"Tolstoy, Leo - How Much Land Does A Man Need" - читать интересную книгу автора (Tolstoy Leo)

land, I shouldn't fear the Devil himself!"

The women finished their tea, chatted a while about dress, and then cleared
away the tea-things and lay down to sleep.

But the Devil had been sitting behind the stove, and had heard all that was
said. He was pleased that the peasant's wife had led her husband into
boasting, and that he had said that if he had plenty of land he would not
fear the Devil himself.

"All right," thought the Devil. "We will have a tussle. I'll give you land
enough; and by means of that land I will get you into my power."

II

Close to the village there lived a lady, a small landowner who had an
estate of about three hundred acres. She had always lived on good terms
with the peasants until she engaged as her steward an old soldier, who took
to burdening the people with fines. However careful Pakhom tried to be, it
happened again and again that now a horse of his got among the lady's oats,
now a cow strayed into her garden, now his calves found their way into her
meadows - and he always had to pay a fine.

Pakhom paid up, but grumbled, and going home in a temper, was rough with
his family. All through that summer, Pakhom had much trouble because of
this steward, and he was even glad when winter came and the cattle had to
be stabled. Though he grudged the fodder when they could no longer graze on
the pasture-land, at least he was free from anxiety about them.

In the winter the news got about that the lady was going to sell her land
and that the keeper of the inn on the high road was bargaining for it. When
the peasants heard this they were very much alarmed.

"Well," thought they, "if the innkeeper gets the land, he will worry us
with fines worse than the lady's steward. We all depend on that estate."

So the peasants went on behalf of their commune, and asked the lady not to
sell the land to the innkeeper, offering her a better price for it
themselves. The lady agreed to let them have it. Then the peasants tried to
arrange for the commune to buy the whole estate, so that it might be held
by them all in common. They met twice to discuss it, but could not settle
the matter; the Evil One sowed discord among them and they could not agree.
So they decided to buy the land individually, each according to his means;
and the lady agreed to this plan as she had to the other.

Presently Pakhom heard that a neighbour of his was buying fifty acres, and
that the lady had agreed to accept one half in cash and to wait a year for
the other half. Pakhom felt envious.

"Look at that," thought he, "the land is all being sold, and I shall get