"And--what do you think of her?"

"Not bad," said Iakov, vaguely, blinking his eyes.

"What could I do?" asked Vassili. "I tried at first. But it was
impossible. She mends my clothes and so on. Besides it's as easy to
escape from death as from a woman when once she's after you."

"What's it to me?" said Iakov. "It's your affair. I'm not your judge."

Malva now returned with the spoons, and they sat down to dinner. They
ate without talking, sucking the bones noisily and spitting them out on
the sand, near the door. Iakov literally devoured his food, which
seemed to please Malva vastly; she watched with tender interest his
sunburnt cheeks extend and his thick humid lips moving quickly. Vassili
was not hungry. He tried, however, to appear absorbed in the meal so as
to be able to watch Malva and Iakov at his ease.

After awhile, when Iakov had eaten his fill he said he was sleepy.

"Lie down here," said Vassili. "We'll wake you up."

"I'm willing," said Iakov, sinking down on a coil of rope. "And what
will you do?"

Embarrassed by his son's smile, Vassili left the cabin hastily, Malva
frowned and replied to Iakov:

"What's that to you? Learn to mind your own business, my lad."