Efím made a wry face.

“We must wait,” he said. “This year has turned out a hard one for me. I started building this hut thinking it would cost me something over a hundred roubles, but now it’s getting on for three hundred and it’s still not finished. We shall have to wait till the summer. In summer, God willing, we will go without fail.”

“It seems to me we ought not to put it off, but should go at once,” said Elisha. “Spring is the best time.”

“The time’s right enough, but what about my building? How can I leave that?”

“As if you had no one to leave in charge! Your son can look after it.”

“But how? My eldest son is not trustworthy⁠—he sometimes takes a glass too much.”

“Ah, neighbour, when we die they’ll get on without us. Let your son begin now to get some experience.”