Knock, Knock, Knock and Other Stories Read online

inentertaining, he was lavish, too; he would sometimes chatter away overthe samovar till his listeners pricked up their ears, especially whenhe began telling them about Petersburg, about the Circassian steppes,or even about foreign parts; and he liked getting a little drunk witha good companion, but not disgracefully so, more for the sake ofcompany, as his guests used to say of him. He was a great favouritewith merchants and with all people of what is called the old school,who do not set off for a journey without tightening up their belts andnever go into a room without making the sign of the cross, and neverenter into conversation with a man without first wishing him goodhealth. Even Akim's appearance disposed people in his favour: he wastall, rather thin, but graceful even at his advanced years; he had along face, with fine-looking regular features, a high and open brow, astraight and delicate nose and a small mouth. His brown and prominenteyes positively shone with friendly gentleness, his soft, scanty haircurled in little rings about his neck; he had very little left on thetop of his head. Akim's voice was very pleasant, though weak; in hisyouth he had been a good singer, but continual travelling in the openair in the winter had affected his chest. But he talked very smoothlyand sweetly. When he laughed wrinkles like rays that were verycharming came round his eyes:--such wrinkles are only to be seen inkind-hearted people. Akim's movements were for the most partdeliberate and not without a certain confidence and dignified courtesybefitting a man of experience who had seen a great deal in his day.

  In fact, Akim--or Akim Semyonitch as he was called even in hismistress's house, to which he often went and invariably on Sundaysafter mass--would have been excellent in all respects--if he had nothad one weakness which has been the ruin of many men on earth, and wasin the end the ruin of him, too--a weakness for the fair sex. Akim'ssusceptibility was extreme, his heart could never resist a woman'sglance: he melted before it like the first snow of autumn in thesun ... and dearly he had to pay for his excessive sensibility.

  For the first year after he had set up on the high road Akim was sobusy with building his yard, stocking the place, and all the businessinseparable from moving into a new house that he had absolutely notime to think of women and if any sinful thought came into his mind heimmediately drove it away by reading various devotional works forwhich he cherished a profound respect (he had learned to read whenfirst he left home), singing the psalms in a low voice or some otherpious occupation. Besides, he was then in his forty-sixth year and atthat time of life every passion grows perceptibly calmer and coolerand the time for marrying was past. Akim himself began to think that,as he expressed it, this foolishness was over and done with ... Butevidently there is no escaping one's fate.

  Akim's former mistress, Lizaveta Prohorovna Kuntse, the widow of anofficer of German extraction, was herself a native of Mittau, whereshe had spent the first years of her childhood and where she hadnumerous poor relations, about whom she concerned herself very little,especially after a casual visit from one of her brothers, an infantryofficer of the line. On the day after his arrival he had made a greatdisturbance and almost beaten the lady of the house, calling her "dulumpenmamselle," though only the evening before he had called her inbroken Russian: "sister and benefactor." Lizaveta Prohorovna livedalmost permanently on her pretty estate which had been won by thelabours of her husband who had been an architect. She managed itherself and managed it very well. Lizaveta Prohorovna never let slipthe slightest advantage; she turned everything into profit forherself; and this, as well as her extraordinary capacity for making afarthing do the work of a halfpenny, betrayed her German origin; ineverything else she had become very Russian. She kept a considerablenumber of house serfs, especially many maids, who earned their salt,however: from morning to night their backs were bent over their work.She liked driving out in her carriage with grooms in livery on thefootboard. She liked listening to gossip and scandal and was a cleverscandal-monger herself; she liked to lavish favours upon someone, thensuddenly crush him with her displeasure, in fact, Lizaveta Prohorovnabehaved exactly like a lady. Akim was in her good graces; he paid herpunctually every year a very considerable sum in lieu of service; shetalked graciously to him and even, in jest, invited him as a guest ...but it was precisely in his mistress's house that trouble was in storefor Akim.

  Among Lizaveta Prohorovna's maidservants was an orphan girl of twentycalled Dunyasha. She was good-looking, graceful and neat-handed;though her features were irregular, they were pleasing; her freshcomplexion, her thick flaxen hair, her lively grey eyes, herlittle round nose, her rosy lips and above all her half-mocking,half-provocative expression--were all rather charming in their way. Atthe same time, in spite of her forlorn position, she was strict, almosthaughty in her deportment. She came of a long line of house serfs. Herfather, Arefy, had been a butler for thirty years, while hergrandfather, Stepan had been valet to a prince and officer of theGuards long since dead. She dressed neatly and was vain over herhands, which were certainly very beautiful. Dunyasha made a show ofgreat disdain for all her admirers; she listened to their complimentswith a self-complacent little smile and if she answered them at all itwas usually some exclamation such as: "Yes! Likely! As though Ishould! What next!" These exclamations were always on her lips.Dunyasha had spent about three years being trained in Moscow where shehad picked up the peculiar airs and graces which distinguishmaidservants who have been in Moscow or Petersburg. She was spoken ofas a girl of self-respect (high praise on the lips of house serfs)who, though she had seen something of life, had not let herself down.She was rather clever with her needle, too, yet with all this LizavetaProhorovna was not very warmly disposed toward her, thanks to theheadmaid, Kirillovna, a sly and intriguing woman, no longer young.Kirillovna exercised great influence over her mistress and veryskilfully succeeded in getting rid of all rivals.

  With this Dunyasha Akim must needs fall in love! And he fell in loveas he had never fallen in love before. He saw her first at church: shehad only just come back from Moscow.... Afterwards, he met her severaltimes in his mistress's house; finally he spent a whole evening withher at the steward's, where he had been invited to tea in company withother highly respected persons. The house serfs did not disdain him,though he was not of their class and wore a beard; he was a man ofeducation, could read and write and, what was more, had money; and hedid not dress like a peasant but wore a long full coat of black cloth,high boots of calf leather and a kerchief on his neck. It is true thatsome of the house serfs did say among themselves that: "One can seethat he is not one of us," but to his face they almost flattered him.On that evening at the steward's Dunyasha made a complete conquest ofAkim's susceptible heart, though she said not a single word in answerto his ingratiating speeches and only looked sideways at him from timeto time as though wondering why that peasant was there. All that onlyadded fuel to the flames. He went home, pondered and pondered and madeup his mind to win her hand.... She had somehow "bewitched" him. Buthow can I describe the wrath and indignation of Dunyasha when fivedays later Kirillovna with a friendly air invited her into her roomand told her that Akim (and evidently he knew how to set to work) thatbearded peasant Akim, to sit by whose side she considered almost anindignity, was courting her.

  Dunyasha first flushed crimson, then she gave a forced laugh, then sheburst into tears; but Kirillovna made her attack so artfully, made thegirl feel her own position in the house so clearly, so tactfullyhinted at the presentable appearance, the wealth and blind devotion ofAkim and finally mentioned so significantly the wishes of theirmistress that Dunyasha went out of the room with a look of hesitationon her face and meeting Akim only gazed intently into his face and didnot turn away. The indescribably lavish presents of the love-sick mandissipated her last doubts. Lizaveta Prohorovna, to whom Akim in hisjoy took a hundred peaches on a large silver dish, gave her consent tothe marriage, and the marriage took place. Akim spared no expense--andthe bride, who on the eve of her wedding at her farewell party to hergirl friends sat looking a figure of misery, and who cried all thenext morning while Kirillovna was dressing her
for the wedding, wassoon comforted.... Her mistress gave her her own shawl to wear in thechurch and Akim presented her the same day with one like it, almostsuperior.

  And so Akim was married, and took his young bride home.... They begantheir life together.... Dunyasha turned out to be a poor housewife, apoor helpmate to her husband. She took no interest in anything, wasmelancholy and depressed unless some officer sitting by the bigsamovar noticed her and paid her compliments; she was often absent,sometimes in the town shopping, sometimes at the mistress's house,which was only three miles from the inn. There she felt at home, thereshe was surrounded by her own people; the girls envied her finery.Kirillovna regaled her with tea; Lizaveta Prohorovna herself talked toher. But even these visits did not pass without some bitterexperiences for Dunyasha.... As an innkeeper's wife, for