Page:Dead Souls - A Poem by Nikolay Gogol - vol2.djvu/124

114 the worms have eaten it below! And look what a summer it has been, no rain at all.' But he saw that the worms had not eaten the peasants' corn, and that the rain must have fallen queerly in streaks—it had favoured the peasants' land, and not a drop had trickled on the master's fields. He found it still more difficult to get on with the women. They were continually asking to be let off their work, complaining of the heavy burden of the labours they had to perform for him. It was strange! He had abolished all the dues of linen, fruit, mushrooms and nuts, and had taken off half of their other forced labour, expecting the women to employ their free time attending to their households, sewing and making clothes for their husbands and enlarging their kitchen gardens. But nothing of the sort happened. Such idleness, squabbling, scandal-mongering prevailed among the fair sex that their husbands were continually coming to him, saying: 'Master, will you bring this fury of a woman to her senses, she is a regular devil, there is no living with her!' Sometimes, hardening his heart, he attempted to resort to severity. But how could he be severe? The woman came, so hopelessly womanish, made such a shrill outcry, was so sick and ailing, and had got herself up in such wretched filthy rags! (where she had picked them up, goodness only knows). 'Go away, go where you like as long as it is out of my sight,' said poor Tyentyetnikov, and immediately afterwards had the satisfaction of seeing the woman at once, on going out