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Page 11
Gerasim turned round, saw lights and shadows moving in the windows, and
with an instinct of coming trouble in his heart, put Mumu under his arm,
ran into his garret, and locked himself in. A few minutes later five men
were banging at his door, but feeling the resistance of the bolt, they
stopped. Gavrila ran up in a fearful state of mind, and ordered them all
to wait there and watch till morning. Then he flew off himself to the
maids' quarter, and through an old companion, Liubov Liubimovna, with
whose assistance he used to steal tea, sugar, and other groceries and to
falsify the accounts, sent word to the mistress that the dog had
unhappily run back from somewhere, but that to-morrow she should be
killed, and would the mistress be so gracious as not to be angry and to
overlook it. The old lady would probably not have been so soon appeased,
but the doctor had in his haste given her fully forty drops instead of
twelve. The strong dose of narcotic acted; in a quarter of an hour the
old lady was in a sound and peaceful sleep; while Gerasim was lying with
a white face on his bed, holding Mumu's mouth tightly shut.
Next morning the lady woke up rather late. Gavrila was waiting till she
should be awake, to give the order for a final assault on Gerasim's
stronghold, while he prepared himself to face a fearful storm. But the
storm did not come off. The old lady lay in bed and sent for the eldest
of her dependent companions.
"Liubov Liubimovna," she began in a subdued weak voice--she was fond of
playing the part of an oppressed and forsaken victim; needless to say,
every one in the house was made extremely uncomfortable at such times--
"Liubov Liubimovna, you see my position; go, my love, to Gavrila
Andreitch, and talk to him a little. Can he really prize some wretched
cur above the repose--the very life--of his mistress? I could not bear
to think so," she added, with an expression of deep feeling. "Go, my
love; be so good as to go to Gavrila Andreitch for me."
Liubov Liubimovna went to Gavrila's room. What conversation passed
between them is not known, but a short time after, a whole crowd of
people was moving across the yard in the direction of Gerasim's garret.
Gavrila walked in front, holding his cap on with his hand, though there
was no wind. The footmen and cooks were close behind him; Uncle Tail was
looking out of a window, giving instructions, that is to say, simply
waving his hands. At the rear there was a crowd of small boys skipping
and hopping along; half of them were outsiders who had run up. On the
narrow staircase leading to the garret sat one guard; at the door were
standing two more with sticks. They began to mount the stairs, which
they entirely blocked up. Gavrila went up to the door, knocked with his
fist, shouting, "Open the door!"
A stifled bark was audible, but there was no answer.
"Open the door, I tell you," he repeated.
"But, Gavrila Andreitch," Stepan observed from below, "he's deaf, you
know--he doesn't hear."
They all laughed.
"What are we to do?" Gavrila rejoined from above.
"Why, there's a hole there in the door," answered Stepan, "so you shake
the stick in there."
Gavrila bent down.
"He's stuffed it up with a coat or something."
"Well, you just push the coat in."
At this moment a smothered bark was heard again.
"See, see--she speaks for herself," was remarked in the crowd, and again
they laughed.
Gavrila scratched his ear.
"No, mate," he responded at last, "you can poke the coat in yourself, if
you like."
"All right, let me."
And Stepan scrambled up, took the stick, pushed in the coat, and began
waving the stick about in the opening, saying, "Come out, come out!" as
he did so. He was still waving the stick, when suddenly the door of the
garret was flung open; all the crowd flew pell-mell down the stairs
instantly, Gavrila first of all. Uncle Tail locked the window.
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