‘And all of a sudden this same colt turns round, and gives me a kick in the left elbow, right in the funny bone.… I waked up; my arm would not move nor my leg either. Well, thinks I, it’s paralysis; however, I worked them up and down, and got them to move again; only there were shooting pains in the joints a long time, and there are still. When I open my hand, the pains shoot through the joints.’ ‘Why, Martin Petrovitch, you must have lain upon your arm somehow and crushed it.’ ‘No, madam; pray, don’t talk like that! It was an intimation … referring to my death, I mean.’ ‘Well, upon my word,’ my mother was beginning. ‘An intimation. Prepare thyself, man, as ’twere to say. And therefore, madam, here is what I have to announce to you, without a moment’s delay. Not wishing,’ Harlov suddenly began shouting, ‘that the same death should come upon me, the servant of God, unawares, I have planned in my own mind this: to divide--now during my lifetime--my estate between my two daughters, Anna and Evlampia, according as God Almighty directs me--’ Martin Petrovitch stopped, groaned, and added, ‘without a moment’s delay.’ ‘Well, that would be a good idea,’ observed my mother; ‘though I think you have no need to be in a hurry.’ ‘And seeing that herein I desire,’ Harlov continued, raising his voice still higher, ‘to be observant of all due order and legality, so I humbly beg your young son, Dmitri Semyonovitch--I would not venture, madam, to trouble you--I beg the said Dmitri Semyonovitch, your son, and I claim of my kinsman, Bitchkov, as a plain duty, to assist at the ratification of the formal act and transference of possession to my two daughters--Anna, married, and Evlampia, spinster. Which act will be drawn up in readiness the day after to-morrow at twelve o’clock, at my own place, Eskovo, also called Kozulkino, in the presence of the ruling authorities and functionaries, who are thereto invited.’ Martin Petrovitch with difficulty reached the end of this speech, which he had obviously learnt by heart, and which was interspersed with frequent sighs.… He seemed to have no breath left in his chest; his pale face was crimson again, and he several times wiped the sweat off it. ‘So you’ve already composed the deed dividing your property?’ my mother queried. ‘When did you manage that?’ ‘I managed it … oh! Neither eating, nor drinking----’ ‘Did you write it yourself?’ ‘Volodka … oh! helped.’ ‘And have you forwarded a petition?’ ‘I have, and the chamber has sanctioned it, and notice has been given to the district court, and the temporary division of the local court has … oh!… been notified to be present.’ My mother laughed. ‘I see, Martin Petrovitch, you’ve made every arrangement already--and how quickly. You’ve not spared money, I should say?’ ‘No, indeed, madam.’