in a will. They did say he was a prince or a baron, but
maybe he was simply an official--who knows? Well, the gentleman
arrived here, and first thing he bought himself a house and land in
Muhortinskoe. 'I want to live by my own work,' says he, 'in the sweat
of my brow, for I am not a gentleman now,' says he, 'but a settler.'
'Well,' says I, 'God help you, that's the right thing.' He was a young
man then, busy and careful; he used to mow himself and catch fish and
ride sixty miles on horseback. Only this is what happened: from the very
first year he took to riding to Gyrino for the post; he used to stand on
my ferry and sigh: 'Ech, Semyon, how long it is since they sent me any
money from home!' 'You don't want money, Vassily Sergeyitch,' says I.
'What use is it to you? You cast away the past, and forget it as though
it had never been at all, as though it had been a dream, and begin to
live anew. Don't listen to the devil,' says I; 'he will bring you to no
good, he'll draw you into a snare. Now you want money,' says I, 'but in
a very little while you'll be wanting something else, and then more and
more. If you want to be happy,' says I, the chief thing is not to
want anything. Yes.... If,' says I, 'if Fate has wronged you and me
cruelly it's no good asking for her favor and bowing down to her, but
you despise her and laugh at her, or else she will laugh at you.' That's
what I said to him....

"Two years later I ferried him across to this side, and he was rubbing
his hands and laughing. 'I am going to Gyrino to meet my wife,' says
he. 'She was sorry for me,' says he; 'she has come. She is good and
kind.' And he was breathless with joy. So a day later he came with his
wife. A beautiful young lady in a hat; in her arms was a baby girl.
And lots of luggage of all sorts. And my Vassily Sergeyitch was fussing
round her; he couldn't take his eyes off her and couldn't say enough in
praise of her. 'Yes, brother Semyon, even in Siberia people can live!'
'Oh, all right,' thinks I, 'it will be a different tale presently.'
And from that time forward he went almost every week to inquire whether
money had not come from Russia. He wanted a lot of money. 'She is losing
her youth and beauty here in Siberia for my sake,' says he, 'and sharing
my bitter lot with me, and so I ought,' says he, 'to provide her with
every comfort....'

"To make it livelier for the lady he made acquaintance with the
officials and all sorts of riff-raff. And of c