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p The peasant’s unhealthy moral slate of mind which is induced by present-day conditions in the village is also the main theme of another of Mr. Karonin’s stories. The Sick Villager.

p Like Gavrilo, the hero of this story, a peasant by the name of Yegor Fyodorovich Gorelov, who gave up his farm and felt revulsion for village life, pondered the same questions: "why, what for and by what rules?" However, he arrived at a fairly definite and fairly concrete answer to this. He shook off the "power of the land" as totally as Gavrilo. But he did not grow numb, did not turn into an “idol”. He had a definite aim for which he strove to the best of his strength and ability. "There are different sorts of order,” Yegor Fyodorov replies to the question of why he prefers to live as a farm-labourer instead of in his own house. "The main thing is that 117 a man’s mind should be in order. If a man is half-witted and has no order in his heart, it’s all one to him.” Such words sound strange in the mouth of a Russian peasant, and it is not surprising that, as the author remarks, after talking to Yegor Fyodorovich many of his fellow villagers "were seized by an attack of melancholy”. The one who heard the above-quoted reply about order could not believe his ears. "His amazement was as great as if he had been told that his cloth-wrapped feet were growing out of his head.” He could only utter "Well, I never!" and after that he never asked Gorelov anything again, feeling an unconquerable fear of him. This man had obviously not yet lost the old peasant ingenuousness and lived without philosophising. He was a sort of Ivan Yermolayevich, who never missed the chance of making a koppk or two on small deals, however. He could not understand Gorelov. who in his turn had also ceased to understand him and the likes of him. Having established a certain “order” in his own mind, Yegor Fyodorovich began to ponder deeply on the fate of his fellow villagers. He had heard "in the gubernias they’re trying to do something for our villages”. He was intrigued to find out "what it is and what it means”. So he made up his mind to go and have a talk with the schoolteacher Sinitsyn. Unfortunately, their conversation produced no more than Gavrilo’s conversation with the priest.

p “’What are they trying to do in the gubernia?’ Gorelov asked the teacher persistently. ’What’s going to happen to the villager? I’ve heard he’s going to be registered as a meshchanin.... Or will he keep his old position?’

_p “’They’re trying to see that things are better for him,’ said the teacher. ’You can’t read, but I read the newspapers. It’s written there in black and white: give the villager a rest!’

_p “’Make it easier for him!’

_p “’Yes. At least make sure he gets enough to eat.’

p ’"But what about the other things?’ Gorelov asked sadly.

_p “’Well, as far as they’re concerned I can’t tell you anything yet. Haven’t read anything about that. But when I do, you come and see me, and I’ll tell you all about it!’

_p “’I think he’s bound to be punished!’ said Gorelov.

_p ’"Who’s to be punished?’ the teacher asked in surprise.

_p ulrpi

_p -ill

_p Ine villager.

p ’"What are you talking abonl?’

_p “’Yes ... he’s bound to be punished. Mark my words—lie will be punished! How can they do anything good for him, if he’s gone out of his mind? You say they’re trying, but why to goodness should they? The end’s come for him, if he’s as good as mad. There’s no chance for him now, and no one can help him. I just don’t know ... don’ t know how to help our lads ... they need help, but the villager doesn’t need anything any more! There’s only 118 one road for him now, the old villager, and that’s to the sin barrel....’

_p “’The tavern?’

_p ’"Straight to the tavern! Because no one can give him any joy except that!’

_p “’Do you drink then? I hadn’t heard of it.’

_p “Gorelov shook his head."

p Shortly after this conversation he left his native parts forever.

p But can it really be so difficult for a peasant with certain degree of “order” in his thoughts to live in the village of today? the reader may ask. Instead of a reply we would refer him to two more stories by Mr. Karonin: The Free Man and The Scholar.

p In the village of Parashkino, with which we are now familiar, there lived, evidently some time before the mass exodus of its inhabitants, two peasants—Ilya Maly and Yegor Pankratov.

p They were totally unlike each other. "Ilya Maly was simplehearted; Yegor Pankratov was concentrated. Ilya Maly kept silent only when he had nothing to say; Yegor Pankratov spoke only when it was impossible to keep silent—The one was in a constant state of despair, the other pretended that all was well with him”, etc. But the main difference in their characters was that "Ilya Maly lived haphazardly and as he was permitted; whereas Yegor Pankratov tried to live by the rules, without waiting for permission."

p “The one lived and did not think, the other thought and lived so far by this thinking."

p In spite of all the dissimilarity in their characters, there was a close friendship between Ilya Maly and Yegor Pankratov. It began when Yegor got the village elder to give Ilya back his cow, which was to be sold because the owner was in arrears. This act of Yegor’s, which was incidentally motivated by the fact that "the law says nothing about a cow”, aroused the greatest surprise in the timid and defenceless Ilya. He thought Yegor was a hero, and he submitted to him without question all the time, except in cases when his friend clashed with the landowner or the village authorities.

p In these cases Ilya immediately took to shameful flight, but Yegor stood iirm and sometimes emerged the victor, because he always tried to keep on lawful ground.

p The urge to live by the law and "by the rules" became an obsession with Yegor. "He performed all his obligations meticulously, paid his taxes on time and looked with contempt upon the poor who were driving themselves to distraction. He even regarded flogging as something strange and used to say: after all, Fm not a little child."

p For all that he sensed vaguely that he did not have any firm lawful ground beneath his feet.

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p His rights as a ’Tree man" and an independent peasant were very unclear to him. And although he unreservedly preferred the new village order to the old days when they were serfs, the new order could by no means satisfy his desire for an independent life by the rules. "The soul is free today, brother, but not the body; oh, no!" he said one day to a friend who insisted that "things aren’t too bad nowadays".

p Yegor Pankratov could never rid himself of the painful, albeit vague awareness of his lack of freedom. The thought was constantly with him of the humiliation that threatened the peasant who did not carry out properly his "obligations in relation to the state”. He became miserly and avaricious, although he saved money solely in order to pay his taxes on time. But the time arrived when all his efforts proved to be in vain.

p Together with Ilya Yegor often went to work for the neighbouring landowner who, like many members of the valorous Russian nobility, was not given to settling his debts speedily, particularly debts to those who worked for him. Yegor had already clashed quite strongly with the carefree gentleman on this count, but on the occasion in question the matter took a particularly unpleasant turn. He and his friend were being asked to pay taxes, but the landowner refused to settle his debts to them, saying that he was too busy.

p It was in fact true because he had guests and had been drinking heavily witli them for several days without a break. Among the guests was the district police officer.

p Yegor was driven to extremity. "A presentiment of it had been hanging over him for some time now, but only vaguely; he had not been very disturbed. But now this extremity was confronting him. The thought of a flogging made him lose all restraint, so it is understandable that he looked very grim when he came to see the landowner."

_p “’What’s all this about?’ he asked angrily, standing in the hall in front of the landowner, who was also enraged.

p “As usual Yegor Pankratov was in front, and Ilya Maly was hiding behind him.

p ’"How many limes have you been sent away and told that I am busy?’ the landowner said furiously, feeling as if his head was going to split.

_p “’But we can’t wait, your honour. We’re being distrained. We’ve come for what is ours ... by right!’ Yegor Pankratov replied with growing agitation.

_p ’"Away with you! You’d pull out a person’s soul for a couple of roubles.’

p “’We can’t wait, your honour__’

_p “’Away with you, I say! Do you think I’m going to start rummaging away in my accounts now!’ shouted the landowner, completely beside himself.

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_p “Yegor Pankratov stood in front of him, pale and gazing grimly at the ground.

_p “’Ee, your honour, it’s shameful of you to wrong us this time__’

_p he said.

p “’Aren’t you going? Hey, Yakov! Throw him out!’

_p “The noise brought out all the guests—including the district police officer. On learning what was the matter, the latter ordered Yegor Pankratov to withdraw. But Yegor Pankratov did not withdraw; he gazed in desperation, first at one guest, then at another, and finally said in a weak voice:

p ’"Don’t get mixed up in this, officer.’"

p The episode ended badly for our champion of the law. They would have flogged him, and it was only on the advice of the starshina, who was afraid of "Yegorka’s" “cantankerous” disposition, that this ignominious punishment was changed to locking up in the “clink” with bread and water!

p The village elder was afraid he would kick up a fuss and humbly begged him to "do as he was told”. Pankratov did as he was told. Silently and grimly he went to the “lock-up”, silently and grimly he came out, returned home, climbed on to the sleeping-bench, had a long drink of kvass and ... went down with a fever. All the neighbours and even all the village authorities felt the greatest of sympathy for him, but they could not understand one thing—what had upset the strange fellow so much. "He was unwell almost all winter; he would potter about in the yard, do a little work, then take to his bed again. Ilya Maly did all he could to help him, but nevertheless his homestead had already run down, and he himself was no longer the same. One day at the beginning of spring he went outside to sit on the bench and warm himself in the sun. No one who walked past recognised him as Yegor Pankratov. The pale face, the dull eyes, the limp movements and the strange, sick smile—this was what had become of Yegor Pankratov. Ilya Maly sat down beside him and, after talking about his plans for the coming summer, imprudently referred to the episode, reproaching Yegor Pankratov for having got so upset over a trifle. Yegor Pankratov grew embarrassed and did not reply for a long time, smiling strangely.... Then he admitted that he had been ’led astray by the devil’. lie was ashamed of his past. And so Yegor Pankratov remained to the end of his days, fie had become indifferent to everything. He evidently did not care how he lived, and if he went on living it was because others were living too, for example, Ilya Maly...."

p Of course, Yegor Pankratov and Jlya Maly remained good friends, as before; they worked “together”, endured misfortunes “together” and were flogged at the same time.

Thus the modern village punished the "free man" for trying to live "by Hie rules".