The Daughter of the Commandant
t frozen, and its lead-coloured waves looked almost black contrasted with its banks white with snow. Before me stretched the Kirghiz Steppes. I was lost in thought, a
, with no ideas beyond the service, and prepare
g on; we were driv
re to the fort?" I
see it from he
ittle village, surrounded by a wooden palisade. On one side three or four haystacks, half covered wit
he fort?" I ask
oined the driver, pointing out to me
the izbás[29] were thatched. I ordered him to take me to the Commandant, and almost directly my
An old pensioner, seated on a table, was busy sewing a blue pa
ather," he said to me
ound this were arranged some bark pictures,[30] representing the "Taking of Kustrin" and of "Otchakóf,"[31] "The Choice of the Betrothed," and the "Burial of the Cat by the Mice." Near the window s
le father?" she said to me
ort myself to the Commandant. With these words I turned towards the little, old, one-eyed man, whom I h
ather Garassim. But it's all the same, I am his wife. Be so good as
and bid her tell the "
as looking curiously
said he to me, "in what regime
ied his
"why you have condescended to excha
t was by order o
an officer of the Guard?" rejoi
ng to me, "do not bemoan yourself too much because you have been shoved into our little hole of a place; you are not the first, and you will not be the last. One may suffer, but one gets accustomed to it. For instance, Chvabrine, Alexey Iványtch,[35] was transferred to us four years ago on accoun
iadnik," a young and ha
e said to him, "find a quarter fo
plied the "ouriadnik." "Ought not his
dy little enough room; and, besides, he is my gossip; and then he does not forget
André
The rascal let his horse get into my kitchen
quiet," replied the
hting in the bathhouse
or a pail o
cide between Prokoroff and Oustinia which is to blame, and punish both of them; and you, M
he far end of the little fort. Half the izbá was occupied by the family of Séméon Kouzoff, the other ha
ull steppe; on one side there stood some huts. Some fowls were wandering down the street. An old woman, standi
untry as this I was con
t to bed supperless, in spite of Savéliitch's remons
to eat anything. What would my mistre
ned, and a young officer came in. He was undersized, but, in spite of irreg
tance. I heard of your arrival yesterday, and the wish to see at last a human being took such possessio
the officer sent away from the
eresting. He described to me, with, much raciness and gaiety, the Commandant's fami
en patching his uniform in the Commandant's ante-room, came i
id he should
ners, with long pigtails and three-cornered hats. They were drawn up in line. Before them
ill. We were going to stop and see the manoeuvres, but he begged us to go at once to Vassilissa
ndness, and treated me as if she had known me a long t
so long?" remarked the Commandant's wife. "Palashka, go and
nd modesty. She did not please me very much at first sight; I looked at her with prejudice. Chvabrine had described Marya, the Commandant's daughter, to me as being rather silly. She went
p is getting cold. Thank heaven, the drill will not run awa
ared, accompanied by the
an, my little father?"
y a long time, and we
na," replied Iván Kouzmitch, "I was v
n't know much about it. You should have stayed at home, and said your prayers; t
whelmed me with questions. Who were my parents, were they alive, where did they liv
shka. Well, thank heaven, we get along little by little. We have only one care on our minds-Masha, a girl who must be married. And what dowry ha
, and tears were rolling down, even into her plate. I was
much to the point), "that the Ba
my little father?" r
aid at Orenbu
ople have been thoroughly awed, and the Kirghiz, too, have had some good lessons. They won't dare to attack
addressing the Commandant's wife, "to
r believe how frightened I used to be of those confounded Pagans. If ever I chanced to see their hairy caps, or hear their howls, believe me, my little fath
a very brave lady," rema
ch knows some
said Iván Kouzmitch
I asked her mother, "i
r. It is two years ago now since Iván Kouzmitch took it into his head to fire his cannon on my birthday; she was so frightened, t
went to take their siesta, and I went to Chvabrine
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