At the right of the battalion, gracefully mounted on beautiful black steeds, rode two officers. One was the commander, Count Turbin; the other a very young man, who had recently been promoted from the yunkers; his name was Polózof. A hussar, in a white kittel, came from the best of the cottages, and, taking off his cap, approached the officers. "What quarters have been assigned to us?" asked the count. "For your excellency?" replied the quartermaster, his whole body shuddering. "Here at the _stárosta's_; he has put his cottage in order. I tried to get a room at the mansion,[79] but they said no; the proprietress is so ill-tempered." [Footnote 79: _barsky dvor._] "Well, all right," said the count, dismounting and stretching his legs as he reached the _stárosta's_ cottage. "Tell me, has my carriage come?" "It has deigned to arrive, your excellency," replied the quartermaster, indicating with his cap the leathern carriage-top which was to be seen inside the gate, and then hastening ahead into the entry of the cottage, which was crowded with the family of serfs, gathered to have a look at the officer. He even tripped over an old woman, as he hastily opened the door of the neatly cleaned cottage, and stood aside to let the count pass. The cottage was large and commodious, but not perfectly clean. The German body-servant,[80] dressed like a bárin, was standing in the cottage, and, having just finished setting up the iron bed, was taking out clean linen from a trunk. [Footnote 80: _kammerdiener._] "_Phu!_ what a nasty lodging!" exclaimed the count in vexation. "Diádenko! Is it impossible to find me better quarters at the proprietor's or somewhere?" "If your excellency command, I will go up to the mansion," replied Diádenko; "but the house is small and wretched, and seems not much better than the cottage." "Well, that's all now. You can go." And the count threw himself down on the bed, supporting his head with his hands. "Johann!" he cried to his body-servant; "again you have made a hump in the middle. Why can't you learn to make a bed decently?" Johann was anxious to make it over again. "No, you need not trouble about it now!... Where's my dressing-gown?" he proceeded to ask in a petulant voice. The servant gave him the dressing-gown. The count, before he put it on, examined the skirt. "There it is! You have not taken that spot out! Could it be possible for any one to be a worse servant than you are?" he added, snatching the garment from the servant's hands, and putting it on. "Now tell me, do you do this way on purpose? Is tea ready?" "I haven't had time to make it," replied Johann. "Fool!" After this, the count took a French novel which was at hand, and read for some time without speaking; but Johann went out into the entry to blow up the coals in the samovár.