To the surprise of all newcomers, the stationmaster was a woman.
Auburn curls peeped from under her red peaked cap with its two lines of silver braid around the band.
She wore a white tunic and a white skirt.
As soon as the travellers had had a good look at the station-master, had read the freshly pasted notices advertising the tour of the Columbus Theatre and drunk two five-kopek glasses of mineral water, they went into the town on the Station-Flower Garden tram route.
They were charged ten kopeks to go into the Flower Garden.
In the Flower Garden there was a great deal of music, a large number of happy people, and very few flowers.
A symphony orchestra in a white shell-like construction was playing the "Dance of the Gnats"; narzan mineral water was on sale in the Lermontov gallery, and was also obtainable from kiosks and vendors walking around.
No one had time for the two grimy jewel-hunters.
"My, Pussy," said Ostap, "we're out of place in all this festivity."
The concessionaires spent their first night at the spa by a narzan spring.
It was only there, in Pyatigorsk, when the Columbus Theatre had performed their version of The Marriage to an audience of astounded town-dwellers for the third time, that the partners realized the real difficulties involved in their treasure hunt.
To find their way into the theatre as they had planned proved impossible.
Galkin, Palkin, Malkin, Chalkin and Zalkind slept in the wings, since their modest earnings prevented them from living in a hotel.
The days passed, and the friends were slowly reaching the end of their tether, spending their nights 'at the site of Lermontov's duel and subsisting by carrying the baggage of peasant tourists.
On the sixth day Ostap managed to strike up an acquaintance with Mechnikov, the fitter in charge of the hydraulic press.
By this time, Mechnikov, who had no money and was forced to get rid of his daily hang-over by drinking mineral water, was in a terrible state and had been observed by Ostap to sell some of the theatre props at the market.
Final agreement was reached during the morning libation by a spring.
The fitter called Ostap "Palsie" and seemed about to consent.
"That's possible," he said. "That's always possible, palsie.
It's my pleasure, palsie."
Ostap realized at once that the fitter knew his stuff.
The contracting parties looked one another in the eye, embraced, slapped each other's backs and laughed politely.
"Well," said Ostap, "ten for the whole deal."
"Palsie!" exclaimed the astonished fitter, "don't make me mad.
I'm a man who's suffering from the narzan."
"How much do you want then?"
"Make it fifty.
After all, it's government property.
I'm a man who's suffering."
"All right, accept twenty.
Agreed?
I see from your eyes you agree."
"Agreement is the result of complete non-objection on both sides."
"There are no flies on this one," whispered Ostap to Vorobyaninov. "Take a lesson."
"When will you bring the chairs?"
"You'll get the chairs when I get the money."
"That's fine," said Ostap without thinking.
"Money in advance," declared the fitter. "The money in the morning, the chairs in the evening; or, the money in the evening, the chairs the next morning."
"What about the chairs this morning, the money tomorrow evening," tried Ostap.
"Palsie, I'm a man who's suffering.
Such terms are revolting."
"But the point is, I won't receive my money by telegraph until tomorrow," said Ostap.
"Then we'll discuss the matter tomorrow," concluded the obstinate fitter. "And in the meantime, palsie, have a nice time at the spring.
I'm off.
Simbievich has me by the throat.
I've no strength left.
Can you expect a man to thrive on mineral water?"
And resplendent in the sunlight, Mechnikov went off.
Ostap looked severely at Ippolit Matveyevich.
"The time we have," he said, "is the money we don't have.