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Updated: May 16, 2025
They ate without talking, sucking the bones noisily and spitting them out on the sand, near the door. Iakov literally devoured his food, which seemed to please Malva vastly; she watched with tender interest his sunburnt cheeks extend and his thick humid lips moving quickly. Vassili was not hungry.
Do you think I do not understand? You began." Vassili howled with passion, and raised his arm to strike so rapidly that Iakov had no time to avoid it. The blow fell on his head. He staggered and ground his teeth in his father's face. "Wait!" cried the latter, clenching his fists and again threatening him.
His face was covered with freckles and he had big saucy blue eyes and an impertinent turned-up nose. When he came up he stopped and made a grimace. "Serejka drank yesterday, and today Serejka's pocket is empty. Lend me twenty kopeks. I'll not return them." Iakov burst out laughing; Malva smiled. "Give me the money," went on the tramp. "I'll marry you for twenty kopeks if you like."
Why, Iakov, what a fine fellow you've grown!" Again he disappeared. Malva went on munching her melon seeds. She stared familiarly at Iakov. He tried not to meet her eyes, although he would have liked to, and he thought to himself: "Life must come easy here. People seem to eat as much as they want to. How strong she is and father, too!"
Iakov, protecting himself as best he could against his father's blows, pale and bathed in perspiration, his teeth clenched, his eyes brilliant as a wolf's, slowly retreated, and as his father charged upon him, gesticulating with ferocity and blind with rage, like a wild boar, he turned and ran out of the cabin, down towards the sea.
"Shall you go, too?" "No." "Then I shan't either." "Are you going to stay round me all day?" "I don't want your company so much as that," replied Iakov, offended. He rose and moved away. But he was mistaken in saying that he did not need her, for when away from her he felt lonely. A strange feeling had come to him after their conversation, a secret desire to protest against the father.
Should he embrace his father as Malva had done or shake his hand like Serejka? And Vassili felt hurt at this hesitation, which was visible in his son's attitude. "Remember your mother," said Vassili, finally. "Yes, yes," replied Iakov, cordially. "Don't worry. I know." "That's all. Be happy. God protect you. Don't think badly of me.
Serejka was impassible, and he even yawned a little, at the same time gazing at the sky. "You'll find it hot walking," he said. "No matter. Goodbye, you too, Iakov." "Goodbye!" They stood facing each other, not knowing what to do. The sad word "goodbye" aroused in Iakov a feeling of tenderness for his father, but he did not know how to express it.
"I know," said Iakov, shrugging his shoulders. "It is well if you know," said the father, with a look of distrust. "I only warn you not to forget it." Vassili sighed deeply. For a few minutes all were silent. Then Malva said: "The work bell will soon ring." "I'm going," said Vassili, rising. And all rose. "Goodbye, Serejka. If you happen to be on the Volga, maybe you'll drop in to see me."
Then she laughed: "How you went on when you saw him. It was so funny!" "Funny, eh?" The sand crunched under Iakov's steps and they had to suspend their conversation. Iakov had brought a bag which he threw into a corner. He cast a hostile look at the young woman. She went on munching her seeds. Vassili, seating himself on the woodbin, said with a forced smile: "What made you think of coming?"
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