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The Serpent
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"You serpent of hell !" he shouted. "Bite me, your father?"
Standing with the table between them, Vania defied him, her eyes blazing, her lips a red line of rage and hate. Maddened, Lazar snatched at the knout hanging on the wall. The cruel whip sang through the air. Martsa, 'his terrified wife, tried to stay his arm, but he felled her with his elbow thrust. The knout caught Vania across the back as she cowered at its circling lash. With a shriek, she flung the handful
beside the shaggy Peter. Fearful of what had become of Vania, the mother sat up, mumbling prayers to her patron saints, the candle guttering beside her. A shape flitted over the snow and arrested Martsa's attention. She shuffled to the door, opened it cautiously. Andrey stood before her.
"Is Vania asleep?" he whispered. The old woman shook her head, put her fingers to her lips, and led him softly into the room. She pointed to Lazar, huddled in the corner with his dog. "Ivan beat her, and she has gone off," she said simply. Martsa began to weep ; then her feelings given rein, she told him of the
Dimly, in the gathering gloom, the startled, family discerned a file of men headed for the house.
of gold rubles into her father's face. They stunned him momentarily, and he put up his hands to save his eyes. Vania ran out of the house, darted across the fields of hardened snow to seek shelter of a neighbor. \\ 'hen she was gone, her father gathered up the money, not before Martsa, however, had slyly slipped a few of the rubles into her boot.
"Til teach her a lesson yet, the serpent!" muttered Lazar, fondling the gold coins. To celebrate his wealth, the man drank heavily of his vodka. In an hour, he was snoring on the floor
events that followed his leaving with the grand duke's party. "I shall be happy when you two are married," she sighed.
Andrey listened in silence. It was nothing new to hear of men beating women in Strielna — in any part of Russia for that matter. But it seemed horrible that his Vania should undergo the shame. Tears filled his own eyes. He bowed his head and sobbed. This night's events had been overwhelming.
o .
Martsa endeavored to comfort him m an awkward attempt at lightness. "I shall go after the poor girl." he