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Unable to sleep, and with her heart palpitating at every sound, Akulina
lay awake all night vainly awaiting Polikey's return. When the cock
crowed the third time she was obliged to get up to attend to the fire.
Day was just dawning and the church-bells had begun to ring. Soon all
the children were also up, but there was still no tidings of the missing
husband and father.
In the morning the chill blasts of winter entered their humble home, and
on looking out they saw that the houses, fields, and roads were thickly
covered with snow. The day was clear and cold, as if befitting the
holy-day they were about to celebrate. They were able to see a long
distance from the house, but no one was in sight.
Akulina was busy baking cakes, and had it not been for the joyous shouts
of the children she would not have known that Polikey was coming up the
road, for a few minutes later he came in with a bundle in his hand and
walked quietly to his corner. Akulina noticed that he was very pale and
that his face bore an expression of suffering--as if he would like to
have cried but could not do so. But she did not stop to study it, but
excitedly inquired: "What! Illitch, is everything all right with you?"
He slowly muttered something, but his wife could not understand what he
said.
"
What!" she cried out, "have you been to see our mistress?"
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