Summary

Dr. Blagovo and Cleopatra start to visit often in Chapter 13. Cleopatra keeps worrying about staying out too late. She fears that she always acts “badly” (504). During the haymaking, Misail often falls asleep when the guests are still over. He spends every day working the fields or at the construction site. When Misail stays home on holidays, he suspects that his wife and sister are concealing something from him. Masha talks to Dr. Blagovo more than she talks to him, confounding Misail.

Misail and Masha suffer from the muzhiks’ disdain of them. The muzhiks often complain and steal from them. Masha regrets undertaking the building of the school. Masha often takes Cleopatra to the mill to chat with Stepan. One day, Misail overhears a conversation between them. Stepan rants about the muzhiks and boasts of being a free Cossack. He lives where he likes...