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Updated: May 10, 2025
Then having finished that business he returned to the sledge, and addressing Vasili Andreevich, said: 'You won't need the sackcloth, will you? And let me have some straw.
The sight of that wormwood tormented by the pitiless wind made Vasili Andreevich shudder, he knew not why, and he hurriedly began urging the horse on, not noticing that when riding up to the wormwood he had quite changed his direction and was now heading the opposite way, though still imagining that he was riding towards where the hut should be.
"Mark," answered Raisky, to the excitement of all present. "What Mark?" asked Niel Andreevich, frowning. "Mark Volokov, who is in exile here." "Ah! that thief. Do you know him?" "We are friends." "Friends!" hissed the old man. "Tatiana Markovna, what do I hear?" "Don't believe him, Niel Andreevich. He does not know what he is talking about. What sort of a friend of yours is he?"
Meanwhile Vasili Andreevich was telling how he had lost his way, how they had come back twice to this same village, and how they had gone astray and had met some drunken peasants. Their hosts were surprised, explained where and why they had missed their way, said who the tipsy people they had met were, and told them how they ought to go.
He went through a moment of painful hesitation and nearly took up the glass and emptied the clear fragrant liquid down his throat, but he glanced at Vasili Andreevich, remembered his oath and the boots that he had sold for drink, recalled the cooper, remembered his son for whom he had promised to buy a horse by spring, sighed, and declined it.
There were moments when the wind seemed to abate a little, but that did not last long and as if to make up for that respite the storm swept down with tenfold vigour and tore and whirled the more fiercely. Such a gust struck them at the moment when Vasili Andreevich, having recovered his breath, got out of the sledge and went up to Nikita to consult him as to what they should do.
'Why, this must be the Goryachkin forest! said Vasili Andreevich, pointing to something dark that appeared amid the snow in front of them. 'We'll see what forest it is when we get there, said Nikita. He saw that beside the black thing they had noticed, dry, oblong willow-leaves were fluttering, and so he knew it was not a forest but a settlement, but he did not wish to say so.
But its being the same wormwood was not all, for beside it there was a horse's track partly snowed over. Vasili Andreevich stopped, stooped down and looked carefully. It was a horse-track only partially covered with snow, and could be none but his own horse's hoofprints. He had evidently gone round in a small circle.
The young officials smoothed their coats, Niel Andreevich kissed her hand with evident pleasure, and the girls fixed their eyes on her. Meanwhile Marfinka was busily employed in pouring out time, handing dishes and particularly in entertaining her friends. "Vera Vassilievna, my dear, do take my part," cried Niel Andreevich. "Is any one offending you?" "Indeed there is.
"You are thinking of what the Governor would decide on in such a serious case, what Niel Andreevich would say, how the company would take it. Now good-bye, I will go and storm my entrance alone." "Wait, I have another, more delightful plan," said Raisky. "My Aunt cannot, you say, bear to hear your name; only the other day she declared she would in no circumstances give you hospitality."
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