Page:Tolstoy - Tales from Tolstoi.djvu/262

Tales from Tolstoi began to come to Simon for boots from the whole country side, and Simon began to increase and do well.

One day, in the winter-time, Simon and Michael were sitting working together, when a troika, with all its bells ringing, dashed up to the hut. They looked out of the window; the sledge stopped in front of the hut; a young man leaped down from the seat, and opened the door of the sledge. Out of the sledge stepped a gentleman wrapped up in a pelisse. He got out of the sledge and went up to Simon's house, and mounted the staircase. Matrena darted out and threw the door wide open. The gentleman bowed and entered the hut. When he stood upright his head very nearly touched the ceiling, and his body took up a whole corner of the hut.

Simon stood up and bowed deeply. He was much surprised to see the gentleman there. He was not in the habit of seeing such people. Now Simon was quite gaunt and Michael was thin and haggard, and Matrena was like a dried chip; but this person was like a man from quite another world; his snout was sappy and rosy, his neck like a bull's, his whole frame as if of cast iron.

The gentleman breathed hard, took off his furs, sat down on the bench, and said: "Who's the master here?"

Simon stepped forward and said: "I, your honour."

The gentleman shouted to his lad: "Fed'ka, bring the traps hither!"

The lad came running in with a bundle. The

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