nmistakable signs of my "zeal for the service."

"What has happened to thee?" said he, in heart-broken accents; "where
have you been filling yourself like a sack? Oh! heavenly father! a
misfortune like this never came before."

"Silence! old owl," said I, stammering, "I am sure you are drunk
yourself; go to bed, but first put me there."

I awoke next morning with a severe headache; the events of the evening
I recalled vaguely, but my recollections became vivid at the sight of
Saveliitch who came to me with a cup of tea.

"You begin young, Peter Grineff," said the old men, shaking his head.
"Eh! from whom do you inherit it? Neither your father nor grandfather
were drunkards. Your mother's name can not be mentioned; she never
deigned to taste any thing but cider. Whose fault is it then? That
cursed Frenchman's; he taught three fine things, that miserable
dog--that pagan--for thy teacher, as if his lordship, thy father, had
not people of his own."

I was ashamed before the old man; I turned my face away saying, "I
do not want any tea, go away, Saveliitch." It was not easy to stop
Saveliitch, once he began to preach.

"Now, Peter, you see what it is to play the fool. You have a headache,
you have no appetite, a drunkard is good for nothing. Here, take some of
this decoction of cucumber and honey, or half a glass of brandy to sober
you. What do you say to that?"

At that instant a boy entered the room with a note for me from Zourine.
I unfolded it and read as follows:

"Do me the favor, my dear Peter, to send me by my servant the hundred
roubles that you lost to me yesterday. I am horribly in want of money.
Your devoted. ZOURINE."

As I was perfectly in his power, I assumed an air of indifference, and
ordered Saveliitch to give a hundred roubles to the boy.

"What? why?" said the old man, surprised.

"I owe that sum," said I, coolly.

"You owe it? When had you time enough to contract such a debt?" said
he, with redoubled astonishment. "No, no, that's impossible. Do what you
like, my lord, but I can not give the money."

I reflected that if in this decisive moment I did not oblige the
obstinate old fellow to obey me, it would be impossible in the future to
escape from his tutelage. Looking at him therefore, haughtily, I said,
"I am thy master; thou art my servant. The money is mine, and I lost
because I chose to lose it; I advise thee to obey when ordered, and not
assume the airs of a master."

My words affe