At that instant, Kvitsinsky, with all his retinue--in three
carts--appeared at the gates. The tired horses panted, the men jumped
out, one after another, into the mud.
‘Aha!’ Harlov shouted at the top of his voice. ‘An army … here it
comes, an army! A whole army they’re sending against me! Capital! Only
I give warning--if any one comes up here to me on the roof, I’ll send
him flying down, head over heels! I’m an inhospitable master; I don’t
like visitors at wrong times! No indeed!’
He was hanging with both hands on to the front rafters of the roof,
the so-called standards of the gable, and beginning to shake them
violently. Balancing on the edge of the garret flooring, he dragged
them, as it were, after him, chanting rhythmically like a bargeman,
‘One more pull! one more! o-oh!’
Sletkin ran up to Kvitsinsky and was beginning to whimper and pour out
complaints.… The latter begged him ‘not to interfere,’ and proceeded to
carry out the plan he had evolved. He took up his position in front of
the house, and began, by way of diversion, to explain to Harlov that
what he was about was unworthy of his rank.…
‘One more pull! one more!’ chanted Harlov.
… ‘That Natalia Nikolaevna was greatly displeased at his proceedings,
and had not expected it of him.…’
‘One more pull! one more! o-oh!’ Harlov chanted … while, meantime,
Kvitsinsky had despatched the four sturdiest and boldest of the
stable-boys to the other side of the house to clamber up the roof from
behind. Harlov, however, detected the plan of attack; he suddenly
left the standards and ran quickly to the back part of the roof. His
appearance was so alarming that the two stable-boys who had already got
up to the garret, dropped instantly back again to the ground by the
water-pipe, to the great glee of the serf boys, who positively roared
with laughter. Harlov shook his fist after them and, going back to the
front part of the house, again clutched at the standards and began once
more loosening them, singing again, like a bargeman.