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Updated: June 16, 2025
Aksinya, with her hair curled, in her stays without her dress on, in new creaky boots, flew about the yard like a whirlwind showing glimpses of her bare knees and bosom. It was noisy, there was a sound of scolding and oaths; passers-by stopped at the wide-open gates, and in everything there was a feeling that something extraordinary was happening. "They have gone for the bride!"
On holidays Kostukov and the Juniors used to get up races, used to dash about Ukleevo and run over calves. Aksinya, rustling her starched petticoats, used to promenade in a low-necked dress up and down the street near her shop; the Juniors used to snatch her up and carry her off as though by force. Then old Tsybukin would drive out to show his new horse and take Varvara with him.
Someone trod on her flounce and Crutch shouted: "Aie, they have torn off the panel! Children!" Aksinya had naive grey eyes which rarely blinked, and a naive smile played continually on her face.
Verotchka, tell Aksinya to unlock the gate for us!" You are not asleep, you know. Little wife, we are really so done up and exhausted that we're not in the mood for jokes. We've trudged all the way from the station! Don't you hear? Ah, hang it all!" I see you are just as great a schoolgirl as ever, Vera, you are always up to mischief!" "Perhaps Vera Stepanovna is asleep," says Laev.
A crowd had by now collected at the open gate and was staring into the yard. "Let the people look," bawled Aksinya. "I will shame you all! You shall burn with shame! You shall grovel at my feet. Hey! Stepan," she called to the deaf man, "let us go home this minute! Let us go to my father and mother; I don't want to live with convicts. Get ready!"
"Oh my God! you wicked woman...." He flung up his hands and went out, and he kept saying something as he went away. And a little later Aksinya sat up and sighed heavily with annoyance, then got up and, gathering up her bedclothes in her arms, went out. "Why did you marry me into this family, mother?" said Lipa. "One has to be married, daughter. It was not us who ordained it."
Aksinya had no sooner married the deaf son than she began to display an extraordinary gift for business, and knew who could be allowed to run up a bill and who could not: she kept the keys and would not trust them even to her husband; she kept the accounts by means of the reckoning beads, looked at the horses' teeth like a peasant, and was always laughing or shouting; and whatever she did or said the old man was simply delighted and muttered: "Well done, daughter-in-law!
Aksinya shouted, suddenly appearing in the doorway; in honour of the funeral she was dressed all in new clothes and had powdered her face. "Shut up!" Lipa tried to stop but could not, and sobbed louder than ever. "Do you hear?" shouted Aksinya, and she stamped her foot in violent anger. "Who is it I am speaking to? Go out of the yard and don't set foot here again, you convict's wife. Get away."
In the corner behind the table under the holy pictures crouched a little girl of twelve years old, eating a piece of bread. Her mother threatened her every now and then. In the outer room there was coming and going, noise and talk: the brother's wife was chopping cabbage. 'Hey, Aksinya, said the injured man at last. 'What? 'Some kvas.'Aksinya gave him some kvas. Silence again.
"Sashka the blacksmith told a lie, I expect," said Aksinya, guessing his thoughts. He went into the house and came back a little later with a parcel; he opened it, and there was the gleam of roubles perfectly new coins. He took one, tried it with his teeth, flung it on the tray; then flung down another. "The roubles really are false..." he said, looking at Aksinya and seeming perplexed.
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