I rushed out of the room, instantly found myself in the street, and ran headlong to the priest’s house, seeing and feeling nothing. There was shouting, guffawing, and singing there…Pugachev was feasting with his comrades. Palasha came running after me. I sent her to call Akulina Pamfilovna out quietly. A moment later the priest’s wife came out to me in the front hall with an empty bottle in her hand.
“For God’s sake, where is Marya Ivanovna?” I asked with indescribable anxiety.
“She’s lying in my bed, the little dove, there, behind the partition,” the priest’s wife replied. “Well, Pyotr Andreich, misfortune nearly befell us, but, thank God, it all turned out well: the villain had just sat down to dinner when the poor thing came to and moaned!…I nearly fainted away. He heard it: ‘Who’s that groaning there, old woman?’ I bowed low to the thief: ‘My niece, Your Majesty. She was taken ill; it’s two weeks now she’s been lying there.’ ‘Is your niece young?’ ‘Yes, Your Majesty.’ ‘Show me your niece, old woman.’ My heart just sank, but there was nothing to be done. ‘If you please, sir; only the girl can’t get up and come to your honor.’ ‘Never mind, old woman, I’ll go and look myself.’ And he did, the fiend, he went behind the partition; and what do you think! He pulled the curtain aside, stared with his hawk’s eyes!—and that’s all…God spared us! Would you believe, right then my husband and I were ready for a martyr’s death. Luckily, my little dove didn’t recognize him. Lord God, what high days we’ve lived to see! I must say! Poor Ivan Kuzmich, who’d have imagined!…And Vasilisa Egorovna? And Ivan Ignatyich? What harm did he do?…How is it you were spared? And what about this Shvabrin, Alexei Ivanyich? Got himself a bowl haircut and now he sits here feasting with them! A nimble one, I must say! And when I mentioned the sick niece, would you believe, he shot me a glance like the stab of a knife; didn’t give me away, though, thanks be for that.”
Just then we heard drunken shouts from the guests and the voice of Father Gerasim. The guests were demanding vodka, the host was calling for his wife. She got into a flurry.
“Go home, Pyotr Andreich,” she said. “I can’t stay with you now, the villains are carousing. It’ll be bad if you fall into their drunken hands. Good-bye, Pyotr Andreich. What will be, will be; maybe God won’t forsake us.”
The priest’s wife left. Somewhat reassured, I went back to my quarters. Walking past the square, I saw several Bashkirs crowding around the gallows and pulling the boots off the hanged men; I barely controlled a burst of indignation, sensing the uselessness of interference. The brigands ran all over the fortress, looting the officers’ houses. The shouts of the drunken rebels could be heard everywhere. I reached home. Savelyich met me on the threshold.
“Thank God!” he cried on seeing me. “I was thinking the villains had got hold of you again. Well, my dear Pyotr Andreich, would you believe it? The rascals have robbed us of everything: clothes, linen, belongings, crockery—they left us nothing. But so what! Thank God they let you go alive! Did you recognize their leader, sir?”
“No, I didn’t. Who is he?”
“What, my dearest? Have you forgotten that drunkard who wheedled the coat out of you at the inn? A hareskin coat, quite a new one; and the brute burst all the seams as he pulled it on!”
I was amazed. In fact, the resemblance between Pugachev and my guide was striking. I realized that he and Pugachev were one and the same person, and understood then the reason for the mercy he had shown me. I could only marvel at the strange chain of events: a child’s coat given to a vagabond delivered me from the noose, and a drunkard roaming the wayside inns besieged fortresses and shook the state!
“Wouldn’t you care to eat?” asked Savelyich, unchanged in his habits. “We’ve got nothing at home. I’ll go rustle something up and prepare it for you.”
Left alone, I became lost in ruminations. What was I to do? To remain in the fortress subject to the villain, or to follow his band, was unbecoming to an officer. Duty demanded that I go where my service could still be useful to the fatherland in the present difficult circumstances…But love strongly advised me to stay by Marya Ivanovna and be her defender and protector. Though I foresaw a swift and sure change of circumstances, I still could not help but tremble, picturing the danger of her situation.
My ruminations were interrupted by the arrival of one of the Cossacks, who came running to announce that “the great sovereign summons you to him.”
“Where is he?” I asked, preparing to obey.
