Do not give him too many instructions, and do not try to explain it
all to him from beginning to end. If you instruct him too much, he
will be afraid to do any scheming on his own hook, and you will be
the loser. Just give him your order, and tell him what the order is
for. Then you may be sure he will get it for you, even if he should
have to go to hell for it!" This is what Colonel Pavel Akimovich
used to say of us.

Now, once I decided to find out Anna's secret, I thought it all out
beforehand, as a Cantonist should; and I hit upon a plan.

That was at the beginning of spring. One day Khlopov left on a
journey to the neighboring villages to collect the taxes. He had to
stay away some time. The whole of that day Anna kept worrying me as
usual. She sent me on unnecessary errands, she wanted me to be in
two places at the same time. She yelled, she cursed, she shook me,
and mauled me, she pulled me by the ears. She knew well how to make
one miserable. When night came, I went to sleep in the anteroom;
that was my bedroom. Anna was abed, but not asleep. Marusya had
long been asleep. Then Anna remembered that she had forgotten to
close the door leading to the anteroom, and she ordered me to get up
and close it. I made believe I was sleeping soundly, and began to
snore loudly. She kept on calling me, but I kept on snoring.
Suddenly I began to cry, as if from the sleep: "O mother, leave
Anna alone. She too is a mother! Pity her family!"

Anna became silent. I half opened my eyes and looked at her through
the open door. A candle was burning on the table near her bed, and
I could see that she was frightened, and was listening intently.
then I continued, somewhat differently: "I beg of you, mother, is