"If only the orphans were given----" anxiously thought Arina Petrovna.
"If father gets his hands on it, granny, he'll not give a thing to anyone," Petenka assured her. "And I have a feeling he's even going to deprive us of the inheritance."
"Still, he can't take it to the grave with him, can he?"
"No, but he'll think up some scheme. It wasn't for nothing that he had a talk with the priest not long ago. 'How does the idea of building a tower of Babel strike you, Father?' he asked. 'Would one need much money?'"
"Well, he just said that perhaps out of curiosity."
"No, granny, he has some plan in mind. If it isn't for a tower of Babel, he'll donate the money to the St. Athos monastery; but he'll make sure we don't get any."
"Will father get a big estate when uncle dies?" asked Volodya, curiously.
"Well, God alone knows which of them will die first."
"Father is sure he'll outlive uncle. The other day, just as soon as we reached the boundary of the Dubrovino estate, he took off his cap, crossed himself, and said, 'Thank God we'll be riding again on our own land!"'
"He's made arrangements for everything already, granny. He noticed the woods. 'There,' he says, 'if there were a good landlord, that would be a ripping fine forest.' Then he looked at the meadows. 'What a meadow! Just look! Look at all those hay stacks!'"
"Yes, indeed, both the woods and the meadows, everything will be yours, my darlings," sighed Arina Petrovna. "Goodness! Wasn't that a squeak on the stairs?"
"Hush, granny, hush! That's he--'like a thief in the night,' listening behind the doors."
There was a silence, but it proved to be a false alarm. Arina Petrovna sighed and muttered to herself, "Ah, children, children!"
The boys stared at the orphans, fairly swallowing them with their gaze, while the little orphans sat in silent envy.
"Did you see Mademoiselle Lotar, cousin?" Petenka started a conversation.
Anninka and Lubinka exchanged glances as if they had been asked a question in history or geography.
"In _Fair Helen_ she plays the part of Helen on the stage."
"Oh, yes--Helen--Paris--'Beautiful and young; he set the hearts of the goddesses aflame--' I know, I know it," cried Lubinka joyfully.
"Exactly. And how she sings 'Cas-ca-ader, ca-as-cader.' It's great."