me a letter, and said:
'Put it in the letter-box for me.' And his eyes were red with crying.
His wife and children were not at home. They had gone out for a walk. So
when I had gone with the letter, he put a bullet into his forehead from
a revolver. When I came back his cook was wailing for the whole yard to
hear."

"It's a great sin," said the fish-hawker in a husky voice, and he shook
his head, "a great sin!"

"From too much learning," said the porter, taking a trick; "his wits
outstripped his wisdom. Sometimes he would sit writing papers all
night.... Play, peasant!... But he was a nice gentleman. And so white
skinned, black-haired and tall!... He was a good lodger."

"It seems the fair sex is at the bottom of it," said the coachman,
slapping the nine of trumps on the king of diamonds. "It seems he was
fond of another man's wife and disliked his own; it does happen."

"The king rebels," said the porter.

At that moment there was again a ring from the yard. The rebellious king
spat with vexation and went out. Shadows like dancing couples flitted
across the windows of the lodge. There was the sound of voices and
hurried footsteps in the yard.

"I suppose the doctors have come again," said the coachman. "Our Mihailo
is run off his legs...."

A strange wailing voice rang out for a moment in the air. Alyoshka
looked in alarm at his grandfather, the coachman; then at the windows,
and said:

"He stroked me on the head at the gate yesterday, and said, 'What
district do you come from, boy?' Grandfather, who was that howled just
now?"

His grandfather trimmed the light in the lantern and made no answer.

"The man is lost," he said a little later, with a yawn. "He is lost, and
his children are ruined, too. It's a disgrace for his children for the
rest of their lives now."

The porter came back and sat down by the lantern.

"He is dead," he said. "They have sent to the almshouse for the old
women to lay him out."

"The kingdom of heaven and eternal peace to him!" whispered the
coachman, and he crossed himself.

Looking at him, Alyoshka crossed himself too.

"You can't pray for such as him," said the fish-hawker.

"Why not?"

"It's a sin."

"That's true," the porter assented. "Now his soul has gone straight to
hell, to the devil...."

"It's a sin," repeated the fish-hawker; "such as he have no funeral, no
requiem, but are buried like carrion with no respect."

The old man put on his cap and got up.