"That's all Be happy! May God protect you.... Don't think ill of me.... The boiler, Sereja, is buried in the sand, near the bows of the green boat." "What does he want with the boiler?" asked Jakoff suddenly. "He has taken my place over there at the cape," explained Vassili. Jakoff glance at Sereja enviously, then at Malva, and hung his head to hide the flash of joy in his eye. "Good-bye, brothers, I am going." Vassili nodded to them. Malva followed him. "I am going to walk with you a little bit of the way." Sereja flung himself on the ground and seized Jakoff's leg as this latter was about to follow Malva. "Stop! where are you going to?" "Leave me alone!" said Jakoff, moving a step forward. But Sereja had seized his other leg. "Sit down beside me." "Why!... What new nonsense are you up to?" "It's not nonsense I Sit down." Jakoff set his teeth, and obeyed. "What do you want?" "Wait Hold your tongue ... whilst I think; and then I'll talk to you." He looked the lad up and down, and Jakoff submitted. Malva and Vassili walked on for a few moments in silence. Malva's eyes had a strange sparkle in them. And Vassili was gloomy and preoccupied. Their feet sank into the sand, and they walked with difficulty. "Vassia!" "Well?" He looked at her, and turned away immediately. "It was I who made you quarrel on purpose with Jakoff.... You might have both lived here without quarrelling," she said, in a voice that was even and unmoved. There was not a shade of regret in her words. "Why did you do that?" Vassili asked, after a moment's silence. "I don't know ... for no reason." She shrugged her shoulders and smiled. "That's a nice thing you have done," he said irritably. She was silent. "You will make me lose my boy, lose him altogether; you sorceress! Have you no fear of God? Are you not ashamed?... What are you going to do?" "What ought I to do?" she said. A mixture of agony and of despair sounded in her voice. "What ought you to do?" cried Vassili, flashing out suddenly into rage. He felt a passionate desire to strike her, to throw her down and bury her in the sand, to kick her in the face and on the bosom.... He clinched his fists and cast a look behind him. Over there near the barrels he saw Sereja and Jakoff, and their faces were turned in his direction. "Get along with you; or I shall do for you!..." He stopped and breathed curses into her face. His eyes were bloodshot, his beard trembled, and his hands were stretched involuntarily towards Malva's hair, which appeared above her shawl. Her green eyes were fixed on him. "You deserve to be killed!... But wait a bit. Some one will break your head one of these days!" She smiled, but remained silent. Then sighing deeply, she said-- "That's enough now. Good-bye!" And turning quickly on her heels, she walked back.