The Cavalier Guards. 1812.White colet and phrygian cap

“I tell you to flog it. — shouted the clerk, — Are you starting fights with the neighbors again? You taste the whip like a holy god, and Kuzma wagged his finger.

— Never found, Kuzma, who stabbed Thomas?

— It is not clear, — and the man spread his hands, — Maybe Martha killed, but ran away, frightened. The lady came, all in tears. Thomas regretted a lot, but also brought a full koshel of silver. For a long time Ekaterina Alekseevna cried next to Evdokia in Pankrat’s house.

— Strange as… — I didn’t know what to say in response, — I don’t remember that the lady would just go to the peasant house. She took more care of the quitrent and the master’s plow.

— There is no cross on you, Leonty, — the clerk answered sternly, — a woman of great kindness, all in concern for you, ungrateful. Well, go home, pray for Thomas.

The peasants went home, it was evening. Household members met relatives, and there was talk for a long time about the death of the young man and the disappearance of the girl.

***

Ilya went to the gate of the estate, knocked on the gate with a wooden hammer. The gatekeeper, seeing who, opened without question.

— Hi, Ilya. Polkan tied here, in the house of the master and his guests.

— Hello, Sofron. I’ll do it now.

The hunter attached the dog’s lead next to the gatekeeper’s booth. Polkan gave himself a tether, accustomed to everything, like the owner, and without grumbling lay down on the grass, Ilya habitually looked around, tried to notice a new one. He went, as if just like that, to the carriage shed. There was also an unfamiliar crew.

— Hello, Ilya! — greeted him a courtyard, a strong middle-aged man with a beard shovel, — again to us?

— Hello Savva! But what about you. Suddenly the master will gather to shoot ducks. He loved this business, like an old master, Georgy Petrovich.

— Evgeny Georgievich started a new fun. I decided to start hounds, now a new house is being built for them. And so two bitches and a dog, and one offspring started.

— However… And who came?

— Yes, guests with him rolled together. From Moscow, Anatoly Andreevich Ganevich and Nikolai Alexandrovich Tulupov, and with them the lady from the fashion house, Mademoiselle Genevieve.

“Oh, how! Eka invisible! What is the master, is he going to marry a Frenchwoman?

“No, just a companion. And Evgeny Georgievich started a new maid for himself, brought it in all the way.

“The same Frenchwoman?”

— No, Orthodox, it seems. Russian. He lives in the outbuilding, next to the chambers of a young master. She does not speak to anyone, only the housekeeper Evdokia herself wears food to her, and Ekaterina Alekseevna grunted strongly from her, and sent the young master to the outbuilding.

Ilya made a deliberately misunderstood face, twisting his mustache, and repeated to himself: “Ay yes I… Well done… And I found my sister. It would only be necessary to get close to the outbuilding. Dogs know me all, I’ll pass…”

— I’ll go to the forge, you see what they will feed.

— And then he shot himself what, but cooked? Savva laughed.

— Wait half a day for it to cook…

And having corrected the cap, Ilya slowly and importantly went to the kitchen. The kitchen was in the same wing with the human one, this order was started by Peter Sergeevich, the grandfather of the young master. What if the estate did not smell like cabbage and sour cabbage. And although the Telnovs had two villages — Telnovka la Agapovka, the property of Ekaterina Alekseevna brought more income — linen manufactories in Kostroma.

The nobleman fussed about — pretended to work. Firewood was chopped, something was folded and shifted. Above the kitchen, the pipe was releasing smoke, which means the stove is hot, maybe they will give you something to eat.

— Hello, Glafira Stepanovna! Will you be good?

— Thank you, Ilya Panteleevich. It’s good to be here. Come to me, it’s important. The hostess remembered you.

“And what is it,” said the man, taking off his cap and caftan, remaining in his shirt.

He also took the gun with him, remembering everything for the last time, when the boys grabbed his double-barreled gun, which the hunter hung on a nail at the entrance, and the crows began to shoot. Well, they didn’t kill anyone, but neither did the crows.

— Scared or something, — the beauty smiled, seeing the gun behind Ilya’s back, — I don’t bite, — she said in a velvet voice, touching him with her chest, covered with a beautiful chintz dress with a low neckline, — let’s go, she pulled him into her room.

Glafira dragged the inoperative hunter, sat down at the table on a stool. And instantly closed the bolt on the door. The hunter looked in bewilderment, even stood up from the seat.

— Such a thing, Ilya… Yes, you sit, — she continued, sitting on his lap, and hugging his neck, — the hostess asked to take the girl very much from the outbuilding tonight, — she said in a velvet voice, ironing Ilya’s neck with her soft fingers, — and here they are, for expenses, — she pointed a finger at the koshel, — and I will pay extra, — and she kissed him.

“I’ll do it, I’ll do it for you,” the hunter thought, as if everything was going one to one, as if in a fairy tale, but he wanted to check if there was a catch, “but what is the girl’s name, but a rejection?

“Martha. The young master quarreled, dragged the peasant woman into the house, the lady wants to take her away from sin. He knows that you have familiar schismatics in Kostroma, you will attach it there. Hide there until it’s all forgotten. In the window I will hang out a red scarf so that you do not make a mistake.

“It’s not easy,” Ilya began to fill his price, “and get to Kostroma, and do everything cleanly.” And the girl needs a passport, and the guide.

— Everything is ready. In the outbuilding, I’ll drink everyone with a sleepy potion, you’ll take the girl out, but a week before Kostroma you’ll get there, that’s all, and the cook deliberately turned her strong hips on the man’s lap, so Ilya blushed, — that Ilyushenka, — she smiled, — It turned so hot, or what? — and she stroked his cheek — do it right, you will not regret, I will not remain in debt.

— Well, does it mean a red handkerchief in the window? Glafira, I’ll go, I need to prepare, “the man said, reluctantly rising and adjusting his crooked pants.

The woman hid her smile in a scarf, looking at the movements of the brave hunter, and opening the latch, released him.

***

Glafira looked out the window at the retiring man, straightened the dress on her chest, straightened the hem, and hurriedly went to the manor house.

At the entrance stood the butler Larion, and the maid of the lady Daria.

— Dasha, tell the lady, Glafira says, she came on the case.

“Now,” the girl nodded, and went inside the house, rustling her skirts.

The maid returned quickly, very quickly, and without saying a word, she just beckoned the cook inside.

“Hurry up,” Dasha whispered.

They did not enter, but flew into the boudoir of Ekaterina Alekseevna. The lady walked around her oak chair, tapping her forearm with an ivory fan.

— Daria, come out and close the door behind you. Don’t eavesdrop and let no one in. Look, I’ll lock up.

Daria just squeaked like a mouse and quickly flew out of the room, and you could hear the double doors slamming.

— Well, what, Ilya undertakes?

“That’s right, I said it was Martha in the house.

— The hunter will have to run, but with the girl. You make sure that lame Andrejka stood guard. Ilya will run away from him. For him, she and Martha will be. Do you understand, Glashka, how am I going to let my son Genevieve marry this? Yes, and Eugene is fooling, you know, I almost nailed him because in Moscow I forced the yard girl to feed the puppy with milk? So… From the service for this down, I tried so hard to attach my son… And then this Frenchwoman, from the Kuznetsk Bridge!

“And Martha?” Glafira asked quietly.

— Not the first time… And there are Betskys, and there are enough others. After his dog fool, where will I find his bride? And drink a lot of vodka. And there, nothing, I will buy a passport for the girl, and Martha is healthy, she will give birth to children. Not Eugene’s children, so my grandchildren.

— Understood… So lunch with a sleepy potion, but Genevieve herself ran away, and then let’s say the master?

“Exactly. Did your hunter agree?

— Ilya agrees.

— Also good, — the lady grinned, — took the money. Okay, go to yourself, but do as you decided, do not mess up anything. Thank you, you won’t regret it.

Genevieve

Ilya walked to Fedot’s house only sighing along the road, remembering Glafira.

“No, I’ll return the money to the guy,” he said to himself, “and so Fedot will do my job”

In the evening, the mosquitoes were already piling on, the hunter waved off the vileness with a twig. Ilya quickly entered the house of Fedot, already dressed, with a bag behind his back and a travel staff.

— Well, what? the young man jumped up, found out?

— Let’s go, no time. And take the money, you will need it more, and he returned the silver to the young man.

“Did you find out?” What I asked for. I honestly did everything, your money.

— I said I won’t take any money for it. Martha in the far wing, I’ll bring you. And remember, guy, in Kostroma the house of the merchant Rodion Khrenov. Take it, and he gave the letter, — you give it to the merchant, he will understand that you are from me. And from me, for a good cause, and Ilya put ten rubles out of fifty received from Glafira before Fedot.

“Thank you,” Fedot smiled broadly, “I won’t forget a century,” and hugged the hunter.

— Come on. Let’s go together, we’ll do everything.

The young man extinguished the fire at home, collected a bag, tried to fold all his own, took both an ax and a knife. Kaftan, Armenian, blanket, and sister’s things were not forgotten.

Ilya waited until Fedot gathered, the young man remembered the dog.

— I’ll take the dog, and this is for you for the cow, — and gave the guy three more rubles. Come on, we must hurry.

The young man closed the gate, and went quickly after Ilya. The hunter led a companion through the forest, a path past bushes and thickets, in order to go unnoticed to the fence of the estate and be next to the distant outbuilding. The hunter helped the young man climb over, and moved himself. On the second floor, a red scarf was visible in the second window.

— Hurry up, Fedot. You’re in that room where the red headscarf is. Got that?

— Yes, I went, — the young man answered impatiently, putting the luggage on the grass.

Ilya looked incredulously at the guy who was flustered with excitement, and shook his head in doubt, would it work?

***

Everything turned out well, no one sounded the alarm, there were no Cossacks at the entrance, even the dogs did not bark. Fedot went through the door of the house, and as if he fell into a fabulous sleepy kingdom — everyone slept, sitting on benches or on chairs, at tables and on benches and sofas. If not for the rush, then the master would have amused curiosity for a long time, bypassing such beauty. The walls of the house were covered with tapestries, or patterned silk, beautiful typesetting parquet was laid on the floors, lamps were made in the form of gods, naiads, warriors. Even on the ceiling there was a painting. The mirror frames, made with wonderful carvings, the dishes used by the inhabitants of the house, were so beautiful that he was afraid to pick it up. On the fireplace stood a clock with bronze figures, so wonderfully made that one could take them for the living. He just sighed, and began to climb the oak stairs, trying to step quieter, but the floorboards creaked mercilessly. After walking down the corridor, he looked into a couple of rooms, but people were either sleeping there, or there was simply no one there. There was complete peace and tranquility in the building. Fedot was already losing patience, when suddenly the closed door to the padlock. He fled, and praying to himself with all the saints, knocked out the door with a shoulder blow, saw a hanging red scarf on the window, a girl in a Russian outfit sitting on the couch and looking out the window. She immediately jumped up, and rushed to run out of the outbuilding, moreover, even the sundress and shirt did not interfere with her.

The guy ran after her, cursing everything in the world.

— Stop, stop, it’s me Fedot, ‘he shouted.

But the girl, without turning around, ran away, and right to the place where he left his goodness. Ilya was not there, but fortunately the fugitive stopped.

— Hello, sister, hello, beauty! — the young man ran up to the girl, wanting to hug his sister, — why are you silent?

Suddenly she turned around, but it was not her at all. The young man just darkened in his eyes.

— Girl, sorry, you didn’t see the girl here, is Martha’s name?

— Qui etes vous? Je ne me laisserai pas violer! What is it, who are you, “the stranger said in fright in French.

And then Fedot saw a hard-running Cossack lady, a hefty kid. The girl’s eyes widened unusually, and she pulled the young man along with her.

— Nous couronsplus vite. C est une personne terrible! — кричала она.

He only managed to pick up his belongings, and ran nearby. The watchman began to lag behind, and cursed at the same time, well, he was no longer heard, and now, Fedot and the stranger broke away from the chase.

The girl was suffocating. holding on to a tree, and now tried to escape from Fedot.

— where are you going? Won’t we eat you, what am I, Gray Wolf? Yes, you do not know the road.

She only listened to his words, and amusingly wrinkled her forehead, finally approached him.

“Genevieve,” she pointed her finger at herself, “Genevieve Roussille,” called herself again, and pointed her finger at him, waiting for an answer.

— Fedot, — he called himself, pointing to himself, — Genevieve, — pointed to her.

She nodded, and said:

— Fedot, — then I thought and added, — Moscow? ‘she said in her strongest accent.

— No, — and he shook his head in denial, — Kostroma, — and he repented with the fingers of a man walking, and showed with his fingers for five days, and then two more.

— Sis? — the girl said incomprehensibly, — Aide -moi a m emmener avectoi!

“I don’t know French, young lady,” the young man said wearily, “we’ll get there in seven days, I know the road, but I can walk on the sun and stars too.” Here, you sing, and took out a piece of bread and an egg from the bag.

— Mercy, the companion nodded, and ate the treat with appetite.

We walked along the forest roads, and the young man saw how hard it was to walk long in shoes. He looked in the bag, and found Martha’s legs and windings.

— Genevieve! ‘he shouted.

The girl stopped, and the guy showed her to sit on a stump, she looked at him in doubt, he showed her her knocked down legs. Genevieve smiled only weakly, and spread her hands to the sides. Fedot showed her the bast shoes. The milliner sat down picturesquely, holding on to a bitch in a tree, took off her shoes, the companion helped wrap her windings, and put on bast shoes. The Frenchwoman went quietly, with all her appearance showed that she liked these shoes. They were able to go a lot faster. The sun bowed to sunset, and Fedot began to build a hut. The ax in the hands of the master is a big deal, and the mountain of lapnik grew quickly. Finally, he laid the branches of the spruce, so that a decent dwelling came out. The pit for the fire was also ready, and Genevieve brought water in a pot from the stream.

— Look, — said the young man, pointing to the dwelling from the branches, — the hut, — he said clearly.

“Hut,” she repeated, “water,” she pointed to the contents of the boiler.

— Bread, he added, cutting off her slice.

“Bread,” Genevieve said exactly.

Fedot began to make tops for fish from willow branches, the companion only looked at his fast and skillful hands. Having made three pieces, he drowned them in shallow water. Suddenly he slapped his forehead, cursing for forgetfulness. He took off his boots and walked through the shallow water, trying to catch crayfish. Genevieve at first did not understand what was the matter, finally laughed, and sowing bast shoes and windings, lifting the dress to her knees, began to help. The girl was fast and agile, and soon there was a fair bunch of crayfish moving and lifting pincers up on the lapnik.

— J’ai aussi peche, c’est-a-dire gue j’airamasse des huitres, mais je suis Bretagne. I also caught, that is, collected oysters, I’m from Brittany, — she said to the incomprehensible Russian.

The girl took the pot, scooped up water, and without lowering the hem down, went to the fire. Fedot looked at the reckless beauty, and brought prey, and then took out another pot and a couple of wooden cups and wooden plates. Such cups and plates were made in their village by grandfather Borya. And his spoons came out grippy. Although it was old, but hand-made, and dishes from wood turned out to be perfectly fine. So there were already two cauldrons on the fire, and in one young man laid their dinner. The water boiled, the crayfish turned red, and already adorned with unwise dishes. Genevieve watched what the young man was doing and repeated after him. She got meat both in pincers and in the back, throwing out the panzyr.

— You see, we will not disappear, — the young man reassured the girl, — there is a lot of food here by the river.

Not everyone ate boiled crayfish, the next day remained. The young master dug in his bags, and extracted gray. cloth blanket, gave it into the hands of the girl, took the second for himself. The water in another cauldron began to boil, he threw Ivan tea there.

— We will not cook porridge, — he said quietly, — in reserve for cereals, the coast. Let’s drink an infusion.

Fedot poured a fragrant drink, gave the cup into the hands of the girl. They sniffed, tried to feel an unfamiliar bouquet, and nodded their heads.

— Sava

— To health, — only the young man answered.

The sun was rolling over the edge of the earth, cooling, and mosquitoes were curling around. They extinguished the fire so as not to burn themselves. There was hope for resinous lapnik, which will scare away bloodsuckers at night. He busily prepared two heaps of soft branches, showed one to a guest from France, sat on the other himself, trying to sit down. It seems to be quite good.

“Go to bed. We will get up early, go far.

“Good,” the girl said terribly, wrapped in a blanket.

Fedot could not immediately fall asleep, not understanding everything happened to him. Why so, because of the whim of the barchuk, so many people suffer? Only to the stars and the moon, it looked like the suffering of people, at least ordinary people, was indifferent. Yes, and mosquitoes, apparently, only drink blood, and also bars. The youngster slapped his cheek, killing the bloodsucker by smearing his blood with the remains of a nosebleed. “There was no mosquito, and there was no one to bite,” the guy thought, “apparently, and so with bars. It is not for nothing that Emel Pugachev is cursed in churches. And God, lordly, — he decided sadly”

Finally, he lay down and slept until dawn. He slept soundly, and he saw neither Thomas, nor his sister, nor his bride, Alyona, in a dream. He opened his eyes and his companion disappeared, only the blanket on the lapnik remained. Was he upset? Yes, not, I was delighted. It’s easier to walk alone. True they say:" Baba with a cart — it’s easier for a mare”

Well, the horse, it’s clear. I was just delighted, but I heard a song that Genevieve quietly hummed. Not Russian, but very pleasant.

“Salu,” she said, seeing that the young man had already woken up.

Beckoned him with her hand, sit down at the already burning fire. On the leaves of the burdock lay crayfish, and already fried, smelling just incredible, fish. Fedot could not believe his eyes, but the girl turned out to be wonderfully economic and caring.

“Thank you,” the youth said loudly, sitting down at the fire.

Smiling, and apparently well-slept Frenchwoman, after the past terrible day, put him fish in a bowl, touching his face with his black curls. The young man looked up, and immediately took his companion away from the open neckline. Genevieve smiled even more, and crouched nearby, cleverly butchering baked fish. We ate perfectly, Fedot took care and brought a heap of burdock leaves, wipe his hands. An incomprehensible leftist showed something to wash her hands, but the young man realized where to get his soap? Sand and ash, so much for peasant soap, Fedot set an example, the girl’s eyes only opened wide.

— It’s… Le… in French… Lave Wash?

— Sure. Ash washes well, rubbed a stronger sand, and there is no dirt. our soap is expensive, for the bar and merchants.

— C’est pas possible! Siecle des Limeres! It cannot be, the Age of Enlightenment… — the girl lamented, — mais voici l’esclavage et la sauvagerie et il n’y meme pas de savon! and here — slavery and savagery and there is not even soap!

— I don’t understand what you are saying — only the young man could add.

Raskolnicheskaya Kostroma

Travel

They often saw fishermen’s boats on the Volga, more often villages began to come across, which they tried to bypass. Genevieve was cheerful, and tried to help Fedot, she also dragged part of the cargo. But the restless Russian built a drag made from branches for cargo. This structure was fastened with straps by the shoulders, and the branches dragged along the ground, and it was easier to carry.

By evening, they again went to the river, and almost got caught by the burlaks. It became scary to look at Genevieve.

— Miserable! ‘she yelled, “Iis doivent etre liberes! Le maitre du navire est un monstre! they must be freed! The owner of the ship is just a monster! Where is the police???

Fedot barely managed to cover her mouth and grabbed her hands, but the girl pulled out, breaking out deaf screams. The barge also moved slowly along the river, attracted by the twine, which was dragged by the bearded men, resting their feet on the ground and sand of the river bank.

Finally, the girl calmed down, and stopped breaking out, on the contrary smiled, and deliberately touched the young man’s palm with her breasts. Fedot this time did not remove his hand, feeling the softness and elasticity of a beautiful body. Girl. sighing, moved away herself.

— We have barges along the Seine and Loire dragging huge horses, percherons. And in Russian — horses, — she said interfering with French and Russian words.

— Koni — expensive, oats, hay, sick often, — sighed Fedot, — people — cheap. Here, in Russia, it is.

He glanced, and in the distance the river marinas of a large Volga city were already visible.

— We almost reached, we’ll spend the night, and we’ll go to the city.

“All right,” Genevieve nodded.

The young man habitually sent a new hut, and Genevva began to cook. She did not let the Russian go to the fire.

“No,” she said in Russian, driving him to a nearby stump to sit further.

Salt and herbs, they walked in the forest, began to belong to her, and she disposed of them autocratically. Fedot so far decided to put himself in order, combed his hair with a comb, and taking a small mirror, tried to cut off falling hair, open his ears.