a rode up to two huts that
stood side by side.

"Here we are all right, old fellow! Be quick and come soon!" called
Lukashka to his comrade, dismounting in front of one of the huts; then
he carefully led his horse in at the gate of the wattle fence of his
own home.

"How d'you do, Stepka?" he said to his dumb sister, who, smartly
dressed like the others, came in from the street to take his horse; and
he made signs to her to take the horse to the hay, but not to unsaddle
it.

The dumb girl made her usual humming noise, smacked her lips as she
pointed to the horse and kissed it on the nose, as much as to say that
she loved it and that it was a fine horse.

"How d'you do. Mother? How is it that you have not gone out yet?"
shouted Lukashka, holding his gun in place as he mounted the steps of
the porch.

His old mother opened the door.

"Dear me! I never expected, never thought, you'd come," said the old
woman. "Why, Kirka said you wouldn't be here."

"Go and bring some chikhir, Mother. Nazarka is coming here and we will
celebrate the feast day."

"Directly, Lukashka, directly!" answered the old woman. "Our women are
making merry. I expect our dumb one has gone too."

She took her keys and hurriedly went to the outhouse. Nazarka, after
putting up his horse and taking the gun off his shoulder, returned to
Lukashka's house and went in.

Chapter XXXVII

'Your health!' said Lukashka, taking from his mother's hands a cup
filled to the brim with chikhir and carefully raising it to his bowed
head.

'A bad business!' said Nazarka. 'You heard how Daddy Burlak said, "Have
you stolen many horses?" He seems to know!'

'A regular wizard!' Lukashka replied shortly. 'But what of it!' he
added, tossing his head. 'They are across the river by now. Go and find
them!'

'Still it's a bad lookout.'

'What's a bad lookout? Go and take some chikhir to him to-morrow and
nothing will come of it. Now let's make merry. Drink!' shouted
Lukashka, just in the tone in which old Eroshka uttered the word.
'We'll go out into the street and make merry with the girls. You go and
get some honey; or no, I'll send our dumb wench. We'll make merry till
morning.'

Nazarka smiled.

'Are we stopping here long?' he asked.

Till we've had a bit of fun. Run and get some vodka. Here's the money.'

Nazarka ran off obediently to get the vodka from Yamka's.

Daddy Eroshka and Ergushov, like birds of prey, scenting where the
merry-making