the bench as if things were all
right.

"Come, Matryona; if supper is ready, let us have some."

Matryona muttered something to herself and did not move, but stayed
where she was, by the oven. She looked first at the one and then at
the other of them, and only shook her head. Simon saw that his wife was
annoyed, but tried to pass it off. Pretending not to notice anything, he
took the stranger by the arm.

"Sit down, friend," said he, "and let us have some supper."

The stranger sat down on the bench.

"Haven't you cooked anything for us?" said Simon.

Matryona's anger boiled over. "I've cooked, but not for you. It seems to
me you have drunk your wits away. You went to buy a sheep-skin coat,
but come home without so much as the coat you had on, and bring a naked
vagabond home with you. I have no supper for drunkards like you."

"That's enough, Matryona. Don't wag your tongue without reason. You had
better ask what sort of man--"

"And you tell me what you've done with the money?"

Simon found the pocket of the jacket, drew out the three-rouble note,
and unfolded it.

"Here is the money. Trifonof did not pay, but promises to pay soon."

Matryona got still more angry; he had bought no sheep-skins, but had
put his only coat on some naked fellow and had even brought him to their
house.

She snatched up the note from the table, took it to put away in safety,
and said: "I have no supper for you. We can't feed all the naked
drunkards in the world."

"There now, Matryona, hold your tongue a bit. First hear what a man has
to say-"

"Much wisdom I shall hear from a drunken fool. I was right in not
wanting to marry you-a drunkard. The linen my mother gave me you drank;
and now you've been to buy a coat-and have drunk it, too!"

Simon tried to explain to his wife that he had only spent twenty kopeks;
tried to tell how he had found the man--but Matryona would not let him
get a word in. She talked nineteen to the dozen, and dragged in things
that had happened ten years before.

Matryona talked and talked, and at last she flew at Simon and seized him
by the sleeve.

"Give me my jacket. It is the only one I have, and you must needs take
it from me and wear it yourself. Give it here, you mangy dog, and may
the devil take you."

Simon began to pull off the jacket, and turned a sleeve of it inside
out; Matryona seized the jacket and it burst its seams, She snatched it
up, threw it over her head and went to the door