What Men Live By | Page 7

kill him with a mallet. He almost knocked out the lintel,
but little harm it did him."
And Matryona said: "Living as he does, how should he not grow strong?
Death itself can't touch such a rock as that."
VII
Then Simon said to Michael: "Well, we have taken the work, but we
must see we don't get into trouble over it. The leather is dear, and the
gentleman hot-tempered. We must make no mistakes. Come, your eye
is truer and your hands have become nimbler than mine, so you take
this measure and cut out the boots. I will finish off the sewing of the
vamps."
Michael did as he was told. He took the leather, spread it out on the
table, folded it in two, took a knife and began to cut out.
Matryona came and watched him cutting, and was surprised to see how
he was doing it. Matryona was accustomed to seeing boots made, and
she looked and saw that Michael was not cutting the leather for boots,
but was cutting it round.
She wished to say something, but she thought to herself: "Perhaps I do
not understand how gentleman's boots should be made. I suppose
Michael knows more about it--and I won't interfere."
When Michael had cut up the leather, he took a thread and began to

sew not with two ends, as boots are sewn, but with a single end, as for
soft slippers.
Again Matryona wondered, but again she did not interfere. Michael
sewed on steadily till noon. Then Simon rose for dinner, looked around,
and saw that Michael had made slippers out of the gentleman's leather.
"Ah," groaned Simon, and he thought, "How is it that Michael, who has
been with me a whole year and never made a mistake before, should do
such a dreadful thing? The gentleman ordered high boots, welted, with
whole fronts, and Michael has made soft slippers with single soles, and
has wasted the leather. What am I to say to the gentleman? I can never
replace leather such as this."
And he said to Michael, "What are you doing, friend? You have ruined
me! You know the gentleman ordered high boots, but see what you
have made!"
Hardly had he begun to rebuke Michael, when "rat-tat" went the iron
ring that hung at the door. Some one was knocking. They looked out of
the window; a man had come on horseback, and was fastening his horse.
They opened the door, and the servant who had been with the
gentleman came in.
"Good day," said he.
Good day," replied Simon. "What can we do for you?"
"My mistress has sent me about the boots."
"What about the boots?"
"Why, my master no longer needs them. He is dead."
"Is it possible?"
"He did not live to get home after leaving you, but died in the carriage.
When we reached home and the servants came to help him alight, he
rolled over like a sack. He was dead already, and so stiff that he could

hardly be got out of the carriage. My mistress sent me here, saying:
'Tell the bootmaker that the gentleman who ordered boots of him and
left the leather for them no longer needs the boots, but that he must
quickly make soft slippers for the corpse. Wait till they are ready, and
bring them back with you.' That is why I have come."
Michael gathered up the remnants of the leather; rolled them up, took
the soft slippers he had made, slapped them together, wiped them down
with his apron, and handed them and the roll of leather to the servant,
who took them and said: "Good-bye, masters, and good day to you!"
VIII
Another year passed, and another, and Michael was now living his
sixth year with Simon. He lived as before. He went nowhere, only
spoke when necessary, and had only smiled twice in all those years--
once when Matryona gave him food, and a second time when the
gentleman was in their hut. Simon was more than pleased with his
workman. He never now asked him where he came from, and only
feared lest Michael should go away.
They were all at home one day. Matryona was putting iron pots in the
oven; the children were running along the benches and looking out of
the window; Simon was sewing at one window, and Michael was
fastening on a heel at the other.
One of the boys ran along the bench to Michael, leant on his shoulder,
and looked out of the window.
"Look, Uncle Michael! There is a lady with little girls! She seems to be
coming here. And one of the girls is lame."
When the boy said that, Michael dropped his work, turned to the
window, and looked out into