we had just heard.

"What do you think of it? How will it all end?" I asked him.

"God knows," said he; "we shall see. As yet there is evidently nothing
serious. If, however--"

Then he fell into a brown study while whistling absently a French air.

In spite of all our precautions the news of Pugatchef's appearance
spread all over the fort. Whatever was the respect in which Ivan
Kouzmitch held his wife, he would not have revealed to her for the world
a secret confided to him on military business.

After receiving the General's letter he had rather cleverly got rid of
Vassilissa Igorofna by telling her that Father Garasim had heard most
extraordinary news from Orenburg, which he was keeping most profoundly
dark.

Vassilissa Igorofna instantly had a great wish to go and see the Pope's
wife, and, by the advice of Ivan Kouzmitch, she took Masha, lest she
should be dull all alone.

Left master of the field, Ivan Kouzmitch sent to fetch us at once, and
took care to shut up Polashka in the kitchen so that she might not spy
upon us.

Vassilissa Igorofna came home without having been able to worm anything
out of the Pope's wife; she learnt upon coming in that during her
absence Ivan Kouzmitch had held a council of war, and that Palashka had
been locked up. She suspected that her husband had deceived her, and she
immediately began overwhelming him with questions. But Ivan Kouzmitch
was ready for this onset; he did not care in the least, and he boldly
answered his curious better-half--

"Look here, little mother, the country-women have taken it into their
heads to light fires with straw, and as that might be the cause of a
misfortune, I assembled my officers, and I ordered them to watch that
the women do not make fires with straw, but rather with faggots and
brambles."

"And why were you obliged to shut up Polashka?" his wife asked him. "Why
was the poor girl obliged to stay in the kitchen till we came back?"

Ivan Kouzmitch was not prepared for such a question; he stammered some
incoherent words.

Vassilissa Igorofna instantly understood that her husband had deceived
her, but as she could not at that moment get anything out of him, she
forebore questioning him, and spoke of some pickled cucumbers which
Akoulina Pamphilovna knew how to prepare in a superlative manner. All
night long Vassilissa Igorofna lay awake trying to think what her
husband could have in his head that she was not permitted to know.

The morro