own father! Well, I don't like to do slack work. What is good for the master is good for us. And look yonder at that field," continued Vasili, pointing to the field, "it delights my heart."
"It is a fine spring, Vasili."
"Yes! it is such a spring as our old men can't remember. I was at home, and our elder has already sowed an acre[1] of wheat; as he says he can hardly tell it from rye."
"But how long have you been sowing wheat?"
"Why, you yourself taught us how to sow it year before last. You spared me two measures. It gave eight bushels and we sowed an acre with it."
"Well! look here, see that you break up the earth well!" said Levin, as he started for his ambler, "look after Mishka; and if the seed comes up well, you shall have fifty kopeks a desyatin."
"We thank you humbly: we should be content even without that."
Levin mounted his horse, and rode off to visit his last year's clover-field, and then to the field which was already plowed ready for the summer wheat.
The crop of clover in the stubble-field was miraculous. It had all survived, and was covering with a mantle of green all the ground where the preceding fall the roots of the wheat had been left.
The horse sank up to the fetlock, and each foot made a sucking noise as he pulled it out of the half-thawed soil. It was entirely impossible to cross the plowed land. Only where there was ice would it hold, but in the thawed furrows the horse's leg sank above the fetlock. The plowed field was excellent. In two days the harrowing and sowing could be done. Everything was beautiful, everything was gay!
Levin rode back by way of the brooks, hoping to find the water lower; in fact, he found that he could get
- ↑ Tri osminnika; in the government of Tula an osminnik is an eight of a desyatin. One chetvert (about eight bushels) plants three of those eights, or an acre. Levin promises an equivalent of about 40 cents for 2.7 acres.
