lmost out
of breath, she said: "My mistress has ordered you, Polikey Illitch [son
of Ilia], to come up to the court at once!"

The girl was standing and still breathing heavily from her late exertion
as she continued: "Egor Mikhailovitch, the superintendent, has been
to see our lady about having you drafted into the army, and, Polikey
Illitch, your name was mentioned among others. Our lady has sent me to
tell you to come up to the court immediately."

As soon as Aksiutka had delivered her message she left the room in the
same abrupt manner in which she had entered.

Akulina, without saying a word, got up and brought her husband's boots
to him. They were poor, worn-out things which some soldier had given
him, and his wife did not glance at him as she handed them to him.

"Are you going to change your shirt, Illitch?" she asked, at last.

"No," replied Polikey.

Akulina did not once look at him all the time he was putting on his
boots and preparing to go to the court. Perhaps, after all, it was
better that she did not do so. His face was very pale and his lips
trembled. He slowly combed his hair and was about to depart without
saying a word, when his wife stopped him to arrange the ribbon on his
shirt, and, after toying a little with his coat, she put his hat on for
him and he left the little home.

Polikey's next-door neighbors were a joiner and his wife. A thin
partition only separated the two families, and each could hear what the
other said and did. Soon after Polikey's departure a woman was heard to
say: "Well, Polikey Illitch, so your mistress has sent for you!"

The voice was that of the joiner's wife on the other side of the
partition. Akulina and the woman had quarrelled that morning about some
trifling thing done by one of Polikey's children, and it afforded her
the greatest pleasure to learn that her neighbor had been summoned into
the presence of his noble mistress. She looked upon such a circumstance
as a bad omen. She continued talking to herself and said: "Perhaps she
wants to send him to the town to make some purchases for her household.
I did not suppose she would select such a faithful man as you are to
perform such a service for her. If it should prove that she DOES want to
send you to the next town, just buy me a quarter-pound of tea. Will you,
Polikey Illitch?"

Poor Akulina, on hearing the joiner's wife talking so unkindly of her
husband, could hardly suppress the tears, and, the tirade con