of sternness and alarm came into his face, such as one sees in
people who hear heretical talk. He fixed his eyes on one spot,
raised his hand curved into a hollow, and suddenly fell on his
stomach on the ground and slapped the hollow of his hand down upon
the grass.

"Caught!" he wheezed triumphantly, and, getting up, lifted a big
grasshopper to Yegorushka's eyes.

The two boys stroked the grasshopper's broad green back with their
fingers and touched his antenna, supposing that this would please
the creature. Then Deniska caught a fat fly that had been sucking
blood and offered it to the grasshopper. The latter moved his huge
jaws, that were like the visor of a helmet, with the utmost unconcern,
as though he had been long acquainted with Deniska, and bit off the
fly's stomach. They let him go. With a flash of the pink lining of
his wings, he flew down into the grass and at once began his churring
notes again. They let the fly go, too. It preened its wings, and
without its stomach flew off to the horses.

A loud sigh was heard from under the chaise. It was Kuzmitchov
waking up. He quickly raised his head, looked uneasily into the
distance, and from that look, which passed by Yegorushka and Deniska
without sympathy or interest, it could be seen that his thought on
awaking was of the wool and of Varlamov.

"Father Christopher, get up; it is time to start," he said anxiously.
"Wake up; we've slept too long as it is! Deniska, put the horses
in."