reat
piece of news: the emperor Paul was dead, and his son Alexander, of
whose generosity and humanity much had been said, had ascended the
throne. This news greatly excited David, and awoke in him the hope
of again seeing his father, and of seeing him soon. My father too was
very glad. "All the exiles will now be allowed to return from Siberia,
and they won't forget my brother Jegor," he repeated, rubbing his
hands, but with a somewhat anxious expression. David I and I
stopped working, and we did not even make a pretence of going to the
gymnasium; indeed, we did not even go out to walk, but we used to hang
about the house and conjecture and reckon in how many months, how many
weeks, how many days "brother Jegor" would return--where we should
write to him, how we would receive him, and how we should live then.
"Brother Jegor" was an architect, and we both decided that he should
move to Moscow and build there great schools for the poor, and
we should be his assistants. The watch meanwhile we had entirely
forgotten, but it was determined to recall itself to our memory.

VII.

One morning, just after breakfast, I was sitting alone in the window
thinking of my uncle's return. The April thaw was dripping and
sparkling without, when my aunt, Pulcheria Petrovna, rushed suddenly
into the room. She was always very excitable and complaining, and she
always spoke with a shrill voice, gesticulating a great deal; but this
time she pounced upon me. "Come, come, go to your father this minute,
young sir," she sputtered out. "What tricks you've been up to, you
shameless boy! But you'll catch it, both of you. Nastasa Nastasaitch
has discovered all your goings on. Go! Your father has sent for you:
go this moment."

I mechanically followed my aunt, without in the least understanding
what it was all about, and as I crossed the thresh-hold I saw my
father with his hair on end walking up and down the room with long
strides. Juschka was in tears near the door, and my godfather was
sitting on a stool in the corner with a very malicious expression in
his open nostrils and wandering eyes. My father flew at me as soon as
I entered the room: "Did you give Juschka the watch? What?"

I looked at Juschka.

"Tell me," repeated my father, stamping with his feet.

"Yes," I answered, and immediately received a violent box on the ear,
which gave my aunt a great deal of satisfaction. I heard her smack
her lips with pleasure, as if she had ju