Anton Ivanitch jumped up from the table. ' It's he! it's he!' screamed Anton Ivanitch, ' there is Yevsay on the box ! Where is the image, the bread and salt ? Give them me quick ! What am I to carry to him to the steps? How can I without bread and salt ? It's such a bad omen. What want of arrangement among you ! No one thought of it! But why are you standing still yourself, Anna Pavlovna ; why don't you go to meet him ? Make haste !'
' I cannot,' she answered with difficulty, ' my knees are too weak.'
And with these words she sank into a chair. Anton Ivanitch snatched from the table a hunch of bread, laid it on a plate, laid a salt-sellar by it, and was rushing to the door.
' Nothing ready ! ' he muttered angrily.
But he was met in the doorway by three men and two maid-servants rushing in.
' He is coming ! he is coming ! he is here !' they shrieked, pale and scared as though brigands had just arrived.
Immediately behind them appeared Alexandr himself. 'Sashenka! my dearest one!' cried Anna Pavlovna, and suddenly she stopped and looked in bewilderment at Alexandr.
Q
' But where is Sashenka ? ' she asked.
' Why, this is me, mamma,' he said, kissing her hand.
' You ? '
She took a long look at him.
' You, really you, my darling ? ' she said, folding him to her. Then suddenly again she looked at him.
'But what's the matter with you? Are you ill?' she asked uneasily, not letting him go out of her arms.
' I am quite well, mamma.'
' Quite well! What has happened to you, my dearie ? Were you like this when I let you go ? '
She pressed him to her heart and began to weep bitterly. She kissed him on the brow, the eyes, the cheeks.
' Where are your curls ? how silky they were !' she said, through her tears. ' Your eyes used to sparkle like two stars; your cheeks were pink and white; you were just like a clear bright-skinned apple. It seems as if some evil people have bewitched you through envy of your beauty and my happiness ! But what was your uncle thinking of? I put you into his hands, as a sensible man ! Couldn't he guard my treasure ? My dearest!'
The old lady was weeping and overwhelming Alexandr with caresses.
' So tears in a dream are not a good omen !' thought Anton Ivanitch.
' Why are you lamenting over him, ma'am, just as if he were dead ? ' he whispered; ' it's a pity ! It's a bad omen.'
' How do you do, Alexandr Fedoritch ? ' he said; ' God has permitted me to see you again in this world.'
Alexandr gave him his hand without speaking./Anton Ivanitch went out to see whether everything had been taken out of the trap, then began to summon the household to come and salute their master. But all were already crowding into the hall and passages. He arranged them all in order and gave each instructions how he was to make his salutations; which was to kiss the master's hand, which his shoulder, which only the hem of his coat, and what to say while doing so. One lad he rejected altogether, telling him, 'you go first and wash your face and wipe your nose.'
Yevsay, girt with a leather strap and all covered with dust, was exchanging greetings with the servants; they all surrounded him in a circle. He gave them presents from
Petersburg; to one a silver ring, to another a birchwood snuffbox. When he saw Agrafena he stood still as though turned to stone, and gazed at her mutely in stupid rapture. She gave him a doubtful side-long look, but suddenly, in spite of herself, she was transformed; she laughed with delight, then cried a little, but suddenly turned away while her face worked.
' Why don't you speak ? ' she said; ' what a dummy; he never even says how do you do !'
But he could not say a word. With the same stupid smile he went up to her. She hardly let him embrace her.
'An evil spirit has brought him/' she said angrily, looking at him stealthily from time to time; but immense delight was expressed in her eyes and her smile. ' Pray, did the Petersburg girls .... turn your head and the master's? Just look, what whiskers he has grown!'
He pulled out of his pocket a small card-board box and gave it to her. In it were some bronze earrings. Then he took out of a bag a parcel, in which a large handkerchief was folded up.
She seized it, and quickly, without looking at them, stuffed both the presents in the cupboard.
' Show us your presents, Agrafena Ivanovna,' said one of the servants.
' Eh, what are you looking at here ? What do you want to see ? Get along! Why are you huddling in here ? ' she screamed at them.
' See, something more !' said Yevsay, giving her another ^-parcel. k) 1 ' Show us, show us !' persisted several of them. Agrafena
>>
,v- I tore open the paper, and out of it scattered a few cards of a
(V I used but still almost new pack. ' —
0 1' Well, he's hit on something! ' said Agrafena ; ' do you
Ssuppose I have nothing to do but play ? what next! I've
got a notion. I'll play with you!'
She put away the cards too. Within an hour Yevsay was again sitting in his old place between the table and the store.
' Good Lord! what peace !' he said, now crossing and then stretching his legs, ' how different it is here ! But our existence there in Petersburg is simply slavery! Isn't there
a snack of anything, Agrafena Ivanovna? we have had nothing to eat since the last station.'
' You've not got out of your old habits then ? There ! My word, how he falls upon it; it seems they didn't feed you at all there.'
XAlexandr walked through all the rooms, then through the garden, stopping at every bush and every garden- seat His mother accompanied him. She sighed as she looked at his pale face, but she did not dare to weep; Anton Ivanitch had scared her out of that. She questioned her son about his way of living, but could not in any way arrive at the reason he had become thin and pale and what had become of his hair. She pressed him to eat and drink, but he, declining everything, said he was tired with the journey and wanM like to have some sleep.
Anna Pavlovna looked to see whether the bed was well made, scolded the girl rather roughly, forced her to make it again in her presence, and did not go away till Alexandr had lain down to sleep. She went away on tiptoe, and warned the household not to dare to speak and even breathe aloud, and to walk about without shoes. Then she gave orders that Yevsay should be sent to her. With him came also Agrafena. Yevsay bowed down to the ground and kissed her hand.
'What has happened to Sashenka?' she asked in a menacing voice; ' why is he like this—pray!'
Yevsay made no answer.
' Why don't you answer ? ' said Agrafena; ' do you hear what the mistress asks you ? '
' Why has he grown so thin LI' said Anna Pavlovna; ' what has hapfSSneil lb Ins' lia'u i 1 '
' I can't tell, madam !' said Yevsay; ' that's the master's business.'
'You can't tell! But what have you been thinking about?'
Yevsay did not know what to say, and still did not answer.
'You have found some one here you could trust, madam!' murmured Agrafena, looking with affection at Yevsay. ' It's a pity you trusted such a fellow; is he to be trusted ? What were you doing there ? Tell the mistress! you'll catch it by and by!'
' Me not to be trusted, madam!' said^e ysayT) timidly, looking first at his mistress and then at< fc AgraTeffa ' I was a true and faithful servant, if you will condescend to ask Arhipytch.'
'What! Arhipytch?'
' The porter there.'
'You see what nonsense he's talking!' observed Agrafena; ' why do you listen to him, madam ? You should lock him up ... . then he'd soon be able to say!'
' I'm ready to die on the spot—if I didn't always say yes to doing for my master whatever was his respected
