by a rapid movement, and ends by dropping
the hand like a victim. "And I was the
cause of her misery.

"One of Matrèna's greatest delights was to
take long sledge drives. I used to gratify her
taste in the evening, at an hour when we ran
the least risk of meeting any one that knew
us. Once, with the intention of making a
good long excursion, we selected an
incomparably beautiful day. It was clear frosty
weather, there was a splendid sunset, and not
a breath of wind. We started. Matrèna took
the reins: and I, satisfied and thinking of
other things, scarcely looked which way she
was driving. And where should she go but
take the road to Koukouëfka, her mistress's
great village. Yes; there we were, almost
at Koukouëfka. I said to Matrèna, 'You
mad-cap girl, where are you going to?' She
looked at me over her shoulder and smiled.
I thought to myself she has a mind, for once,
at least, in her life, to enjoy the unknown
pleasure of indulging in a little bravado—
what a child she is! It is such capital fun—
a single once— only once— to drive full speed
past the seigneural abode, in an equipage and
dress only used by nobles, and to dash in style
through a place where formerly— Oh! it is
a great temptation!— and I was weak enough
to allow her to do it.

"We approached the village rapidly— my
splendid fore-horse flew away with us— the
two side-horses rattled on like a couple of
whirlwinds. We could already see the cross
and the roof of the church. Meanwhile on
the road before us there was an old green
close-carriage, creeping like a tortoise, behind
which there stood a tall footman. It was the
great lady who, by an extraordinary chance,
was taking a short evening drive. The mere
circumstance of meeting them made me
uneasy enough. But Matrèna urged the horses
on straight towards the heavy equipage,
whose coachman became considerably alarmed
at the approach of the high-spirited troïka,
which seemed as if it must inevitably dash
down upon his team like an avalanche. He
tried to make way for this fabulous object,
which, his advanced age prevented him from
distinguishing very clearly; he pulled the
bridle too zealously, and upset the carriage in
a shallow ditch lined with green turf. The
glass of the coach door was smashed— the
lady screamed— the humble companion called
to the coachman to stop his horses— and we—
we made our escape at the top of our speed.
We went as quick as the horses could carry
us; but, I thought, there will be some squabbling
about this business. I was a great fool
to let her go to Koukouëfka.

"Fancy, Monsieur, that the old everlasting
and her green protegée had recognised
Matrèna and myself. The lady brought a
complaint against me, in which it was stated that
a runaway serf-girl, from her establishment,
was living in concealment in the house of the
noble landed-proprietor, Karataëf. In making
this complaint, she found means to induce
the police to take the matter up. The second
day after our prank was played, the ispravnik,
the police-captain, came to my house.
This ispravnik was well known to me; his
name was Stépane Serghéitch Kouzovkine, a
good sort of man. An ispravnik a good sort
of man! You understand— a very bad sort
of man.

"Kouzovkine came, walked in, and said to
me, 'Well, Peotre Pétrovitch, now, now, now!
— and how comes all this about? Consider,
the responsibility is great, and the laws
respecting it are clear.'— 'I am aware of it,
Stépane Serghéitch; no doubt; no doubt.
We must talk the matter over. But you have
come a good long way; you will eat a little
bit of something, first of all.'

"He consented to partake of luncheon; but
as soon as he had taken the edge off his
appetite, he said, 'Justice must have its
course, Peotre Pétrovitch, as you know yourself.'
— 'Ah! yes, yes, justice! But, just tell
me,— I have been told that you have an old
black mare. You must chop me her with
my Lampourdos. Will that suit your views?
But there is no such thing at all, at all, in
my house, as any girl by the name of
Matrèna Fedorovna.'— 'Ah! Peotre Pétrovitch,
the girl is in your hands; and you know very
well that we do not live in Switzerland. As
to chopping your horse, Lampourdos, there is
no objection to that; but after the other
day's upset, you know, one might take him
at once, without a word about any chop—
Ha, ha, ha, ha!— 'In spite of this bitter-sweet
pleasantry, I managed to get rid of
him, for a few days at least.

"The old lady became more and more
inveterate against me. 'It will cost me ten
thousand rubles (sixteen hundred pounds
sterling), but that I will have justice done
me of those turtle doves.'— The whole secret
of her implacability, monsieur, was, that the
day when I first called upon her, as soon as
she saw me she determined to marry me
to her green young lady. My refusal, which
was afterwards repeated, excited her thus
to make war to the knife. Those rich country
ladies, who are eaten up with ennui in their
manorial domains, are capable of entertaining
the strangest fancies. This one did me
a deal of harm. She made me spend
immense sums of money, which, after all,
procured me truces of but short duration.
I had considerable trouble in hiding
Matrèna from all sorts of prying eyes. Scores
of snares were laid to trap me, and it is a
miracle that I did not fall into some of them.
I was tracked whichever way I went, exactly
like a wretched hare.

"I fell into debt; I lost my sleep, and I
lost my health. One night, I was lying on
my bed, and, not being able to sleep, I
thought to myself, Gracious Heaven! what
horrible crime have I committed, that I
should be made to suffer in this way? What