"Idling? But think what the smith was like, always so cross and grumbling, enough to make any one afraid, and she so lively, like Perfishka--it was dull for her with the smith."
Pashka looked at him and spoke solemnly and gloomily like a grown-up person.
"I always said to her, 'Mother,' I said, 'look out for yourself, he'll kill you,' but she wouldn't listen. She always told me not to say anything to him. She bought me sweets and things, and the sergeant gave me five kopecks every time--every time I took him a letter from her--I got five kopecks. He's a good fellow, and so strong, and he's got a big moustache."
"Rather," said Pashka, and added proudly, "Once I drew it out of the sheath--my word! it was heavy!"
"Now you're an orphan like Ilyushka," said Jakov thoughtfully, after a pause.
"Hardly," answered Pashka angrily. "Do you mean I've got to go and be a rag-picker? I should think not."
"I shall just live as I like," went on Pashka proudly, with his head held up and his eyes sparkling. "I'm not an orphan, I'm only just alone in the world, and I will just live for myself, my father wouldn't send me to school, and now they'll put him in prison, and I shall just go to school and learn more than you."
"Where will you get the clothes?" said Ilya, and looked triumphantly at Pashka, "you can't go there in rags."
All looked respectfully at Pashka, and Ilya felt himself beaten. Pashka observed the impression his words produced, and held himself still straighter.
"Yes, and I'll buy a horse, a real live horse, and I'll ride to school."
This idea pleased him so much that he even smiled, only a very, very shy smile that flitted over his mouth and was gone in a moment.
"No one will beat you now," said Mashka suddenly to Pashka, and looked at him enviously.
"He'll soon find some one willing," said Ilya in a tone of conviction.
Pashka looked at him, then spat to one side and said,
"What do you mean by that? Just you try it on with me!"
Jakov joined again in the conversation.-"How strange it is, children! there was some one--walked about and talked--and so on--full of life like all the rest, and one blow on the head with the tongs--and that's the end."
The children looked attentively at Jakov whose eyes stood out oddly under his brows.