Since then no one addressed a word to Tatiana. And all this
cost him nothing. It is true the wardrobe-maid, as soon as she reached
the maids' room, promptly fell into a fainting fit, and behaved
altogether so skilfully that Gerasim's rough action reached his
mistress's knowledge the same day. But the capricious old lady only
laughed, and several times, to the great offence of the wardrobe-maid,
forced her to repeat "how he bent your head down with his heavy hand,"
and next day she sent Gerasim a rouble. She looked on him with favor as
a strong and faithful watchman. Gerasim stood in considerable awe of
her, but, all the same, he had hopes of her favor, and was preparing to
go to her with a petition for leave to marry Tatiana. He was only
waiting for a new coat, promised him by the steward, to present a proper
appearance before his mistress, when this same mistress suddenly took it
into her head to marry Tatiana to Kapiton.
The reader will now readily understand the perturbation of mind that
overtook the steward Gavrila after his conversation with his mistress.
"My lady," he thought, as he sat at the window, "favors Gerasim, to be
sure"--(Gavrila was well aware of this, and that was why he himself
looked on him with an indulgent eye)--"still he is a speechless
creature.
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