"Vasíly Ivánovitch, I will come to you to-morrow--what am I to do with this crazy woman?...." "Eh! I see that it is useless to talk long with you,"--said Vasíly, and swiftly raised his cane.... Pável Afanásievitch dashed forward, thrust aside Efímovna, seized his sword, and rushed through the other door into the park. Vasíly darted after him. They both ran to a wooden arbour artfully painted in the Chinese manner, locked themselves in, and bared their swords. Rogatchyóff had once upon a time taken lessons in fencing; but he barely knew how to parry properly. The blades crossed. Vasíly was, evidently, playing with Rogatchyóff's sword. Pável Afanásievitch sighed, turned pale, and gazed with consternation into Lutchínoff's face. In the meanwhile, cries resounded in the park; a throng of people rushed to the arbour. Suddenly Rogatchyóff heard a heart-rending, senile roar .... he recognised his father's voice. Afanásy Lúkitch, hatless, and with dishevelled locks, was running in front of all, waving his arms despairingly.... With a powerful and unexpected turn of his blade, Vasíly knocked the sword from Pável Afanásievitch's hand. "Marry, brother,"--he said to him.--"Stop being a fool!" "I will not marry!"--whispered Rogatchyóff, closed his eyes, and trembled all over. Afanásy Lúkitch began to pound on the door of the arbour. "Thou wilt not?"--shouted Vasíly. Rogatchyóff shook his head in the negative. "Well, then, the devil take thee!" Poor Pável Afanásievitch fell dead: Lutchínoff's sword had pierced his heart.... The door burst open, old Rogatchyóff rushed into the arbour, but Vasíly had already managed to spring out of the window... Two hours later, he entered Olga Ivánovna's room... She darted to meet him in affright.... He silently bowed to her, drew out his sword, and pierced Pável Afanásievitch's portrait at the place of the heart. Olga shrieked, and fell senseless on the floor.... Vasíly directed his steps to Anna Pávlovna. He found her in the room of the holy pictures. "Mamma,"--he said,--"we are avenged." The poor old woman shuddered and went on praying. A week later, Vasíly took his departure for Petersburg,--and two years afterward he returned to the country, crippled with paralysis, and speechless. He no longer found either Anna Pávlovna or Olga Ivánovna alive, and soon died himself in the arms of Yúditch, who fed him like a baby, and was the only person who could understand his incoherent babble. FOOTNOTES: [16] A ruble, at the present time, is worth, on an average, about fifty-two cents. At the period here referred to, the silver ruble would purchase more than a ruble nowadays, while the paper ruble was worth very little.--TRANSLATOR. [17] A very good preserve, with a slightly wild or bitter taste, is made from these berries in Russia. It is a favourite preserve for putting in tea.--TRANSLATOR.