Knock, Knock, Knock and Other Stories

by Иван Тургенев

  happened that day that no visitor stayed at the inn for the night;

  this was a great relief to him. "I must certainly buy a dog from the

  miller to-morrow, as fierce a one as I can get; they've taken theirs

  away," he said to himself, as he tossed from side to side, and all at

  once he raised his head quickly ... he fancied that someone had passed

  by the window ... he listened ... there was nothing. Only a cricket

  from time to time gave a cautious churr, and a mouse was scratching

  somewhere; he could hear his own breathing. Everything was still in

  the empty room dimly lighted by the little glass lamp which he had

  managed to hang up and light before the ikon in the corner.... He let

  his head sink; again he thought he heard the gate creak ... then a

  faint snapping sound from the fence.... He could not refrain from

  jumping up; he opened the door of the room and in a low voice called,

  "Fyodor! Fyodor!" No one answered.... He went out into the passage and

  almost fell over Fyodor, who was lying on the floor. The man stirred

  in his sleep with a faint grunt; Naum roused him.

  "What's there? What do you want?" Fyodor began.

  "What are you bawling for, hold your tongue!" Naum articulated in a

  whisper. "How you sleep, you damned fellows! Have you heard nothing?"

  "Nothing," answered the man.... "What is it?"

  "Where are the others sleeping?"

  "Where they were told to sleep.... Why, is there anything ..."

  "Hold your tongue--come with me."

  Naum stealthily opened the door and went out into the yard. It was

  very dark outside.... The roofed-in parts and the posts could only be

  distinguished because they were a still deeper black in the midst of

  the black darkness.

  "Shouldn't we light a lantern?" said Fyodor in a low voice.

  But Naum waved his hand and held his breath.... At first he could hear

  nothing but those nocturnal sounds which can almost always be heard in

  an inhabited place: a horse was munching oats, a pig grunted faintly

  in its sleep, a man was snoring somewhere; but all at once his ear

  detected a suspicious sound coming from the very end of the yard, near

  the fence.

  Someone seemed to be stirring there, and breathing or blowing. Naum

  looked over his shoulder towards Fyodor and cautiously descending the

  steps went towards the sound.... Once or twice he stopped, listened

  and stole on further.... Suddenly he started.... Ten paces from him,

  in the thick darkness there came the flash of a bright light: it was a

  glowing ember and close to it there was visible for an instant the

  front part of a face with lips thrust out.... Quickly and silently,

  like a cat at a mouse, Naum darted to the fire.... Hurriedly rising up

  from the ground a long body rushed to meet him and, nearly knocking

  him off his feet, almost eluded his grasp; but Naum hung on to it with

  all his strength.

  "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. "I can manage him alone for a time--I am

  sitting on him.... Make haste! And bring a belt to tie his hands."

  Fyodor ran into the house.... The man whom Naum was holding suddenly

  left off struggling.

  "So it seems wife and money and home are not enough for you, you want

  to ruin me, too," he said in a choking voice.

  Naum recognised Akim's voice.

  "So that's you, my friend," he brought out; "very good, you wait a

  bit."

  "Let me go," said Akim, "aren't you satisfied?"

  "I'll show you before the judge to-morrow whether I am satisfied," and

  Naum tightened his grip of Akim.

  The labourers ran up with two lanterns and cords. "Tie his arms," Naum

  ordered sharply. The men caught hold of Akim, stood him up and twisted

  his arms behind his back.... One of them began abusing him, but

  recognising the former owner of the inn lapsed into silence and only

  exchanged glances with the others.

  "Do you see, do you see!" Naum kept repeating, meanwhile throwing the

  light of the lantern on the ground, "there are hot embers in the pot;

  look, there's a regular log alight here! We must find out where he got

  this pot ... here, he has broken up twigs, too," and Naum carefully

  stamped out the fire with his foot. "Search him, Fyodor," he added,

  "see if he hasn't got something else on him."

  Fyodor rummaged Akim's pockets and felt him all over while the old man

  stood motionless, with his head drooping on his breast as though he

  were dead.

  "Here's a knife," said Fyodor, taking an old kitchen knife out of the

  front of Akim's coat.

  "Aha, my fine gentleman, so that's what you were after," cried Naum.

  "Lads, you are witnesses ... here he wanted to murder me and set fire

  to the house.... Lock him up for the night in the cellar, he can't get

  out of that.... I'll keep watch all night myself and to-morrow as soon

  as it is light we will take him to the police captain ... and you are

  witnesses, do you hear!"

  Akim was thrust into the cellar and the door was slammed.... Naum set

  two men to watch it and did not go to bed himself.

  Meanwhile, Yefrem's wife having convinced herself that her uninvited

  guest had gone, set about her cooking though it was hardly

  daylight.... It was a holiday. She squatted down before the stove to

  get a hot ember and saw that someone had scraped out the hot ashes

  before her; then she wanted her knife and searched for it in vain;

  then of her four cooking pots one was missing. Yefrem's wife had the

  reputation of being a woman with brains, and justly so. She stood and

  pondered, then went to the lumber room, to her husband. It was not

  easy to wake him--and still more difficult to explain to him why he

  was being awakened.... To all that she said to him Yefrem made the

  same answer.

  "He's gone away--well, God bless him.... What business is it of mine?

  He's taken our knife and our pot--well, God bless him, what has it to

  do with me?"

  At last, however, he got up and after listening attentively to his

  wife came to the conclusion that it was a bad business, that something

  must be done.

  "Yes," his wife repeated, "it is a bad business; maybe he will be

  doing mischief in his despair.... I saw last night that he was not

  asleep but was just lying on the stove; it would be as well for you to

  go and see, Yefrem Alexandritch."

  "I tell you what, Ulyana Fyodorovna," Yefrem began, "I'll go myself to

  the inn now, and you be so kind, mother, as to give me just a drop to

  sober me."

  Ulyana hesitated.

  "Well," she decided at last, "I'll give you the vodka, Yefrem

  Alexandritch; but mind now, none of your pranks."

  "Don't you worry, Ulyana Fyodorovna."

  And fortifying himself with a glass, Yefrem made his way to the inn.r />
  It was only just getting light when he rode up to the inn but, already

  a cart and a horse were standing at the gate and one of Naum's

  labourers was sitting on the box holding the reins.

  "Where are you off to?" asked Yefrem.

  "To the town," the man answered reluctantly.

  "What for?"

  The man simply shrugged his shoulders and did not answer. Yefrem

  jumped off his horse and went into the house. In the entry he came

  upon Naum, fully dressed and with his cap on.

  "I congratulate the new owner on his new abode," said Yefrem, who knew

  him. "Where are you off to so early?"

  "Yes, you have something to congratulate me on," Naum answered grimly.

  "On the very first day the house has almost been burnt down."

  Yefrem started. "How so?"

  "Oh, a kind soul turned up who tried to set fire to it. Luckily I

  caught him in the act; now I am taking him to the town."

  "Was it Akim, I wonder?" Yefrem asked slowly.

  "How did you know? Akim. He came at night with a burning log in a pot

  and got into the yard and was setting fire to it ... all my men are

  witnesses. Would you like to see him? It's time for us to take him, by

  the way."

  "My good Naum Ivanitch," Yefrem began, "let him go, don't ruin the old

  man altogether. Don't take that sin upon your soul, Naum Ivanitch.

  Only think--the man was in despair--he didn't know what he was doing."

  "Give over that nonsense," Naum cut him short. "What! Am I likely to

  let him go! Why, he'd set fire to the house to-morrow if I did."

  "He wouldn't, Naum Ivanitch, believe me. Believe me you will be easier

  yourself for it--you know there will be questions asked, a trial--you

  can see that for yourself."

  "Well, what if there is a trial? I have no reason to be afraid of it."

  "My good Naum Ivanitch, one must be afraid of a trial."

  "Oh, that's enough. I see you are drunk already, and to-day a saint's

  day, too!"

  Yefrem all at once, quite unexpectedly, burst into tears.

  "I am drunk but I am speaking the truth," he muttered. "And for the

  sake of the holiday you ought to forgive him."

  "Well, come along, you sniveller."

  And Naum went out on to the steps.

  "Forgive him, for Avdotya Arefyevna's sake," said Yefrem following him

  on to the steps.

  Naum went to the cellar and flung the door wide open. With timid

  curiosity Yefrem craned his neck from behind Naum and with difficulty

  made out the figure of Akim in the corner of the cellar. The once

  well-to-do innkeeper, respected all over the neighbourhood, was

  sitting on straw with his hands tied behind him like a criminal.

  Hearing a noise he raised his head.... It seemed as though he had

  grown fearfully thin in those last few days, especially during the

  previous night--his sunken eyes could hardly be seen under his high,

  waxen-yellow forehead, his parched lips looked dark ... his whole face

  was changed and wore a strange expression--savage and frightened.

  "Get up and come along," said Naum.

  Akim got up and stepped over the threshold.

  "Akim Semyonitch!" Yefrem wailed, "you've brought ruin on yourself, my

  dear!"

  Akim glanced at him without speaking.

  "If I had known why you asked for vodka I would not have given it to

  you, I really would not. I believe I would have drunk it all myself!

  Eh, Naum Ivanitch," he added clutching at Naum's arm, "have mercy upon

  him, let him go!"

  "What next!" Naum replied with a grin. "Well, come along," he added

  addressing Akim again. "What are you waiting for?"

  "Naum Ivanitch," Akim began.

  "What is it?"

  "Naum Ivanitch," Akim repeated, "listen: I am to blame; I wanted to

  settle my accounts with you myself; but God must be the judge between

  us. You have taken everything from me, you know yourself, everything I

  had. Now you can ruin me, only I tell you this: if you let me go now,

  then--so be it--take possession of everything! I agree and wish you

  all success. I promise you as before God, if you let me go you will

  not regret it. God be with you."

  Akim shut his eyes and ceased speaking.

  "A likely story!" retorted Naum, "as though one could believe you!"

  "But, by God, you can," said Yefrem, "you really can. I'd stake my

  life on Akim Semyonitch's good faith--I really would."

  "Nonsense," cried Naum. "Come along."

  Akim looked at him.

  "As you think best, Naum Ivanitch. It's for you to decide. But you are

  laying a great burden on your soul. Well, if you are in such a hurry,

  let us start."

  Naum in his turn looked keenly at Akim.

  "After all," he thought to himself, "hadn't I better let him go? Or

  people will never have done pestering me about him. Avdotya will give

  me no peace." While Naum was reflecting, no one uttered a word. The

  labourer in the cart who could see it all through the gate did nothing

  but toss his head and flick the horse's sides with the reins. The two

  other labourers stood on the steps and they too were silent.

  "Well, listen, old man," Naum began, "when I let you go and tell these

  fellows" (he motioned with his head towards the labourers) "not to

  talk, shall we be quits--do you understand me--quits ... eh?"

  "I tell you, you can have it all."

  "You won't consider me in your debt?"

  "You won't be in my debt, I shall not be in yours."

  Naum was silent again.

  "And will you swear it?"

  "Yes, as God is holy," answered Akim.

  "Well, I know I shall regret it," said Naum, "but there, come what

  may! Give me your hands."

  Akim turned his back to him; Naum began untying him.

  "Now, mind, old man," he added as he pulled the cord off his wrists,

  "remember, I have spared you, mind that!"

  "Naum Ivanitch, my dear," faltered Yefrem, "the Lord will have mercy

  upon you!"

  Akim freed his chilled and swollen hands and was moving towards the

  gate.

  Naum suddenly "showed the Jew" as the saying is--he must have

  regretted that he had let Akim off.

  "You've sworn now, mind!" he shouted after him. Akim turned, and

  looking round the yard, said mournfully, "Possess it all, so be it

  forever! ... Good-bye."

  And he went slowly out into the road accompanied by Yefrem. Naum

  ordered the horse to be unharnessed and with a wave of his hand went

  back into the house.

  "Where are you off to, Akim Semyonitch? Aren't you coming back to me?"

  cried Yefrem, seeing that Akim was hurrying to the right out of the

  high road.

  "No, Yefremushka, thank you," answered Akim. "I am going to see what

  my wife is doing."

  "You can see afterwards.... But now we ought to celebrate the

  occasion."

  "No, thank you, Yefrem.... I've had enough. Good-bye."

  And Akim walked off without looking round.

  "Well! 'I've had enough'!" the puzzled sacristan pronounced. "And I

  pledged my word for him! Well, I never expected this," he added, with

  vexation, "after I had pledged my word for him, too!"

  He remembered that he had not thou
ght to take his knife and his pot

  and went back to the inn.... Naum ordered his things to be given to

  him but never even thought of offering him a drink. He returned home

  thoroughly annoyed and thoroughly sober.

  "Well?" his wife inquired, "found?"

  "Found what?" answered Yefrem, "to be sure I've found it: here is your

  pot."

  "Akim?" asked his wife with especial emphasis.

  Yefrem nodded his head.

  "Yes. But he is a nice one! I pledged my word for him; if it had not