They walked to the village in silence. On reaching home Rodion said his
prayer, took off his boots, and sat down on the bench beside his wife.
Stepanida and he always sat side by side when they were at home, and
always walked side by side in the street; they ate and they drank and
they slept always together, and the older they grew the more they
loved one another. It was hot and crowded in their hut, and there were
children everywhere--on the floors, in the windows, on the stove.... In
spite of her advanced years Stepanida was still bearing children, and
now, looking at the crowd of children, it was hard to distinguish which
were Rodion's and which were Volodka's. Volodka's wife, Lukerya, a plain
young woman with prominent eyes and a nose like the beak of a bird, was
kneading dough in a tub; Volodka was sitting on the stove with his legs
hanging.

"On the road near Nikita's buckwheat... the engineer with his dog..."
Rodion began, after a rest, scratching his ribs and his elbow. "'You
must pay,' says he... 'coin,' says he.... Coin or no coin, we shall have
to collect ten kopecks from every hut. We've offended the gentleman very
much. I am sorry for him...."

"We've lived without a bridge," said Volodka, not looking at anyone,
"and we don't want one."

"What next; the bridge is a government business."

"We don't want it."

"Your opinion is not asked. What is it to you?"

"'Your opinion is not asked,'" Volodka mimicked him. "We don't want