The Kreutzer Sonata and Other Stories
said: “I will forgive you this time on the condition that you promise
faithfully to reform, and never again to take what does not belong to
you.”
Polikey, still weeping, replied: “I will never steal again in all my
life, and if I break my promise may the earth open and swallow me up,
and let my body be burned with red-hot irons!”
Polikey returned to his home, and throwing himself on the oven spent
the entire day weeping and repeating the promise made to his mistress.
From that time on he was not again caught stealing, but his life became
extremely sad, for he was regarded with suspicion by every one and
pointed to as a thief.
When the time came round for securing recruits for the army, all the
peasants singled out Polikey as the first to be taken. The
superintendent was especially anxious to get rid of him, and went to
his mistress to induce her to have him sent away. The kind-hearted and
merciful woman, remembering the peasant’s repentance, refused to grant
the superintendent’s request, and told him he must take some other man
in his stead.
CHAPTER II.
One evening Polikey was sitting on his bed beside the table, preparing
some medicine for the cattle, when suddenly the door was thrown wide
open, and Aksiutka, a young girl from the court, rushed in. Almost out
of breath, she said: “My mistress has ordered you, Polikey _Illitch_
[son of Ilia], to come up to the court at once!”
The girl was standing and still breathing heavily from her late
exertion as she continued: “Egor Mikhailovitch, the superintendent, has
been to see our lady about having you drafted into the army, and,
Polikey Illitch, your name was mentioned among others. Our lady has
sent me to tell you to come up to the court immediately.”
As soon as Aksiutka had delivered her message she left the room in the
same abrupt manner in which she had entered.
Akulina, without saying a word, got up and brought her husband’s boots
to him. They were poor, worn-out things which some soldier had given
him, and his wife did not glance at him as she handed them to him.
“Are you going to change your shirt, Illitch?” she asked, at last.
“No,” replied Polikey.
Akulina did not once look at him all the time he was putting on his
boots and preparing to go to the court. Perhaps, after all, it was
better that she did not do so. His face was very pale and his lips
trembled. He slowly combed his hair and was about to depart without
saying a word, when his wife stopped him to arrange the ribbon on his
shirt, and, after toying a little with his coat, she put his hat on for
him and he left the little home.
Polikey’s next-door neighbors were a joiner and his wife. A thin
partition only separated the two families, and each could hear what the
other said and did. Soon after Polikey’s departure a woman was heard to
say: “Well, Polikey Illitch, so your mistress has sent for you!”
The voice was that of the joiner’s wife on the other side of the
partition. Akulina and the woman had quarrelled that morning about some
trifling thing done by one of Polikey’s children, and it afforded her
the greatest pleasure to learn that her neighbor had been summoned into
the presence of his noble mistress. She looked upon such a circumstance
as a bad omen. She continued talking to herself and said: “Perhaps she
wants to send him to the town to make some purchases for her household.
I did not suppose she would select such a faithful man as you are to
perform such a service for her. If it should prove that she _does_ want
to send you to the next town, just buy me a quarter-pound of tea. Will
you, Polikey Illitch?”
Poor Akulina, on hearing the joiner’s wife talking so unkindly of her
husband, could hardly suppress the tears, and, the tirade continuing,
she at last became angry, and wished she could in some way punish her.
Forgetting her neighbor’s unkindness, her thoughts soon turned in
another direction, and glancing at her sleeping children she said to
herself that they might soon be orphans and she herself a soldier’s
widow. This thought greatly distressed her, and burying her face in her
hands she seated herself on the bed, where several of her progeny were
fast asleep. Presently a little voice interrupted her meditations by
crying out, “_Mamushka_ [little mother], you are crushing me,” and the
child pulled her nightdress from under her mother’s arms.
Akulina, with her head still resting on her hands, said: “Perhaps it
would be better if we all should die. I only seem to have brought you
into the world to suffer sorrow and misery.”
Unable longer to control her grief, she burst into violent weeping,
which served to increase the amusement of the joiner’s wife, who had
not forgotten the morning’s squabble, and she laughed loudly at her
neighbor’s woe.
CHAPTER III.
About half an hour had passed when the youngest child began to cry and
Akulina arose to feed it. She had by this time ceased to weep, and
after feeding the infant she again fell into her old position, with her
face buried in her hands. She was very pale, but this only increased
her beauty. After a time she raised her head, and staring at the
burning candle she began to question herself as to why she had married,
and as to the reason that the Czar required so many soldiers.
Presently she heard steps outside, and knew that her husband was
returning. She hurriedly wiped away the last traces of her tears as she
arose to let him pass into the centre of the room.
Polikey made his appearance with a look of triumph on his face, threw
his hat on the bed, and hastily removed his coat; but not a word did he
utter.
Akulina, unable to restrain her impatience, asked, “Well, what did she
want with you?”
“Pshaw!” he replied, “it is very well known that Polikushka is
considered the worst man in the village; but when it comes to business
of importance, who is selected then? Why, Polikushka, of course.”
“What kind of business?” Akulina timidly inquired.
But Polikey was in no hurry to answer her question. He lighted his pipe
with a very imposing air, and spit several times on the floor before he
replied.
Still retaining his pompous manner, he said, “She has ordered me to go
to a certain merchant in the town and collect a considerable sum of
money.”
“You to collect money?” questioned Akulina.
Polikey only shook his head and smiled significantly, saying:
“‘You,’ the mistress said to me, ‘are a man resting under a grave
suspicion—a man who is considered unsafe to trust in any capacity; but
I have faith in you, and will intrust you with this important business
of mine in preference to any one else.’”
Polikey related all this in a loud voice, so that his neighbor might
hear what he had to say.
“‘You promised me to reform,’ my noble mistress said to me, ‘and I will
be the first to show you how much faith I have in your promise. I want
you to ride into town, and, going to the principal merchant there,
collect a sum of money from him and bring it to me.’ I said to my
mistress: ‘Everything you order shall be done. I will only too gladly
obey your slightest wish.’
“Then my mistress said: ‘Do you understand, Polikey, that your future
lot depends upon the faithful performance of this duty I impose upon
you?’ I replied: ‘Yes, I understand everything, and feel that I will
succeed in performing acceptably any task which you may impose upon me.
I have been accused of every kind of evil deed that it is possible to
charge a man with, but I have never done anything seriously wrong
against you, your honor.’ In this way I talked to our mistress until I
succeeded in convincing her that my repentance was sincere, and she
became greatly softened toward me, saying, ‘If you are successful I
will give you the first place at the court.’”
“And how much money are you to collect?” inquired Akulina.
“Fifteen hundred rubles,” carelessly answered Polikey.
Akulina sadly shook her head as she asked, “When are you to start?”
“She ordered me to leave here to-morrow,” Polikey replied. “‘Take any
horse you please,’ she said. ‘Come to the office, and I will see you
there and wish you God-speed on your journey.’”
“Glory to Thee, O Lord!” said Akulina, as she arose and made the sign
of the cross. “God, I am sure, will bless you, Illitch,” she added, in
a whisper, so that the people on the other side of the partition could
not hear what she said, all the while holding on to his sleeve.
“Illitch,” she cried at last, excitedly, “for God’s sake promise me
that you will not touch a drop of vodka. Take an oath before God, and
kiss the cross, so that I may be sure that you will not break your
promise!”
Polikey replied in most contemptuous tones: “Do you think I will dare
to touch vodka when I shall have such a large sum of money in my care?”
“Akulina, have a clean shirt ready for the morning,” were his parting
words for the night.
So Polikey and his wife went to sleep in a happy frame of mind and full
of bright dreams for the future.
CHAPTER IV.
Very early the next morning, almost before the stars had hidden
themselves from view, there was seen standing before Polikey’s home a
low wagon, the same in which the superintendent himself used to ride;
and harnessed to it was a large-boned, dark-brown mare, called for some
unknown reason by the name of _Baraban_ (drum). Aniutka, Polikey’s
eldest daughter, in spite of the heavy rain and the cold wind which was
blowing, stood outside barefooted and held (not without some fear) the
reins in one hand, while with the other she endeavored to keep her
green and yellow overcoat wound around her body, and also to hold
Polikey’s sheepskin coat.
In the house there were the greatest noise and confusion. The morning
was still so dark that the little daylight there was failed to
penetrate through the broken panes of glass, the window being stuffed
in many places with rags and paper to exclude the cold air.
Akulina ceased from her cooking for a while and helped to get Polikey
ready for the journey. Most of the children were still in bed, very
likely as a protection against the cold, for Akulina had taken away the
big overcoat which usually covered them and had substituted a shawl of
her own. Polikey’s shirt was all ready, nice and clean, but his shoes
badly needed repairing, and this fact caused his devoted wife much
anxiety. She took from her own feet the thick woollen stockings she was
wearing, and gave them to Polikey. She then began to repair his shoes,
patching up the holes so as to protect his feet from dampness.
While this was going on he was sitting on the side of the bed with his
feet dangling over the edge, and trying to turn the sash which confined
his coat at the waist. He was anxious to look as clean as possible, and
he declared his sash looked like a dirty rope.
One of his daughters, enveloped in a sheepskin coat, was sent to a
neighbor’s house to borrow a hat.
Within Polikey’s home the greatest confusion reigned, for the court
servants were constantly arriving with innumerable small orders which
they wished Polikey to execute for them in town. One wanted needles,
another tea, another tobacco, and last came the joiner’s wife, who by
this time had prepared her samovar, and, anxious to make up the quarrel
of the previous day, brought the traveller a cup of tea.
Neighbor Nikita refused the loan of the hat, so the old one had to be
patched up for the occasion. This occupied some time, as there were
many holes in it.
Finally Polikey was all ready, and jumping on the wagon started on his
journey, after first making the sign of the cross.
At the last moment his little boy, Mishka, ran to the door, begging to
be given a short ride; and then his little daughter, Mashka, appeared