The Tales of Chekhov, vol 5 | Page 7

said, "and assistance is needed as soon as
possible. I imagine the first point among the principles which we must
work out ought to be promptitude. We must act on the military
principles of judgment, promptitude, and energy."
"Yes, promptitude . . ." repeated Ivan Ivanitch in a drowsy and listless
voice, as though he were dropping asleep. "Only one can't do anything.
The crops have failed, and so what's the use of all your judgment and
energy? . . . It's the elements. . . . You can't go against God and fate."
"Yes, but that's what man has a head for, to conten d against the
elements."
"Eh? Yes . . . that's so, to be sure. . . . Yes."
Ivan Ivanitch sneezed into his handkerchief, brightened up, and as
though he had just woken up, looked round at my wife and me.
"My crops have failed, too." He laughed a thin little laugh and gave a
sly wink as though this were really funny. "No money, no corn, and a
yard full of labourers like Count Sheremetyev's. I want to kick them out,
but I haven't the heart to."
Natalya Gavrilovna laughed, and began questioning him about his
private affairs. Her presence gave me a pleasure such as I had not felt
for a long time, and I was afraid to look at her for fear my eyes would
betray my secret feeling. Our relations were such that that feeling might
seem surprising and ridiculous.
She laughed and talked with Ivan Ivanitch without being in the least
disturbed that she was in my room and that I was not laughing.
"And so, my friends, what are we to do?" I asked after waiting for a
pause. "I suppose before we do anything else we had better
immediately open a subscription-list. We will write to our friends in the
capitals and in Odessa, Natalie, and ask them to subscribe. When we
have got together a little sum we will begin buying corn and fodder for
the cattle; and you, Ivan Ivanitch, will you be so kind as to undertake

distributing the relief? Entirely relying on your characteristic tact and
efficiency, we will only venture to express a desire that before you give
any relief you make acquaintance with the details of the case on the
spot, and also, which is very important, you should be careful that corn
should be distributed only to those who are in genuine need, and not to
the drunken, the idle, or the dishonest."
"Yes, yes, yes . . ." muttered Ivan Ivanitch. "To be sure, to be sure."
"Well, one won't get much done with that slobbering wreck," I thought,
and I felt irritated.
"I am sick of these famine-stricken peasants, bother them! It's nothing
but grievances with them!" Ivan Ivanitch went on, sucking the rind of
the lemon. "The hungry have a grievance against those who have
enough, and those who have enough have a grievance against the
hungry. Yes . . . hunger stupefies and maddens a man and makes him
savage; hunger is not a potato. When a man is starving he uses bad
language, and steals, and may do worse. . . . One must realize that."
Ivan Ivanitch choked over his tea, coughed, and shook all over with a
squeaky, smothered laughter.
" 'There was a battle at Pol . . . Poltava,' " he brought out, gesticulating
with both hands in protest against the laughter and coughing which
prevented him from speaking. " 'There was a battle at Poltava!' When
three years after the Emancipation we had famine in two districts here,
Fyodor Fyodoritch came and invited me to go to him. 'Come along,
come along,' he persisted, and nothing else would satisfy him. 'Very
well, let us go,' I said. And, so we set off. It was in the evening; there
was snow falling. Towards night we were getting near his place, and
suddenly from the wood came 'bang!' and another time 'bang!' 'Oh,
damn it all!' . . . I jumped out of the sledge, and I saw in the darkness a
man running up to me, knee-deep in the snow. I put my arm round his
shoulder, like this, and knocked the gun out of his hand. Then another
one turned up; I fetched him a knock on the back of his head so that he
grunted and flopped with his nose in the snow. I was a sturdy chap then,
my fist was heavy; I disposed of two of them, and when I turned round
Fyodor was sitting astride of a third. We did not let our three fine
fellows go; we tied their hands behind their backs so that they might
not do us or themselves any harm, and took the