Over the sleeping dark village the first roosters sang. Flew over it terrible fairy tales, sad songs and gloomy beliefs. Till the dawn it was still far.
III
To Yafim usvatat the bride on Petty-bourgeois Farms: there the people lived purely, on city manners, and the bride was from a prosperous family; calculation inclined the grandfather to stop on this choice, though he did not love farm for a frantovstvo and city manners.
At first there went the grandfather with the old woman to shows there. Also the brides parents visited on a visit at Matvei: the serious business petty bourgeois in a long-skirted frock coat, with curly, in streaks of gray hair, with a comely beard, similar to the dealer or a prasol, and stocky, wrinkled, vostry on language, the fierce old woman.
Right there over a cup of tea and an entertainment there was a handshake. Only after that carried on the Farm of Yafima.
Took out full dresses from the storeroom: blue cloth long-skirted caftans, red belts, merlushkovy caps and leather boots with copper horseshoes. The grandmother put on a new blue sundress from brilliant matter with a braid and the same buttons in two ranks: from a breast to a hem. Took out rasshivny a headdress in the form of a half moon, threw from above with a big Turkish shawl. Ded and Yafim in the cloth caftans girded by red belts in the sheepskin coats covered by cloth wide open, with wide collars on shoulders, in suits of that breed which remained in the peasantry since ancient centuries as if turned into boyars. These expensive suits sewed at grandfathers and great-grandfathers, remaining from generation to generation were put on only in the most solemn occasions, only, maybe, several times in life.
New big sledge of own work with a high carved back, there are a lot of years standing in a barn, brought on the yard; harnessed the three in a new festive harness with copper set, with metal plates, jingles and long brushes, with the abrupt, high arch painted in motley flowers, on the ends fettered by copper. This harness was taken out from the storeroom only for ceremonial cases too.
In a root there was Chalka, a shirokogrudy roan gelding with a white long mane; on a pristyazhka Karyukh, tonkonogy, with a little head, well going under a saddle, and dark-bay Mishka. Tails at them at all stuck thick, short plaits, and interwove scarlet tapes into manes.
The grandfather released a gray beard over an open sheepskin coat and villages near the grandmother on a back seat. Yafim in a coach box. The laurels dissolved gate wide open, Yafim pulled reins, and the three ran out on the rural street, abruptly заворотив on the rolled snow road and having left behind a deep sled trace in a snowdrift. In windows of the next log huts curious womans persons flashed. Yafim whistled, distorted reins, and the three, rattling jingles, rushed the middle of the wide street.
Horses were torn from a harness, bells choked under frosty wind, frosty dust was kicked up by a column. The grandmother was closed by a high collar, only warmly looking eyes were seen. Yafim, as always, was silent and serious, from time to time stirred up reins, and the grandfather important grinned, rolling in a semi-archin beard.
They were turned back late at night. Chalka was in soap, the grandfather tipsy. While Yafim unharnessed horses and brought a precious harness in a cold spacious outer entrance hall, the grandfather and the grandmother changed clothes in the usual poor attire. On the grandmother there was an old pestryadinny sundress again, the grandfather put shoes on in onuchas and bast shoes, threw zaplatanny шубняк, put on a ripped shaggy cap and left to the yard with a lamp to give to horses a stern for the night. In a log hut the splinter cracked, Nastya spun, the fair-haired head with curiosity looked at Lavrushin with polaty.
Yafim entered, changed clothes, like the father, old and silently sat down in all to a table.
The grandmother collected to have supper.
Tea, on a visit treated? crafty Nastya asked.
Znamo business! the table in total both a lapshennik, and a moloshn fried eggs, fritters in honey, chicken meat was full Well live!. and we are not hungry каке́ not painfully not beggars are eager for food tea! Everything was under the charter! Brought the bride under a veil. We Bai: not the veil was come to be watched, and the bride! Here took off a veil, the bride bowed to all under the charter, the prince-good fellow in an osobitsa.
Yafim grinned.
Here, as it is necessary, the prince was asked: Whether Liouba princess young? The prince, of course, here bows silently, and matchmakers and matchmakers told: люба́!. And ask the princess: whether люб to it prince young? The bride worshipped here, well, so люб! Well, here all on a ceremony Prichityvala the bride long, Indus drove in a tear of all, I liked it: люта́ I will be, in mother, and from myself тве́ rdinka, though nevelichka growth, and postavnenka! From a face it is white and from eyes it is cheerful!
Yafim again silently grinned, and Nastya told:
Prick люта́ I not life to me will be with it!
Well, maiden thoughts are changeable! You, tea, prosvatay on that the meat eater!
I bothered you, perhaps? Nastya shot up.
Did not bother and to what to be, to that not to pass, you we will pardon not all! The maid it is less the woman more! Women repent, and maids are going to get married!. So s, happened, people of a bayala are old!
The grandfather entered, cheerfully dumped шубняк, rose to become gray log huts under a matitsa and, притопнув bast shoes, unexpectedly started singing:
You, a hmelyushka, are cheerful the head,
The head, wide beard is cheerful!.
As you are absent, hop, more strong,
As you are absent, hop, becoming bright!.
The grandmother burst out laughing with a do-good, konfuzlivy snicker:
And that you, the old man, rasplyasatsya! hop rustles, so the head is silent!
Be silent you, the old woman! what is in the furnace, on a table throw everything! and, притопнув, continued:
Hmelyushka walks across the field,
Still hop vykhvalyat itself!
Me the sovereign, hop, knows,
Both princes, and boyars esteem,
And monks bless me!
See you sorted houses! It is visible, there is no place like home?
Still weddings without hop do not play,
Also fight and reconciled all in hop!
Only there is on me a male gardener:
Deeply me, a hmelina, buries,
Drives in a tychinushka into zealously heart!
The grandfather straightened a beard and, sitting down to a table, laughed:
On guests to walk and to itself not to lock a collar!. Lets take a walk, it is visible, at a wedding, the old woman!.
Well, well, all right! cheered up!.
And, well, to cry about what?. it put, Yafima is married! Yafimka, and?
And you have supper yes lay down to, the father! smiling, the son answered.
To an expense will be as! You do not stint, the old man!.
Ded Pocriakhtel.
Fifty will leave!. Well and at the good fellow not without sweetheart! The guy in a caftan, and the maid in a sundress!
Lavrusha looked, having lowered the head with polaty, and giggled joyfully: never before he saw the father such cheerful.
You that, swindler! you laugh? Get down, sit down to a table! Soon and you we will marry!. Single, perhaps, you still?