An hour later, this is what took place in Efrém's house. Akím, who had not replied by a single word, during the entire course of the drinking-bout, to the interrogations and comments of his loquacious host, and had merely drained glass after glass, was fast asleep on the oven, all red in the face--in a heavy, anguished slumber; the youngsters were wondering at him, while Efrém .... Alas! Efrém was asleep also, but only in a very cramped and cold lumber-room, in which he had been locked up by his wife, a woman of extremely masculine and robust build. He had gone to her in the stable, and had begun to threaten her, if she repeated something or other, but so incoherently and unintelligibly did he express himself that she instantly divined what the trouble was, grasped him by the collar, and led him to the proper place. However, he slept very well and even comfortably in the lumber-room. Habit! Kiríllovna had not reported her conversation with Akím very accurately to Lizavéta Prókhorovna .... and the same may be said concerning Avdótya. Naúm had not turned her out of the house, although she had told Akím that he had done so; he had not the right to expel her.... He was bound to give the former proprietors time to move out. Explanations of quite another sort had taken place between him and Avdótya. When Akím had rushed into the street, shouting that he would go to the mistress, Avdótya had turned to Naúm, had stared at him with all her eyes, and clasped her hands. "O Lord!"--she began;--"Naúm Ivánitch, what is the meaning of this? Have you bought our inn?" "What if I have, ma'am?"--he retorted.--"I have bought it, ma'am." Avdótya said nothing for a while, then suddenly took fright. "So that is what you wanted the money for?" "Precisely as you are pleased to put it, ma'am. Ehe, I do believe that measly little husband of yours has driven off with my horse,"--he added, as the rumble of wheels reached his ear.--"What a fine dashing fellow he is!" "Why, but this is robbery, nothing else!"--shrieked Avdótya.--"For the money is ours, my husband's, and the inn is ours ...." "No, ma'am, Avdótya Aréfyevna,"--Naúm interrupted her:--"the inn was n't yours, and what 's the use of saying so; the inn stood on the lady-mistress's land, so it belonged to her also; and the money really was yours, only you were so kind, I may put it, as to contribute it to me, ma'am; and I shall remain grateful to you, and shall even, if the occasion arises, return it to you,--if I should see my way to it; only, it is n't right that I should strip myself bare. Just judge for yourself if that is n't so." Naúm said all this very calmly, and even with a slight smile.