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Updated: June 1, 2025
The case was tried, and re-tried, and at the end of it all Simon was acquitted, there being no evidence against him. Pahom felt still more aggrieved, and let his anger loose upon the Elder and the Judges. "You let thieves grease your palms," said he. "If you were honest folk yourselves, you would not let a thief go free." So Pahom quarrelled with the Judges and with his neighbors.
At first, in the bustle of building and settling down, Pahom was pleased with it all, but when he got used to it he began to think that even here he had not enough land. The first year, he sowed wheat on his share of the Communal land, and had a good crop.
Pahom passing through the wood one day noticed something white. He came nearer, and saw the stripped trunks lying on the ground, and close by stood the stumps, where the tree had been. Pahom was furious. "If he had only cut one here and there it would have been bad enough," thought Pahom, "but the rascal has actually cut down a whole clump.
Presently Pahom heard that a neighbor of his was buying fifty acres, and that the lady had consented to accept one half in cash and to wait a year for the other half. Pahom felt envious. "Look at that," thought he, "the land is all being sold, and I shall get none of it." So he spoke to his wife. "Other people are buying," said he, "and we must also buy twenty acres or so.
Threats to burn his building began to be uttered. So though Pahom had more land, his place in the Commune was much worse than before. About this time a rumor got about that many people were moving to new parts. "There's no need for me to leave my land," thought Pahom. "But some of the others might leave our village, and then there would be more room for us.
Just as Pahom was going to ask, "Have you been here long?" he saw that it was not the dealer, but the peasant who had come up from the Volga, long ago, to Pahom's old home. Then he saw that it was not the peasant either, but the Devil himself with hoofs and horns, sitting there and chuckling, and before him lay a man barefoot, prostrate on the ground, with only trousers and a shirt on.
Pahom lay on the feather-bed, but could not sleep. He kept thinking about the land. "What a large tract I will mark off!" thought he. "I can easily go thirty-five miles in a day. The days are long now, and within a circuit of thirty-five miles what a lot of land there will be! I will sell the poorer land, or let it to peasants, but I'll pick out the best and farm it.
I would take over their land myself, and make my estate a bit bigger. I could then live more at ease. As it is, I am still too cramped to be comfortable." One day Pahom was sitting at home, when a peasant passing through the village, happened to call in. He was allowed to stay the night, and supper was given him. Pahom had a talk with this peasant and asked him where he came from.
"What shall I do," he thought again, "I have grasped too much, and ruined the whole affair. I can't get there before the sun sets." And this fear made him still more breathless. Pahom went on running, his soaking shirt and trousers stuck to him, and his mouth was parched.
Pahom looked at the sun, which had reached the earth: one side of it had already disappeared. With all his remaining strength he rushed on, bending his body forward so that his legs could hardly follow fast enough to keep him from falling. Just as he reached the hillock it suddenly grew dark. He looked up the sun had already set.
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