traditions of the home4 ,the shopman1 a sprightly little ,frenchified figure with rounded belly and white waistcoat1 displayed the revolvers1 and smiling respectfully and scraping with his little feet observed3 4 4 4 ,i would advise you1 ,m'sieur1 to take this superb revolver1 the ,smith and ,wesson pattern1 the last word in the science of firearms3 triple-action1 with ejector1 kills at six hundred paces1 central sight4 ,let me draw your attention1 ,m'sieu1 to the beauty of the finish4 ,the most fashionable system1 ,m'sieu4 ,we sell a dozen every day for burglars1 wolves1 and lovers4 ,very correct and powerful action1 hits at a great distance1 and kills wife and lover with one bullet4 ,as for suicide1 ,m'sieu1 ,i don't know a better pattern4 ,the shopman pulled and cocked the trigger1 breathed on the barrel1 took aim1 and affected to be breathless with delight4 ,looking at his ecstatic countenance1 one might have supposed that he would readily have put a bullet through his brains if he had only possessed a revolver of such a superb pattern as a ,smith-,wesson4 ,and what price8 asked ,sigaev4 ,forty-five roubles1 ,m'sieu4 ,mm6 4 4 4 that's too dear for me4 ,in that case1 ,m'sieu1 let me offer you another make1 somewhat cheaper4 ,here1 if you'll kindly look1 we have an immense choice1 at all prices4 4 4 4 ,here1 for instance1 this revolver of the ,lefaucher pattern costs only eighteen roubles1 but 4 4 4 7the shopman pursed up his face contemptuously7 4 4 4 but1 ,m'sieu1 it's an old-fashioned make4 ,they are only bought by hysterical ladies or the mentally deficient4 ,to commit suicide or shoot one's wife with a ,lefaucher revolver is considered bad form nowadays4 ,smith-,wesson is the only pattern that's correct style4 ,i don't want to shoot myself or to kill anyone1 said ,sigaev1 lying sullenly4 ,i am buying it simply for a country cottage 4 4 4 to frighten away burglars4 4 4 4 ,that's not our business1 what object you have in buying it4 ,the shopman smiled1 dropping his eyes discreetly4 ,if we were to investigate the object in each case1 ,m'sieu1 we should have to close our shop4 ,to frighten burglars ,lefaucher is not a suitable pattern1 ,m'sieu1 for it goes off with a faint1 muffled sound4 ,i would suggest ,mortimer's1 the so-called duelling pistol4 4 4 4 ,shouldn't ,i challenge him to a duel8 flashed through ,sigaev's mind4 ,it's doing him too much honour1 though4 4 4 4 ,beasts like that are killed like dogs4 4 4 4 ,the shopman1 swaying gracefully and tripping to and fro on his little feet1 still smiling and chattering1 displayed before him a heap of revolvers4 ,the most inviting and impressive of all was the ,smith and ,wesson's4 ,sigaev picked up a pistol of that pattern1 gazed blankly at it1 and sank into brooding4 ,his imagination pictured how he would blow out their brains1 how blood would flow in streams over the rug and the parquet1 how the traitress's legs would twitch in her last agony4 4 4 4 ,but that was not enough for his indignant soul4 ,the picture of blood1 wailing1 and horror did not satisfy him4 ,he must think of something more terrible4 ,i know6 ,i'll kill myself and him1 he thought1 but ,i'll leave her alive4 ,let her pine away from the stings of conscience and the contempt of all surrounding her4 ,for a sensitive nature like hers that will be far more agonizing than death4 ,and he imagined his own funeral3 he1 the injured husband1 lies in his coffin with a gentle smile on his lips1 and she1 pale1 tortured by remorse1 follows the coffin like a ,niobe1 not knowing where to hide herself to escape from the withering1 contemptuous looks cast upon her by the indignant crowd4 ,i see1 ,m'sieu1 that you like the ,smith and ,wesson make1 the shopman broke in upon his broodings4 ,if you think it too dear1 very well1 ,i'll knock off five roubles4 4 4 4 ,but we have other makes1 cheaper4 ,the little ,frenchified figure turned gracefully and took down another dozen cases of revolvers from the shelf4 ,here1 ,m'sieu1 price thirty roubles4 ,that's not expensive1 especially as the rate of exchange has dropped terribly and the ,customs duties are rising every hour4 ,m'sieu1 ,i vow ,i am a ,conservative1 but even ,i am beginning to murmur4 ,why1 with the rate of exchange and the ,customs tariff1 only the rich can purchase firearms4 ,there's nothing left for the poor but ,tula weapons and phosphorus matches1 and ,tula weapons are a misery6 ,you may aim at your wife with a ,tula revolver and shoot yourself through the shoulder-blade4 ,sigaev suddenly felt mortified and sorry that he would be dead1 and would miss seeing the agonies of the traitress4 ,revenge is only sweet when one can see and taste its fruits1 and what sense would there be in it if he were lying in his coffin1 knowing nothing about it8 ,hadn't ,i better do this8 he pondered4 ,i'll kill him1 then ,i'll go to his funeral and look on1 and after the funeral ,i'll kill myself4 ,they'd arrest me1 though1 before the funeral1 and take away my pistol4 4 4 4 ,and so ,i'll kill him1 she shall remain alive1 and ,i 4 4 4 for the time1 ,i'll not kill myself1 but go and be arrested4 ,i shall always have time to kill myself4 ,there will be this advantage about being arrested1 that at the preliminary investigation ,i shall have an opportunity of exposing to the authorities and to the public all the infamy of her conduct4 ,if ,i kill myself she may1 with her characteristic duplicity and impudence1 throw all the blame on me1 and society will justify her behaviour and will very likely laugh at me4 4 4 4 ,if ,i remain alive1 then 4 4 4 ,a minute later he was thinking3 ,yes1 if ,i kill myself ,i may be blamed and suspected of petty feeling4 4 4 4 ,besides1 why should ,i kill myself8 ,that's one thing4 ,and for another1 to shoot oneself is cowardly4 ,and so ,i'll kill him and let her live1 and ,i'll face my trial4 ,i shall be tried1 and she will be brought into court as a witness4 4 4 4 ,i can imagine her confusion1 her disgrace when she is examined by my counsel6 ,the sympathies of the court1 of the ,press1 and of the public will certainly be with me4 ,while he deliberated the shopman displayed his wares1 and felt it incumbent upon him to entertain his customer4 ,here are ,english ones1 a new pattern1 only just received1 he prattled on4 ,but ,i warn you1 ,m'sieu1 all these systems pale beside the ,smith and ,wesson4 ,the other day--as ,i dare say you have read--an officer bought from us a ,smith and ,wesson4 ,he shot his wife's lover1 and-would you believe it8--the bullet passed through him1 pierced the bronze lamp1 then the piano1 and ricochetted back from the piano1 killing the lap-dog and bruising the wife4 ,a magnificent record redounding to the honour of our firm6 ,the officer is now under arrest4 ,he will no doubt be convicted and sent to penal servitude4 ,in the first place1 our penal code is quite out of date2 and1 secondly1 ,m'sieu1 the sympathies of the court are always with the lover4 ,why is it8 ,very simple1 ,m'sieu4 ,the judges and the jury and the prosecutor and the counsel for the defence are all living with other men's wives1 and it'll add to their comfort that there will be one husband the less in ,russia4 ,society would be pleased if the ,government were to send all the husbands to ,sahalin4 ,oh1 ,m'sieu1 you don't know how it excites my indignation to see the corruption of morals nowadays4 ,to love other men's wives is as much the regular thing to-day as to smoke other men's cigarettes and to read other men's books4 ,every year our trade gets worse and worse--it doesn't mean that wives are more faithful1 but that husbands resign themselves to their position and are afraid of the law and penal servitude4 ,the shopman looked round and whispered3 ,and whose fault is it1 ,m'sieu8 ,the ,government's4 ,to go to ,sahalin for the sake of a pig like that--there's no sense in that either1 ,sigaev pondered4 ,if ,i go to penal servitude it will only give my wife an opportunity of marrying again and deceiving a second husband4 ,she would triumph4 4 4 4 ,and so ,i will leave her alive1 ,i won't kill myself1 him 4 4 4 ,i won't kill either4 ,i must think of something more sensible and more effective4 ,i will punish them with my contempt1 and will take divorce proceedings that will make a scandal4 ,here1 ,m'sieu1 is another make1 said the shopman1 taking down another dozen from the shelf4 ,let me call your attention to the original mechanism of the lock4 ,in view of his determination a revolver was now of no use to ,sigaev1 but the shopman1 meanwhile1 getting more and more enthusiastic1 persisted in displaying his wares before him4 ,the outraged husband began to feel ashamed that the shopman should be taking so much trouble on his account for nothing1 that he should be smiling1 wasting time1 displaying enthusiasm for nothing4 ,very well1 in that case1 he muttered1 ,i'll look in again later on 4 4 4 or ,i'll send someone4 ,he didn't see the expression of the shopman's face1 but to smooth over the awkwardness of the position a little he felt called upon to make some purchase4 ,but what should he buy8 ,he looked round the walls of the shop to pick out something inexpensive1 and his eyes rested on a green net hanging near the door4 ,that's 4 4 4 what's that8 he asked4 ,that's a net for catching quails4 ,and what price is it8 ,eight roubles1 ,m'sieu4 ,wrap it up for me4 4 4 4 ,the outraged husband paid his eight roubles1 took the net1 and1 feeling even more outraged1 walked out of the shop4 ,,the ,,jeune ,,premier ,,yevgeny ,,alexeyitch ,,podzharov1 the jeune premier1 a graceful1 elegant young man with an oval face and little bags under his eyes1 had come for the season to one of the southern towns of ,russia1 and tried at once to make the acquaintance of a few of the leading families of the place4 ,yes1 signor1 he would often say1 gracefully swinging his foot and displaying his red socks1 an artist ought to act upon the masses1 both directly and indirectly2 the first aim is attained by his work on the stage1 the second by an acquaintance with the local inhabitants4 ,on my honour1 parole d'honneur1 ,i don't understand why it is we actors avoid making acquaintance with local families4 ,why is it8 ,to say nothing of dinners1 name-day parties1 feasts1 soires fixes1 to say nothing of these entertainments1 think of the moral influence we may have on society6 ,is it not agreeable to feel one has dropped a spark in some thick skull8 ,the types one meets6 ,the women6 ,mon ,dieu1 what women6 they turn one's head6 ,one penetrates into some huge merchant's house1 into the sacred retreats1 and picks out some fresh and rosy little peach--it's heaven1 parole d'honneur6 ,in the southern town1 among other estimable families he made the acquaintance of that of a manufacturer called ,zybaev4 ,whenever he remembers that acquaintance now he frowns contemptuously1 screws up his eyes1 and nervously plays with his watch-chain4 ,one day--it was at a name-day party at ,zybaev's--the actor was sitting in his new friends' drawing-room and holding forth as usual4 ,around him types were sitting in armchairs and on the sofa1 listening affably2 from the next room came feminine laughter and the sounds of evening tea4 4 4 4 ,crossing his legs1 after each phrase sipping tea with rum in it1 and trying to assume an expression of careless boredom1 he talked of his stage triumphs4 ,i am a provincial actor principally1 he said1 smiling condescendingly1 but ,i have played in ,petersburg and ,moscow too4 4 4 4 ,by the way1 ,i will describe an incident which illustrates pretty well the state of mind of to-day4 ,at my benefit in ,moscow the young people brought me such a mass of laurel wreaths that ,i swear by all ,i hold sacred ,i did not know where to put them6 ,parole d'honneur6 ,later on1 at a moment when funds were short1 ,i took the laurel wreaths to the shop1 and 4 4 4 guess what they weighed4 ,eighty pounds altogether4 ,ha1 ha6 you can't think how useful the money was4 ,artists1 indeed1 are often hard up4 ,to-day ,i have hundreds1 thousands1 tomorrow nothing4 4 4 4 ,to-day ,i haven't a crust of bread1 to-morrow ,i have oysters and anchovies1 hang it all6 ,the local inhabitants sipped their glasses decorously and listened4 ,the well-pleased host1 not knowing how to make enough of his cultured and interesting visitor1 presented to him a distant relative who had just arrived1 one ,pavel ,ignatyevitch ,klimov1 a bulky gentleman about forty1 wearing a long frock-coat and very full trousers4 ,you ought to know each other1 said ,zybaev as he presented ,klimov2 he loves theatres1 and at one time used to act himself4 ,he has an estate in the ,tula province4 ,podzharov and ,klimov got into conversation4 ,it appeared1 to the great satisfaction of both1 that the ,tula landowner lived in the very town in which the jeune premier had acted for two seasons in succession4 ,enquiries followed about the town1 about common acquaintances1 and about the theatre4 4 4 4 ,do you know1 ,i like that town awfully1 said the jeune premier1 displaying his red socks4 ,what streets1 what a charming park1 and what society6 ,delightful society6 ,yes1 delightful society1 the landowner assented4 ,a commercial town1 but extremely cultured4 4 4 4 ,for instance1 er-er-er 4 4 4 the head master of the high school1 the public prosecutor 4 4 4 the officers4 4 4 4 ,the police captain1 too1 was not bad1 a man1 as the ,french say1 enchant1 and the women1 ,allah1 what women6 ,yes1 the women 4 4 4 certainly4 4 4 4 ,perhaps ,i am partial2 the fact is that in your town1 ,i don't know why1 ,i was devilishly lucky with the fair sex6 ,i could write a dozen novels4 ,to take this episode1 for instance4 4 4 4 ,i was staying in ,yegoryevsky ,street1 in the very house where the ,treasury is4 4 4 4 ,the red house without stucco8 ,yes1 yes 4 4 4 without stucco4 4 4 4 ,close by1 as ,i remember now1 lived a local beauty1 ,varenka4 4 4 4 ,not ,varvara ,nikolayevna8 asked ,klimov1 and he beamed with satisfaction4 ,she really is a beauty 4 4 4 the most beautiful girl in the town4 ,the most beautiful girl in the town6 ,a classic profile1 great black eyes 4 4 4 4 and hair to her waist6 ,she saw me in ',hamlet1' she wrote me a letter la ,pushkin's ',tatyana4' 4 4 4 ,i answered1 as you may guess4 4 4 4 ,podzharov looked round1 and having satisfied himself that there were no ladies in the room1 rolled his eyes1 smiled mournfully1 and heaved a sigh4 ,i came home one evening after a performance1 he whispered1 and there she was1 sitting on my sofa4 ,there followed tears1 protestations of love1 kisses4 4 4 4 ,oh1 that was a marvellous1 that was a divine night6 ,our romance lasted two months1 but that night was never repeated4 ,it was a night1 parole d'honneur6 ,excuse me1 what's that8 muttered ,klimov1 turning crimson and gazing open-eyed at the actor4 ,i know ,varvara ,nikolayevna well3 she's my niece4 ,podzharov was embarrassed1 and he1 too1 opened his eyes wide4 ,how's this8 ,klimov went on1 throwing up his hands4 ,i know the girl1 and 4 4 4 and 4 4 4 ,i am surprised4 4 4 4 ,i am very sorry this has come up1 muttered the actor1 getting up and rubbing something out of his left eye with his little finger4 ,though1 of course 4 4 4 of course1 you as her uncle 4 4 4 ,the other guests1 who had hitherto been listening to the actor with pleasure and rewarding him with smiles1 were embarrassed and dropped their eyes4 ,please1 do be so good 4 4 4 take your words back 4 4 4 said ,klimov in extreme embarrassment4 ,i beg you to do so6 ,if 4 4 4 er-er-er 4 4 4 it offends you1 certainly1 answered the actor1 with an undefined movement of his hand4 ,and confess you have told a falsehood4 ,i1 no 4 4 4 er-er-er4 4 4 4 ,it was not a lie1 but ,i greatly regret having spoken too freely4 4 4 4 ,and1 in fact 4 4 4 ,i don't understand your tone6 ,klimov walked up and down the room in silence1 as though in uncertainty and hesitation4 ,his fleshy face grew more and more crimson1 and the veins in his neck swelled up4 ,after walking up and down for about two minutes he went up to the actor and said in a tearful voice3 ,no1 do be so good as to confess that you told a lie about ,varenka6 ,have the goodness to do so6 ,it's queer1 said the actor1 with a strained smile1 shrugging his shoulders and swinging his leg4 ,this is positively insulting6 ,so you will not confess it8 ,i do-on't understand6 ,you will not8 ,in that case1 excuse me 4 4 4 ,i shall have to resort to unpleasant measures4 ,either1 sir1 ,i shall insult you at once on the spot1 or 4 4 4 if you are an honourable man1 you will kindly accept my challenge to a duel4 4 4 4 ,we will fight6 ,certainly6 rapped out the jeune premier1 with a contemptuous gesture4 ,certainly4 ,extremely perturbed1 the guests and the host1 not knowing what to do1 drew ,klimov aside and began begging him not to get up a scandal4 ,astonished feminine countenances appeared in the doorway4 4 4 4 ,the jeune premier turned round1 said a few words1 and with an air of being unable to remain in a house where he was insulted1 took his cap and made off without saying good-bye4 ,on his way home the jeune premier smiled contemptuously and shrugged his shoulders1 but when he reached his hotel room and stretched himself on his sofa he felt exceedingly uneasy4 ,the devil take him6 he thought4 ,a duel does not matter1 he won't kill me1 but the trouble is the other fellows will hear of it1 and they know perfectly well it was a yarn4 ,it's abominable6 ,i shall be disgraced all over ,russia4 4 4 4 ,podzharov thought a little1 smoked1 and to calm himself went out into the street4 ,i ought to talk to this bully1 ram into his stupid noddle that he is a blockhead and a fool1 and that ,i am not in the least afraid of him4 4 4 4 ,the jeune premier stopped before ,zybaev's house and looked at the windows4 ,lights were still burning behind the muslin curtains and figures were moving about4 ,i'll wait for him6 the actor decided4 ,it was dark and cold4 ,a hateful autumn rain was drizzling as though through a sieve4 ,podzharov leaned his elbow on a lamp-post and abandoned himself to a feeling of uneasiness4 ,he was wet through and exhausted4 ,at two o'clock in the night the guests began coming out of ,zybaev's house4 ,the landowner from ,tula was the last to make his appearance4 ,he heaved a sigh that could be heard by the whole street and scraped the pavement with his heavy overboots4 ,excuse me6 said the jeune premier1 overtaking him4 ,one minute4 ,klimov stopped4 ,the actor gave a smile1 hesitated1 and began1 stammering3 ,i 4 4 4 ,i confess 4 4 4 ,i told a lie4 ,no1 sir1 you will please confess that publicly1 said ,klimov1 and he turned crimson again4 ,i can't leave it like that4 4 4 4 ,but you see ,i am apologizing6 ,i beg you 4 4 4 don't you understand8 ,i beg you because you will admit a duel will make talk1 and ,i am in a position4 4 4 4 ,my fellow-actors 4 4 4 goodness knows what they may think4 4 4 4 ,the jeune premier tried to appear unconcerned1 to smile1 to stand erect1 but his body would not obey him1 his voice trembled1 his eyes blinked guiltily1 and his head drooped4 ,for a good while he went on muttering something4 ,klimov listened to him1 thought a little1 and heaved a sigh4 ,well1 so be it1 he said4 ,may ,god forgive you4 ,only don't lie in future1 young man4 ,nothing degrades a man like lying 4 4 4 yes1 indeed6 ,you are a young man1 you have had a good education4 4 4 4 ,the landowner from ,tula1 in a benignant1 fatherly way1 gave him a lecture1 while the jeune premier listened and smiled meekly4 4 4 4 ,when it was over he smirked1 bowed1 and with a guilty step and a crestfallen air set off for his hotel4 ,as he went to bed half an hour later he felt that he was out of danger and was already in excellent spirits4 ,serene and satisfied that the misunderstanding had ended so satisfactorily1 he wrapped himself in the bedclothes1 soon fell asleep1 and slept soundly till ten o'clock next morning4 ,a ,,defenceless ,,creature ,,in spite of a violent attack of gout in the night and the nervous exhaustion left by it1 ,kistunov went in the morning to his office and began punctually seeing the clients of the bank and persons who had come with petitions4 ,he looked languid and exhausted1 and spoke in a faint voice hardly above a whisper1 as though he were dying4 ,what can ,i do for you8 he asked a lady in an antediluvian mantle1 whose back view was extremely suggestive of a huge dung-beetle4 ,you see1 your ,excellency1 the petitioner in question began1 speaking rapidly1 my husband ,shtchukin1 a collegiate assessor1 was ill for five months1 and while he1 if you will excuse my saying so1 was laid up at home1 he was for no sort of reason dismissed1 your ,excellency2 and when ,i went for his salary they deducted1 if you please1 your ,excellency1 twenty-four roubles thirty-six kopecks from his salary4 ',what for8' ,i asked4 ',he borrowed from the club fund1' they told me1 'and the other clerks had stood security for him4' ,how was that8 ,how could he have borrowed it without my consent8 ,it's impossible1 your ,excellency4 ,what's the reason of it8 ,i am a poor woman1 ,i earn my bread by taking in lodgers4 ,i am a weak1 defenceless woman 4 4 4 ,i have to put up with ill-usage from everyone and never hear a kind word4 4 4 ,the petitioner was blinking1 and dived into her mantle for her handkerchief4 ,kistunov took her petition from her and began reading it4 ,excuse me1 what's this8 he asked1 shrugging his shoulders4 ,i can make nothing of it4 ,evidently you have come to the wrong place1 madam4 ,your petition has nothing to do with us at all4 ,you will have to apply to the department in which your husband was employed4 ,why1 my dear sir1 ,i have been to five places already1 and they would not even take the petition anywhere1 said ,madame ,shtchukin4 ,i'd quite lost my head1 but1 thank goodness--,god bless him for it--my son-in-law1 ,boris ,matveyitch1 advised me to come to you4 ',you go to ,mr4 ,kistunov1 mamma3 he is an influential man1 he can do anything for you4 4 4 4' ,help me1 your ,excellency6 ,we can do nothing for you1 ,madame ,shtchukin4 ,you must understand3 your husband served in the ,army ,medical ,department1 and our establishment is a purely private commercial undertaking1 a bank4 ,surely you must understand that6 ,kistunov shrugged his shoulders again and turned to a gentleman in a military uniform1 with a swollen face4 ,your ,excellency1 piped ,madame ,shtchukin in a pitiful voice1 ,i have the doctor's certificate that my husband was ill6 ,here it is1 if you will kindly look at it4 ,very good1 ,i believe you1 ,kistunov said irritably1 but ,i repeat it has nothing to do with us4 ,it's queer and positively absurd6 ,surely your husband must know where you are to apply8 ,he knows nothing1 your ,excellency4 ,he keeps on3 ',it's not your business6 ,get away6'--that's all ,i can get out of him4 4 4 4 ,whose business is it1 then8 ,it's ,i have to keep them all6 ,kistunov again turned to ,madame ,shtchukin and began explaining to her the difference between the ,army ,medical ,department and a private bank4 ,she listened attentively1 nodded in token of assent1 and said3 ,yes 4 4 4 yes 4 4 4 yes 4 4 4 ,i understand1 sir4 ,in that case1 your ,excellency1 tell them to pay me fifteen roubles at least6 ,i agree to take part on account6 ,ough6 sighed ,kistunov1 letting his head drop back4 ,there's no making you see reason4 ,do understand that to apply to us with such a petition is as strange as to send in a petition concerning divorce1 for instance1 to a chemist's or to the ,assaying ,board4 ,you have not been paid your due1 but what have we to do with it8 ,your ,excellency1 make me remember you in my prayers for the rest of my days1 have pity on a lone1 lorn woman1 wailed ,madame ,shtchukin2 ,i am a weak1 defenceless woman4 4 4 4 ,i am worried to death1 ,i've to settle with the lodgers and see to my husband's affairs and fly round looking after the house1 and ,i am going to church every day this week1 and my son-in-law is out of a job4 4 4 4 ,i might as well not eat or drink4 4 4 4 ,i can scarcely keep on my feet4 4 4 4 ,i haven't slept all night4 4 4 4 ,kistunov was conscious of the palpitation of his heart4 ,with a face of anguish1 pressing his hand on his heart1 he began explaining to ,madame ,shtchukin again1 but his voice failed him4 ,no1 excuse me1 ,i cannot talk to you1 he said with a wave of his hand4 ,my head's going round4 ,you are hindering us and wasting your time4 ,ough6 ,alexey ,nikolaitch1 he said1 addressing one of his clerks1 please will you explain to ,madame ,shtchukin8 ,kistunov1 passing by all the petitioners1 went to his private room and signed about a dozen papers while ,alexey ,nikolaitch was still engaged with ,madame ,shtchukin4 ,as he sat in his room ,kistunov heard two voices3 the monotonous1 restrained bass of ,alexey ,nikolaitch and the shrill1 wailing voice of ,madame ,shtchukin4 ,i am a weak1 defenceless woman1 ,i am a woman in delicate health1 said ,madame ,shtchukin4 ,i look strong1 but if you were to overhaul me there is not one healthy fibre in me4 ,i can scarcely keep on my feet1 and my appetite is gone4 4 4 4 ,i drank my cup of coffee this morning without the slightest relish4 4 4 4 ,alexey ,nikolaitch explained to her the difference between the departments and the complicated system of sending in papers4 ,he was soon exhausted1 and his place was taken by the accountant4 ,a wonderfully disagreeable woman6 said ,kistunov1 revolted1 nervously cracking his fingers and continually going to the decanter of water4 ,she's a perfect idiot6 ,she's worn me out and she'll exhaust them1 the nasty creature6 ,ough6 4 4 4 my heart is throbbing4 ,half an hour later he rang his bell4 ,alexey ,nikolaitch made his appearance4 ,how are things going8 ,kistunov asked languidly4 ,we can't make her see anything1 ,pyotr ,alexandritch6 ,we are simply done4 ,we talk of one thing and she talks of something else4 ,i 4 4 4 ,i can't stand the sound of her voice4 4 4 4 ,i am ill 4 4 4 4 ,i can't bear it4 ,send for the porter1 ,pyotr ,alexandritch1 let him put her out4 ,no1 no1 cried ,kistunov in alarm4 ,she will set up a squeal1 and there are lots of flats in this building1 and goodness knows what they would think of us4 4 4 4 ,do try and explain to her1 my dear fellow4 4 4 4 ,a minute later the deep drone of ,alexey ,nikolaitch's voice was audible again4 ,a quarter of an hour passed1 and instead of his bass there was the murmur of the accountant's powerful tenor4 ,re-mark-ably nasty woman1 ,kistunov thought indignantly1 nervously shrugging his shoulders4 ,no more brains than a sheep4 ,i believe that's a twinge of the gout again4 4 4 4 ,my migraine is coming back4 4 4 4 ,in the next room ,alexey ,nikolaitch1 at the end of his resources1 at last tapped his finger on the table and then on his own forehead4 ,the fact of the matter is you haven't a head on your shoulders1 he said1 but this4 ,come1 come1 said the old lady1 offended4 ,talk to your own wife like that4 4 4 4 ,you screw6 4 4 4 ,don't be too free with your hands4 ,and looking at her with fury1 with exasperation1 as though he would devour her1 ,alexey ,nikolaitch said in a quiet1 stifled voice3 ,clear out4 ,wha-at8 squealed ,madame ,shtchukin4 ,how dare you8 ,i am a weak1 defenceless woman2 ,i won't endure it4 ,my husband is a collegiate assessor4 ,you screw6 4 4 4 ,i will go to ,dmitri ,karlitch1 the lawyer1 and there will be nothing left of you6 ,i've had the law of three lodgers1 and ,i will make you flop down at my feet for your saucy words6 ,i'll go to your general4 ,your ,excellency1 your ,excellency6 ,be off1 you pest1 hissed ,alexey ,nikolaitch4 ,kistunov opened his door and looked into the office4 ,what is it8 he asked in a tearful voice4 ,madame ,shtchukin1 as red as a crab1 was standing in the middle of the room1 rolling her eyes and prodding the air with her fingers4 ,the bank clerks were standing round red in the face too1 and1 evidently harassed1 were looking at each other distractedly4 ,your ,excellency1 cried ,madame ,shtchukin1 pouncing upon ,kistunov4 ,here1 this man1 he here 4 4 4 this man 4 4 4 7she pointed to ,alexey ,nikolaitch7 tapped himself on the forehead and then tapped the table4 4 4 4 ,you told him to go into my case1 and he's jeering at me6 ,i am a weak1 defenceless woman4 4 4 4 ,my husband is a collegiate assessor1 and ,i am a major's daughter myself6 ,very good1 madam1 moaned ,kistunov4 ,i will go into it 4 4 4 ,i will take steps4 4 4 4 ,go away 4 4 4 later6 ,and when shall ,i get the money1 your ,excellency8 ,i need it to-day6 ,kistunov passed his trembling hand over his forehead1 heaved a sigh1 and began explaining again4 ,madam1 ,i have told you already this is a bank1 a private commercial establishment4 4 4 4 ,what do you want of us8 ,and do understand that you are hindering us4 ,madame ,shtchukin listened to him and sighed4 ,to be sure1 to be sure1 she assented4 ,only1 your ,excellency1 do me the kindness1 make me pray for you for the rest of my life1 be a father1 protect me6 ,if a medical certificate is not enough ,i can produce an affidavit from the police4 4 4 4 ,tell them to give me the money4 ,everything began swimming before ,kistunov's eyes4 ,he breathed out all the air in his lungs in a prolonged sigh and sank helpless on a chair4 ,how much do you want8 he asked in a weak voice4 ,twenty-four roubles and thirty-six kopecks4 ,kistunov took his pocket-book out of his pocket1 extracted a twenty-five rouble note and gave it to ,madame ,shtchukin4 ,take it and 4 4 4 and go away6 ,madame ,shtchukin wrapped the money up in her handkerchief1 put it away1 and pursing up her face into a sweet1 mincing1 even coquettish smile1 asked3 ,your ,excellency1 and would it be possible for my husband to get a post again8 ,i am going 4 4 4 ,i am ill 4 4 4 said ,kistunov in a weary voice4 ,i have dreadful palpitations4 ,when he had driven home ,alexey ,nikolaitch sent ,nikita for some laurel drops1 and1 after taking twenty drops each1 all the clerks set to work1 while ,madame ,shtchukin stayed another two hours in the vestibule1 talking to the porter and waiting for ,kistunov to return4 4 4 4 ,she came again next day4 ,,an ,,enigmatic ,,nature ,,on the red velvet seat of a first-class railway carriage a pretty lady sits half reclining4 ,an expensive fluffy fan trembles in her tightly closed fingers1 a pince-nez keeps dropping off her pretty little nose1 the brooch heaves and falls on her bosom1 like a boat on the ocean4 ,she is greatly agitated4 ,on the seat opposite sits the ,provincial ,secretary of ,special ,commissions1 a budding young author1 who from time to time publishes long stories of high life1 or ,novelli as he calls them1 in the leading paper of the province4 ,he is gazing into her face1 gazing intently1 with the eyes of a connoisseur4 ,he is watching1 studying1 catching every shade of this exceptional1 enigmatic nature4 ,he understands it1 he fathoms it4 ,her soul1 her whole psychology lies open before him4 ,oh1 ,i understand1 ,i understand you to your inmost depths6 says the ,secretary of ,special ,commissions1 kissing her hand near the bracelet4 ,your sensitive1 responsive soul is seeking to escape from the maze of ---- ,yes1 the struggle is terrific1 titanic4 ,but do not lose heart1 you will be triumphant6 ,yes6 ,write about me1 ,voldemar6 says the pretty lady1 with a mournful smile4 ,my life has been so full1 so varied1 so chequered4 ,above all1 ,i am unhappy4 ,i am a suffering soul in some page of ,dostoevsky4 ,reveal my soul to the world1 ,voldemar4 ,reveal that hapless soul4 ,you are a psychologist4 ,we have not been in the train an hour together1 and you have already fathomed my heart4 ,tell me6 ,i beseech you1 tell me6 ,listen4 ,my father was a poor clerk in the ,service4 ,he had a good heart and was not without intelligence2 but the spirit of the age--of his environment--vous comprenez8--,i do not blame my poor father4 ,he drank1 gambled1 took bribes4 ,my mother--but why say more8 ,poverty1 the struggle for daily bread1 the consciousness of insignificance--ah1 do not force me to recall it6 ,i had to make my own way4 ,you know the monstrous education at a boarding-school1 foolish novel-reading1 the errors of early youth1 the first timid flutter of love4 ,it was awful6 ,the vacillation6 ,and the agonies of losing faith in life1 in oneself6 ,ah1 you are an author4 ,you know us women4 ,you will understand4 ,unhappily ,i have an intense nature4 ,i looked for happiness--and what happiness6 ,i longed to set my soul free4 ,yes4 ,in that ,i saw my happiness6 ,exquisite creature6 murmured the author1 kissing her hand close to the bracelet4 ,it's not you ,i am kissing1 but the suffering of humanity4 ,do you remember ,raskolnikov and his kiss8 ,oh1 ,voldemar1 ,i longed for glory1 renown1 success1 like every--why affect modesty8--every nature above the commonplace4 ,i yearned for something extraordinary1 above the common lot of woman6 ,and then--and then--there crossed my path--an old general--very well off4 ,understand me1 ,voldemar6 ,it was self-sacrifice1 renunciation6 ,you must see that6 ,i could do nothing else4 ,i restored the family fortunes1 was able to travel1 to do good4 ,yet how ,i suffered1 how revolting1 how loathsome to me were his embraces--though ,i will be fair to him--he had fought nobly in his day4 ,there were moments--terrible moments--but ,i was kept up by the thought that from day to day the old man might die1 that then ,i would begin to live as ,i liked1 to give myself to the man ,i adore--be happy4 ,there is such a man1 ,voldemar1 indeed there is6 ,the pretty lady flutters her fan more violently4 ,her face takes a lachrymose expression4 ,she goes on3 ,but at last the old man died4 ,he left me something4 ,i was free as a bird of the air4 ,now is the moment for me to be happy1 isn't it1 ,voldemar8 ,happiness comes tapping at my window1 ,i had only to let it in--but--,voldemar1 listen1 ,i implore you6 ,now is the time for me to give myself to the man ,i love1 to become the partner of his life1 to help1 to uphold his ideals1 to be happy--to find rest--but--how ignoble1 repulsive1 and senseless all our life is6 ,how mean it all is1 ,voldemar4 ,i am wretched1 wretched1 wretched6 ,again there is an obstacle in my path6 ,again ,i feel that my happiness is far1 far away6 ,ah1 what anguish6--if only you knew what anguish6 ,but what--what stands in your way8 ,i implore you tell me6 ,what is it8 ,another old general1 very well off---- ,the broken fan conceals the pretty little face4 ,the author props on his fist his thought-heavy brow and ponders with the air of a master in psychology4 ,the engine is whistling and hissing while the window curtains flush red with the glow of the setting sun4 ,a ,,happy ,,man ,,the passenger train is just starting from ,bologoe1 the junction on the ,petersburg-,moscow line4 ,in a second-class smoking compartment five passengers sit dozing1 shrouded in the twilight of the carriage4 ,they had just had a meal1 and now1 snugly ensconced in their seats1 they are trying to go to sleep4 ,stillness4 ,the door opens and in there walks a tall1 lanky figure straight as a poker1 with a ginger-coloured hat and a smart overcoat1 wonderfully suggestive of a journalist in ,jules ,verne or on the comic stage4 ,the figure stands still in the middle of the compartment for a long while1 breathing heavily1 screwing up his eyes and peering at the seats4 ,no1 wrong again6 he mutters4 ,what the deuce6 ,it's positively revolting6 ,no1 the wrong one again6 ,one of the passengers stares at the figure and utters a shout of joy3 ,ivan ,alexyevitch6 what brings you here8 ,is it you8 ,the poker-like gentleman starts1 stares blankly at the passenger1 and recognizing him claps his hands with delight4 ,ha6 ,pyotr ,petrovitch1 he says4 ,how many summers1 how many winters6 ,i didn't know you were in this train4 ,how are you getting on8 ,i am all right2 the only thing is1 my dear fellow1 ,i've lost my compartment and ,i simply can't find it4 ,what an idiot ,i am6 ,i ought to be thrashed6 ,the poker-like gentleman sways a little unsteadily and sniggers4 ,queer things do happen6 he continues4 ,i stepped out just after the second bell to get a glass of brandy4 ,i got it1 of course4 ,well1 ,i thought1 since it's a long way to the next station1 it would be as well to have a second glass4 ,while ,i was thinking about it and drinking it the third bell rang4 4 4 4 ,i ran like mad and jumped into the first carriage4 ,i am an idiot6 ,i am the son of a hen6 ,but you seem in very good spirits1 observes ,pyotr ,petrovitch4 ,come and sit down6 ,there's room and a welcome4 ,no1 no4 4 4 4 ,i'm off to look for my carriage4 ,good-bye6 ,you'll fall between the carriages in the dark if you don't look out6 ,sit down1 and when we get to a station you'll find your own compartment4 ,sit down6 ,ivan ,alexyevitch heaves a sigh and irresolutely sits down facing ,pyotr ,petrovitch4 ,he is visibly excited1 and fidgets as though he were sitting on thorns4 ,where are you travelling to8 ,pyotr ,petrovitch enquires4 ,i8 ,into space4 ,there is such a turmoil in my head that ,i couldn't tell where ,i am going myself4 ,i go where fate takes me4 ,ha-ha6 ,my dear fellow1 have you ever seen a happy fool8 ,no8 ,well1 then1 take a look at one4 ,you behold the happiest of mortals6 ,yes6 ,don't you see something from my face8 ,well1 one can see you're a bit 4 4 4 a tiny bit so-so4 ,i dare say ,i look awfully stupid just now4 ,ach6 it's a pity ,i haven't a looking-glass1 ,i should like to look at my counting-house4 ,my dear fellow1 ,i feel ,i am turning into an idiot1 honour bright4 ,ha-ha6 ,would you believe it1 ,i'm on my honeymoon4 ,am ,i not the son of a hen8 ,you8 ,do you mean to say you are married8 ,to-day1 my dear boy4 ,we came away straight after the wedding4 ,congratulations and the usual questions follow4 ,well1 you are a fellow6 laughs ,pyotr ,petrovitch4 ,that's why you are rigged out such a dandy4 ,yes1 indeed4 4 4 4 ,to complete the illusion1 ,i've even sprinkled myself with scent4 ,i am over my ears in vanity6 ,no care1 no thought1 nothing but a sensation of something or other 4 4 4 deuce knows what to call it 4 4 4 beatitude or something8 ,i've never felt so grand in my life6 ,ivan ,alexyevitch shuts his eyes and waggles his head4 ,i'm revoltingly happy1 he says4 ,just think2 in a minute ,i shall go to my compartment4 ,there on the seat near the window is sitting a being who is1 so to say1 devoted to you with her whole being4 ,a little blonde with a little nose 4 4 4 little fingers4 4 4 4 ,my little darling6 ,my angel6 ,my little poppet6 ,phylloxera of my soul6 ,and her little foot6 ,good ,god6 ,a little foot not like our beetle-crushers1 but something miniature1 fairylike1 allegorical4 ,i could pick it up and eat it1 that little foot6 ,oh1 but you don't understand6 ,you're a materialist1 of course1 you begin analyzing at once1 and one thing and another4 ,you are cold-hearted bachelors1 that's what you are6 ,when you get married you'll think of me4 ',where's ,ivan ,alexyevitch now8' you'll say4 ,yes2 so in a minute ,i'm going to my compartment4 ,there she is waiting for me with impatience 4 4 4 in joyful anticipation of my appearance4 ,she'll have a smile to greet me4 ,i sit down beside her and take her chin with my two fingers4 ,ivan ,alexyevitch waggles his head and goes off into a chuckle of delight4 ,then ,i lay my noddle on her shoulder and put my arm round her waist4 ,around all is silence1 you know 4 4 4 poetic twilight4 ,i could embrace the whole world at such a moment4 ,pyotr ,petrovitch1 allow me to embrace you6 ,delighted1 ,i'm sure4 ,the two friends embrace while the passengers laugh in chorus4 ,and the happy bridegroom continues3 ,and to complete the idiocy1 or1 as the novelists say1 to complete the illusion1 one goes to the refreshment-room and tosses off two or three glasses4 ,and then something happens in your head and your heart1 finer than you can read of in a fairy tale4 ,i am a man of no importance1 but ,i feel as though ,i were limitless3 ,i embrace the whole world6 ,the passengers1 looking at the tipsy and blissful bridegroom1 are infected by his cheerfulness and no longer feel sleepy4 ,instead of one listener1 ,ivan ,alexyevitch has now an audience of five4 ,he wriggles and splutters1 gesticulates1 and prattles on without ceasing4 ,he laughs and they all laugh4 ,gentlemen1 gentlemen1 don't think so much6 ,damn all this analysis6 ,if you want a drink1 drink1 no need to philosophize as to whether it's bad for you or not4 4 4 4 ,damn all this philosophy and psychology6 ,the guard walks through the compartment4 ,my dear fellow1 the bridegroom addresses him1 when you pass through the carriage ,no4 #bji look out for a lady in a grey hat with a white bird and tell her ,i'm here6 ,yes1 sir4 ,only there isn't a ,no4 #bji in this train2 there's #bai6 ,well1 #bai1 then6 ,it's all the same4 ,tell that lady1 then1 that her husband is all right6 ,ivan ,alexyevitch suddenly clutches his head and groans3 ,husband4 4 4 4 ,lady4 4 4 4 ,all in a minute6 ,husband4 4 4 4 ,ha-ha6 ,i am a puppy that needs thrashing1 and here ,i am a husband6 ,ach1 idiot6 ,but think of her6 4 4 4 ,yesterday she was a little girl1 a midget 4 4 4 it s simply incredible6 ,nowadays it really seems strange to see a happy man1 observes one of the passengers2 one as soon expects to see a white elephant4 ,yes1 and whose fault is it8 says ,ivan ,alexyevitch1 stretching his long legs and thrusting out his feet with their very pointed toes4 ,if you are not happy it's your own fault6 ,yes1 what else do you suppose it is8 ,man is the creator of his own happiness4 ,if you want to be happy you will be1 but you don't want to be6 ,you obstinately turn away from happiness4 ,why1 what next6 ,how do you make that out8 ,very simply4 ,nature has ordained that at a certain stage in his life man should love4 ,when that time comes you should love like a house on fire1 but you won't heed the dictates of nature1 you keep waiting for something4 ,what's more1 it's laid down by law that the normal man should enter upon matrimony4 ,there's no happiness without marriage4 ,when the propitious moment has come1 get married4 ,there's no use in shilly-shallying4 4 4 4 ,but you don't get married1 you keep waiting for something6 ,then the ,scriptures tell us that 'wine maketh glad the heart of man4' 4 4 4 ,if you feel happy and you want to feel better still1 then go to the refreshment bar and have a drink4 ,the great thing is not to be too clever1 but to follow the beaten track6 ,the beaten track is a grand thing6 ,you say that man is the creator of his own happiness4 ,how the devil is he the creator of it when a toothache or an ill-natured mother-in-law is enough to scatter his happiness to the winds8 ,everything depends on chance4 ,if we had an accident at this moment you'd sing a different tune4 ,stuff and nonsense6 retorts the bridegroom4 ,railway accidents only happen once a year4 ,i'm not afraid of an accident1 for there is no reason for one4 ,accidents are exceptional6 ,confound them6 ,i don't want to talk of them6 ,oh1 ,i believe we're stopping at a station4 ,where are you going now8 asks ,pyotr ,petrovitch4 ,to ,moscow or somewhere further south8 ,why1 bless you6 ,how could ,i go somewhere further south1 when ,i'm on my way to the north8 ,but ,moscow isn't in the north4 ,i know that1 but we're on our way to ,petersburg1 says ,ivan ,alexyevitch4 ,we are going to ,moscow1 mercy on us6 ,to ,moscow8 ,what do you mean8 says the bridegroom in amazement4 ,it's queer4 4 4 4 ,for what station did you take your ticket8 ,for ,petersburg4 ,in that case ,i congratulate you4 ,you've got into the wrong train4 ,there follows a minute of silence4 ,the bridegroom gets up and looks blankly round the company4 ,yes1 yes1 ,pyotr ,petrovitch explains4 ,you must have jumped into the wrong train at ,bologoe4 4 4 4 ,after your glass of brandy you succeeded in getting into the down-train4 ,ivan ,alexyevitch turns pale1 clutches his head1 and begins pacing rapidly about the carriage4 ,ach1 idiot that ,i am6 he says in indignation4 ,scoundrel6 ,the devil devour me6 ,whatever am ,i to do now8 ,why1 my wife is in that train6 ,she's there all alone1 expecting me1 consumed by anxiety4 ,ach1 ,i'm a motley fool6 ,the bridegroom falls on the seat and writhes as though someone had trodden on his corns4 ,i am un-unhappy man6 he moans4 ,what am ,i to do1 what am ,i to do8 ,there1 there6 the passengers try to console him4 ,it's all right 4 4 4 4 ,you must telegraph to your wife and try to change into the ,petersburg express4 ,in that way you'll overtake her4 ,the ,petersburg express6 weeps the bridegroom1 the creator of his own happiness4 ,and how am ,i to get a ticket for the ,petersburg express8 ,all my money is with my wife4 ,the passengers1 laughing and whispering together1 make a collection and furnish the happy man with funds4 ,a ,,troublesome ,,visitor ,,in the low-pitched1 crooked little hut of ,artyom1 the forester1 two men were sitting under the big dark ikon--,artyom himself1 a short and lean peasant with a wrinkled1 aged-looking face and a little beard that grew out of his neck1 and a well-grown young man in a new crimson shirt and big wading boots1 who had been out hunting and come in for the night4 ,they were sitting on a bench at a little three-legged table on which a tallow candle stuck into a bottle was lazily burning4 ,outside the window the darkness of the night was full of the noisy uproar into which nature usually breaks out before a thunderstorm4 ,the wind howled angrily and the bowed trees moaned miserably4 ,one pane of the window had been pasted up with paper1 and leaves torn off by the wind could be heard pattering against the paper4 ,i tell you what1 good ,christian1 said ,artyom in a hoarse little tenor half-whisper1 staring with unblinking1 scared-looking eyes at the hunter4 ,i am not afraid of wolves or bears1 or wild beasts of any sort1 but ,i am afraid of man4 ,you can save yourself from beasts with a gun or some other weapon1 but you have no means of saving yourself from a wicked man4 ,to be sure1 you can fire at a beast1 but if you shoot at a robber you will have to answer for it3 you will go to ,siberia4 ,i've been forester1 my lad1 for thirty years1 and ,i couldn't tell you what ,i have had to put up with from wicked men4 ,there have been lots and lots of them here4 ,the hut's on a track1 it's a cart-road1 and that brings them1 the devils4 ,every sort of ruffian turns up1 and without taking off his cap or making the sign of the cross1 bursts straight in upon one with3 ',give us some bread1 you old so-and-so4' ,and where am ,i to get bread for him8 ,what claim has he8 ,am ,i a millionaire to feed every drunkard that passes8 ,they are half-blind with spite4 4 4 4 ,they have no cross on them1 the devils 4 4 4 4 ,they'll give you a clout on the ear and not think twice about it3 ',give us bread6' ,well1 one gives it4 4 4 4 ,one is not going to fight with them1 the idols6 ,some of them are two yards across the shoulders1 and a great fist as big as your boot1 and you see the sort of figure ,i am4 ,one of them could smash me with his little finger4 4 4 4 ,well1 one gives him bread and he gobbles it up1 and stretches out full length across the hut with not a word of thanks4 ,and there are some that ask for money4 ',tell me1 where is your money8' ,as though ,i had money6 ,how should ,i come by it8 ,a forester and no money6 laughed the hunter4 ,you get wages every month1 and ,i'll be bound you sell timber on the sly4 ,artyom took a timid sideway glance at his visitor and twitched his beard as a magpie twitches her tail4 ,you are still young to say a thing like that to me1 he said4 ,you will have to answer to ,god for those words4 ,whom may your people be8 ,where do you come from8 ,i am from ,vyazovka4 ,i am the son of ,nefed the village elder4 ,you have gone out for sport with your gun4 ,i used to like sport1 too1 when ,i was young4 ,h'm6 ,ah1 our sins are grievous1 said ,artyom1 with a yawn4 ,it's a sad thing6 ,there are few good folks1 but villains and murderers no end--,god have mercy upon us4 ,you seem to be frightened of me1 too4 4 4 4 ,come1 what next6 ,what should ,i be afraid of you for8 ,i see4 4 4 4 ,i understand4 4 4 4 ,you came in1 and not just anyhow1 but you made the sign of the cross1 you bowed1 all decent and proper4 4 4 4 ,i understand4 4 4 4 ,one can give you bread4 4 4 4 ,i am a widower1 ,i don't heat the stove1 ,i sold the samovar4 4 4 4 ,i am too poor to keep meat or anything else1 but bread you are welcome to4 ,at that moment something began growling under the bench3 the growl was followed by a hiss4 ,artyom started1 drew up his legs1 and looked enquiringly at the hunter4 ,it's my dog worrying your cat1 said the hunter4 ,you devils6 he shouted under the bench4 ,lie down4 ,you'll be beaten4 ,i say1 your cat's thin1 mate6 ,she is nothing but skin and bone4 ,she is old1 it is time she was dead4 4 4 4 ,so you say you are from ,vyazovka8 ,i see you don't feed her4 ,though she's a cat she's a creature 4 4 4 every breathing thing4 ,you should have pity on her6 ,you are a queer lot in ,vyazovka1 ,artyom went on1 as though not listening4 ,the church has been robbed twice in one year4 4 4 ,to think that there are such wicked men6 ,so they fear neither man nor ,god6 ,to steal what is the ,lord's6 ,hanging's too good for them6 ,in old days the governors used to have such rogues flogged4 ,however you punish1 whether it is with flogging or anything else1 it will be no good1 you will not knock the wickedness out of a wicked man4 ,save and preserve us1 ,queen of ,heaven6 ,the forester sighed abruptly4 ,save us from all enemies and evildoers4 ,last week at ,volovy ,zaimishtchy1 a mower struck another on the chest with his scythe 4 4 4 he killed him outright6 ,and what was it all about1 ,god bless me6 ,one mower came out of the tavern 4 4 4 drunk4 ,the other met him1 drunk too4 ,the young man1 who had been listening attentively1 suddenly started1 and his face grew tense as he listened4 ,stay1 he said1 interrupting the forester4 ,i fancy someone is shouting4 ,the hunter and the forester fell to listening with their eyes fixed on the window4 ,through the noise of the forest they could hear sounds such as the strained ear can always distinguish in every storm1 so that it was difficult to make out whether people were calling for help or whether the wind was wailing in the chimney4 ,but the wind tore at the roof1 tapped at the paper on the window1 and brought a distinct shout of ,help6 ,talk of your murderers1 said the hunter1 turning pale and getting up4 ,someone is being robbed6 ,lord have mercy on us1 whispered the forester1 and he1 too1 turned pale and got up4 ,the hunter looked aimlessly out of window and walked up and down the hut4 ,what a night1 what a night6 he muttered4 ,you can't see your hand before your face6 ,the very time for a robbery4 ,do you hear8 ,there is a shout again4 ,the forester looked at the ikon and from the ikon turned his eyes upon the hunter1 and sank on to the bench1 collapsing like a man terrified by sudden bad news4 ,good ,christian1 he said in a tearful voice1 you might go into the passage and bolt the door4 ,and we must put out the light4 ,what for8 ,by ill-luck they may find their way here4 4 4 4 ,oh1 our sins6 ,we ought to be going1 and you talk of bolting the door6 ,you are a clever one6 ,are you coming8 ,the hunter threw his gun over his shoulder and picked up his cap4 ,get ready1 take your gun4 ,hey1 ,flerka1 here1 he called to his dog4 ,flerka6 ,a dog with long frayed ears1 a mongrel between a setter and a house-dog1 came out from under the bench4 ,he stretched himself by his master's feet and wagged his tail4 ,why are you sitting there8 cried the hunter to the forester4 ,you mean to say you are not going8 ,where8 ,to help6 ,how can ,i8 said the forester with a wave of his hand1 shuddering all over4 ,i can't bother about it6 ,why won't you come8 ,after talking of such dreadful things ,i won't stir a step into the darkness4 ,bless them6 ,and what should ,i go for8 ,what are you afraid of8 ,haven't you got a gun8 ,let us go1 please do4 ,it's scaring to go alone2 it will be more cheerful1 the two of us4 ,do you hear8 ,there was a shout again4 ,get up6 ,whatever do you think of me1 lad8 wailed the forester4 ,do you think ,i am such a fool to go straight to my undoing8 ,so you are not coming8 ,the forester did not answer4 ,the dog1 probably hearing a human cry1 gave a plaintive whine4 ,are you coming1 ,i ask you8 cried the hunter1 rolling his eyes angrily4 ,you do keep on1 upon my word1 said the forester with annoyance4 ,go yourself4 ,ugh6 4 4 4 low cur1 growled the hunter1 turning towards the door4 ,flerka1 here6 ,he went out and left the door open4 ,the wind flew into the hut4 ,the flame of the candle flickered uneasily1 flared up1 and went out4 ,as he bolted the door after the hunter1 the forester saw the puddles in the track1 the nearest pine-trees1 and the retreating figure of his guest lighted up by a flash of lightning4 ,far away he heard the rumble of thunder4 ,holy1 holy1 holy1 whispered the forester1 making haste to thrust the thick bolt into the great iron rings4 ,what weather the ,lord has sent us6 ,going back into the room1 he felt his way to the stove1 lay down1 and covered himself from head to foot4 ,lying under the sheepskin and listening intently1 he could no longer hear the human cry1 but the peals of thunder kept growing louder and more prolonged4 ,he could hear the big wind-lashed raindrops pattering angrily on the panes and on the paper of the window4 ,he's gone on a fool's errand1 he thought1 picturing the hunter soaked with rain and stumbling over the tree-stumps4 ,i bet his teeth are chattering with terror6 ,not more than ten minutes later there was a sound of footsteps1 followed by a loud knock at the door4 ,who's there8 cried the forester4 ,it's ,i1 he heard the young man's voice4 ,unfasten the door4 ,the forester clambered down from the stove1 felt for the candle1 and1 lighting it1 went to the door4 ,the hunter and his dog were drenched to the skin4 ,they had come in for the heaviest of the downpour1 and now the water ran from them as from washed clothes before they have been wrung out4 ,what was it8 asked the forester4 ,a peasant woman driving in a cart2 she had got off the road 4 4 4 answered the young man1 struggling with his breathlessness4 ,she was caught in a thicket4 ,ah1 the silly thing6 ,she was frightened1 then4 4 4 4 ,well1 did you put her on the road8 ,i don't care to talk to a scoundrel like you4 ,the young man flung his wet cap on the bench and went on3 ,i know now that you are a scoundrel and the lowest of men4 ,and you a keeper1 too1 getting a salary6 ,you blackguard6 ,the forester slunk with a guilty step to the stove1 cleared his throat1 and lay down4 ,the young man sat on the bench1 thought a little1 and lay down on it full length4 ,not long afterwards he got up1 put out the candle1 and lay down again4 ,during a particularly loud clap of thunder he turned over1 spat on the floor1 and growled out3 ,he's afraid4 4 4 4 ,and what if the woman were being murdered8 ,whose business is it to defend her8 ,and he an old man1 too1 and a ,christian 4 4 4 4 ,he's a pig and nothing else4 ,the forester cleared his throat and heaved a deep sigh4 ,somewhere in the darkness ,flerka shook his wet coat vigorously1 which sent drops of water flying about all over the room4 ,so you wouldn't care if the woman were murdered8 the hunter went on4 ,well--strike me1 ,god--,i had no notion you were that sort of man4 4 4 4 ,a silence followed4 ,the thunderstorm was by now over and the thunder came from far away1 but it was still raining4 ,and suppose it hadn't been a woman but you shouting ',help6'8 said the hunter1 breaking the silence4 ,how would you feel1 you beast1 if no one ran to your aid8 ,you have upset me with your meanness1 plague take you6 ,after another long interval the hunter said3 ,you must have money to be afraid of people6 ,a man who is poor is not likely to be afraid4 4 4 4 ,for those words you will answer before ,god1 ,artyom said hoarsely from the stove4 ,i have no money4 ,i dare say6 ,scoundrels always have money4 4 4 4 ,why are you afraid of people1 then8 ,so you must have6 ,i'd like to take and rob you for spite1 to teach you a lesson6 4 4 4 ,artyom slipped noiselessly from the stove1 lighted a candle1 and sat down under the holy image4 ,he was pale and did not take his eyes off the hunter4 ,here1 ,i'll rob you1 said the hunter1 getting up4 ,what do you think about it8 ,fellows like you want a lesson4 ,tell me1 where is your money hidden8 ,artyom drew his legs up under him and blinked4 ,what are you wriggling for8 ,where is your money hidden8 ,have you lost your tongue1 you fool8 ,why don't you answer8 ,the young man jumped up and went up to the forester4 ,he is blinking like an owl6 ,well8 ,give me your money1 or ,i will shoot you with my gun4 ,why do you keep on at me8 squealed the forester1 and big tears rolled from his eyes4 ,what's the reason of it8 ,god sees all6 ,you will have to answer1 for every word you say1 to ,god4 ,you have no right whatever to ask for my money4 ,the young man looked at ,artyom's tearful face1 frowned1 and walked up and down the hut1 then angrily clapped his cap on his head and picked up his gun4 ,ugh6 4 4 4 ugh6 4 4 4 it makes me sick to look at you1 he filtered through his teeth4 ,i can't bear the sight of you4 ,i won't sleep in your house1 anyway4 ,good-bye6 ,hey1 ,flerka6 ,the door slammed and the troublesome visitor went out with his dog4 4 4 4 ,artyom bolted the door after him1 crossed himself1 and lay down4 ,,an ,,actor',s ,,end ,,shtchiptsov1 the heavy father and good-hearted simpleton1 a tall and thick-set old man1 not so much distinguished by his talents as an actor as by his exceptional physical strength1 had a desperate quarrel with the manager during the performance1 and just when the storm of words was at its height felt as though something had snapped in his chest4 ,zhukov1 the manager1 as a rule began at the end of every heated discussion to laugh hysterically and to fall into a swoon2 on this occasion1 however1 ,shtchiptsov did not remain for this climax1 but hurried home4 ,the high words and the sensation of something ruptured in his chest so agitated him as he left the theatre that he forgot to wash off his paint1 and did nothing but take off his beard4 ,when he reached his hotel room1 ,shtchiptsov spent a long time pacing up and down1 then sat down on the bed1 propped his head on his fists1 and sank into thought4 ,he sat like that without stirring or uttering a sound till two o'clock the next afternoon1 when ,sigaev1 the comic man1 walked into his room4 ,why is it you did not come to the rehearsal1 ,booby ,ivanitch8 the comic man began1 panting and filling the room with fumes of vodka4 ,where have you been8 ,shtchiptsov made no answer1 but simply stared at the comic man with lustreless eyes1 under which there were smudges of paint4 ,you might at least have washed your phiz6 ,sigaev went on4 ,you are a disgraceful sight6 ,have you been boozing1 or 4 4 4 are you ill1 or what8 ,but why don't you speak8 ,i am asking you3 are you ill8 ,shtchiptsov did not speak4 ,in spite of the paint on his face1 the comic man could not help noticing his striking pallor1 the drops of sweat on his forehead1 and the twitching of his lips4 ,his hands and feet were trembling too1 and the whole huge figure of the good-natured simpleton looked somehow crushed and flattened4 ,the comic man took a rapid glance round the room1 but saw neither bottle nor flask nor any other suspicious vessel4 ,i say1 ,mishutka1 you know you are ill6 he said in a flutter4 ,strike me dead1 you are ill6 ,you don't look yourself6 ,shtchiptsov remained silent and stared disconsolately at the floor4 ,you must have caught cold1 said ,sigaev1 taking him by the hand4 ,oh1 dear1 how hot your hands are6 ,what's the trouble8 ,i wa-ant to go home1 muttered ,shtchiptsov4 ,but you are at home now1 aren't you8 ,no4 4 4 4 ,to ,vyazma4 4 4 4 ,oh1 my1 anywhere else6 ,it would take you three years to get to your ,vyazma4 4 4 4 ,what8 do you want to go and see your daddy and mummy8 ,i'll be bound1 they've kicked the bucket years ago1 and you won't find their graves4 4 4 4 ,my ho-ome's there4 ,come1 it's no good giving way to the dismal dumps4 ,these neurotic feelings are the limit1 old man4 ,you must get well1 for you have to play ,mitka in ',the ,terrible ,tsar' to-morrow4 ,there is nobody else to do it4 ,drink something hot and take some castor-oil8 ,have you got the money for some castor-oil8 ,or1 stay1 ,i'll run and buy some4 ,the comic man fumbled in his pockets1 found a fifteen-kopeck piece1 and ran to the chemist's4 ,a quarter of an hour later he came back4 ,come1 drink it1 he said1 holding the bottle to the heavy father's mouth4 ,drink it straight out of the bottle4 4 4 4 ,all at a go6 ,that's the way4 4 4 4 ,now nibble at a clove that your very soul mayn't stink of the filthy stuff4 ,the comic man sat a little longer with his sick friend1 then kissed him tenderly1 and went away4 ,towards evening the jeune premier1 ,brama-,glinsky1 ran in to see ,shtchiptsov4 ,the gifted actor was wearing a pair of prunella boots1 had a glove on his left hand1 was smoking a cigar1 and even smelt of heliotrope1 yet nevertheless he strongly suggested a traveller cast away in some land in which there were neither baths nor laundresses nor tailors4 4 4 4 ,i hear you are ill8 he said to ,shtchiptsov1 twirling round on his heel4 ,what's wrong with you8 ,what's wrong with you1 really8 4 4 4 ,shtchiptsov did not speak nor stir4 ,why don't you speak8 ,do you feel giddy8 ,oh well1 don't talk1 ,i won't pester you 4 4 4 don't talk4 4 4 4 ,brama-,glinsky 7that was his stage name1 in his passport he was called ,guskov7 walked away to the window1 put his hands in his pockets1 and fell to gazing into the street4 ,before his eyes stretched an immense waste1 bounded by a grey fence beside which ran a perfect forest of last year's burdocks4 ,beyond the waste ground was a dark1 deserted factory1 with windows boarded up4 ,a belated jackdaw was flying round the chimney4 ,this dreary1 lifeless scene was beginning to be veiled in the dusk of evening4 ,i must go home6 the jeune premier heard4 ,where is home8 ,to ,vyazma 4 4 4 to my home4 4 4 4 ,it is a thousand miles to ,vyazma 4 4 4 my boy1 sighed ,brama-,glinsky1 drumming on the window-pane4 ,and what do you want to go to ,vyazma for8 ,i want to die there4 ,what next6 ,now he's dying6 ,he has fallen ill for the first time in his life1 and already he fancies that his last hour is come4 4 4 4 ,no1 my boy1 no cholera will carry off a buffalo like you4 ,you'll live to be a hundred4 4 4 4 ,where's the pain8 ,there's no pain1 but ,i 4 4 4 feel 4 4 4 ,you don't feel anything1 it all comes from being too healthy4 ,your surplus energy upsets you4 ,you ought to get jolly tight--drink1 you know1 till your whole inside is topsy-turvy4 ,getting drunk is wonderfully restoring4 4 4 4 ,do you remember how screwed you were at ,rostov on the ,don8 ,good ,lord1 the very thought of it is alarming6 ,sashka and ,i together could only just carry in the barrel1 and you emptied it alone1 and even sent for rum afterwards4 4 4 4 ,you got so drunk you were catching devils in a sack and pulled a lamp-post up by the roots4 ,do you remember8 ,then you went off to beat the ,greeks4 4 4 4 ,under the influence of these agreeable reminiscences ,shtchiptsov's face brightened a little and his eyes began to shine4 ,and do you remember how ,i beat ,savoikin the manager8 he muttered1 raising his head4 ,but there6 ,i've beaten thirty-three managers in my time1 and ,i can't remember how many smaller fry4 ,and what managers they were6 ,men who would not permit the very winds to touch them6 ,i've beaten two celebrated authors and one painter6 ,what are you crying for8 ,at ,kherson ,i killed a horse with my fists4 ,and at ,taganrog some roughs fell upon me at night1 fifteen of them4 ,i took off their caps and they followed me1 begging3 ',uncle1 give us back our caps4' ,that's how ,i used to go on4 ,what are you crying for1 then1 you silly8 ,but now it's all over 4 4 4 ,i feel it4 ,if only ,i could go to ,vyazma6 ,a pause followed4 ,after a silence ,shtchiptsov suddenly jumped up and seized his cap4 ,he looked distraught4 ,good-bye6 ,i am going to ,vyazma6 he articulated1 staggering4 ,and the money for the journey8 ,h'm6 4 4 4 ,i shall go on foot6 ,you are crazy4 4 4 4 ,the two men looked at each other1 probably because the same thought--of the boundless plains1 the unending forests and swamps--struck both of them at once4 ,well1 ,i see you have gone off your head1 the jeune premier commented4 ,i'll tell you what1 old man4 4 4 4 ,first thing1 go to bed1 then drink some brandy and tea to put you into a sweat4 ,and some castor-oil1 of course4 ,stay1 where am ,i to get some brandy8 ,brama-,glinsky thought a minute1 then made up his mind to go to a shopkeeper called ,madame ,tsitrinnikov to try and get it from her on tick3 who knows8 perhaps the woman would feel for them and let them have it4 ,the jeune premier went off1 and half an hour later returned with a bottle of brandy and some castor-oil4 ,shtchiptsov was sitting motionless1 as before1 on the bed1 gazing dumbly at the floor4 ,he drank the castor-oil offered him by his friend like an automaton1 with no consciousness of what he was doing4 ,like an automaton he sat afterwards at the table1 and drank tea and brandy2 mechanically he emptied the whole bottle and let the jeune premier put him to bed4 ,the latter covered him up with a quilt and an overcoat1 advised him to get into a perspiration1 and went away4 ,the night came on2 ,shtchiptsov had drunk a great deal of brandy1 but he did not sleep4 ,he lay motionless under the quilt and stared at the dark ceiling2 then1 seeing the moon looking in at the window1 he turned his eyes from the ceiling towards the companion of the earth1 and lay so with open eyes till the morning4 ,at nine o'clock in the morning ,zhukov1 the manager1 ran in4 ,what has put it into your head to be ill1 my angel8 he cackled1 wrinkling up his nose4 ,aie1 aie6 ,a man with your physique has no business to be ill6 ,for shame1 for shame6 ,do you know1 ,i was quite frightened4 ',can our conversation have had such an effect on him8' ,i wondered4 ,my dear soul1 ,i hope it's not through me you've fallen ill6 ,you know you gave me as good 4 4 4 er 4 4 4 ,and1 besides1 comrades can never get on without words4 ,you called me all sorts of names 4 4 4 and have gone at me with your fists too1 and yet ,i am fond of you6 ,upon my soul1 ,i am4 ,i respect you and am fond of you6 ,explain1 my angel1 why ,i am so fond of you4 ,you are neither kith nor kin nor wife1 but as soon as ,i heard you had fallen ill it cut me to the heart4 ,zhukov spent a long time declaring his affection1 then fell to kissing the invalid1 and finally was so overcome by his feelings that he began laughing hysterically1 and was even meaning to fall into a swoon1 but1 probably remembering that he was not at home nor at the theatre1 put off the swoon to a more convenient opportunity and went away4 ,soon after him ,adabashev1 the tragic actor1 a dingy1 short-sighted individual who talked through his nose1 made his appearance4 4 4 4 ,for a long while he looked at ,shtchiptsov1 for a long while he pondered1 and at last he made a discovery4 ,do you know what1 ,mifa8 he said1 pronouncing through his nose f instead of sh1 and assuming a mysterious expression4 ,do you know what8 ,you ought to have a dose of castor-oil6 ,shtchiptsov was silent4 ,he remained silent1 too1 a little later as the tragic actor poured the loathsome oil into his mouth4 ,two hours later ,yevlampy1 or1 as the actors for some reason called him1 ,rigoletto1 the hairdresser of the company1 came into the room4 ,he too1 like the tragic man1 stared at ,shtchiptsov for a long time1 then sighed like a steam-engine1 and slowly and deliberately began untying a parcel he had brought with him4 ,in it there were twenty cups and several little flasks4 ,you should have sent for me and ,i would have cupped you long ago1 he said1 tenderly baring ,shtchiptsov's chest4 ,it is easy to neglect illness4 ,thereupon ,rigoletto stroked the broad chest of the heavy father and covered it all over with suction cups4 ,yes 4 4 4 he said1 as after this operation he packed up his paraphernalia1 crimson with ,shtchiptsov's blood4 ,you should have sent for me1 and ,i would have come4 4 4 4 ,you needn't trouble about payment4 4 4 4 ,i do it from sympathy4 ,where are you to get the money if that idol won't pay you8 ,now1 please take these drops4 ,they are nice drops6 ,and now you must have a dose of this castor-oil4 ,it's the real thing4 ,that's right6 ,i hope it will do you good4 ,well1 now1 good-bye4 4 4 4 ,rigoletto took his parcel and withdrew1 pleased that he had been of assistance to a fellow-creature4 ,the next morning ,sigaev1 the comic man1 going in to see ,shtchiptsov1 found him in a terrible condition4 ,he was lying under his coat1 breathing in gasps1 while his eyes strayed over the ceiling4 ,in his hands he was crushing convulsively the crumpled quilt4 ,to ,vyazma6 he whispered1 when he saw the comic man4 ,to ,vyazma4 ,come1 ,i don't like that1 old man6 said the comic man1 flinging up his hands4 ,you see 4 4 4 you see 4 4 4 you see1 old man1 that's not the thing6 ,excuse me1 but 4 4 4 it's positively stupid4 4 4 4 ,to go to ,vyazma6 ,my ,god1 to ,vyazma6 ,i 4 4 4 ,i did not expect it of you1 the comic man muttered1 utterly distracted4 ,what the deuce do you want to collapse like this for8 ,aie 4 4 4 aie 4 4 4 aie6 4 4 4 that's not the thing4 ,a giant as tall as a watch-tower1 and crying4 ,is it the thing for actors to cry8 ,no wife nor children1 muttered ,shtchiptsov4 ,i ought not to have gone for an actor1 but have stayed at ,vyazma4 ,my life has been wasted1 ,semyon6 ,oh1 to be in ,vyazma6 ,aie 4 4 4 aie 4 4 4 aie6 4 4 4 that's not the thing6 ,you see1 it's stupid 4 4 4 contemptible indeed6 ,recovering his composure and setting his feelings in order1 ,sigaev began comforting ,shtchiptsov1 telling him untruly that his comrades had decided to send him to the ,crimea at their expense1 and so on1 but the sick man did not listen and kept muttering about ,vyazma 4 4 4 4 ,at last1 with a wave of his hand1 the comic man began talking about ,vyazma himself to comfort the invalid4 ,it's a fine town1 he said soothingly1 a capital town1 old man6 ,it's famous for its cakes4 ,the cakes are classical1 but--between ourselves--h'm6--they are a bit groggy4 ,for a whole week after eating them ,i was 4 4 4 h'm6 4 4 4 ,but what is fine there is the merchants6 ,they are something like merchants4 ,when they treat you they do treat you6 ,the comic man talked while ,shtchiptsov listened in silence and nodded his head approvingly4 ,towards evening he died4