When I was living in Petersburg,--many years ago,--whenever I had
occasion to hire a public cabman I entered into conversation with him.
I was specially fond of conversing with the night cabmen,--poor
peasants of the suburbs, who have come to town with their ochre-tinted
little sledges and miserable little nags in the hope of supporting
themselves and collecting enough money to pay their quit-rent to their
owners.
So, then, one day I hired such a cabman.... He was a youth of twenty
years, tall, well-built, a fine, dashing young fellow; he had blue eyes
and rosy cheeks; his red-gold hair curled in rings beneath a wretched
little patched cap, which was pulled down over his very eyebrows. And
how in the world was that tattered little coat ever got upon those
shoulders of heroic mould!
But the cabman's handsome, beardless face seemed sad and lowering.
I entered into conversation with him. Sadness was discernible in his
voice also.
"What is it, brother?" I asked him.--"Why art not thou cheerful? Hast
thou any grief?"
The young fellow did not reply to me at once.
"I have, master, I have," he said at last.--"And such a grief that it
would be better if I were not alive. My wife is dead."
"Didst thou love her ... thy wife?"
The young fellow turned toward me; only he bent his head a little.
"I did, master. This is the eighth month since ... but I cannot forget.
It is eating away my heart ... so it is! And why must she die? She was
young! Healthy!... In one day the cholera settled her."
"And was she of a good disposition?"
"Akh, master!" sighed the poor fellow, heavily.--"And on what friendly
terms she and I lived together! She died in my absence. When I heard
here that they had already buried her, I hurried immediately to the
village, home. It was already after midnight when I arrived. I entered
my cottage, stopped short in the middle of it, and said so softly:
'Masha! hey, Masha!' Only a cricket shrilled.--Then I fell to weeping,
and sat down on the cottage floor, and how I did beat my palm against
the ground!--'Thy bowels are insatiable!' I said.... 'Thou hast devoured
her ... devour me also!'--Akh, Masha!"
"Masha," he added in a suddenly lowered voice. And without letting his
rope reins out of his hands, he squeezed a tear out of his eye with his
mitten, shook it off, flung it to one side, shrugged his shoulders--and
did not utter another word.
As I alighted from the sledge I gave him an extra fifteen kopéks. He
made me a low obeisance, grasping his cap in both hands, and drove off
at a foot-pace over the snowy expanse of empty street, flooded with the
grey mist of the January frost.
April, 1878.