Trophîme sat one at a table, in purely tidied up room arranged with bentwood chairs. From a ceiling the trailing lamp under the green tin lamp shade shone. The old man read the huge church book in an ancient cover.
At Elizars entrance raised the head, rose and gave a hand to the guest:
Welcome, Elizarushka! what late? Sit down, sit down also you, there is nothing to stand, no sense in standing when you can sit!
Elizar sat down and hard took breath.
With a big request, Trophîme Iacovlitch! I do not know how you will accept it but only not to the it is more!.
He kept silent, shook curls and suddenly started talking passionately as if filled with inspiration:
The thought, Trophîme Iacovlitch was at me! You know my life: since the childhood was at landowners a domestic serf, and the will left the worker became, but I will not find the place in life. Everywhere offense to the working person! There was a wish to be beaten out from a low rank, it was wound on the cities, while the family was not now a family! Difficult, Trophîme Iacovlitch! Young years left on factories and the plants! Was in exile for the people! I see, you will not be beaten out! I am uneducated!. the craft does not ask to drink-eat, not the yoke, behind shoulders does not hang!. I want to settle in the village! For children I want to live, Trophîme Iacovlitch! My dream to give to children at least small education.
Correctly Trophîme confirmed for them all we live! Старшенький yours was heard by me studies well, can will reach business, the assistant will be! But about what such I think you began?
And here! heavy on others corners to live! Stranny I! I live on the apartment and not everyone and will let with a family! Pay Kazhny month, and all to the house you live in the stranger! Will want and go you want a kuda! Now here from the church apartment refused! and kuda you will go? At the kazhny man the log hut is full! Also I decided the log hut to ogorevat and there is no force! Trophîme Iacovlitch! help, the kind soul! I will pay as for the apartment, and there will pass time my log hut will be, nobody will expel! It is not a shame to bow to you, there is no humiliation therefore I know you were a poor, felt need, remember it! I know, poor people are helped by you, help also me, not For goodness sake I ask I will work!
Elizar for the second time this day kneelt.
Tears on his beard flowed.
Get up, Elizar! having discontentedly frowned, Trophîme told get up, I speak, I am not a god, to him bow to one, and I am the same sinner, as well as all of us! Sit down, we will talk plainly!
Elizar hard rose from knees, and both sat down one against another.
Trophîme stroked a beard, drummed fingers.
You want to ogorevat a log hut? that!. it is valid a family, and the worker you is one I know long ago you are honest, though is poor and your life I know much you were offended lyudyam, distressful you, and for it I esteem you! He kept silent, shook the head. And I same was, maybe again I will be a poor, I do not forget about it In Yurlovke here, on Yura, on the edge of the selling izbenka new absolutely just built sat down to eat! and not expensively ask only five quarter!. in two windows on the street and two to the alley, it will be rather small, well and you are the master you ukhyotat an izbenka, will make an extension, it also will be good! and on force you will pay five quarter to you little by little, I will not force, the raboteshka will be on my mill. I build a steam mill!. masters with the head it is necessary for me!. here we will also pay back!. Kindly! you will have a log hut, Elizar!
Elizar did not trust the ears, though knew Neulybovs kindness. Wanted to tell something, but a spasm of a prikhlynul to a throat, tears dimmed eyes. Wanted to fall on knees again, but conservative Neulybov did not love bows. Involuntarily Elizar compared two patriarchal people of the village Neulybov and the archpriest. What was then, he not absolutely understood. Trophîme saw him to a threshold and, having again returned to a room, began to leaf through the big book.
Coming downstairs, Elizar heard how he in a low voice slowly and distinctly continued reading:
There lived a person in the earth Uts: the name to it was the I-island!
* * *
There was a dark night when Elizar came back home. Night comes early in the fall, in log huts sparks shone everywhere: till a dinner sit at house needlework for a long time, weave, spin, knit, stranny shveets sew a sheepskin odezha, passing from a log hut into a log hut where will call; alien sherstobita on a thick and long belt string beat wool. It was thought to Elizar: prosperity, but motionless, almost same, as a century ago, раскольничья Russia with heavy life, with ceremonial religiousness, with roughness, with Maslenitsa and fisticuffs.
It was thought that it is difficult to punch still this thickness of the hardened, stiffened, old life and it, fully whether much more left her forward, whether much more became above it, having read something, and, above all пообтершись on city factories and the plants where the workers life where golodny, than here, about the full, grain, prosperous man.
Here though to take Neulybov, Trophîme Iacovlevitch: concepts at it shocking. No education above rural school is going to give to the only son. The archpriest has it the first guest, the archpriest such rich and religious peasants, well-intentioned, believing in the tsar-father, as in the defender of the people against his angry enemies noblemen and officials loves. Try to object it and will not want to speak: it has the belief, probably not without secret sectarianism because at the archpriest Trophîme is more as the intercessor for the world country, in church it is never visible it. The yesterdays poor salesman, and now the tenant-hlebotorgovets in effect a fist professional, and here is how took others grief, a grief of the poor very much to heart, revived Elizar! Elizar ten times is of own will ready to work a debt, nevertheless Trophîmes act did not consider kulak: just human feeling did not die in Trophîme yet, did not forget own recent poverty!. It was always joyful to see in people good, brotherly feelings to Elizar, it lifted in him spirit, gave new strength.
Elizar went in the most excellent, vigorous mood which quickly replaced in his heart which is just endured. He felt as if looked younger, risen, went light step, harmonious, dashing, high, with gold curls. Thirty five years were to it. Unintentionally in the dark came across about someones log hut a short log easily lifted it over the head, carried by several steps on one hand and, having laughed, threw: Elizar has still a sileshka!
Not far the rumble of ordinary fisticuffs becoming everything was heard is more heard: has to be, just this end of the village from where Elizar came back receded; wordly drove conservatives.
Suddenly towards to it in all directions with a rumble and shouts hand over ours! the crowd of receding flew in a disorder.
Elizar just in case prepared for protection: would not fly who.
In the dark it was necessary to be directed more sounds and roar of the battle, than to distinguish figures of people which number could seem more than it was actually.
Elizar at random wanted, keeping is closer to houses, to pass by a wall of fighters where went, povidimy, a desperate dump: footfall of legs, blows of mittens and shouts merged together. The crowd of fighters as a stream, entrained it, and Elizar vaguely distinguished a figure of the stocky person rushing ahead of a moving general wall of coming. From blows of the low person to the right and on the left one, other hand at simultaneous kick fell and head over heels people as if the sheaves thrown by a pitchfork slid: the person as if laid a glade in the dense wood.