The Kreutzer Sonata and Other Stories
when a person is dying). Hearing a noise, he turned his face toward the
door, and when he saw it was his son he tried to move. He motioned for
Ivan to come nearer, and when he did so he whispered in a trembling
voice: “Well, Ivanushka, did I not tell you before what would be the
result of this sad affair? Who set the village on fire?”
“He, he, _batiushka_ [little father]; he did it. I caught him. He
placed the bunch of burning straw to the barn in my presence. Instead
of running after him, I should have snatched the bunch of burning straw
and throwing it on the ground have stamped it out with my feet; and
then there would have been no fire.”
“Ivan,” said the old man, “death is fast approaching me, and remember
that you also will have to die. Who did this dreadful thing? Whose is
the sin?”
Ivan gazed at the noble face of his dying father and was silent. His
heart was too full for utterance.
“In the presence of God,” the old man continued, “whose is the sin?”
It was only now that the truth began to dawn upon Ivan’s mind, and that
he realized how foolish he had acted. He sobbed bitterly, and fell on
his knees before his father, and, crying like a child, said:
“My dear father, forgive me, for Christ’s sake, for I am guilty before
God and before you!”
The old man transferred the lighted candle from his right hand to the
left, and, raising the former to his forehead, tried to make the sign
of the cross, but owing to weakness was unable to do so.
“Glory to Thee, O Lord! Glory to Thee!” he exclaimed; and turning his
dim eyes toward his son, he said: “See here, Ivanushka! Ivanushka, my
dear son!”
“What, my dear father?” Ivan asked.
“What are you going to do,” replied the old man, “now that you have no
home?”
Ivan cried and said: “I do not know how we shall live now.”
The old man closed his eyes and made a movement with his lips, as if
gathering his feeble strength for a final effort. Slowly opening his
eyes, he whispered:
“Should you live according to God’s commands you will be happy and
prosperous again.”
The old man was now silent for awhile and then, smiling sadly, he
continued:
“See here, Ivanushka, keep silent concerning this trouble, and do not
tell who set the village on fire. Forgive one sin of your neighbor’s,
and God will forgive two of yours.”
Grasping the candle with both hands, Ivan’s father heaved a deep sigh,
and, stretching himself out on his back, yielded up the ghost.
Ivan for once accepted his father’s advice. He did not betray Gavryl,
and no one ever learned the origin of the fire.
Ivan’s heart became more kindly disposed toward his old enemy, feeling
that much of the fault in connection with this sad affair rested with
himself.
Gavryl was greatly surprised that Ivan did not denounce him before all
the villagers, and at first he stood in much fear of him, but he soon
afterward overcame this feeling.
The two peasants ceased to quarrel, and their families followed their
example. While they were building new houses, both families lived
beneath the same roof, and when they moved into their respective homes,
Ivan and Gavryl lived on as good terms as their fathers had done before
them.
Ivan remembered his dying father’s command, and took deeply to heart
the evident warning of God that _a fire should be extinguished in the
beginning_. If any one wronged him he did not seek revenge, but instead
made every effort to settle the matter peaceably. If any one spoke to
him unkindly, he did not answer in the same way, but replied softly,
and tried to persuade the person not to speak evil. He taught the women
and children of his household to do the same.
Ivan Scherbakoff was now a reformed man.
He lived well and peacefully, and again became prosperous.
Let us, therefore, have peace, live in brotherly love and kindness, and
we will be happy.
“POLIKUSHKA;”
or, _The Lot of a Wicked Court Servant_.
CHAPTER I.
Polikey was a court man—one of the staff of servants belonging to the
court household of a _boyarinia_ (lady of the nobility).
He held a very insignificant position on the estate, and lived in a
rather poor, small house with his wife and children.
The house was built by the deceased nobleman whose widow he still
continued to serve, and may be described as follows: The four walls
surrounding the one _izba_ (room) were built of stone, and the interior
was ten yards square. A Russian stove stood in the centre, around which
was a free passage. Each corner was fenced off as a separate inclosure
to the extent of several feet, and the one nearest to the door (the
smallest of all) was known as “Polikey’s corner.” Elsewhere in the room
stood the bed (with quilt, sheet, and cotton pillows), the cradle (with
a baby lying therein), and the three-legged table, on which the meals
were prepared and the family washing was done. At the latter also
Polikey was at work on the preparation of some materials for use in his
profession—that of an amateur veterinary surgeon. A calf, some hens,
the family clothes and household utensils, together with seven persons,
filled the little home to the utmost of its capacity. It would indeed
have been almost impossible for them to move around had it not been for
the convenience of the stove, on which some of them slept at night, and
which served as a table in the day-time.
It seemed hard to realize how so many persons managed to live in such
close quarters.
Polikey’s wife, Akulina, did the washing, spun and wove, bleached her
linen, cooked and baked, and found time also to quarrel and gossip with
her neighbors.
The monthly allowance of food which they received from the noblewoman’s
house was amply sufficient for the whole family, and there was always
enough meal left to make mash for the cow. Their fuel they got free,
and likewise the food for the cattle. In addition they were given a
small piece of land on which to raise vegetables. They had a cow, a
calf, and a number of chickens to care for.
Polikey was employed in the stables to take care of two stallions, and,
when necessary, to bleed the horses and cattle and clean their hoofs.
In his treatment of the animals he used syringes, plasters, and various
other remedies and appliances of his own invention. For these services
he received whatever provisions were required by his family, and a
certain sum of money—all of which would have been sufficient to enable
them to live comfortably and even happily, if their hearts had not been
filled with the shadow of a great sorrow.
This shadow darkened the lives of the entire family.
Polikey, while young, was employed in a horse-breeding establishment in
a neighboring village. The head stableman was a notorious horse-thief,
known far and wide as a great rogue, who, for his many misdeeds, was
finally exiled to Siberia. Under his instruction Polikey underwent a
course of training, and, being but a boy, was easily induced to perform
many evil deeds. He became so expert in the various kinds of wickedness
practiced by his teacher that, though he many times would gladly have
abandoned his evil ways, he could not, owing to the great hold these
early-formed habits had upon him. His father and mother died when he
was but a child, and he had no one to point out to him the paths of
virtue.
In addition to his other numerous shortcomings, Polikey was fond of
strong drink. He also had a habit of appropriating other people’s
property, when the opportunity offered of his doing so without being
seen. Collar-straps, padlocks, perch-bolts, and things even of greater
value belonging to others found their way with remarkable rapidity and
in great quantities to Polikey’s home. He did not, however, keep such
things for his own use, but sold them whenever he could find a
purchaser. His payment consisted chiefly of whiskey, though sometimes
he received cash.
This sort of employment, as his neighbors said, was both light and
profitable; it required neither education nor labor. It had one
drawback, however, which was calculated to reconcile his victims to
their losses: Though he could for a time have all his needs supplied
without expending either labor or money, there was always the
possibility of his methods being discovered; and this result was sure
to be followed by a long term of imprisonment. This impending danger
made life a burden for Polikey and his family.
Such a setback indeed very nearly happened to Polikey early in his
career. He married while still young, and God gave him much happiness.
His wife, who was a shepherd’s daughter, was a strong, intelligent,
hard-working woman. She bore him many children, each of whom was said
to be better than the preceding one.
Polikey still continued to steal, but once was caught with some small
articles belonging to others in his possession. Among them was a pair
of leather reins, the property of another peasant, who beat him
severely and reported him to his mistress.
From that time on Polikey was an object of suspicion, and he was twice
again detected in similar escapades. By this time the people began to
abuse him, and the clerk of the court threatened to recruit him into
the army as a soldier (which is regarded by the peasants as a great
punishment and disgrace). His noble mistress severely reprimanded him;
his wife wept from grief for his downfall, and everything went from bad
to worse.
Polikey, notwithstanding his weakness, was a good-natured sort of man,
but his love of strong drink had so overcome every moral instinct that
at times he was scarcely responsible for his actions. This habit he
vainly endeavored to overcome. It often happened that when he returned
home intoxicated, his wife, losing all patience, roundly cursed him and
cruelly beat him. At times he would cry like a child, and bemoan his
fate, saying: “Unfortunate man that I am, what shall I do? _Let my eyes
burst into pieces_ if I do not forever give up the vile habit! I will
not again touch vodka.”
In spite of all his promises of reform, but a short period (perhaps a
month) would elapse when Polikey would again mysteriously disappear
from his home and be lost for several days on a spree.
“From what source does he get the money he spends so freely?” the
neighbors inquired of each other, as they sadly shook their heads.
One of his most unfortunate exploits in the matter of stealing was in
connection with a clock which belonged to the estate of his mistress.
The clock stood in the private office of the noblewoman, and was so old
as to have outlived its usefulness, and was simply kept as an heirloom.
It so happened that Polikey went into the office one day when no one
was present but himself, and, seeing the old clock, it seemed to
possess a peculiar fascination for him, and he speedily transferred it
to his person. He carried it to a town not far from the village, where
he very readily found a purchaser.
As if purposely to secure his punishment, it happened that the
storekeeper to whom he sold it proved to be a relative of one of the
court servants, and who, when he visited his friend on the next
holiday, related all about his purchase of the clock.
An investigation was immediately instituted, and all the details of
Polikey’s transaction were brought to light and reported to his noble
mistress. He was called into her presence, and, when confronted with
the story of the theft, broke down and confessed all. He fell on his
knees before the noblewoman and plead with her for mercy. The
kind-hearted lady lectured him about God, the salvation of his soul,
and his future life. She talked to him also about the misery and
disgrace he brought upon his family, and altogether so worked upon his
feelings that he cried like a child. In conclusion his kind mistress