The Diary of a Superfluous Man and Other Stories Part 25

"Thou hast gone crazy, brother, I do believe,"--he said with a smile.--"Avdotya Arefyevna, what 's the matter with him?"...

"I tell thee,"--yelled Akim, in a quivering voice,--"get out. Dost hear me?.... What hast thou to do with Avdotya Arefyevna?.... Begone, I tell thee! Dost hear me?"

"What 's that thou art saying to me?"--inquired Naum, significantly.

"Take thyself away from here; that 's what I 'm saying to thee. There is G.o.d, and there is the threshold .... dost understand? or 't will be the worse for thee!"

Naum strode forward.

"Good heavens, don't fight, my dear little doves,"--stammered Avdotya, who until then had remained sitting motionless at the table....

Naum cast a glance at her.

"Don't worry, Avdotya Arefyevna, why should we fight! Ek-sta, brother,"--he continued, addressing Akim:--"thou hast deafened me with thy yells. Really. What an insolent fellow thou art! Did any one ever hear of such a thing as expelling a man from another man's house,"--added Naum, with deliberate enunciation:--"and the master of the house, into the bargain?"

"What dost thou mean by another man's house?"--muttered Akim.--"What master of the house?"

"Why, me, for example."

And Naum screwed up his eyes, and displayed his white teeth in a grin.

"Thee, forsooth? Ain't I the master of the house?"

"What a stupid fellow thou art, my good fellow.--I am the master of the house, I tell thee."

Akim opened his eyes to their widest.

"What nonsense is that thou art prating, as though thou hadst eaten mad-wort?"--he said at last.--"How the devil dost thou come to be the master?"

"Well, what 's the use of talking to thee,"--shouted Naum, impatiently.--"Dost see this doc.u.ment,"--he added, jerking out of his pocket a sheet of stamped paper folded in four:--"dost see it? This is a deed of sale, understand, a deed of sale for thy land, and for the inn; I have bought them from the landed proprietress, Lizaveta Prokhorovna.

We signed the deed of sale yesterday, in B***--consequently, I am the master here, not thou. Gather up thy duds this very day,"--he added, putting the paper back in his pocket;--"and let there be not a sign of thee here by to-morrow; hearest thou?"

Akim stood as though he had been struck by lightning.

"Brigand!"--he moaned at last;--"the brigand... Hey, Fedka, Mitka, wife, wife, seize him, seize him--hold him!"

He had completely lost his wits.

"Look out, look out,"--e.j.a.c.u.l.a.t.ed Naum, menacingly:--"look out, old man, don't play the fool...."

"But beat him, beat him, wife!"--Akim kept repeating in a tearful voice, vainly and impotently trying to leave his place.--"The soul-ruiner, the brigand... She was n't enough for thee ... thou wantest to take my house away from me also, and everything.... But no, stay .... that cannot be.... I will go myself. I will tell her myself ... how .... but why sell?... Stop .... stop...."

And he rushed hatless into the street.

"Whither art thou running, Akim Ivanitch, whither art thou running, dear little father?"--cried the maid-servant Fetinya, who collided with him in the doorway.

"To the mistress! let me go! To the mistress...." roared Akim, and catching sight of Naum's cart, which the servants had not yet had time to put in the stable-yard, he sprang into it, seized the reins, and las.h.i.+ng the horse with all his might, he set off at a gallop to the lady's manor-house.

"Dear little mother, Lizaveta Prokhorovna,"--he kept repeating to himself all the way,--"why such unkindness? I have shown zeal, methinks!"

And, in the meantime, he kept on beating the horse. Those who met him drew aside and gazed long after him.

In a quarter of an hour Akim had reached Lizaveta Prokhorovna's manor, had dashed up to the porch, had leaped from the cart, and burst straight into the anteroom.

"What dost thou want?"--muttered the startled footman, who was sweetly dozing on the locker.

"The mistress--I must see the mistress," vociferated Akim loudly.

The lackey was astounded.

"Has anything happened?"--he began.

"Nothing has happened, but I must see the mistress."

"What, what?"--said the lackey, more and more astounded, straightening himself up.

Akim recovered himself... It was as though he had been drenched with cold water.

"Announce to the mistress, Piotr Evgrafitch,"--he said, with a low obeisance,--"that Akim wishes to see her...."

"Good,... I will go .... I will announce thee .... but evidently thou art drunk. Wait,"--grumbled the lackey, and withdrew.

Akim dropped his eyes and became confused, as it were.... His boldness had swiftly abandoned him from the very moment he had entered the anteroom.

Lizaveta Prokhorovna was also disconcerted when Akim's arrival was announced to her. She immediately gave orders that Kirillovna should be called to her in her boudoir.

"I cannot receive him,"--she said hurriedly, as soon as the latter made her appearance;--"I cannot possibly do it. What can I say to him? Did n't I tell thee that he would be sure to come and would complain?"--she added, with vexation and agitation;--"I said so...."

"Why should you receive him, ma'am?"--calmly replied Kirillovna;--"that is not necessary, ma'am. Why should you disturb yourself, pray?"

"But what am I to do?"

"If you will permit me, I will talk with him."

Lizaveta Prokhorovna raised her head.

"Pray, do me the favour, Kirillovna. Do talk with him. Do thou tell him .... there--well, that I found it necessary ... and, moreover, that I will make it up to him .... well, there now, thou knowest what to say.

Pray, do, Kirillovna."

"Please do not fret, madam,"--returned Kirillovna, and withdrew, with squeaking shoes.

A quarter of an hour had not elapsed when their squeaking became audible again, and Kirillovna entered the boudoir with the same composed expression on her face, with the same crafty intelligence in her eyes.

"Well,"--inquired her mistress,--"how about Akim?"

"'T is all right, ma'am. He says, ma'am, that everything is in your power, he submits himself wholly to the will of your Graciousness, and if only you keep well and prosperous, he will forever be satisfied with his lot."

"And he made no complaint?"