The peasant took the note, gave it to the Stanovòy, and was just going when he looked at the Stanovòy and stopped short. The Stanovòy was clenching his fists and grinding his teeth and panting with rage. “How dare you!” he shouted to the peasant; “you clown! how dare you insult the lady?” The peasant tried to explain, but it was no use; the Stanovòy grew more furious than ever. “What? You want to deny it, you hound! I’ll send you to Siberia! I’ll flay you alive!”—and so on, and so on. And he flew at the peasant as if he wanted to toss him or jump into his mouth. The peasant’s wife heard the row, caught up a cock, ran to the Stanovòy and dropped at his feet. “Little father!” she cried, “there is a cock for you. Take it, and welcome, but don’t kill my good man, or I and all the children will starve.” The Stanovòy almost choked with fury. “A cock! How dare you offer me a cock! I’ve served God and the Emperor for twenty years as Stanovòy and never suffered such an insult yet. Bring me your goat at once, or I’ll have your cottage pulled down!” There was nothing for it; they brought him the goat. The Stanovòy grew calm and ordered the peasant to be only flogged and then let go free. The peasant went home and told his wife to make him new breeches, because he must soon go to work in the barine’s garden to pay off a debt, and perhaps the barinya might see him again. The barine was walking about the manor thinking what he should do with the kopeck. At last he sent for the peasant. “Look here, friend,” he said, “you said you wanted firewood. There’s a stick in the kitchen-garden that you may have, only you must do an errand for me. You must go to my friend, Saffròn Kouzmìch—he lives only five hundred versts off—and tell him that I send him my compliments, and ask him to visit me.” “All right,” said the peasant. So he went to Saffròn Kouzmìch. He walked and walked and walked. At last he got to the place and gave his message. Saffròn Kouzmìch came at once, for he and our barine were great friends; when they were young they had served the Tzar together. So he came to visit the barine, and they played for the kopeck. Saffròn Kouzmìch won it, and drove away very merry and sang all the way home. But our barine was very angry, so he called the _Sòtsky_[49] and told him to collect taxes from the peasant. The Sòtsky came to the peasant and asked for the taxes. “Where am I to get the money from?” asked the peasant. “Where you like. But you must get it somewhere, or the barine will send for the Stanovòy again.” The peasant scratched his head. However, there was nothing for it, he must get the money. So he went to look for work. He went everywhere, and could find no work. At last he came to the same gentleman who had won the kopeck, and asked him for work. The gentleman called his steward. “Is there any work?” he asked.