fists. «We can’t let this pass!» he said at last; «how

dare he take someone else’s property? Wait a bit, I’ll show him. I

won’t let thieves off so easily!»

I confess I don’t understand to this day what can have so infuriated

David. Whether he had been irritated before and Vassily’s action had

simply poured oil on the flames, or whether my suspicions had wounded

him, I cannot say, but I had never seen him in such excitement. I

stood before him with my mouth open merely wondering how it was that

his breathing was so hard and laboured.

«What do you intend to do?» I asked at last.

«You shall see after dinner, when your father lies down. I’ll find

this scoffer, I’ll talk to him.»

«Well,» thought I, «I should not care to be in that scoffer’s shoes!

What will happen? Merciful heavens?»

XVII.

This is what did happen:

As soon as that drowsy, stifling stillness prevailed, which to this

day lies like a feather bed on the Russian household and the Russian

people in the middle of the day after dinner is eaten, David went to

the servants’ rooms (I followed on his heels with a sinking heart) and

called Vassily out. The latter was at first unwilling to come, but

ended by obeying and following us into the garden.

David stood close in front of him. Vassily was a whole head taller.

«Vassily Terentyev,» my comrade began in a firm voice, «six weeks ago

you took from under this very apple-tree the watch we hid there. You

had no right to do so; it does not belong to you. Give it back at

once!»

Vassily was taken aback, but at once recovered himself.

«What watch? What are you talking about? God bless you! I have no

watch!»

«I know what I am saying and don’t tell lies. You’ve got the watch,

give it back.»

«I’ve not got your watch.»

«Then how was it that in the eating-house, you…» I began, but David

stopped me.

«Vassily Terentyev!» he pronounced in a hollow, threatening voice, «we

know for a fact that you have the watch. You are told honourably to

give it back and if you don’t…»

Vassily sniggered insolently.

«Then what will you do with me then? Eh?»

«What will we do? We will both fight with you till you beat us or we

beat you.»

Vassily laughed.

«Fight? That’s not for a gentleman! To fight with a servant!»

David suddenly caught hold of Vassily’s waistcoat.

«But we are not going to fight you with our fists,» he articulated,

grinding his teeth. «Understand that! I’ll give you a knife and take

one myself…. And then we shall see who does for which? Alexey!» he

began commanding me, «run for my big knife, you know the one with the

bone handle—it’s lying on the table and the other’s in my pocket.»

Vassily positively collapsed. David stood holding him by the

waistcoat.

«Mercy on us! … Mercy on us, David Yegoritch!» he muttered; tears

actually came into his eyes. «What do you mean, what are you saying?

Let me go.»

«I won’t let you go. And we shall have no mercy on you! If you get

away from us today, we shall begin again to-morrow. Alyoshka, where’s

the knife?»

«David Yegoritch,» wailed Vassily, «don’t commit murder…. What are

you doing! The watch … I certainly … I was joking. I’ll give it to

you this minute. What a thing, to be sure! First you are going to slit

Hrisanf Lukitch’s belly, then mine. Let me go, David Yegoritch….

Kindly take the watch. Only don’t tell your papa.»

David let go his hold of Vassily’s waistcoat. I looked into his face:

certainly not only Vassily might have been frightened by it. It looked

so weary … and cold … and angry….

Vassily dashed into the house and promptly returned with the watch in

his hand. He gave it to David without a word and only on going back

into the house exclaimed aloud in the doorway:

«Tfoo! here’s a go.»

He still looked panic-stricken. David tossed his head and walked into

our room. Again I followed on his heels. «A Suvorov! He’s a regular

Suvorov!» I thought to myself. In those days, in 1801, Suvorov was

our great national hero.

XVIII

David shut the door after him, put the watch on the table, folded his

arms and—oh, wonder!—laughed. Looking at him I laughed, too.

«What a wonderful performance!» he began. «We can’t get rid of this

watch anyway. It’s bewitched, really. And why was I so furious about

it?»

«Yes, why?» I repeated. «You ought to have let Vassily keep it….»

«Well, no,» interposed David. «That’s nonsense. But what are we to do

with it?»

«Yes! what?»

We both stared at the watch and pondered. Adorned with a chain of pale

blue beads (the luckless Vassily in his haste had not removed this

chain which belonged to him) it was calmly doing its work: ticking

somewhat irregularly, it is true, and slowly moving its copper minute

hand.

«Shall we bury it again? Or put it in the stove,» I suggested at last.

«Or, I tell you what: shouldn’t we take it to Latkin?»

«No,» answered David. «That’s not the thing. I know what: they have

set up a committee at the governor’s office and are collecting

subscriptions for the benefit of the people of Kasimov. The town has

been burnt to ashes with all its churches. And I am told they take

anything, not only bread and money, but all sorts of things. Shall we

send the watch there?»

«Yes! yes!» I answered. «A splendid idea. But I thought that since

your friends are in want….»

«No, no; to the committee; the Latkins will manage without it. To the

committee.»

«Well, if it is to be the committee, let it be. Only, I imagine, we

must write something to the governor.»

David glanced at me. «Do you think so?»

«Yes, of course; there is no need to write much. But just a few

words.»

«For instance?»

«For instance … begin like this: ‘Being’ … or better: ‘Moved

by’ …»

«‘Moved by’ … very good.»

«Then we must say: ‘herewith our mite’ …»

«‘Mite’ … that’s good, too. Well, take your pen, sit down and write,

fire away!»

«First I must make a rough copy,» I observed.

«All right, a rough copy, only write, write…. And meanwhile I will

clean it with some whitening.»

I took a sheet of paper, mended a pen, but before I had time to write

at the top of the sheet «To His Excellency, the illustrious Prince»

(our governer was at that time Prince X), I stopped, struck by the

extraordinary uproar … which had suddenly arisen in the house. David

noticed the hubbub, too, and he, too, stopped, holding the watch in

his left hand and a rag with whitening in his right. We looked at each

other. What was that shrill cry. It was my aunt shrieking … and

that? It was my father’s voice, hoarse with anger. «The watch! the

watch!» bawled someone, surely Trankvillitatin. We heard the thud of

feet, the creak of the floor, a regular rabble running … moving

straight upon us. I was numb with terror and David was as white as

chalk, but he looked proud as an eagle. «Vassily, the scoundrel, has

betrayed us,» he whispered through his teeth. The door was flung wide

open, and my father in his dressing gown and without his cravat, my

aunt in her dressing jacket, Trankvillitatin, Vassily, Yushka, another

boy, and the cook, Agapit—all burst into the room.

«Scoundrels!» shouted my father, gasping for breath…. «At last we

have found you out!» And seeing the watch in David’s hands: «Give it

here!» yelled my father, «give me the watch!»

But David, without uttering a word, dashed to the open window and

leapt out of it into the yard and then off into the street.

Accustomed to imitate my paragon in everything, I jumped out, too, and

ran after David….

«Catch them! Hold them!» we heard a medley of frantic shouts behind

us.

But we were already racing along the street bareheaded, David in

advance and I a few paces behind him, and behind us the clatter and

uproar of pursuit.

XIX

Many years have passed since the date of these events; I have

reflected over them more than once—and to this day I can no more

understand the cause of the fury that took possession of my father

(who had so lately been so sick of the watch that he had forbidden it

to be mentioned in his hearing) than I can David’s rage at its having

been stolen by Vassily! One is tempted to imagine that there was some

mysterious power connected with it. Vassily had not betrayed us as

David assumed—he was not capable of it: he had been too much

scared—it was simply that one of our maids had seen the watch in his

hands and had promptly informed our aunt. The fat was in the fire!

And so we darted down the street, keeping to the very middle of it.

The passers-by who met us stopped or stepped aside in amazement. I

remember a retired major craned out of the window of his flat—and,

crimson in the face, his bulky person almost overbalancing, hallooed

furiously. Shouts of «Stop! hold them» still resounded behind us.

David ran flourishing the watch over his head and from time to time

leaping into the air; I jumped, too, whenever he did.

«Where?» I shouted to David, seeing that he was turning into a side

street—and I turned after him.

«To the Oka!» he shouted. «To throw it into the water, into the river.

To the devil!»

«Stop! stop!» they shouted behind.

But we were already flying along the side street, already a whiff of

cool air was meeting us—and the river lay before us, and the steep

muddy descent to it, and the wooden bridge with a train of waggons

stretching across it, and a garrison soldier with a pike beside the

flagstaff; soldiers used to carry pikes in those days. David reached

the bridge and darted by the soldier who tried to give him a blow on

the legs with his pike and hit a passing calf. David instantly leaped

on to the parapet; he uttered a joyful exclamation…. Something

white, something blue gleamed in the air and shot into the water—it

was the silver watch with Vassily’s blue bead chain flying into the

water…. But then something incredible happened. After the watch

David’s feet flew