duct to
Mukhorty. Then he ran back to the shed pulling the playful young horse,
who wanted to gambol all over the yard, by the rein.

There was no one else in the yard except a stranger, the cook's husband,
who had come for the holiday.

'Go and ask which sledge is to be harnessed--the wide one or the small
one--there's a good fellow!'

The cook's husband went into the house, which stood on an iron
foundation and was iron-roofed, and soon returned saying that the little
one was to be harnessed. By that time Nikita had put the collar and
brass-studded belly-band on Mukhorty and, carrying a light, painted
shaft-bow in one hand, was leading the horse with the other up to two
sledges that stood in the shed.

'All right, let it be the little one!' he said, backing the intelligent
horse, which all the time kept pretending to bite him, into the shafts,
and with the aid of the cook's husband he proceeded to harness. When
everything was nearly ready and only the reins had to be adjusted,
Nikita sent the other man to the shed for some straw and to the barn for
a drugget.

'There, that's all right! Now, now, don't bristle up!' said Nikita,
pressing down into the sledge the freshly threshed oat straw the cook's
husband had brought. 'And now let's spread the sacking like this, and
the drugget over it. There, like that it will be comfortable sitting,'
he went on, suiting the action to the words and tucking the drugget all
round over the straw to make a seat.

'Thank you, dear man. Things always go quicker with two working at it!'
he added. And gathering up the leather reins fastened together by a
brass ring, Nikita took the driver's seat and started the impatient
horse over the frozen manure which lay in the yard, towards the gate.

'Uncle Nikita! I say, Uncle, Uncle!' a high-pitched voice shouted, and a
seven-year-old boy in a black sheepskin coat, new white felt boots, and
a warm cap, ran hurriedly out of the house into the yard. 'Take me with
you!' he cried, fastening up his coat as he ran.

'All right, come along, darling!' said Nikita, and stopping the sledge
he picked up the master's pale thin little son, radiant with joy, and
drove out into the road.

It was past two o'clock and the day was windy, dull, and cold, with more
than twenty degrees Fahrenheit of frost. Half the sky was hidden by a
lowering dark cloud. In the yard it was quiet, but in the street the
wind was felt more keenly. The snow swept down from a nei