Shackles

– These cases everywhere how many you want! – there began Elizar. – Flies at night a fiery dragon it is necessary all our dark country! Therefore – night over it without dawn. From darkness it is rural… In the cities light has more about any not to hear dragons. From vain belief it, in vain such belief! Is called superstition!. People trust in a demon more strong, than in god, are afraid of it more, than god! And in what you trust, comes true!. I in one book read history – by verses it is written, the title – “Demon”. There too this national belief is taken, only the demon this not terrible, but unfortunate, young and himself is great – of course, the imagination human! The author took it from the people as the fairy tale, and the people and the fairy tale trust, here is how children! Great cause – belief! – Elizar kept silent. – And there was a history, I heard it in Siberia: the emperor Alexander the First, the fact that was at war with French in the twelfth year, actually did not die, and disappeared and became the hermit, was removed in the Siberian woods and lived to death under the guise of the simple man there. Konstantin about whom misters knew that as soon as it sets in, will give vent to serfs was a successor of an imperial throne. Well, it did not seem to zheltopuzika: they decided to kill him. Here Konstantin in the imperial carriage from Taganrog where Alexander as if died goes, thinks: as soon as I am a tsar, first of all I will give vent. Suddenly hears – behind far somewhere jump tops. Closer yes is closer. The driver to him turned back and speaks: “Your highness, successor Crown Prince! pursuit! not to good!” … “Well that” – Konstantin, and he answers, speak, idle time was, waited from it for good the black people – “to what to be, to that not to pass!” Those all are closer, just about will overtake, began to see – the person ten. Again the driver speaks: “Sit down, the sovereign, on a trestle, put on my odyozha, and I will put on yours, I will sit down on your place!” Only they managed to be changed odyozhy and the place as those naskakat and – bang! bang – from guns on both sides in carriage windows: riddled the driver in an imperial odyozha, turned horses – and let’s go back. So the male driver saved the successor of a throne from death, itself for it gave life! Believed that Konstantin of serfs will release. And he as arrived to St. Petersburg, also refused a throne, knew who shot at the driver, in a face saw them: the most foremost and the richest were landowners, court графья, princes and generals. Was afraid that will kill him if he will regret peasants. Here Aleksandra was also inherited not by Konstantin as it would be necessary, and Nikolay Pavlovich nicknamed in the people Palkin. Only nowadays reigning Alexander though without the earth, but after all exempted the people from mockeries of the landowner, noblemen and посейчас are angry with it, and there was on it an attempt of Karakozov who shot at the tsar and it is unsuccessful, and, sidyuch in prison, got poisoned with the poison hidden in hair. It had long hair, dense and curly, and it was sent by landowners. So I heard, I tell the story as I heard it.

– Well, well – the grandfather with emotion interrupted it – the will was given, and the earth all one remained with landowners? When from them the earth is taken away?

– When – it is unknown, but there will be it inevitably! – Elizar shook curls. – There are secret society and confidential subland office, and those people want to lift all people on landowners. The people think that these secret people want to protect from the tsar’s landowners, think that noblemen and this tsar want to destroy in revenge for country will, but do not know that the tsar too at the same time with landowners! Here you also get to the core of this cunning mechanics!

All were silent. Did not wait to hear it from Elizar.

It became boring for children from a serious conversation, eyes at them began to stick together.

– Well – Elizar told them – it is time to sleep to you and a postoyta, at bedtime I will read you songs from the good songbook: “Bérenger’s songs” is called. How many I songbooks bought, and it is better than it did not come across.

He developed the small book in a pink cover printed with ranks of short lines and, having thrown several leaves, began to read:

I am not deprived of theomancy,

I expect the end to princes of the earth:

The deserved penalty will comprehend them —

All poor things kings will die!

Elizar read well as though he did not read, and told, looking in the book. After several cheerful songs came across the song under the title “The falling stars”. In it the grandfather talked to the grandson:

…Here, the grandfather, one more fell.

Flies, flies, and it is not here!.

– There was a great commander – with a sigh Elizar told, closing the book – conquered all countries, except ours!. When went before army on a horse, in the sky over it the star shone day and night. And here he decided to conquer Russia. Took Moscow, and inhabitants lit it. It was necessary in the winter, in severe frosts when crows on the fly fell the dead, to run back with all the army. Took him prisoner, took out to the sea, landed on the desert island and there naked chained to the rock, the black raven began to peck to it heart. Then its star was gone and did not ascend any more.

– I vtepor a boy was when still you and did not exist – the grandfather unexpectedly declared. – Slightly I remember when the Frenchman came… The people about Moscow cried… I remember, dreamily… Brought to spend the night prisoners: brought – were slightly live, and thawed – good fellows from themselves! One and remained with our mistress – the painter appeared good, in Dubrov then the house new was built, so he painted with pictures of a wall – and now is whole!

All got out because of a table and began to lay beds. Children got in the habitual way on a bar on polat, also Elizar went there, the grandfather laid down on the edge. Vukol as if was stuck to the father. The laurels timidly and wildly continued to consider it frowningly.

Babushka and Nastya spread a koshma on a floor. The splinter lit a log hut with the flickering light for a long time.

– Well, how you lived here? – Elizar asked the son – missed?

– No, we with Laurels always together… in the field take us in the summer, and that in the wood we run, companions are… Nobody ever scolds me, nevertheless…

– What?

– Heart hurt always… Why you threw me?

Elizar sighed.

– Thought – it will be better for you at the grandmother! In Siberia, the brother, life thin!. here so will violently send there – at the other end of the world, behind the woods, behind mountains, behind swamps – and live as you want!

– Why violently? For what? The grandfather told – for the earth? for what?

– And you know Dubrova? happened there?

– Happened! for a Trinity, with little girls! to look for cuckoo slezk!

– There now! Well there? You love the Oak grove?

– I love!

– And her merchant took away from our village and one lives in it! Here men gathered for a descent and sent me to the city, to strive for Dubrova because competent I! and when it was turned back in the spring – you remember, to a mozha when the bear-hunter with a she-bear came and the fire was?

– I remember! The sky burned!.

– We then lived in Shackles! Soon after that sent me to the city, and then – to Siberia… Mother went voluntarily…

– It when we went with a hand bell?

– You remember unless? Coachmen Romanev really nearby and now live! On the road we came around here and you sleepy the grandfather and the grandmother were given! And your heart, perhaps, you speak about us, was ill?

– Yes! – quietly Vukol whispered.

– And hear – the grandfather interfered – hearing goes whether lie, whether is not present – I do not know as if and on Zaymishche our forest are angry too! Someone like the successor’s pomeshchikov! Whether tell, please, soon from swindlers the earth will be taken away?

Elizar laughed.

– I speak to you, we will inevitably select when at once we move to select everything!

The old man sighed.

The grandmother put out svetets, and everything calmed down in a dark log hut.

At last, all fell asleep, except the grandfather. Having convinced that all sleep, he began to think, and the grandfather always in a whisper thought at night, silently was not able to think. Its favourite word “swindler” vysheptyvatsya most often at it.

– Whether soon from swindlers the earth will be taken away?

And itself answered himself with a low whisper:

– Not soon!.

On walls cockroaches rustled; in the afternoon they were not visible, and there was the whole army at night. It seemed, they whispered to the grandfather ominous.

He loved the earth and country work, was severe and avaricious in expenses, maltreated a family and for it was respected by all in the village. Saved money in a jug, but to hint perish the thought about it to the grandfather: will become angry.

It seemed to it that the earth from year to year will give rise worse, rains drops out less and the sun does not heat in the summer as strongly any more as before when it was young and even went to the river at night to bathe. The earth at men becomes just barely enough as if it crumbles at them under the feet. Fists increased rent for the state site many times over…

The grandfather about the younger son, about the grandson whispered:

– That хрестьянин, and this not хрестьянин will be!.

Thought of the son-in-law: it was painfully changed from Siberia by this…

In life approached from where unclear. There were in log huts samovars and at whom and a lamp instead of a splinter. Maids – frantikh. Began to wear print dresses, there and Nastka puffs up, and here became honesty less in the people!

– Razorenye will be! Yafimk should marry! To marry the swindler!

The grandfather calmed down, ceased to whisper. One cockroaches whispered. Mysterious whispers rustled in darkness.

Over the sleeping dark village the first roosters sang. Flew over it terrible fairy tales, sad songs and gloomy beliefs. Till the dawn it was still far.

III

To Yafim usvatat the bride on Petty-bourgeois Farms: there the people lived purely, on city manners, and the bride was from a prosperous family; calculation inclined the grandfather to stop on this choice, though he did not love farm for a frantovstvo and city manners.

At first there went the grandfather with the old woman to shows there. Also the bride’s parents visited on a visit at Matvei: the serious business petty bourgeois in a long-skirted frock coat, with curly, in streaks of gray hair, with a comely beard, similar to the dealer or a prasol, and stocky, wrinkled, vostry on language, the fierce old woman.

Right there over a cup of tea and an entertainment there was a handshake. Only after that carried on the Farm of Yafima.

Took out full dresses from the storeroom: blue cloth long-skirted caftans, red belts, merlushkovy caps and leather boots with copper horseshoes. The grandmother put on a new blue sundress from brilliant matter with a braid and the same buttons in two ranks: from a breast to a hem. Took out rasshivny a headdress in the form of a half moon, threw from above with a big Turkish shawl. Ded and Yafim in the cloth caftans girded by red belts in the sheepskin coats covered by cloth wide open, with wide collars on shoulders, in suits of that breed which remained in the peasantry since ancient centuries as if turned into boyars. These expensive suits sewed at grandfathers and great-grandfathers, remaining from generation to generation were put on only in the most solemn occasions, only, maybe, several times in life.

New big sledge of own work with a high carved back, there are a lot of years standing in a barn, brought on the yard; harnessed the three in a new festive harness with copper set, with metal plates, jingles and long brushes, with the abrupt, high arch painted in motley flowers, on the ends fettered by copper. This harness was taken out from the storeroom only for ceremonial cases too.

In a root there was Chalka, a shirokogrudy roan gelding with a white long mane; on a pristyazhka – Karyukh, tonkonogy, with a little head, well going under a saddle, and dark-bay Mishka. Tails at them at all stuck thick, short plaits, and interwove scarlet tapes into manes.

The grandfather released a gray beard over an open sheepskin coat and villages near the grandmother on a back seat. Yafim – in a coach box. The laurels dissolved gate wide open, Yafim pulled reins, and the three ran out on the rural street, abruptly заворотив on the rolled snow road and having left behind a deep sled trace in a snowdrift. In windows of the next log huts curious woman’s persons flashed. Yafim whistled, distorted reins, and the three, rattling jingles, rushed the middle of the wide street.

Horses were torn from a harness, bells choked under frosty wind, frosty dust was kicked up by a column. The grandmother was closed by a high collar, only warmly looking eyes were seen. Yafim, as always, was silent and serious, from time to time stirred up reins, and the grandfather important grinned, rolling in a semi-archin beard.

They were turned back late at night. Chalka was in soap, the grandfather – tipsy. While Yafim unharnessed horses and brought a precious harness in a cold spacious outer entrance hall, the grandfather and the grandmother changed clothes in the usual poor attire. On the grandmother there was an old pestryadinny sundress again, the grandfather put shoes on in onuchas and bast shoes, threw zaplatanny шубняк, put on a ripped shaggy cap and left to the yard with a lamp to give to horses a stern for the night. In a log hut the splinter cracked, Nastya spun, the fair-haired head with curiosity looked at Lavrushin with polaty.

Yafim entered, changed clothes, like the father, old and silently sat down in all to a table.

The grandmother collected to have supper.

– Tea, on a visit treated? – crafty Nastya asked.

– Znamo business! the table in total both a lapshennik, and a moloshn fried eggs, fritters in honey, chicken meat was full… Well live!. and we are not hungry каке́ not painfully not beggars are eager for food… tea! Everything was under the charter! Brought the bride under a veil. We Bai: not the veil was come to be watched, and the bride! Here took off a veil, the bride bowed to all under the charter, the prince-good fellow in an osobitsa.

Yafim grinned.

– Here, as it is necessary, the prince was asked: Whether Liouba princess young? The prince, of course, here bows silently, and matchmakers and matchmakers told: люба́!. And ask the princess: whether люб to it prince young? The bride worshipped here, well, so люб! Well, here all on a ceremony… Prichityvala the bride long, Indus drove in a tear of all, I liked it: люта́ I will be, in mother, and from myself – тве́ rdinka, though nevelichka growth, and postavnenka! From a face it is white and from eyes it is cheerful!

Yafim again silently grinned, and Nastya told:

– Prick люта́ I – not life to me will be with it!

– Well, maiden thoughts are changeable! You, tea, prosvatay on that the meat eater!

– I bothered you, perhaps? – Nastya shot up.

– Did not bother and to what to be, to that not to pass, you we will pardon not all! The maid it is less – the woman more! Women repent, and maids are going to get married!. So – s, happened, people of a bayala are old!

The grandfather entered, cheerfully dumped шубняк, rose to become gray log huts under a matitsa and, притопнув bast shoes, unexpectedly started singing:

You, a hmelyushka, are cheerful the head,

The head, wide beard is cheerful!.

As you are absent, hop, more strong,

As you are absent, hop, becoming bright!.

The grandmother burst out laughing with a do-good, konfuzlivy snicker:

– And that you, the old man, rasplyasatsya! hop rustles, so the head is silent!

– Be silent you, the old woman! what is in the furnace, on a table throw everything! – and, притопнув, continued:

Hmelyushka walks across the field,

Still hop vykhvalyat itself!

– Me the sovereign, hop, knows,

Both princes, and boyars esteem,

And monks bless me!

– See you sorted houses! It is visible, there is no place like home?

…Still weddings without hop do not play,

Also fight and reconciled – all in hop!

Only there is on me a male gardener:

Deeply me, a hmelina, buries,

Drives in a tychinushka into zealously heart!

The grandfather straightened a beard and, sitting down to a table, laughed:

– On guests to walk and to itself not to lock a collar!. Let’s take a walk, it is visible, at a wedding, the old woman!.

– Well, well, all right! cheered up!.

– And, well, to cry about what?. it put, Yafima is married! Yafimka, and?

– And you have supper yes lay down – to, the father! – smiling, the son answered.

– To an expense will be as! You do not stint, the old man!.

Ded Pocriakhtel.

– Fifty will leave!. Well and at the good fellow not without sweetheart! The guy in a caftan, and the maid in a sundress!

Lavrusha looked, having lowered the head with polaty, and giggled joyfully: never before he saw the father such cheerful.

– You that, swindler! you laugh? Get down, sit down to a table! Soon and you we will marry!. Single, perhaps, you still?

– Single! – the Laurels giggled, getting down on a bar.

After a dinner the old man was filled up to sleep on полатях, singing more and more quietly, slowing down words:

That are rich men bought

And in a suslitsa the hmelyushka was heated,

On oak barrels spilled!

As here I, hop, cleared up,

On notches I, hop, dispersed:

To Otsmey I to the gardener a nadsmeshka —

I will hit it in тын with the head,

And in the dirt a beard!

After several “hen nights” in the house of the bride the wedding train took place, at last: the church was on Petty-bourgeois Farms.

To Matvei’s yard the whole train drove it is done a bit of traveling, there arrived the cart with a dowry of the young wife.

Near the athlete Yafim it seemed small. Her face was still covered by a veil. A crowd entered a log hut. There it was already covered long, in all log hut, hundred, made of three tables, with the benches which are moved up to it.

Young people were put in a forward corner, to a bozhnitsa. The others stood, they did not need to sit down yet.

Yafim was in a scarlet worsted shirt and a blue cloth caftan, young – in a white dress of city breed. At solemn silence of the numerous guests who filled a log hut, the grandmother approached the daughter-in-law, quietly took off her veil from the head, and all saw the person young: round, white, with bystry clever eyes, with a dense fair-haired braid. The mother-in-law untwined a braid on two, twirled around the head, and on the plot head silk “volosnik” of pink color. Only after that guests began to take seats at a table.

The wedding, “knyazhetsky” feast began.

The new person – the young bourgeois who was not wearing sundresses similar on city entered the conservative country house of the grandfather Matvei. The laurels in a new shirt grandly sat near the brother.

The log hut rustled from a cheerful dialect.

* * *

The spring sun began to warm the fields which did not dry out from the thawed snow yet, and the rural street turned green from the first gentle muravka.

The grandfather Matvei’s family amicably prepared for an arable land: adjusted an ancient heavy plow, repaired harrows, ordered the lacking or broken parts to the smith Migun.

Migun was the fussy big-nosed man with often blinking eyes and hasty, fluent speech. He not only did soshnik, ploughshares and axes, but was able to exorcise blood, treated and tore teeth, gave to drink to patients with a nagovorny grass and was considered as the sorcerer. Lived independently from the village, and its smithy stood on pasture, behind a village fence.

All spring in it work was humming, the horn breathed, sparks poured.

When agricultural tools were given to serviceability, the grandfather Matvei with sons left on an arable land. Next-to-skin, few earth behind a village fence was, and it was plowed so out that never gave a good harvest: to fertilize it to nobody and came to mind because of annual repartitions. Coped with it quickly, and still there was time for the distant field: it was the enormous site in the steppe, versts for thirty from the village – the state earth.

In the olden days it was removed for forty years by men – three families of Listratov – and grew rich from it. Removed on ruble six hryvnias for tithe, and now handed over to men of the village on thirty rubles, but also it was favorable to men. About Listratov said that for them the site – a gold mine.

Except an arable land, men removed at them in the same place and a mowing. Coped with an arable land, and on cleaning each man employed in the city of reapers and mowers. Worked together with hirelings.

Agriculture across Middle Volga was so conducted once.

Ded Matvei from avarice seldom employed alien workers, worked with a family even at night. With a bast basket through a shoulder, without cap, whispering something, scattered seeds a semicircle. Yafim plowed the plow harnessed by four horses, and little Lavrusha was already able to go behind a harrow. Over an arable land rooks curled, damp rich soil hard stuck to bast shoes – hard, tiresome work: the antediluvian plow should be held on hands and on the run to clean off from ploughshares an iron rake the stuck crude earth, legs podvikhivatsya between layers of the vzryty earth, and the breast and a throat overstrained from incessant shout on horses.

From the near field by the evening came back home, but when went to the distant site, lived in the field, in tents, all week and only on Saturday on Sunday came home – to dirt, in dust, black as Blacks; therefore every Saturday “blackly” the baths standing on backs of the village surely burned. On Sunday all village delightfully and long fell down.

The village was above high break under which, maybe, in old centuries Volga proceeded, but then departed on several versts so under break the lugovina was formed, and behind it in a poluversta the rechonka Postepok, small as a stream, densely grown about coast with a sedge and floating water flowers ran.

Through Postepok moved on small, eternally dirty bridge or the corduroy road arranged from the outlined boughs and manure – and immediately the dense oak wood rustling with the solemn and mysterious noise began.

In the spring Volga flooded all wood, approaching closely the village, and then it was possible to float by the boat in the wood standing half in water.

On holidays the flooded wood was filled with boats with maids and guys in bright red dresses, songs, sounds of an accordion and laughter.

When water marketed, in the wood there were lakes, and one of them – the biggest, oval as the mirror – the surrounded wood which shipped in it the green branches was the favourite place of bathing at children, the whole days vanishing in the wood. The lake it was called Print.

After a high water in the wood and on forest glades violent vegetation quickly appeared: the grass grew on a belt, there were a lot of wild onions, stolbunts, a sorrel and fragrant lilies of the valley. Maids and women crowds went to holidays behind onions, a sorrel and flowers, came back home with songs. In the wood without stopping the cuckoo cuckooed, rooks shouted and chirped in every possible way a various bird’s kingdom.

On the Trinity’s eve all were on the near field. The wife Yafima, Anna Ondrevna, with his sister Masha, Vukol’s mother, since spring staying with the father heated a bath. The log hut was locked on the padlock. From a village fence continually passed coming back from the field, but spring evening, absolutely starless, was so dark dense and damp darkness, the dusty road is so soft and silent that only on an easy pobryakivaniye of a harness it was possible to guess that someone passed from the begun to creak village fence gate, and only slightly the noticeable spot moved on the road.

Here the pobryakivaniye approached a log hut, from darkness the low flat arch and the cart with the horse who was silently afraid on a dense, creeping grass was hardly considerably allocated. Two shadows – women’s and children’s got out of the cart.