Vassilissa Igorofna began by making to him some remarks on household
matters, like a judge who begins a cross-examination by questions
irrelevant to the subject in hand, in order to reassure and lull the
watchfulness of the accused. Then, after a few minutes' silence, she
gave a deep sigh, and said, shaking her head--

"Oh! good Lord! Just think what news! What will come of all this?"

"Eh! my little mother," replied Iwán Ignatiitch; "the Lord is merciful.
We have soldiers enough, and much, powder; I have cleared the cannon.
Perhaps we may be able to defeat this Pugatchéf. If God do not forsake
us, the wolf will eat none of us here."

"And what manner of man is this Pugatchéf?" questioned the Commandant's
wife.

Iwán Ignatiitch saw plainly that he had said too much, and bit his
tongue; but it was too late. Vassilissa Igorofna obliged him to tell her
all, after giving her word that she would tell no one.

She kept her promise, and did not breathe a word indeed to anyone, save
only to the Pope's wife, and that for the very good reason that the good
lady's cow, being still out on the steppe, might be "lifted" by the
robbers.

Soon everybody was talking of Pugatchéf. The rumours abroad about him
were very diverse. The Commandant sent the "_ouriadnik_" on a mission to
look well into all in the neighbouring village and little forts. The
"_ouriadnik_" came back after an absence of two days, and reported that