The Cooks Wedding and Other Stories | Page 8

"Because . . . because I have got no more money."
"You can't play without money," says Grisha.
Andrey ransacks his pockets once more to make sure. Finding nothing
in them but crumbs and a bitten pencil, he drops the corners of his
mouth and begins blinking miserably. He is on the point of crying. . . .
"I'll put it down for you!" says Sonya, unable to endure his look of
agony. "Only mind you must pay me back afterwards."
The money is brought and the game goes on.
"I believe they are ringing somewhere," says Anya, opening her eyes
wide.
They all leave off playing and gaze open-mouthed at the dark window.
The reflection of the lamp glimmers in the darkness.
"It was your fancy."
"At night they only ring in the cemetery," says Andrey.
"And what do they ring there for?"
"To prevent robbers from breaking into the church. They are afraid of
the bells."
"And what do robbers break into the church for?" asks Sonya.
"Everyone knows what for: to kill the watchmen."
A minute passes in silence. They all look at one another, shudder, and
go on playing. This time Andrey wins.
"He has cheated," Alyosha booms out, apropos of nothing.
"What a lie, I haven't cheated."
Andrey turns pale, his mouth works, and he gives Alyosha a slap on the
head! Alyosha glares angrily, jumps up, and with one knee on the table,
slaps Andrey on the cheek! Each gives the other a second blow, and
both howl. Sonya, feeling such horrors too much for her, begins crying
too, and the dining-room resounds with lamentations on various notes.
But do not imagine that that is the end of the game. Before five minutes
are over, the children are laughing and talking peaceably again. Their

faces are tear-stained, but that does not prevent them from smiling;
Alyosha is positively blissful, there has been a squabble!
Vasya, the fifth form schoolboy, walks into the dining-room. He looks
sleepy and disillusioned.
"This is revolting!" he thinks, seeing Grisha feel in his pockets in which
the kopecks are jingling. "How can they give children money? And
how can they let them play games of chance? A nice way to bring them
up, I must say! It's revolting!"
But the children's play is so tempting that he feels an inclination to join
them and to try his luck.
"Wait a minute and I'll sit down to a game," he says.
"Put down a kopeck!"
"In a minute," he says, fumbling in his pockets. "I haven't a kopeck, but
here is a rouble. I'll stake a rouble."
"No, no, no. . . . You must put down a kopeck."
"You stupids. A rouble is worth more than a kopeck anyway," the
schoolboy explains. "Whoever wins can give me change."
"No, please! Go away!"
The fifth form schoolboy shrugs his shoulders, and goes into the
kitchen to get change from the servants. It appears there is not a single
kopeck in the kitchen.
"In that case, you give me change," he urges Grisha, coming back from
the kitchen. "I'll pay you for the change. Won't you? Come, give me ten
kopecks for a rouble."
Grisha looks suspiciously at Vasya, wondering whether it isn't some
trick, a swindle.
"I won't," he says, holding his pockets.
Vasya begins to get cross, and abuses them, calling them idiots and
blockheads.
"I'll put down a stake for you, Vasya!" says Sonya. "Sit down." He sits
down and lays two cards before him. Anya begins counting the
numbers.
"I've dropped a kopeck!" Grisha announces suddenly, in an agitated
voice. "Wait!"
He takes the lamp, and creeps under the table to look for the kopeck.
They clutch at nutshells and all sorts of nastiness, knock their heads
together, but do not find the kopeck. They begin looking again, and

look till Vasya takes the lamp out of Grisha's hands and puts it in its
place. Grisha goes on looking in the dark. But at last the kopeck is
found. The players sit down at the table and mean to go on playing.
"Sonya is asleep!" Alyosha announces.
Sonya, with her curly head lying on her arms, is in a sweet, sound,
tranquil sleep, as though she had been asleep for an hour. She has fallen
asleep by accident, while the others were looking for the kopeck.
"Come along, lie on mamma's bed!" says Anya, leading her away from
the table. "Come along!"
They all troop out with her, and five minutes later mamma's bed
presents a curious spectacle. Sonya is asleep. Alyosha is snoring beside
her. With their heads to the others' feet, sleep Grisha and Anya. The
cook's son, Andrey too, has managed to snuggle in beside them. Near
them lie the kopecks, that have lost their power