Maryanka's voice behind them, followed by the creak
of the moving wagon.

As long as their road lay through the pastures at the back of the
village Eroshka went on talking. He could not forget the cornet and
kept on abusing him.

'Why are you so angry with him?' asked Olenin.

'He's stingy. I don't like it,' answered the old man. 'He'll leave it
all behind when he dies! Then who's he saving up for? He's built two
houses, and he's got a second garden from his brother by a law-suit.
And in the matter of papers what a dog he is! They come to him from
other villages to fill up documents. As he writes it out, exactly so it
happens. He gets it quite exact. But who is he saving for? He's only
got one boy and the girl; when she's married who'll be left?'

'Well then, he's saving up for her dowry,' said Olenin.

'What dowry? The girl is sought after, she's a fine girl. But he's such
a devil that he must yet marry her to a rich fellow. He wants to get a
big price for her. There's Luke, a Cossack, a neighbour and a nephew of
mine, a fine lad. It's he who killed the Chechen--he has been wooing
her for a long time, but he hasn't let him have her. He's given one
excuse, and another, and a third. "The girl's too young," he says. But
I know what he is thinking. He wants to keep them bowing to him. He's
been acting shamefully about that girl. Still, they will get her for
Lukashka, because he is the best Cossack in the village, a brave, who
has killed an abrek and will be rewarded with a cross.'

'But how about this? When I was walking up and down the yard last
night, I saw my landlord's daughter and some Cossack kissing,' said
Olenin.

'You're pretending!' cried the old man, stopping.

'On my word,' said Olenin.

'Women are the devil,' said Eroshka pondering. 'But what Cossack was
it?'

'I couldn't see.'

'Well, what sort of a cap had he, a white one?'

'Yes.'

'And a red coat? About your height?'

'No, a bit taller.'

'It's he!' and Eroshka burst out laughing. 'It's himself, it's Mark. He
is Luke, but I call him Mark for a joke. His very self! I love him. I
was just such a one myself. What's the good of minding them? My
sweetheart used to sleep with her mother and her sister-in-law, but I
managed to get in. She used to sleep upstairs; that witch her mother
was a regular demon; it's awful how she hated me. Well, I used to come
with a chum, Girchik his name was. We'd come under her window and I'd
climb on his shoulde