Page:Complete Works of Count Tolstoy - 18.djvu/150



(dressed up. Walks with her purchases up to Nikita). How you scatter things! Where is the harness?

. The harness? The harness is there. Oh, Mítrich, where are you? Are you asleep? Go and put the horse up!

(not seeing Akulína and looking at his son). What are you doing? The old man is, so to speak, worn out: he has been threshing, and you are all bloated, so to speak. "Put the horse up!" Pshaw, how bad that is!

(climbs down from the oven and puts on his felt boots). O merciful Lord! Is the horse in the yard? I suppose you have worn it out! Thunder, he is sopped in liquor,—through and hrough. O Lord! St. Nicholas! (Puts on the fur coat and exit.)

(sitting down). Forgive me, father! I have drunk some, that is so; but what is to be done? A chicken drinks, too. Am I not right? So forgive me! As to Mítrich,—he will not be offended, he will put the horse up.

. Do you really want the samovár?

. Make it! Father has come, and I want to drink tea with him and talk. (To Akulína.) Have you taken out all the purchases?

. The purchases? I took out what belongs to me; the rest are in the sleigh. Take this; it does not belong to me. (Throws a roll on the table, and puts the purchases into a coffer. Anyútka watches Akulína putting away things. Akím does not look at his son, and puts away his leg-rags and the bast shoes on the oven.)

(exit with the samovár). The coffer is full, but he has bought more things.