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Updated: May 27, 2025
'Come, come, come, shouted Gavrila from the yard, 'mind what you're about. Gerasim stood without stirring in his doorway. The crowd gathered at the foot of the stairs. Gerasim, with his arms akimbo, looked down at all these poor creatures in German coats; in his red peasant's shirt he looked like a giant before them. Gavrila took a step forward. 'Mind, mate, said he, 'don't be insolent.
"But you'll deceive us," Gavrila waved back in response. Gerasim looked at him, smiled scornfully, struck himself again on the breast, and slammed to the door. They all looked at one another in silence. "What does that mean?" Gavrila began. "He's locked himself in." "Let him be, Gavrila Andreitch," Stepan advised; "he'll do it if he's promised.
Gerasim turned round, saw lights and shadows moving in the windows, and with an instinct of coming trouble in his heart, put Mumu under his arm, ran into his garret, and locked himself in. A few minutes later five men were banging at his door, but feeling the resistance of the bolt, they stopped. Gavrila ran up in a fearful state of mind, and ordered them all to wait there and watch till morning.
Gerasim, being a servant who in his time had seen many strange things, accepted Pierre's taking up his residence in the house without surprise, and seemed pleased to have someone to wait on. That same evening without even asking himself what they were wanted for he procured a coachman's coat and cap for Pierre, and promised to get him the pistol next day.
The steward gave him a shove, and whispered some instructions to him, to which Stepan responded with something between a yawn and a laugh. The steward went away, and Stepan got up, put on his coat and his boots, went out and stood on the steps. Five minutes had not passed before Gerasim made his appearance with a huge bundle of hewn logs on his back, accompanied by the inseparable Mumu.
He was a splendid peasant, and, except for his affliction, any girl would have been glad to marry him.... But now they had taken Gerasim to Moscow, bought him boots, had him made a full-skirted coat for summer, a sheepskin for winter, put into his hand a broom and a spade, and appointed him porter. At first he intensely disliked his new mode of life.
Tatiana would make no difficulty, of course; but Kapiton had declared in the hearing of all that he had but one head to lose, not two or three. . . Gerasim turned rapid sullen looks on every one, would not budge from the steps of the maids' quarters, and seemed to guess that some mischief was being hatched against him. They met together.
When he opened his eyes again, little wavelets were hurrying over the river, chasing one another; as before they broke against the boat's side, and only far away behind wide circles moved widening to the bank. Directly Gerasim had vanished from Eroshka's sight, the latter returned home and reported what he had seen. "Well, then," observed Stepan, "he'll drown her. Now we can feel easy about it.
They all laughed at Stepan, and after supper they separated to go to bed. Meanwhile, at that very time, a gigantic figure with a bag on his shoulders and a stick in his hand, was eagerly and persistently stepping out along the T high-road. It was Gerasim. He was hurrying on without looking round; hurrying homewards, to his own village, to his own country.
Gerasim was altogether of a strict and serious temper, he liked order in everything; even the cocks did not dare to fight in his presence, or woe betide them! directly he caught sight of them, he would seize them by the legs, swing them ten times round in the air like a wheel, and throw them in different directions.
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