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It is to my house, not to his, that you have come; and I am Peter Petrovitch Pietukh yes, Peter Petrovitch Pietukh." Chichikov, dumbfounded, turned to Selifan and Petrushka. "What do you mean?" he exclaimed. "I told you to drive to the house of Colonel Koshkarev, whereas you have brought me to that of Peter Petrovitch Pietukh."
"Selifan," he went on, "did you ask how to get to Colonel Koshkarev's?" "Yes, Paul Ivanovitch. At least, there was such a clatter around the koliaska that I could not; but Petrushka asked the coachman." "You fool! How often have I told you not to rely on Petrushka? Petrushka is a blockhead, an idiot. Besides, at the present moment I believe him to be drunk."
Petrushka shouted; and the kingfisher skimmed over the water once more and disappeared in the trees on the other side of the river. Petrushka rolled and lit another cigarette. Presently he heard the two sharp sounds once more, and the kingfisher darted again across the water: a bit of fish was in its beak.
As he said this he rose, went to his sister, and, stooping, kissed her forehead. His fine eyes lit up with a thoughtful, kindly, and unaccustomed brightness, but he was looking not at his sister but over her head toward the darkness of the open doorway. "Let us go to her, I must say good-by. Or go and wake and I'll come in a moment. Petrushka!" he called to his valet: "Come here, take these away.
Tatiana Markovna asked the visitor to sit on the divan, and seated herself stiffly beside her. "What is the weather like?" she asked. "Had you a windy crossing over the Volga?" "There was no wind." "Did you come by the ferry?" "In the boat. The caleche was brought over on the ferry." "Yakob, Egorovna, Petrushka? Where are you? Why don't you come when you are called?
Yes, many a verst of road remains to be travelled by a party made up of an elderly gentleman, a britchka of the kind affected by bachelors, a valet named Petrushka, a coachman named Selifan, and three horses which, from the Assessor to the skewbald, are known to us individually by name. That he is no hero compounded of virtues and perfections must be already clear. Then WHAT is he? A villain?
As a schoolboy, Petrushka had been ashamed to serve at the altar, had been offended at being addressed without ceremony, had not crossed himself on entering the room, and what was still more noteworthy, was fond of talking a great deal and with heat and, in Father Fyodor's opinion, much talking was unseemly in children and pernicious to them; moreover Petrushka had taken up a contemptuous and critical attitude to fishing, a pursuit to which both his Reverence and the deacon were greatly addicted.
Reluctantly and sadly she gave in at last. Petrushka went to the river, and Tatiana watched him go with a heavy heart. She felt quite certain some disaster was about to happen. At seven o'clock Petrushka had not yet returned, and he did not return that night. The next morning the carpenter and two others went to the river to look for him.
'They used to have a proper house, but now they've split up none of them has anything. 'And that is what you want to happen to us, said the old man, turning to his son. The son made no reply and there was an awkward pause. The silence was broken by Petrushka, who having harnessed the horse had returned to the hut a few minutes before this and had been listening all the time with a smile.
"Fyodor! Andrey! Petrushka!" he shouted at the top of his voice. "Make haste! here! here! I've caught a thief trying to set fire to the place...." The man whom he had caught fought and struggled violently ... but Naum did not let him go. Fyodor at once ran to his assistance. "A lantern! Make haste, a lantern! Run for a lantern, wake the others!" Naum shouted to him.
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