The Enchanted Wanderer and Other Stories

Having begun with these affectionate acts of hers, the Englishwoman said something to her husband in their language, which we didn’t understand, but we could tell by her voice that she was probably speaking on our behalf. And the Englishman—this kindness in his wife evidently pleased him—gazes at her, beaming all over with pride, and strokes his wife’s little head, and coos like a dove in his language: “Goot, goot,” or however they say it, only it’s clear that he’s praising her and confirming her in something. Then he goes to his desk, takes out two hundred-rouble bills, and says:

“Here’s money for you, Luka: go and look where you know for an artful icon painter of the kind you need, let him do what you need and also paint something of the same sort for my wife—she wants to give such an icon to our son—and my wife is giving you this money for all your trouble and expenses.”

And she smiles through her tears and says quickly:

“No, no, no: that’s from him, mine’s separate,” and so saying, she fluttered out the door and came back with a third hundred-rouble bill.

“My husband gave it to me for a dress, but I don’t want a dress, I donate it to you.”

We, naturally, started to refuse, but she wouldn’t even hear of it and ran away, and he says:

“No, don’t you dare refuse; take what she’s giving you,” and he turns away and says, “And get out, you odd birds!”

Naturally, we weren’t in the least offended by this expulsion, because, though the Englishman turned away from us, we saw that he did it to conceal the fact that he was deeply moved himself.

So it was, my dear sirs, that our own native people treated us unjustly, but the English nation comforted us and lent zeal to our souls, just as if we’d received the bath of regeneration!

Now from here on, my dear sirs, the second half of my story begins, and I’ll tell you briefly how, taking my silver-bridled Levonty, I set out after an icon painter, and what places we went to, what people we saw, what new wonders were revealed to us, and, finally, what we found, and what we lost, and what we came back with.

X

For a man going on a journey, the first thing is a companion; cold and hunger are easier with an intelligent and good comrade, and this blessing was granted me in that wonderful youth Levonty. We set out on foot, taking with us our shoulder bags and a sufficient sum of money, and to protect it and our own lives we took with us an old, short-bladed saber with a broad back, which we always carried in case of danger. We made our way like tradespeople, inventing errands at random as the supposed causes for our traveling, and all the while, naturally, with an eye on our business. At the very beginning we visited Klintsy and Zlynka, then called on some of our people in Orel, but did not obtain any useful results: nowhere did we find any good icon painters, and so we got to Moscow. But all I can say is: Woe to thee, Moscow! Woe to thee, most glorious queen of the ancient Russian people! We of the old belief were not comforted by thee either.

I’m not eager to say it, but it’s impossible to keep silent: we did not meet in Moscow the spirit we were thirsting for. We found that the old ways there no longer stood upon piety and love of the good, but only upon obstinacy, and becoming more and more convinced of it every day, Levonty and I began to be ashamed of each other, for we both saw things that were insulting to a peaceful follower of the faith, but, being ashamed in ourselves, we kept silent about it all with each other.