ed on, and he still followed behind them, wanting to say
something friendly and persuasive to them. And seeing that they were
both absorbed in their own thoughts and their own griefs, and not
noticing him, he stopped and, shading his eyes from the sun, looked
after them for a long time till they disappeared into their copse.

IV

The engineer seemed to grow irritable and petty, and in every trivial
incident saw an act of robbery or outrage. His gate was kept bolted even
by day, and at night two watchmen walked up and down the garden beating
a board; and they gave up employing anyone from Obrutchanovo as a
labourer. As ill-luck would have it someone (either a peasant or one of
the workmen) took the new wheels off the cart and replaced them by
old ones, then soon afterwards two bridles and a pair of pincers were
carried off, and murmurs arose even in the village. People began to say
that a search should be made at the Lytchkovs' and at Volodka's, and
then the bridles and the pincers were found under the hedge in the
engineer's garden; someone had thrown them down there.

It happened that the peasants were coming in a crowd out of the forest,
and again they met the engineer on the road. He stopped, and without
wishing them good-day he began, looking angrily first at one, then at
another:

"I have begged you not to gather mushrooms in the park and near the
yard, but to leave them for my wife and children, but your girls come
before daybreak and there is not a mushroom left....Whether one asks
you or not it makes no difference. Entreaties, and friendliness, and
persuasion I see are all useless."

He fixed his indignant eyes on Rodion and went on:

"My wife and I behaved to you as human beings, as to our equals, and
you? But what's the use of talking! It will end by our looking down upon
you. There is nothing left!"

And making an effort to restrain his anger, not to say too much, he
turned and went on.

On getting home Rodion said his prayer, took off his boots, and sat down
beside his wife.

"Yes..." he began with a sigh. "We were walking along just now, and Mr.
Kutcherov met us.... Yes.... He saw the girls at daybreak... 'Why don't
they bring mushrooms,'... he said 'to my wife and children?' he said....
And then he looked at me and he said: 'I and my wife will look after
you,' he said. I wanted to fall down at his feet, but I hadn't the
courage.... God give him health... God bless him!..."

Stephania cross