searched my father
thoroughly, even taking off his boots; when they found that beating
father only made him swear at them the more, they began torturing
him in all sorts of ways. All the time Anyutka was sitting behind
the bush, and she saw it all, poor dear. When she saw father lying
on the ground and gasping, she started off and ran her hardest
through the thicket and the creek towards home. She was only a
little girl, with no understanding; she did not know the way, just
ran on not knowing where she was going. It was some six miles to
our home. Anyone else might have run there in an hour, but a little
child, as we all know, takes two steps back for one forwards, and
indeed it is not everyone who can run barefoot through the prickly
bushes; you want to be used to it, too, and our girls used always
to be crowding together on the stove or in the yard, and were afraid
to run in the forest.

Towards evening Anyutka somehow reached a habitation, she looked,
it was a hut. It was the forester's hut, in the Crown forest; some
merchants were renting it at the time and burning charcoal. She
knocked. A woman, the forester's wife, came out to her. Anyutka,
first of all, burst out crying, and told her everything just as it
was, and even told her about the money. The forester's wife was
full of pity for her.

"My poor little dear! Poor mite, God has preserved you, poor little
one! My precious! Come into the hut, and I will give you something
to eat."

She began to make up to Anyutka, gave her food and drink, and even
wept with her, and was so attentive to her that the girl, only
think, gave her the parcel of notes.

"I will put it away, darling, and to-morrow morning I will give it
you back and take you home, dearie."

The woman took the money, and put Anyutka to sleep on the stove
where at the time the brooms were drying. And on the same stove,
on the brooms, the forester's daughter, a girl as small as our
Anyutka, was asleep. And Anyutka used to tell us afterwards that
there was such a scent from the brooms, they smelt of honey! Anyutka
lay down, but she could not get to sleep, she kept crying quietly;
she was sorry for father, and terrified. But, sir, an hour or two
passed, and she saw those very three robbers who had tortured father
walk into the hut; and the one in the crimson shirt, with big jaws,
their leader, went up to the woman and said:

"Well, wife, we have simply murdered a man for nothing. To-day we
killed a