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Lyagavy
So he must drive at full speed, and he had not the money for horses. He had forty copecks, and that was all, all that was left after so many years of prosperity! But he had at home an old silver watch which had long ceased to go. He snatched it up and carried it to a Jewish watch maker who had a shop in the market-place. The Jew gave him six roubles for it.
"And I didn't expect that!" cried Mitya, ecstatically. (He was still
in a state of ecstasy.) He seized his six roubles and ran home. At
home he borrowed three roubles from the people of the house, who loved
him so much that they were pleased to give it him, though it was all
they had. Mitya in his excitement told them on the spot that his
fate would be decided that day, and he described, in desperate
haste, the whole scheme he had put before Samsonov, the latter's
decision, his own hopes for the future, and so on. These people had
been told many of their lodger's secrets before, and so looked upon
him as a gentleman who was not at all proud, and almost one of
themselves. Having thus collected nine roubles Mitya sent for
posting-horses to take him to the Volovya station. This was how the
fact came to be remembered and established that "at midday, on the day
before the event, Mitya had not a farthing, and that he had sold his
watch to get money and had borrowed three roubles from his landlord, all in the presence of witnesses."
I note this fact, later on it will be apparent why I do so.
Though he was radiant with the joyful anticipation that he would
at last solve all his difficulties, yet, as he drew near Volovya
station, he trembled at the thought of what Grushenka might be doing
in his absence. What if she made up her mind to-day to go to Fyodor
Pavlovitch? This was why he had gone off without telling her and why
he left orders with his landlady not to let out where he had gone, if anyone came to inquire for him.
"I must, I must get back to-night," he repeated, as he was
jolted along in the cart, "and I dare say I shall have to bring this
Lyagavy back here... to draw up the deed." So mused Mitya, with a
throbbing heart, but alas! his dreams were not fated to be carried
out.
To begin with, he was late, taking a short cut from Volovya
station which turned out to be eighteen versts instead of twelve. Secondly, he did not find the priest at home at Ilyinskoe; he had gone off to a neighbouring village. While Mitya, setting off there with the same exhausted horses, was looking for him, it was almost dark.
The priest, a shy and amiable looking little man, informed him
at once that though Lyagavy had been staying with him at first, he was
now at Suhoy Possyolok, that he was staying the night in the
forester's cottage, as he was buying timber there too. At Mitya's
urgent request that he would take him to Lyagavy at once, and by so
doing "save him, so to speak," the priest agreed, after some demur, to
conduct him to Suhoy Possyolok; his curiosity was obviously aroused. But, unluckily, he advised their going on foot, as it would not be "much over" a verst. Mitya, of course, agreed, and marched off with his yard-long strides, so that the poor priest almost ran after him. He was a very cautious man, though not old.
Mitya at once began talking to him, too, of his plans, nervously
and excitedly asking advice in regard to Lyagavy, and talking all
the way. The priest listened attentively, but gave little advice. He
turned off Mitya's questions with: "I don't know. Ah, I can't say. How
can I tell?" and so on. When Mitya began to speak of his quarrel
with his father over his inheritance, the priest was positively
alarmed, as he was in some way dependent on Fyodor Pavlovitch. He
inquired, however, with surprise, why he called the peasant-trader
Gorstkin, Lyagavy, and obligingly explained to Mitya that, though
the man's name really was Lyagavy, he was never called so, as he would
be grievously offended at the name, and that he must be sure to call
him Gorstkin, "or you'll do nothing with him; he won't even listen
to you," said the priest in conclusion.