FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   135   136   137   138   139   140   141   142   143   144   145   146   147   148   149   150   151   152   >>  
gers during the day concerning Polikey was to the effect that neighboring peasants had seen him running up and down the road and asking every one he met if he or she had found an envelope. One of them had seen him also walking by the side of his tired-out horse. "I thought," said he, "that the man was drunk, and had not fed his horse for two days--the animal looked so exhausted." Unable to sleep, and with her heart palpitating at every sound, Akulina lay awake all night vainly awaiting Polikey's return. When the cock crowed the third time she was obliged to get up to attend to the fire. Day was just dawning and the church-bells had begun to ring. Soon all the children were also up, but there was still no tidings of the missing husband and father. In the morning the chill blasts of winter entered their humble home, and on looking out they saw that the houses, fields, and roads were thickly covered with snow. The day was clear and cold, as if befitting the holy-day they were about to celebrate. They were able to see a long distance from the house, but no one was in sight. Akulina was busy baking cakes, and had it not been for the joyous shouts of the children she would not have known that Polikey was coming up the road, for a few minutes later he came in with a bundle in his hand and walked quietly to his corner. Akulina noticed that he was very pale and that his face bore an expression of suffering--as if he would like to have cried but could not do so. But she did not stop to study it, but excitedly inquired: "What! Illitch, is everything all right with you?" He slowly muttered something, but his wife could not understand what he said. "What!" she cried out, "have you been to see our mistress?" Polikey still sat on the bed in his corner, glaring wildly about him, and smiling bitterly. He did not reply for a long time, and Akulina again cried: "Eh? Illitch! Why don't you answer me? Why don't you speak?" Finally he said: "Akulina, I delivered the money to our mistress; and oh, how she thanked me!" Then he suddenly looked about him, with an anxious, startled air, and with a sad smile on his lips. Two things in the room seemed to engross the most of his attention: the baby in the cradle, and the rope which was attached to the ladder. Approaching the cradle, he began with his thin fingers quickly to untie the knot in the rope by which the two were connected. After untying it he stood for a few moments loo
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   135   136   137   138   139   140   141   142   143   144   145   146   147   148   149   150   151   152   >>  



Top keywords:
Akulina
 

Polikey

 

mistress

 
children
 

Illitch

 

looked

 

corner

 

cradle

 

slowly

 

muttered


expression

 
suffering
 

bundle

 
walked
 
inquired
 

excitedly

 

quietly

 

minutes

 

understand

 

noticed


delivered

 

attention

 

attached

 

ladder

 

Approaching

 
engross
 

things

 

untying

 

moments

 

connected


fingers

 

quickly

 
answer
 

bitterly

 

smiling

 

glaring

 

wildly

 

Finally

 

anxious

 

startled


suddenly
 
thanked
 

palpitating

 

exhausted

 

Unable

 
vainly
 

awaiting

 
obliged
 
attend
 

crowed