thick outer slippers covered the finer inner ones. He wore a lofty hat of white lamb's-wool.
The red-bearded Tatar came in and there was some conversation, and apparently a dispute began. He lent his elbows on the gate, fingered his hanger, and glanced furtively at Zhilin like a hungry wolf. But the swarthy man—he was a quick, lively fellow, who seemed to move upon springs—came straight up to Zhilin, sat down on his heels, grinned, showing all his teeth, patted him on the shoulder, and began to jabber something in a peculiar way of his own, blinking his eyes, clicking with his tongue, and saying repeatedly:
"Korosho urus! Korosho urus!"[1]
Zhilin did not understand a word of it, and all he said was:
"I am thirsty, give me a drink of water!"
The swarthy man laughed. "Korosho urus!" he said again—babbling away in his own peculiar manner.
Zhilin tried to make them understand by a pantomime with his hands and lips that he wanted something to drink.
The swarthy man understood at last, went out and called:
"Dina! Dina!"
A very thin, slender girl, about thirteen years of age, with a face very like the swarthy man's, then appeared. Plainly she was the swarthy man's daughter. She also had black sparkling eyes and
- ↑ I.e.—"Khorosho russ" = fine Russian man.
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