kseniya ippolytovna's ancestral home had reared its columns for fully a century. it was of classic architecture, with pediment, balconied hall, echoing corridors, and furniture that seemed never to have been moved from the place it had occupied in her forefathers' time.
the old mansion greeted her—the last descendant of the ancient name— with gloomy indifference; with cold, sombre apartments that were terrible by night, and thickly covered with the accumulated dust of many years. an ancient butler remained who recalled the former times and masters, the former baronial pomp and splendour. the housemaid, who spoke no russian, was brought by kseniya.
kseniya ippolytovna established herself in her mother's rooms. she told the one ancient retainer that the household should be conducted as in her parents' day, with all the old rules and regulations. he thereupon informed her that it was customary in the times of the old masters for relatives and friends to gather together on christmas eve, while for the new year all the gentry of the district considered it their duty to come, even those who were uninvited. therefore it was necessary for her to order in the provisions at once.
the old butler called kseniya ippolytovna at eight; then served her with coffee. after she had taken it, he said austerely:
"you will have to go round the house and arrange things, barina; then go into the study to read books and work out the expenses and write out recipes for your house-party. the old gentry always did that."
she carried out all her instructions, adhering rigorously to former rules. she was wonderfully quiet, submissive, and sad. she read thick, simply-written books—those in which the old script for sh is confused with that for t. now and then, however, she rang up polunin behind the old man's back, talking to him long and fretfully, with mingled love, grief, and hatred.
in the holidays they drove about together in droskies, and told fortunes: kseniya ippolytovna was presented with a waxen cradle. they drove to town with some mummers, and attended an amateur performance in a club. polunin dressed up as a wood-spirit, kseniya as a wood- spirit's daughter—out of a birch-grove. then they visited the neighbouring landowners.
the christmas holidays were bright and frosty, with a red morning glow from the east, the daylight waxy in the sun, and with long blue, crepuscular evenings.
