hints in the least!
I said before him how base in my eyes was the man who having a friendand understanding all that was meant by that sacred sentiment"friendship," was yet so devoid of generosity as to have recourse todeception; as though it were possible to conceal anything.
As I uttered these last words I laughed scornfully.
But David did not turn a hair. At last I asked him straight out: "Whatdid he think, had our watch gone for some time after being buried inthe earth or had it stopped at once?"
He answered me: "The devil only knows! What a thing to wonder about!"
I did not know what to think! David evidently had something on hismind ... but not the abduction of the watch. An unexpected incidentshowed me his innocence.
XVI
One day I came home by a side lane which I usually avoided as thehouse in which my enemy Trankvillitatin lodged was in it; but on thisoccasion Fate itself led me that way. Passing the open window of aneating-house, I suddenly heard the voice of our servant, Vassily, ayoung man of free and easy manners, "a lazy fellow and a scamp," as myfather called him, but also a great conqueror of female hearts whichhe charmed by his wit, his dancing and his playing on the tambourine.
"And what do you suppose they've been up to?" said Vassily, whom Icould not see but heard distinctly; he was, most likely, sitting closeby, near the window with a companion over the steaming tea--and asoften happens with people in a closed room, spoke in a loud voicewithout suspecting that anyone passing in the street could hear everyword: "They buried it in the ground!"
"Nonsense!" muttered another voice.
"I tell you they did, our young gentlemen are extraordinary!Especially that Davidka, he's a regular Aesop! I got up at daybreakand went to the window.... I looked out and, what do you think! Ourtwo little dears were coming along the orchard bringing that samewatch and they dug a hole under the apple-tree and there they buriedit, as though it had been a baby! And they smoothed the earth overafterwards, upon my soul they did, the young rakes!"
"Ah! plague take them," Vassily's companion commented. "Too well off,I suppose. Well, did you dig up the watch?"
"To be sure I did. I have got it now. Only it won't do to show it fora time. There's been no end of a fuss over it. Davidka stole it thatvery night from under our old lady's back."
"Oh--oh!"
"I tell you, he did. He's a desperate fellow. So it won't do to showit. But when the officers come down I shall sell it or stake it atcards."
I didn't stay to hear more: I rushed headlong home and straight toDavid.
"Brother!" I began, "brother, forgive me! I have wronged you! Isuspected you! I blamed you! You see how agitated I am! Forgive me!"
"What's the matter with you?" asked David. "Explain!"
"I suspected that you had dug up our watch under the apple-tree."
"The watch again! Why, isn't it there?"
"It's not there; I thought you had taken it, to help your friends. Andit was all Vassily."
I repeated to David all that I had overheard under the window of theeating-house.
But how to describe my amazement! I had, of course, expected David tobe indignant, but I had not for a moment anticipated the effect itproduced on him! I had hardly finished my story when he flew into anindescribable fury! David, who had always taken up a scornful attitudeto the whole "vulgar," as he called it, business of the watch; David,who had more than once declared that it wasn't worth a rotten egg,jumped up from his seat, got hot all over, ground his teeth andclenched his fists. "We can't let this pass!" he said at last; "howdare he take someone else's property? Wait a bit, I'll show him. Iwon't let thieves off so easily!"
I confess I don't understand to this day what can have so infuriatedDavid. Whether he had been irritated before and Vassily's action hadsimply poured oil on the flames, or whether my suspicions had woundedhim, I cannot say, but I had never seen him in such excitement. Istood before him with my mouth open merely wondering how it was thathis breathing was so hard and laboured.
"What do you intend to do?" I asked at last.
"You shall see after dinner, when your father lies down. I'll findthis scoffer, I'll talk to him."
"Well," thought I, "I should not care to be in that scoffer's shoes!What will happen? Merciful heavens?"
XVII.
This is what did happen:
As soon as that drowsy, stifling stillness prevailed, which to thisday lies like a feather bed on the Russian household and the Russianpeople in the middle of the day after dinner is eaten, David went tothe servants' rooms (I followed on his heels with a sinking heart) andcalled Vassily out. The latter was at first unwilling to come, butended by obeying and following us into the garden.
David stood close in front of him. Vassily was a whole head taller.
"Vassily Terentyev," my comrade began in a firm voice, "six weeks agoyou took from under this very apple-tree the watch we hid there. Youhad no right to do so; it does not belong to you. Give it back atonce!"
Vassily was taken aback, but at once recovered himself.
"What watch? What are you talking about? God bless you! I have nowatch!"
"I know what I am saying and don't tell lies. You've got the watch,give it back."
"I've not got your watch."
"Then how was it that in the eating-house, you ..." I began, but Davidstopped me.
"Vassily Terentyev!" he pronounced in a hollow, threatening voice, "weknow for a fact that you have the watch. You are told honourably togive it back and if you don't ..."
Vassily sniggered insolently.
"Then what will you do with me then? Eh?"
"What will we do? We will both fight with you till you beat us or webeat you."
Vassily laughed.
"Fight? That's not for a gentleman! To fight with a servant!"
David suddenly caught hold of Vassily's waistcoat.
"But we are not going to fight you with our fists," he articulated,grinding his teeth. "Understand that! I'll give you a knife and takeone myself.... And then we shall see who does for which? Alexey!" hebegan commanding me, "run for my big knife, you know the one with thebone handle--it's lying on the table and the other's in my pocket."
Vassily positively collapsed. David stood holding him by thewaistcoat.
"Mercy on us! ... Mercy on us, David Yegoritch!" he muttered; tearsactually came into his eyes. "What do you mean, what are you saying?Let me go."
"I won't let you go. And we shall have no mercy on you! If you getaway from us today, we shall begin again to-morrow. Alyoshka, where'sthe knife?"
"David Yegoritch," wailed Vassily, "don't commit murder.... What areyou doing! The watch ... I certainly ... I was joking. I'll give it toyou this minute. What a thing, to be sure! First you are going to slitHrisanf Lukitch's belly, then mine. Let me go, David Yegoritch....Kindly take the watch. Only don't tell your papa."
David let go his hold of Vassily's waistcoat. I looked into his face:certainly not only Vassily might have been frightened by it. It lookedso weary ... and cold ... and angry....
Vassily dashed into the house and promptly returned with the watch inhis hand. He gave it to David without a word and only on going backinto the house exclaimed aloud in the doorway:
"Tfoo! here's a go."
He still looked panic-stricken. David tossed his head and walked intoour room. Again I followed on his heels. "A Suvorov! He's a regularSuvorov!" I thought to myself. In those days, in 1801, Suvorov wasour great national hero.
XVIII
David shut the door after him, put the watch on the table, folded hisarms and--oh, wonder!--laughed. Looking at him I laughed, too.
"What a wonderful performance!" he began. "We can't get rid of thiswatch anyway. It's bewitched, really. And why was I so furious aboutit?"
"Yes, why?" I repeated. "You ought to have let Vassily keep it...."
"Well, no," interposed David. "That's nonsense. But what are we to dowith it?"
"Yes! what?"
We both star
ed at the watch and pondered. Adorned with a chain of paleblue beads (the luckless Vassily in his haste had not removed thischain which belonged to him) it was calmly doing its work: tickingsomewhat irregularly, it is true, and slowly moving its copper minutehand.
"Shall we bury it again? Or put it in the stove," I suggested at last."Or, I tell you what: shouldn't we take it to Latkin?"
"No," answered David. "That's not the thing. I know what: they haveset up a committee at the governor's office and are