Sitting on the edge of the slope, Nikolay and Olga watched the sun setting, watched the gold and crimson sky reflected in the river, in the church windows, and in the whole air—­which was soft and still and unutterably pure as it never was in Moscow.  And when the sun had set the flocks and herds passed, bleating and lowing; geese flew across from the further side of the river, and all sank into silence; the soft light died away in the air, and the dusk of evening began quickly moving down upon them.

Meanwhile Nikolay’s father and mother, two gaunt, bent, toothless old people, just of the same height, came back.  The women—­the sisters-in-law Marya and Fyokla—­who had been working on the landowner’s estate beyond the river, arrived home, too.  Marya, the wife of Nikolay’s brother Kiryak, had six children, and Fyokla, the wife of Nikolay’s brother Denis—­who had gone for a soldier—­had two; and when Nikolay, going into the hut, saw all the family, all those bodies big and little moving about on the lockers, in the hanging cradles and in all the corners, and when he saw the greed with which the old father and the women ate the black bread, dipping it in water, he realized he had made a mistake in coming here, sick, penniless, and with a family, too—­a great mistake!

“And where is Kiryak?” he asked after they had exchanged greetings.

“He is in service at the merchant’s,” answered his father; “a keeper in the woods.  He is not a bad peasant, but too fond of his glass.”

“He is no great help!” said the old woman tearfully.  “Our men are a grievous lot; they bring nothing into the house, but take plenty out.  Kiryak drinks, and so does the old man; it is no use hiding a sin; he knows his way to the tavern.  The Heavenly Mother is wroth.”

In honour of the visitors they brought out the samovar.  The tea smelt of fish; the sugar was grey and looked as though it had been nibbled; cockroaches ran to and fro over the bread and among the crockery.  It was disgusting to drink, and the conversation was disgusting, too—­about nothing but poverty and illnesses.  But before they had time to empty their first cups there came a loud, prolonged, drunken shout from the yard: 

“Ma-arya!”

“It looks as though Kiryak were coming,” said the old man.  “Speak of the devil.”

All were hushed.  And again, soon afterwards, the same shout, coarse and drawn-out as though it came out of the earth: 

“Ma-arya!”

Marya, the elder sister-in-law, turned pale and huddled against the stove, and it was strange to see the look of terror on the face of the strong, broad-shouldered, ugly woman.  Her daughter, the child who had been sitting on the stove and looked so apathetic, suddenly broke into loud weeping.

“What are you howling for, you plague?” Fyokla, a handsome woman, also strong and broad-shouldered, shouted to her.  “He won’t kill you, no fear!”