Volgin sentía y sabía que todo lo que ella decía era estúpido, pero no convenía en absoluto dejarlo ver, de modo que mantuvo la conversación. Teodorito estaba hosco y callado; el estudiante intercambiaba de vez en cuando unas pocas palabras con la viuda. De vez en cuando se hacía una pausa en la conversación, y entonces Teodorito intervenía, y todos se sumían en una profunda y penosa depresión. En tales momentos, la anfitriona ordenaba algún plato que no había sido servido, y el lacayo corría a la cocina, o hacia el ama de llaves, y regresaba a toda prisa. A nadie le apetecía hablar ni comer. Pero todos se esforzaban por comer y por hablar, y así continuó el almuerzo.
The peasant who had been begging because his horse had died was named Mitri Sudarikov. He had spent the whole day before he went to the squire over his dead horse. First of all he went to the knacker, Sanin, who lived in a village near. The knacker was out, but he waited for him, and it was dinnertime when he had finished bargaining over the price of the skin. Then he borrowed a neighbour’s horse to take his own to a field to be buried, as it is forbidden to bury dead animals near a village. Adrian would not lend his horse because he was getting in his potatoes, but Stephen took pity on Mitri and gave way to his persuasion. He even lent a hand in lifting the dead horse into the cart. Mitri tore off the shoes from the forelegs and gave them to his wife. One was broken, but the other one was whole. While he was digging the grave with a spade which was very blunt, the knacker appeared and took off the skin; and the carcass was then thrown into the hole and covered up. Mitri felt tired, and went into Matrena’s hut, where he drank half a bottle of vodka with Sanin to console himself. Then he went home,