"Why so, madam?" "Because you stand there croaking: 'He's sure to come,'" she mimicked. "Get out of my sight, you raven!" Anton Vasilyev turned to go, but Arina Petrovna stopped him: "Wait a minute. Is it true that he is starting out for Golovliovo?" "I'm not in the habit of telling lies, madam. He said so plainly--'I am going back to the old woman to eat her dry crusts.'" "He'll soon find out what kind of crusts the old woman has prepared for him." "But, madam, he won't live with you long." "Why not?" "Well, madam, he coughs very badly and keeps on clutching the left side of his chest. He won't live long." "That kind generally lives very long. He'll outlive us all. The coughing doesn't hurt him. Well, we shall see about it later. Leave me now. I have several matters to attend to." Arina Petrovna spent the whole evening pondering over this problem. Finally she found it best to convoke the family council for the purpose of deciding what was to be done with Simple Simon. Such constitutionalism was not her habit. She made up her mind to digress from the traditions of autocracy solely for the purpose of shielding herself from public censure, and as she did not doubt the outcome of the conference, she sat down with a light heart to write to Porfiry and Pavel asking them to come to Golovliovo immediately. CHAPTER III Meanwhile, the cause of all this mess, Simple Simon, was on his way to Golovliovo. In Moscow he engaged a seat in one of the so-called "diligences," in which small merchants and peasant traders used to travel, and which are still seen in some districts. The diligence had the city of Vladimir as its point of destination, and Stepan was enabled to travel in it through the liberality of the aforesaid innkeeper Ivan Mikhailych, who also paid for his master's meals on the journey. "Listen," said Ivan Mikhailych, with the air of an accomplice. "Do this, get off at the station and go straight up to your mother just as you are." "Yes, yes, yes," answered Stepan Vladimirych approvingly. "The house is only about fifteen versts from there. I can walk it in no time. I shall appear before her all dirty and dusty." "When your mother sees you in that rig, perhaps she'll take pity on you." "She will, she will. Mother, after all, is a kindly old woman."