Page:Pushkin - Russian Romance (King, 1875).djvu/40

28 him; "thou seest that the young man is fatigued after his journey; he has other things to think about Hold thy hands out straighter And thou, my little father," continued she, turning to me; "don't fret at being banished to our wilderness. Thou art not the first, nor wilt thou be the last. One learns to love what one has to endure. It is now five years since Shvabrine, Aleksey Ivanovitch Shvabrine was sent here for manslaughter. Goodness knows what possessed him; he went, thou seest, into the country with a sub-lieutenant; they both took up their swords, and began to poke at each other, until Aleksey Ivanovitch run the sub-lieutenant through, and that in the presence of witnesses! What's to be done! Sin has not found its master."

At that moment, the orderly, a young good-looking Cossack, came into the room.

"Maksymitch!" said the captain's wife; "show this officer to his billet, and see that all is clean."

"I obey, Vassilissa Yegorovna," answered the orderly. "Would it not do to place his honour with Ivan Polejaeff?"

"Nonsense, Maksymitch," said she; "Polejaeff has no room to spare; besides, he is my koum, and does not forget that we are his superiors. Conduct the officer What is your and your father's name, sir?"

"Piotr Andrevitch."

"Take Piotr Andrevitch to Semion Koúzoff. The rascal