My mother looked at me, as though wishing to make sure whether she had heard aright. ‘Half-inches wide apart,’ she repeated, obviously not understanding the meaning of one word. ‘Well, what then?’ she said at last. ‘I have come for instructions. There’s no doing anything without men to help. The peasants there are all limp with fright.’ ‘And his daughters--what of them?’ ‘His daughters are doing nothing. They’re running to and fro, shouting … this and that … all to no purpose.’ ‘And is Sletkin there?’ ‘He’s there too. He’s making more outcry than all of them--but he can’t do anything.’ ‘And Martin Petrovitch is standing on the roof?’ ‘On the roof … that is, in the garret--and pulling the roof to pieces.’ ‘Yes, yes,’ said my mother, ‘half-inches wide apart.’ The position was obviously a serious one. What steps were to be taken? Send to the town for the police captain? Get together the peasants? My mother was quite at her wits’ end. Zhitkov, who had come in to dinner, was nonplussed too. It is true, he made another reference to a battalion of military; he offered no advice, however, but confined himself to looking submissive and devoted. Kvitsinsky, seeing he would not get at any instructions, suggested to my mother--with the contemptuous respectfulness peculiar to him--that if she would authorise him to take a few of the stable-boys, gardeners, and other house-serfs, he would make an effort.… ‘Yes, yes,’ my mother cut him short, ‘do make an effort, dear Vikenty Osipitch! Only make haste, please, and I will take all responsibility on myself!’ Kvitsinsky smiled coldly. ‘One thing let me make clear, madam, beforehand; it’s impossible to reckon on any result, seeing that Mr. Harlov’s strength is so great, and he is so desperate too; he feels himself to have been very cruelly wronged!’ ‘Yes, yes,’ my mother assented; ‘and it’s all that vile Souvenir’s fault! Never will I forgive him for it. Go and take the servants and set off, Vikenty Osipitch!’ ‘You’d better take plenty of cord, Mr. Steward, and some fire-escape tackle,’ Zhitkov brought out in his bass--‘and if there is such a thing as a net, it would be as well to take that along too. We once had in our regiment.…’ ‘Kindly refrain from instructing me, sir,’ Kvitsinsky cut him short, with an air of vexation; ‘I know what is needed without your aid.’ Zhitkov was offended, and protested that as he imagined he, too, was called upon.… ‘No, no!’ interposed my mother; ‘you’d better stop where you are.… Let Vikenty Osipitch act alone.… Make haste, Vikenty Osipitch!’ Zhitkov was still more offended, while Kvitsinsky bowed and went out. I rushed off to the stable, hurriedly saddled my horse myself, and set off at a gallop along the road to Eskovo. XXVI