"You do not understand me, Madam; it is a principle of mine never to inflict such punishment upon the peasants."

My grandmother's astonishment was still greater, and she threw up her hands.

"Ah!" she at length exclaimed, leaning her head a little to one side as she attentively examined Babúrin. "So that is thy principle! Well, it does not matter to me. I want thee as clerk, not as overseer.

of writing hast thou ?"

What kind

"I write well, Madam, without faults of spelling."

"That I don't care for, either. The chief thing is that it should be legible, and without those new-fangled capitals with tails, which I hate. But what is thy second eccentricity?"

Babúrin moved uneasily, and coughed.

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Perhaps the gentleman means—that I am not alone ? " "Thou art married?"

"Not that, Madam, but-"

My grandmother frowned.

“But I have someone living with me, a man, a comrade; a poor fellow who has been with me now, I think, some ten years."

"Is he a relation?"

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No, Madam, not a relation-a comrade. He cannot possibly cause any inconvenience in the establishment," he hastily added, as if anticipating objections." He lives at my expense, and shares my room; and he might, indeed,

be useful, for, without boast, he is very well educated, and his morals are exemplary."

My grandmother listened to Babúrin, biting her lips, and with her eyes half shut.

"And thou supportest him out of charity?'

"From duty; for it is the duty of one poor man to help another."

"Is that so? That is quite new to me? I had hitherto thought it to be rather the duty of the rich."

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'For the rich, I would venture to submit, it is more of a pastime; but for one of us

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That will do!

mother.

Very good!" interrupted my grand

After a moment's reflection she added, in a nasal tone (always a bad omen): "How old is thy protégé ? " "He is my age, Madam."

"Thine? I thought that he was thy pupil."

"Oh no, Madam; he is my comrade, and indeed

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Enough," interrupted my grandmother a second time. "Thou art, it seems, a philanthropist. Yákov Petrovich was right; for one in thy position it is a great eccentricity. Now let us proceed to business. I will tell thee what thy duties will be. With regard to wages- Que faites-vous ici? said my grandmother suddenly, turning her sallow and dried-up face towards me. Allez étudier votre devoir de mythologie."

I jumped down from my stool, went and kissed her hand, and ran off, not to study mythology-but to the garden.

My grandmother's garden was very old and large. In one direction it sloped down to a pond, through which fresh water ran, and in which not only carp and gudgeon disported themselves, but even the far-famed salvelins were there to be found-those fish which are now nearly obsolete. At the head of this piece of water was a thick willow-plantation; and farther up, upon each slope of the hollow, filbert bushes, elders, honeysuckle and thorns grew thickly, overcrowded at the base by heath and wild parsley.

Here, in the spring, warbled the nightingale; here, you heard the song of the thrush, and the cuckoo's call; here, during the great summer heats, it was always cool; and here it was that I loved to lose myself, in those dark and shady recesses where I had favourite and secret nooks, known-so, at least, I imagined-to me alone.

When I left my grandmother, I went straight to one of these little nooks, which I styled "Switzerland.” But what was my amazement on perceiving, before I reached "Switzerland," through a thick tangle of half-withered twigs and green branches, that another had discovered it!

Such a long, long figure, clad in a yellow frieze blouse and a high cap, stood precisely upon my most favourite spot! I edged nearer, and inspected his face, which was utterly unknown to me: a long, flabby, clean-shaven face

with small red eyes, and a comical nose. This last feature seemed to have been pulled out to the shape of a pea-pod, and hung over a pair of pouting lips which, round and quivering, gave out every now and then a clear whistle. At the same time he brought his long bony fingers, placed back to back, even with his breast, and gave them a swift rotatory movement. From time to time he slackened this movement, his lips ceased whistling and quivering, and he threw his head forward, as if listening for a sound. I crept nearer still, and inspected him more attentively. The stranger held in each hand a small flat cup, such as those used to encourage and train canaries to sing. While I was looking at him, some dry branches cracked under my feet; he started, looked with his little eyes towards the thicket, and was about to withdraw, but he just bumped against a tree, gave a cry, and stood still. I walked on to the grass, and he smiled.

I did not at all like being called Bárchuk. What familiarity!

"What are you doing here?" I asked severely.

"See," he replied, still smiling, "I am trying to make the birds sing. (He showed me his two cups.) The chaffinch answers beautifully. The singing of birds must certainly please a youth like you. Please to listen: I will

1

* Young Barin.

whistle to them, and they will answer directly-how charming it is! He began to rub the two cups together; and sure enough the chaffinch revealed his presence in a neighbouring mountain-ash. The stranger gave a silent laugh, and winked at me.

His laugh, his wink, his every movement; his weak, lisping voice; his bent knees and fleshless hands; even his cap and long blouse-everything about him breathed an air of good-humour, and of something innocent and grotesque.

"Have you been here long?" I asked. "Since to-day."

your name?

He is Babúrin

Listen, please

"Your friend is called Babúrin; what is "Mine? Púnin. Púnin is my name. and I Púnin. (Again he rubbed the cups.) listen to the chaffinch-how he does sing! The droll at once pleased me "awfully.' Like most boys I was either timid with strangers, or I gave myself airs; but with him, I felt directly as if we had been friends

for ages.

We

"Come with me," I said to him; "I know a place that is even nicer than this, where there is a seat. can sit down, and shall be able to see the weir."

"All right, let us go," said my new acquaintance, in a drawling voice.