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35
SÖNYA KOVALÉVSKY
Marya Yasilievna was especially interesting to us
children, because the following story was current in
regard to her. In her youth she had been a
handsome and healthy girl, and had been the serf of a
certain woman with a landed estate, who had a
grown-up son, an officer. The latter had once come
home on leave, and had given Marya Yasilievna
several silver coins. Unfortunately, the old lady
entered the maids’ ball just at that moment, and saw
the money in Marya Yasilievna’s hands. "Where
did you get it t" she asked; but Marya Vasilievna
was so frightened that, instead of replying, she took
and swallowed the money.
She became ill immediately. She turned quite
black, and fell, choking, on the floor. They had great
difficulty in saving her, and she lay ill for a long
while, and from that time her beauty and freshness
vanished. The old lady died soon afterward, and
Marya Yasilievna received her freedom from the
young master.
The story of the swallowed money was awfully
interesting to us children, and we often insisted that
Marya Yasilievna should tell us how it all happened.
Marya Yasilievna came to our nursery quite
frequently, although she and nurse were not on very
good terms. We children were also fond of running
to her room, especially at the twilight hour, when she
was forced, willingly or unwillingly, to lay aside her
work. Then she would sit down at the window, and,
supporting her head on her hand, she would begin to
sing various touching old romances, " Through the
level valleys," or, " Dark flower, gloomy flower." She
sang very mournfully, but I was very fond of her
singing in my childhood, though it always made me
sad. Sometimes her singing was interrupted by a fit
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