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Updated: June 13, 2025
As he was riding one day through a neighbouring village, Tchertop-hanov heard a crowd of peasants shouting and hooting before a tavern. In the middle of the crowd stalwart arms were continually rising and falling in exactly the same place. 'What is happening there? he asked, in the peremptory tone peculiar to him, of an old peasant woman who was standing on the threshold of her hut.
The Jew wore a somewhat troubled aspect; he held on to the rail with one hand, while all his withered figure bounded up and down on the jolting seat; the other hand he held pressed to his bosom, where lay a packet of notes wrapped up in newspaper. Tchertop-hanov sat like a statue, only moving his eyes about him, and drawing in deep breaths; in his sash there was stuck a dagger.
'I'll pay you your money, I'll pay it you in full to the last farthing, roared Tchertop-hanov, 'but I'll strangle you like any chicken if you don't tell me at once!... 'But you have strangled him already, master, observed the groom Perfishka humbly. Then only Tchertop-hanov came to his senses. He let go of the Jew's neck; the latter fell heavily to the ground.
Tchertop-hanov calmed down; he went up to Tihon Ivanitch, took him by the hand, looked fiercely round, and, as not one pair of eyes ventured to meet his, he walked triumphantly amid profound silence out of the room, with the new owner of the lawfully acquired village of Bezselendyevka. From that day they never parted again.
Tchertop-hanov ceased wandering from corner to corner; he sat all flushed, with dull eyes, which he dropped at one time on the floor, at another fixed obstinately on the dark window; he got up, poured out some vodka, drank it off, sat down again, again fixed his eyes on one point, and did not stir only his breathing grew quicker and his face still more flushed.
He lay dressed in his invariable Caucasian coat, with the cartridge pockets on the breast, and blue Circassian trousers. A Cossack cap with a crimson crown covered his forehead to his very eyebrows. In one hand Tchertop-hanov held his hunting whip, in the other an embroidered tobacco pouch Masha's last gift to him.
'Hey! he cried suddenly; 'why should she sit in there alone? Masha! hi, Masha! come in here! Some one stirred in the next room, but there was no answer. 'Ma-a-sha! Tchertop-hanov repeated caressingly; 'come in here. It's all right, don't be afraid.
But, at this point, the creature lying on the ground hurriedly jumped on to its feet, and, running up to Tchertop-hanov, convulsively seized hold of the edge of the saddle. 'Alive! was heard in the background. 'He's a regular cat!
Tchertop-hanov boiled over with rage; foaming at the mouth, he struck the horse with his fist on the head between the ears, leaped to the ground quicker than lightning, looked at the dog's paw, spat on the wound, gave it a kick in the ribs to stop its whining, caught on to the horse's forelock, and put his foot in the stirrup.
The hurdle-fence, enclosing Panteley Eremyitch's yard, had long been dilapidated, and in many places was bent and lying on the ground.... Beside the stable, it had been completely levelled for a good yard's width. Perfishka pointed this spot out to Tchertop-hanov. 'Master! look here; this wasn't like this to-day.
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