You all know, good neighbours, she’s left alone in the world.
I saw she was on your hands, poor folks as you are, though you’d nothing to eat for yourselves. There, thought I, for St. Nikolay’s sake I’ll put myself out and take the orphan.
So I took her. and would you believe it, here I’ve been keeping her these two months, and upon my word she’s been sucking my blood and wearing me to a shadow, the leech, the rattlesnake, the obstinate limb of Satan.
You may beat her, or you may let her alone, she won’t speak. She might have a mouth full of water, the way she holds her tongue!
She breaks my heart holding her tongue!
What do you take yourself for, you saucy slut, you green monkey?
If it hadn’t been for me you’d have died of hunger in the street.
You ought to be ready to wash my feet and drink the water, you monster, you black French poker!
You’d have been done for but for me!”
“But why are you upsetting yourself so, Anna Trifonovna?
How’s she vexed you again?” respectfully inquired the woman who had been addressed by the raving fury.
“You needn’t ask, my good soul, that you needn’t.
I don’t like people going against me!
I am one for having things my own way, right or wrong – I’m that sort!
She’s almost sent me to my grave this morning!
I sent her to the shop to get some cucumbers, and it was three hours before she was back.
I’d a feeling in my heart when I sent her – it ached it did, didn’t it ache!
Where’s she been?
Where did she go?
What protectors has she found for herself?
As though I’d not been a good friend to her.
Why, I forgave her slut of a mother a debt of fourteen roubles, buried her at my own expense, and took the little devil to bring up, you know that, my dear soul, you know it yourself!
Why, have I no rights over her, after that?
She should feel it, but instead of feeling it she goes against me!
I wished for her good.
I wanted to put her in a muslin frock, the dirty slut! I bought her boots at the Gostiny Dvor, and decked her out like a peacock, a sight for a holiday!
And would you believe it, good friends, two days later she’d torn up the dress, torn it into rags, and that’s how she goes about, that’s how she goes about!
And what do you think, she tore it on purpose – I wouldn’t tell a lie, I saw it myself; as much as to say she would go in rags, she wouldn’t wear muslin!
Well, I paid, her out! I did give her a drubbing! Then I called in the doctor afterwards and had to pay him, too.
If I throttled you, you vermin, I should be quit with not touching milk for a week; that would be penance enough for strangling you.
I made her scrub the floor for a punishment; and what do you think, she scrubbed and scrubbed, the jade!
It vexed me to see her scrubbing.
Well, thought I, she’ll run away from me now.
And I’d scarcely thought it when I looked round and off she’d gone, yesterday.
You heard how I beat her for it yesterday, good friends. I made my arms ache. I took away her shoes and stockings – she won’t go off barefoot, thought I; yet she gave me the slip today, too!
Where have you been?
Speak!
Who have you been complaining of me to, you nettleseed? Who have you been telling tales to?
Speak, you gipsy, you foreign mask! Speak!
And in her frenzy, she rushed at the little girl, who stood petrified with horror, clutched her by the hair, and flung her on the ground.
The cup with the cucumbers in it was dashed aside and broken. This only increased the drunken fury’s rage.
She beat her victim about the face and the head; but Elena remained obstinately mute; not a sound, not a cry, not a complaint escaped her, even under the blows.
I rushed into the yard, almost beside myself with indignation, and went straight to the drunken woman.
“What are you about? How dare you treat a poor orphan like that?” I cried, seizing the fury by her arm.
“What’s this?
Why, who are you?” she screamed, leaving Elena, and putting her arms akimbo.
“What do you want in my house?”
“To tell you you’re a heartless woman.” I cried.
“How dare you bully a poor child like that?
She’s not yours. I’ve just heard that she’s only adopted, a poor orphan.”