Page:Tolstoy - Tales from Tolstoi.djvu/198

Tales from Tolstoi But the judge did not listen to the clerk: "You have an itching tongue," said he. "The first and only code, brother, is, be mindful of God! and God bids us be peacemakers."

And again the judge tried to persuade the muzhiks, and he could not persuade them.

Gabriel would not listen to him.

"Here am I fifty years old," said he; "I've a son married, and from my youth up I've never been flogged; and now this botcher Van'ka brings me beneath the birch, and I am to salute him! Well, all I can say is, Van'ka shall have cause to remember this!"

Again Gabriel's voice trembled. He could say no more. He turned him round and went out.

From the court-house to the farm was ten versts, and Ivan returned home late. The women had already gone out to meet the cattle. He took out the horse, tidied things up, and went into the izba. There was no one in the izba, the children had not yet returned from the fields, and the women were with the cattle. Ivan went in, sat down on a bench, and fell a-thinking. He called to mind how Gabriel had received the sentence, and how he had grown pale and turned towards the wall. And his heart began to prick him. He imagined how it would have been with him if he had been sentenced to a whipping. He felt sorry for Gabriel. And he heard the old man on the stove begin to cough, turn him about, put out his feet, and come down from the stove. On getting 148