quarter of an hour Akim had reached Lizaveta Prohorovna's house,had galloped up to the front door, jumped out of the cart and dashedstraight into the entry.
"What do you want?" muttered the frightened footman who was sleepingsweetly on the hall bench.
"The mistress, I want to see the mistress," said Akim loudly.
The footman was amazed.
"Has anything happened?" he began.
"Nothing has happened, but I want to see the mistress."
"What, what," said the footman, more and more astonished, and heslowly drew himself up.
Akim pulled himself up.... He felt as though cold water had beenpoured on him.
"Announce to the mistress, please, Pyotr Yevgrafitch," he said with alow bow, "that Akim asks leave to see her."
"Very good ... I'll go ... I'll tell her ... but you must be drunk,wait a bit," grumbled the footman, and he went off.
Akim looked down and seemed confused.... His determination hadevaporated as soon as he went into the hall.
Lizaveta Prohorovna was confused, too, when she was informed that Akimhad come. She immediately summoned Kirillovna to her boudoir.
"I can't see him," she began hurriedly, as soon as the latterappeared. "I absolutely cannot. What am I to say to him? I told you hewould be sure to come and complain," she added in annoyance andagitation. "I told you."
"But why should you see him?" Kirillovna answered calmly, "there is noneed to. Why should you be worried! No, indeed!"
"What is to be done then?"
"If you will permit me, I will speak to him."
Lizaveta Prohorovna raised her head.
"Please do, Kirillovna. Talk to him. You tell him ... that I found itnecessary ... but that I will compensate him ... say what you thinkbest. Please, Kirillovna."
"Don't you worry yourself, madam," answered Kirillovna, and she wentout, her shoes creaking.
A quarter of an hour had not elapsed when their creaking was heardagain and Kirillovna walked into the boudoir with the same unruffledexpression on her face and the same sly shrewdness in her eyes.
"Well?" asked her mistress, "how is Akim?"
"He is all right, madam. He says that it must all be as you graciouslyplease; that if only you have good health and prosperity he can getalong very well."
"And he did not complain?"
"No, madam. Why should he complain?"
"What did he come for, then?" Lizaveta Prohorovna asked in somesurprise.
"He came to ask whether you would excuse his yearly payment for nextyear, that is, until he has been compensated."
"Of course, of course," Lizaveta Prohorovna caught her up eagerly. "Ofcourse, with pleasure. And tell him, in fact, that I will make it upto him. Thank you, Kirillovna. I see he is a good-hearted man. Stay,"she added, "give him this from me," and she took a three-rouble noteout of her work-table drawer, "Here, take this, give it to him."
"Certainly, madam," answered Kirillovna, and going calmly back to herroom she locked the note in an iron-cased box which stood at the headof her bed; she kept in it all her spare cash, and there was aconsiderable amount of it.
Kirillovna had reassured her mistress by her report but theconversation between herself and Akim had not been quite what sherepresented. She had sent for him to the maid's room. At first he hadnot come, declaring that he did not want to see Kirillovna butLizaveta Prohorovna herself; he had, however, at last obeyed and goneby the back door to see Kirillovna. He found her alone. He stopped atonce on getting into the room and leaned against the wall by the door;he would have spoken but he could not.
Kirillovna looked at him intently.
"You want to see the mistress, Akim Semyonitch?" she began.
He simply nodded.
"It's impossible, Akim Semyonitch. And what's the use? What's donecan't be undone, and you will only worry the mistress. She can't seeyou now, Akim Semyonitch."
"She cannot," he repeated and paused. "Well, then," he brought out atlast, "so then my house is lost?"
"Listen, Akim Semyonitch. I know you have always been a sensible man.Such is the mistress's will and there is no changing it. You can'talter that. Whatever you and I might say about it would make nodifference, would it?"
Akim put his arm behind his back.
"You'd better think," Kirillovna went on, "shouldn't you ask themistress to let you off your yearly payment or something?"
"So my house is lost?" repeated Akim in the same voice.
"Akim Semyonitch, I tell you, it's no use. You know that better thanI do."
"Yes. Anyway, you might tell me what the house went for?"
"I don't know, Akim Semyonitch, I can't tell you.... But why are youstanding?" she added. "Sit down."
"I'd rather stand, I am a peasant. I thank you humbly."
"You a peasant, Akim Semyonitch? You are as good as a merchant, letalone a house-serf! What do you mean? Don't distress yourself fornothing. Won't you have some tea?"
"No, thank you, I don't want it. So you have got hold of my housebetween you," he added, moving away from the wall. "Thank you forthat. I wish you good-bye, my lady."
And he turned and went out. Kirillovna straightened her apron and wentto her mistress.
"So I am a merchant, it seems," Akim said to himself, standing beforethe gate in hesitation. "A nice merchant!" He waved his hand andlaughed bitterly. "Well, I suppose I had better go home."
And entirely forgetting Naum's horse with which he had come, hetrudged along the road to the inn. Before he had gone the first milehe suddenly heard the rattle of a cart beside him.
"Akim, Akim Semyonitch," someone called to him.
He raised his eyes and saw a friend of his, the parish clerk, Yefrem,nicknamed the Mole, a little, bent man with a sharp nose anddim-sighted eyes. He was sitting on a bundle of straw in a wretchedlittle cart, and leaning forward against the box.
"Are you going home?" he asked Akim.
Akim stopped
"Yes."
"Shall I give you a lift?"
"Please do."
Yefrem moved to one side and Akim climbed into the cart. Yefrem, whoseemed to be somewhat exhilarated, began lashing at his wretchedlittle horse with the ends of his cord reins; it set off at a wearytrot continually tossing its unbridled head.
They drove for nearly a mile without saying one word to each other.Akim sat with his head bent while Yefrem muttered to himself,alternately urging on and holding back his horse.
"Where have you been without your cap, Semyonitch?" he asked Akimsuddenly and, without waiting for an answer, went on, "You've left itat some tavern, that's what you've done. You are a drinking man; Iknow you and I like you for it, that you are a drinker; you are not amurderer, not a rowdy, not one to make trouble; you are a goodmanager, but you are a drinker and such a drinker, you ought to havebeen pulled up for it long ago, yes, indeed; for it's, a nastyhabit.... Hurrah!" he shouted suddenly at the top of his voice,"Hurrah! Hurrah!"
"Stop! Stop!" a woman's voice sounded close by, "Stop!"
Akim looked round. A woman so pale and dishevelled that at first hedid not recognise her, was running across the field towards the cart.
"Stop! Stop!" she moaned again, gasping for breath and waving herarms.
Akim started: it was his wife.
He snatched up the reins.
"What's the good of stopping?" muttered Yefrem. "Stopping for a woman?Gee-up!"
But Akim pulled the horse up sharply. At that instant Avdotya ran upto the road and flung herself down with her face straight in the dust.
"Akim Semyonitch," she wailed, "he has turned me out, too!"
Akim looked at her and did not stir; he only gripped the reinstighter.
"Hurrah!" Yefrem shouted again.
"So he has turned you out?" said Akim.
"He has turned me out, Akim Semyonitch, dear," Avdotya answered,sobbing. "He has turned me out. The house is mine, he said, so you cango."
"Capital! That's a fine thing ... capital," observed Yefrem.
/> "So I suppose you thought to stay on?" Akim brought out bitterly,still sitting in the cart.
"How could I! But, Akim Semyonitch," went on Avdotya, who had raisedher head but let it sink to the earth again, "you don't know, I ...kill me, Akim Semyonitch, kill me here on the spot."
"Why should I kill you, Arefyevna?" said Akim dejectedly, "you've beenyour own ruin. What's the use?"
"But do you know what, Akim Semyonitch, the money ... your money ...your