“God, God in Heaven, why do you visit such punishment upon the poor!” she would despair. He must not, he must not marry.... But what a happy life they would lead, what a happy life!... And she concealed her feelings from him. This was exceedingly difficult. Oh, how she would have loved to throw her arms about him, and press him to her tightly, ever so tightly,—press her very soul into him,—become together with him a single being.... Her breath would come in gasps, she would grow dizzy, and her temples would throb with hammer blows. She hardly dared sit near him, lest he discover what was going on in her heart. And suppose he _should_ discover?... Suppose he should discover, and embrace her, and place his arms about her neck, and kiss her, caress her, squeeze her!... A strangely sweet sensation would ripple over her body, until she began to tremble. He was standing so close to her. She could almost feel his breath. And she watched every movement of his, read his eyes,—perhaps.... Then she would be ashamed of herself on account of her thoughts. Such impossibilities as came into her head! Such selfish thoughts as she could think, when he was speaking of such lofty subjects! It was altogether unbecoming.... Fie! IV But Drabkin married. Not Chashke, but a certain Chyenke, a girl with a dowry of five hundred roubles. This happened to him after a terrible fit of fury against all the bosses in the world. He came to a great determination: he would himself become a boss. “Let all trace of them be wiped off the face of the earth,—the exploiters!” he cried, running up and down the room. “Let no memory of them remain,—the vampires! May they be sown thickly and grow up sparse, the cannibals! Enough! All over! I’ll become a boss myself!...” He became silent, but continued to pace about. He was planning. “He’ll become a boss!” scoffed the old woman. “A bosh, you mean!” She broke into cutting laughter. Chashke looked at her uneasily. “For myself, in business only for myself,” he spoke, meditatively. “Ha-ha! He’ll have to pawn his breeches,” laughed the old woman. And Chashke transferred her uneasy look to Drabkin. She had at once begun to wonder how he was going to make even a start. “Never mind. I’ll get money!” he assured them. “I can get ten times as many partners as I need. Everybody knows what an expert worker I am.” “God grant it!” answered the mother, doubtfully. She had little confidence in Drabkin. But Chashke’s heart was eased of a burden. She believed that it would be easy for him to find a partner. He, however, found something that he was not seeking. He found a bride with a dowry. This happened just at the time when he was tiring of looking about for a partner. He was pouring out the bitterness of his heart before an old friend. “Enough! I’ve got the right partner for you!” cried the friend. “And a partner for your whole life.” Drabkin looked hard at him. “Do you want to marry a girl with five hundred roubles?”