University of Virginia Library

6.
CHAPTER VI.

THE whole day passed without any one in the
village of Pokrovski having seen anything of
Polikey. During the afternoon his mistress in-
quired many times as to his whereabouts, and
sent Aksiutka frequently to Akulina, who each
time sent back word that Polikey had not yet
returned, saying also that perhaps the merchant
had kept him, or that something had happened
to the mare.

His poor wife felt a heavy load upon her
heart, and was scarcely able to do her house-
work and put everything in order for the
next day (which was to be a holy-day). The
children also anxiously awaited their father's
appearance, and, though for different reasons,
could hardly restrain their impatience. The
noblewoman and Akulina were concerned only

in regard to Polikey himself, while the children
were interested most in what he would bring
them from the town.

The only news received by the villagers
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 palpi-
tating 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 en-
tered 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 ex-
pression 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 looking silently at the
baby.

Akulina did not notice this proceeding, and

with her cakes on the board went to place them
in a corner.

Polikey quickly hid the rope beneath his coat,
and again seated himself on the bed.

"What is it that troubles you, Illitch?" in-
quired Akulina. "You are not yourself."

"I have not slept," he answered.

Suddenly a dark shadow crossed the window,
and a minute later the girl Aksiutka quickly
entered the room, exclaiming:

"The
boyarinia
commands you, Polikey Illitch,
to come to her this moment!"

Polikey looked first at Akulina and then at
the girl.

"This moment!" he cried. "What more is
wanted?"

He spoke the last sentence so softly that
Akulina became quieted in her mind, thinking
that perhaps their mistress intended to reward
her husband.

"Say that I will come immediately," he said.

But Polikey failed to follow the girl, and went
instead to another place.

From the porch of his house there was a lad-
der reaching to the attic. Arriving at the foot
of the ladder Polikey looked around him, and
seeing no one about, he quickly ascended to the
garret.

* * * * * * *

Meanwhile the girl had reached her mistress's
house.

"What does it mean that Polikey does not
come?" said the noblewoman impatiently.

"Where can he be? Why does he not come at
once?"

Aksiutka flew again to his house and de-
manded to see Polikey.

"He went a long time ago," answered Aku-
lina, and looking around with an expression of
fear on her face, she added, "He may have
fallen asleep somewhere on the way."

About this time the joiner's wife, with hair
unkempt and clothes bedraggled, went up to

the loft to gather the linen which she had pre-
viously put there to dry. Suddenly a cry of
horror was heard, and the woman, with her
eyes closed, and crazed by fear, ran down the
ladder like a cat.

"Illitch," she cried, "has hanged himself!"

Poor Akulina ran up the ladder before any of
the people, who had gathered from the sur-
rounding houses, could prevent her. With a
loud shriek she fell back as if dead, and would
surely have been killed had not one of the spec-
tators succeeded in catching her in his arms.

Before dark the same day a peasant of the
village, while returning from the town, found
the envelope containing Polikey's money on
the roadside, and soon after delivered it to the
boyarinia.

THE END.