The Diary of a Superfluous Man and Other Stories Part 29

"Let me go,"--said Akim.--"Art not thou satisfied?"

"See here, to-morrow I 'll show you in the presence of the judge how satisfied I am...." And Naum tightened his hold on Akim....

The labourers ran up with two lanterns and some ropes.... "Bind him!"--ordered Naum, sharply.... The labourers seized Akim, lifted him up, and bound his hands behind him.... One of them was beginning to swear, but on recognising the former landlord of the inn, he held his peace, and merely exchanged glances with the others.

"Just see there, see there, now,"--Naum kept repeating the while, as he pa.s.sed the lantern along the ground;--"yonder, there are coals in a pot; just look, he has brought a whole firebrand in the pot--we must find out where he got that pot ... and here, he has broken twigs...." And Naum a.s.siduously stamped out the fire with his foot.--"Search him, Feodor!"--he added, "and see whether he has anything more about him."

Feodor searched and felt Akim, who stood motionless with his head drooping on his breast, like a dead man.--"There is--here 's a knife,"--said Feodor, drawing an old kitchen-knife from Akim's breast.

"Ehe, my dear fellow, so that 's what thou hadst in mind!"--exclaimed Naum.--"You are witnesses, my lads--see there, he intended to cut my throat, to burn up my house.... Lock him up in the cellar until morning; he can't get out of there.... I will stand watch all night myself, and to-morrow at dawn we will take him to the chief of police .... and you are witnesses, do you hear...."

They thrust Akim into the cellar, and slammed the door behind him....

Naum stationed two of the labourers there, and did not lie down to sleep himself.

In the meantime, Efrem's wife, having convinced herself that her unbidden guest had taken himself off, was on the point of beginning her cooking, although it was hardly daylight out of doors as yet. She squatted down by the oven to get some coals, and saw that some one had already raked out the live embers thence; then she bethought herself of her knife--and did not find it; in conclusion, one of her four pots was missing. Efrem's wife bore the reputation of being anything but a stupid woman--and with good reason. She stood for a while in thought, then went to the lumber-room to her husband. It was not easy to arouse him fully--and still more difficult was it to make him understand why he had been awakened... To everything which his wife said, Chanter Efrem made one and the same reply:

"He 's gone,--well, G.o.d be with him ... but what business is that of mine? He has carried off a knife and a pot--well, G.o.d be with him--but what business is that of mine?"

But, at last, he rose, and after listening intently to his wife, he decided that it was a bad business, and that it could not be left as it now stood.

"Yes,"--the chanter's wife insisted,--"'t is a bad business; I do believe he 'll do mischief out of desperation.... I noticed last night that he was not asleep as he lay there on the oven; it would n't be a bad idea for thee, Efrem Alexandritch, to find out whether ...."

"See here, Ulyana Feodorovna, I 'll tell thee what,"--began Efrem;--"I 'll go to the inn myself immediately; and do thou be kind, dear little mother; give me a little gla.s.s of liquor to cure me of my drunkenness."

Ulyana reflected.

"Well,"--she decided at last,--"I 'll give thee some liquor, Efrem Alexandritch; only look out, don't dally."

"Be at ease, Ulyana Feodorovna."

And, having fortified himself with a gla.s.s of liquor, Efrem set out for the inn.

Day had but just dawned when he rode up to the inn, and at the gate a cart was already standing harnessed, and one of Naum's labourers was sitting on the driver's seat, holding the reins in his hands.

"Whither art thou going?"--Efrem asked him.

"To town,"--replied the labourer.

"Why?"

The labourer merely shrugged his shoulders and made no reply. Efrem sprang from his horse and entered the house. In the anteroom he ran across Naum, fully dressed, and wearing a cap.

"I congratulate the new landlord on his new domicile,"--said Efrem, who was personally acquainted with him.--"Whither away so early?"

"Yes, there is cause for congratulation,"--replied Naum, surlily.--"This is my first day, and I have almost been burnt out."

Efrem started.--"How so?"

"Why, just that; a kind man turned up, who tried to set the house on fire. Luckily, I caught him in the act; now I 'm taking him to town."

"It can't be Akim, can it?".... asked Efrem, slowly.

"And how dost thou know? It is Akim. He came by night, with a firebrand in a pot, and had already crept into the yard, and laid a fire.... All my lads are witnesses.--Wouldst like to take a look? But, by the way, 't is high time we were carrying him off."

"Dear little father, Naum Ivanitch,"--began Efrem,--"release him; don't utterly ruin the old man. Don't take that sin on your soul, Naum Ivanitch. Just reflect,--the man is desperate,--he has lost, you know ...."

"Stop that prating!"--Naum interrupted him.--"The idea! As though I would let him go! Why, he would set me on fire again to-morrow...."

"He will not do it, Naum Ivanitch, believe me. Believe me, you yourself will be more at ease so--for, you see, there will be inquiries--the court--you surely know what I mean."

"Well, and what about the court? I have nothing to fear from the court...."

"Dear little father, Naum Ivanitch, how can you help fearing the court?..."

"Eh, stop that; I see that thou art drunk early, and to-day is a feast-day, to boot."

Efrem suddenly, and quite unexpectedly, fell to weeping.

"I am drunk, but I 'm speaking the truth,"--he blurted out.--"But do you release him, in honour of Christ's festival."

"Come, let 's be starting, cry-baby."

And Naum went out on the porch....

"Forgive him for Avdotya Arefyevna's sake,"--said Efrem, following him.

Naum approached the cellar, and threw the door wide open. Efrem, with timorous curiosity, craned his neck from behind Naum's back, and with difficulty made out Akim in one corner of the shallow cellar. The former wealthy householder, the man respected in all the countryside, was sitting with pinioned arms on the straw, like a criminal... On hearing the noise, he raised his head.... He seemed to have grown frightfully thin in the last two days, especially during the last night--his sunken eyes were hardly visible beneath his lofty brow, yellow as wax, his parched lips had turned dark ... his whole face had undergone a change, and a.s.sumed a strange expression: both harsh and terrified.

"Get up and come out,"--said Naum.

Akim rose, and stepped across the threshold.

"Akim Semyonitch,"--roared Efrem,--"thou hast ruined thyself, my dear man!"

Akim glanced at him in silence.

"If I had known why thou didst ask for liquor, I would n't have given it to thee; indeed, I would n't! I do believe I would have drunk it all myself! Ekh, Naum Ivanitch,"--added Efrem, seizing Naum by the hand;--"have mercy on him, let him go!"

"Thou 'rt joking,"--retorted Naum, with a grin.--"Come out, there,"--he added, again addressing Akim... "What art thou waiting for?"

"Naum Ivanoff,".... began Akim.

"What?"

"Naum Ivanoff,"--repeated Akim;--"listen; I am guilty; I wanted to punish thee myself; but G.o.d must judge between thou and me. Thou hast taken everything from me, thou knowest that thyself--everything, to the very last morsel.--Now thou canst ruin me, and this is all I have to say to thee: If thou wilt release me now--well! let things stand! do thou possess everything! I agree, and wish thee all success. And I say to thee, as in the presence of G.o.d: If thou dost release me--thou shalt not regret it. G.o.d bless thee!"

Akim shut his eyes, and ceased speaking.