Page:Tolstoy - Tales from Tolstoi.djvu/133

Rh So the muzhiks went in a body to the landlady, and begged her not to sell the land to the steward, but let them have it. They promised to pay her more for it than he would. The lady consented. Then the muzhiks assembled together in their Mir (or communal council) and debated about buying the land for the community. They met together not once nor twice; but somehow the matter made no progress. The fact was, the unclean spirit had a hand in it, and prevented them from agreeing. At last the muzhiks decided to buy the land in separate lots, each one taking as much as he could. To this also the landlady agreed. Pakhom heard that his neighbour had bought twenty acres from his landlady, who had taken half the money down, and given him a whole year to pay off the rest. Pakhom grew jealous.

"They are buying up all the land amongst them," thought he, "and I shall be left out in the cold." He consulted his wife. "All the people are buying and buying," said he; "we too must manage to buy at least ten acres. Life will be impossible otherwise, for the overseer will ruin us with fines." So they laid their heads together about it.

They had laid by 100 roubles (£10), and they sold their horse, and half their bees, and sent out their son to service, and so scraped together half of the sum required. Pakhom tied up his money, chose fifteen acres of land, with a little copse thereon (he had had his eye upon it for a long time), and went to drive a bargain with his landlady. He succeeded in getting these fifteen acres on his own terms, shook hands upon the bargain, and paid a deposit. Then 83