would be sure to come and complain,' she added in annoyance and
agitation. 'I told you.'
'But why should you see him?' Kirillovna answered calmly, 'there is no
need to. Why should you be worried! No, indeed!'
'What is to be done then?'
'If you will permit me, I will speak to him.'
Lizaveta Prohorovna raised her head.
'Please do, Kirillovna. Talk to him. You tell him ... that I found it
necessary ... but that I will compensate him ... say what you think
best. Please, Kirillovna.'
'Don't you worry yourself, madam,' answered Kirillovna, and she went
out, her shoes creaking.
A quarter of an hour had not elapsed when their creaking was heard
again and Kirillovna walked into the boudoir with the same unruffled
expression on her face and the same sly shrewdness in her eyes.
'Well?' asked her mistress, 'how is Akim?'
'He is all right, madam. He says that it must all be as you graciously
please; that if only you have good health and prosperity he can get
along very well.'
'And he did not complain?'
'No, madam. Why should he complain?'
'What did he come for, then?' Lizaveta Prohorovna asked in some
surprise.
'He came to ask whether you would excuse his yearly payment for next
year, that is, until he has been compensated.'
'Of course, of course,' Lizaveta Prohorovna caught her up eagerly. 'Of
course, with pleasure. And tell him, in fact, that I will make it up
to him. Thank you, Kirillovna. I see he is a good-hearted man. Stay,'
she added, 'give him this from me,' and she took a three-rouble note
out of her work-table drawer, 'Here, take this, give it to him.'
'Certainly, madam,' answered Kirillovna, and going calmly back to her
room she locked the note in an iron-cased box which stood at the head
of her bed; she kept in it all her spare cash, and there was a
considerable amount of it.
Kirillovna had reassured her mistress by her report but the
conversation between herself and Akim had not been quite what she
represented. She had sent for him to the maid's room. At first he had
not come, declaring that he did not want to see Kirillovna but
Lizaveta Prohorovna herself; he had, however, at last obeyed and gone
by the back door to see Kirillovna. He found her alone. He stopped at
once on getting into the room and leaned against the wall by the door;
he would have spoken but he could not.
Kirillovna looked at him intently.
'You want to see the mistress, Akim Semyonitch?' she began.
He simply nodded.
'It's impossible, Akim Semyonitch. And what's the use? What's done
can't be undone, and you will only worry the mistress. She can't see
you now, Akim Semyonitch.'
'She cannot,' he repeated and paused. 'Well, then,' he brought out at
last, 'so then my house is lost?'
'Listen, Akim Semyonitch. I know you have always been a sensible man.
Such is the mistress's will and there is no changing it. You can't
alter that. Whatever you and I might say about it would make no
difference, would it?'
Akim put his arm behind his back.
'You'd better think,' Kirillovna went on, 'shouldn't you ask the
mistress to let you off your yearly payment or something?'
'So my house is lost?' repeated Akim in the same voice.
'Akim Semyonitch, I tell you, it's no use. You know that better than
I do.'
'Yes. Anyway, you might tell me what the house went for?'
'I don't know, Akim Semyonitch, I can't tell you.... But why are you
standing?' she added. 'Sit down.'
'I'd rather stand, I am a peasant. I thank you humbly.'
