ice-looking youngster, in a long square-cut overcoat. He wore smoked
eyeglasses. They tied the horse to an adjoining tree, the son took the
measuring instrument out of his pocket and gave it to his father, and
they began to measure the ground. Both were silent and worried.

"Aha!" shouted the Captain, gleefully.

All those who were in the dosshouse at the moment came out to look at
them and expressed themselves loudly and freely in reference to the
matter.

"What does the habit of thieving mean? A man may sometimes make a big
mistake when he steals, standing to lose more than he gets," said the
Captain, causing much laughter among his staff and eliciting various
murmurs of assent.

"Take care, you devil!" shouted Petunikoff, "lest I have you in the
police court for your words!"

"You can do nothing to me without witnesses ... Your son cannot give
evidence on your side" ... the Captain warned him.

"Look out all the same, you old wretch, you may be found guilty too!"
And Petunikoff shook his fist at him. His son, deeply engrossed in his
calculations, took no notice of the dark group of men, who were taking
such a wicked delight in adding to his father's discomfiture. He did
not even once look in their direction.

"The young spider has himself well in hand," remarked Abyedok, watching
young Petunikoff's every movement and action. Having taken all the
measurements he desired, Ivan Andreyevitch knit his brows, got into the
cart, and drove away. His son went with a firm step into Vaviloff's
eating-house, and disappeared behind the door.

"Ho, ho! That's a determined young thief! ... What will happen next,
I wonder ...?" asked Kuvalda.

"Next? Young Petunikoff will buy out Egor Vaviloff," said Abyedok with
conviction, and smacked his lips as if the idea gave him great pleasure.

"And you are glad of that?" Kuvalda asked him, gravely.

"I am always pleased to see human calculations miscarry," explained
Abyedok, rolling his eyes and rubbing his hands with delight. The
Captain spat angrily on the ground and was silent. They all stood in
front of the tumble-down building, and silently watched the doors of
the eating-house. More than an hour passed thus. Then the doors
opened and Petunikoff came out as silently as he had entered. He
stopped for a moment, coughed, turned up the collar of his coat,
glanced at the men, who were following all his movements with their
eyes, and then went up the street toward