Just think, how it will seem to walk along the Ilyinka!  It’s just as if the devils were dragging my sinful soul through torment; Lord, forgive me for saying so!  And then past the Iver Chapel[1]:  how am I going to look upon her, the Holy Mother?—­You know, Lazar; Judas, you see, sold even Christ for money, just as we sell our conscience for money.  And what happened to him because of it?—­And then there are the government offices, the criminal tribunal!—­You see, I did it with set purpose, with malice aforethought.—­You see, they’ll exile me to Siberia.  O Lord!—­If you won’t give me the money for any other reason, give it as charity, for Christ’s sake. [He weeps.

[Footnote 1:  In which there is a miracle-working image of the Virgin.]

PODKHALYUZIN.  What’s the matter, what’s the matter, daddy?  There, there, now!  God is merciful!  What’s the matter with you?  We’ll fix it up somehow.  It’s all in our hands.

BOLSHOV.  I need money, Lazar, money.  There’s nothing else to fix it with.  Either money or Siberia.

PODKHALYUZIN.  And I’ll give you money, sir, if you’ll only let up.  As it is, I’ll add five kopeks more.

BOLSHOV.  What have we come to!  Have you any Christian feeling in you?  I need twenty-five kopeks, Lazar!

PODKHALYUZIN.  No, daddy, that’s a good deal, sir; by heaven, that’s a good deal!

BOLSHOV.  You nest of snakes!

[He falls with his head upon the table.

AGRAFENA KONDRATYEVNA.  Barbarian, you barbarian!  Robber that you are!  You shan’t have my blessing!  You’ll dry up, money and all; you’ll dry up, dying before your time!  You robber!  Robber that you are!

PODKHALYUZIN.  That’ll do, mamma; you’re angering God.  Why are you cursing me when you haven’t looked into the business?  You can see that daddy has got a bit tipsy, and you start to make a row.

OLIMPIADA SAMSONOVNA.  It would be better for you, ma, to keep still!  You seem to enjoy sending people to the third hell.  I know:  you’ll catch it for this.  It must be for that reason God didn’t give you any more children.

AGRAFENA KONDRATYEVNA.  Keep still yourself, shameless creature!  You were enough of a punishment for God to send me!

OLIMPIADA SAMSONOVNA.  You think everybody’s shameless and that you’re the only good person.  But you ought to take a good look at yourself:  all you can do is fast one day extra every week, and not a day goes by that you don’t bark at somebody.

AGRAFENA KONDRATYEVNA.  Shame on you!  Shame on you!  Oh!  Oh!  Oh!—­I’ll curse you in all the churches!

OLIMPIADA SAMSONOVNA.  Curse away if you want to!

AGRAFENA KONDRATYEVNA.  Yes, that’s it!  You’ll die, and not rot!  Yes!

OLIMPIADA SAMSONOVNA.  Much I shall!

BOLSHOV. [Rising] Well, good-by, children!

PODKHALYUZIN.  Why, daddy, sit still!  We’ve got to settle this business somehow or other.