Napoleon was born Ilya Tyeglev was born
on August 15th, 1769. on January 7th, 1811.
1769 1811
15 7
8* 1+
----- -----
Total 1792 Total 1819
* August—the 8th month + January—the 1st month
of the year. of the year.
1 1
7 8
9 1
2 9
—– —–
Total 19! Total 19!
Napoleon died on May Ilya Tyeglev died on
5th, 1825. April 21st, 1834.
1825 1834
5 21
5* 7+
----- -----
Total 1835 Total 1862
* May—the 5th month + July—the 7th month
of the year. of the year.
1 1
8 8
3 6
5 23
— —
Total 17! Total 17!
Poor fellow! Was not this perhaps why he became
an artillery officer?
As a suicide he was buried outside the cemetery—and
he was immediately forgotten.
The day after Tyeglev’s burial (I was still
in the village waiting for my brother) Semyon came
into the hut and announced that Ilya wanted to see
me.
I told Semyon to call him.
He made his appearance. He expressed some regret
at the death of the lieutenant; wondered what could
have possessed him....
“Was he in debt to you?” I asked.
“No, sir. He always paid punctually for
everything he had. But I tell you what,”
here the pedlar grinned, “you have got something
of mine.”
“Why, that,” he pointed to the brass comb
lying on the little toilet table. “A thing
of little value,” the fellow went on, “but
as it was a present ...”
All at once I raised my head. Something dawned
upon me.
“Was it you, then, I saw under the willow tree
the other night?”
The pedlar winked, and grinned more broadly than ever.
“And it was your name that was called?”
“Yes, sir,” the pedlar repeated with playful
modesty. “There is a young girl here,”
he went on in a high falsetto, “who, owing to
the great strictness of her parents——”
“Very good, very good,” I interrupted
him, handed him the comb and dismissed him.
“So that was the ‘Ilyusha,’”
I thought, and I sank into philosophic reflections
which I will not, however, intrude upon you as I don’t
want to prevent anyone from believing in fate, predestination
and such like.
