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Ha…ha…ha! The next day he was softer。 'Don't you bear malice
against me for my words; Makaritch;' he said。 'If I said too
much;' says he; 'what of it? I am a merchant of the first guild;
your superior you ought to hold your tongue。' 'You;' said I;
'are a merchant of the first guild and I am a carpenter; that's
correct。 And Saint Joseph was a carpenter; too。 Ours is a
righteous calling and pleasing to God; and if you are pleased to
be my superior you are very welcome to it; Vassily Danilitch。'
And later on; after that conversation I mean; I thought: 'Which
was the superior? A merchant of the first guild or a carpenter?'
The carpenter must be; my child!〃
Crutch thought a minute and added:
〃Yes; that's how it is; child。 He who works; he who is patient is
the superior。〃
By now the sun had set and a thick mist as white as milk was
rising over the river; in the church enclosure; and in the open
spaces round the factories。 Now when the darkness was coming on
rapidly; when lights were twinkling belo w; and when it seemed as
though the mists were hiding a fathomless abyss; Lipa and her
mother who were born in poverty and prepared to live so till the
end; giving up to others everything except their frightened;
gentle souls; may have fancied for a minute perhaps that in the
vast; mysterious world; among the endless series of lives; they;
too; counted for something; and they; too; were superior to
someone; they liked sitting here at the top; they smiled happily
and forgot that they must go down below again all the same。
At last they went home again。 The mowers were sitting on the
ground at the gates near the shop。 As a rule the Ukleevo peasants
did not go to Tsybukin's to work; and they had to hire strangers;
and now in the darkness it seemed as though there were men
sitting there with long black beards。 The shop was open; and
through the doorway they could see the deaf man playing draughts
with a boy。 The mowers were singing softly; scarcely audibly; or
loudly demanding their wages for the previous day; but they were
not paid for fear they should go away before to…morrow。 Old
Tsybukin; with his coat off; was sitting in his waistcoat with
Aksinya under the birch…tree; drinking tea; a lamp was burning on
the table。
〃I say; grandfather;〃 a mower called from outside the gates; as
though taunting him; 〃pay us half anyway! Hey; grandfather。〃
And at once there was the sound of laughter; and then again they
sang hardly audibly。 。 。 。 Crutch; too; sat down to have some
tea。
〃We have been at the fair; you know;〃 he began telling them。 〃We
have had a walk; a very nice walk; my children; praise the Lord。
But an unfortunate thing happened: Sashka the blacksmith bought
some tobacco and gave the shopman half a rouble to be sure。 And
the half rouble was a false one〃 Crutch went on; and he meant
to speak in a whisper; but he spoke in a smothered husky voice
which was audible to everyone。 〃The half…rouble turned out to be
a bad one。 He was asked where he got it。 'Anisim Tsybukin gave it
me;' he said。 'When I went to his wedding;' he said。 They called
the police inspector; took the man away。 。 。 。 Look out; Grigory
Petrovitch; that nothing comes of it; no talk。 。 。 。〃
〃Gra…ndfather!〃 the same voice called tauntingly outside the
gates。 〃Gra…andfather!〃
A silence followed。
〃Ah; little children; little children; little children 。 。 。〃
Crutch muttered rapidly; and he got up。 He was overcome with
drowsiness。 〃Well; thank you for the tea; for the sugar; little
children。 It is time to sleep。 I am like a bit of rotten timber
nowadays; my beams are crumbling under me。 Ho…ho…ho! I suppose
it's time I was dead。〃
And he gave a gulp。 Old Tsybukin did not finish his tea but sat
on a little; pondering; and his face looked as though he were
listening to the footsteps of Crutch; who was far away down the
street。
〃Sashka the blacksmith told a lie; I expect;〃 said Aksinya;
guessing his thoughts。
He went into the house and came back a little later with a
parcel; he opened it; and there was the gleam of roubles
perfectly new coins。 He took one; tried it with his teeth; flung
it on the tray; then flung down another。
〃The roubles really are false 。 。 。〃 he said; looking at Aksinya
and seeming perplexed。 〃These are those Anisim brought; his
present。 Take them; daughter;〃 he whispered; and thrust the
parcel into her hands。 〃Take them and throw them into the well 。
。 。 confound them! And mind there is no talk about it。 Harm might
come of it。 。 。 。 Take away the samovar; put out the light。〃
Lipa and her mother sitting in the barn saw the lights go out one
after the other; only overhead in Varvara's room there were blue
and red lamps gleaming; and a feeling of peace; content; and
happy ignorance seemed to float down from there。 Praskovya could
never get used to her daughter's being married to a rich man; and
when she came she huddled timidly in the outer room with a
deprecating smile on her face; and tea and sugar were sent out to
her。 And Lipa; too; could not get used to it either; and after
her husband had gone away she did not sleep in her bed; but lay
down anywhere to sleep; in the kitchen or the barn; and every day
she scrubbed the floor or washed the clothes; and felt as though
she were hired by the day。 And now; on coming back from the
service; they drank tea in the kitchen with the cook; then they
went into the barn and lay down on the ground between the sledge
and the wall。 It was dark here and smelt of harness。 The lights
went out about the house; then they could hear the deaf man
shutting up the shop; the mowers settling themselves about the
yard to sleep。 In the distance at the Hrymin Juniors' they were
playing on the expensive concertina。 。 。 。 Praskovya and Lipa
began to go to sleep。
And when they were awakened by somebody's steps it was bright
moonlight; at the entrance of the barn stood Aksinya with her
bedding in her arms。
〃Maybe it's a bit cooler here;〃 she said; then she came in and
lay down almost in the doorway so that the moonlight fell full
upon her。
She did not sleep; but breathed heavily; tossing from side to
side with the heat; throwing off almost all the bedclothes。 And
in the magic moonlight what a beautiful; what a proud animal she
was! A little time passed; and then steps were heard again: the
old father; white all over; appeared in the doorway。
〃Aksinya;〃 he called; 〃 are you here?〃
〃Well?〃 she responded angrily。
〃I told you just now to throw the money into the well; have you
done so?〃
〃What next; throwing property into the water! I gave them to the
mowers。 。 。 。〃
〃Oh my God!〃 cried the old man; dumbfounded and alarmed。 〃Oh my
God! you wicked woman。 。 。 。〃
He flung up his hands and went out; and he kept saying something
as he went away。 And a little later Aksinya sat up and sighed
heavily with annoyance; then got up and; gathering up her
bedclothes in her arms; went out。
〃Why did you marry me into this family; mother?〃 said Lipa。
〃One has to be married; daughter。 It was not us who ordained it。〃
And a feeling of inconsolable woe was ready to take possession of
them。 But it seemed