then simon said to michael: “well, we have taken the work, but we must see we don’t get into trouble over it. the leather is dear, and the gentleman hot-tempered. we must make no mistakes. come, your eye is truer and your hands have become nimbler than mine, so you take this measure and cut out the boots. i will finish off the sewing of the vamps.”
michael did as he was told. he took the leather, spread it out on the table, folded it in two, took a knife and began to cut out.
matryona came and watched him cutting, and was surprised to see how he was doing it. matryona was accustomed to seeing boots made, and she looked and saw that michael was not cutting the leather for boots, but was cutting it round.
she wished to say something, but she thought to herself: “perhaps i do not understand how gentleman’s boots should be made. i suppose michael knows more about it—and i won’t interfere.”
when michael had cut up the leather, he took a thread and began to sew not with two ends, as boots are sewn, but with a single end, as for soft slippers.
again matryona wondered, but again she did not interfere. michael sewed on steadily till noon. then simon rose for dinner, looked around, and saw that michael had made slippers out of the gentleman’s leather.
“ah,” groaned simon, and he thought, “how is it that michael, who has been with me a whole year and never made a mistake before, should do such a dreadful thing? the gentleman ordered high boots, welted, with whole fronts, and michael has made soft slippers with single soles, and has wasted the leather. what am i to say to the gentleman? i can never replace leather such as this.”
and he said to michael, “what are you doing, friend? you have ruined me! you know the gentleman ordered high boots, but see what you have made!”
hardly had he begun to rebuke michael, when “rat-tat” went the iron ring that hung at the door. some one was knocking. they looked out of the window; a man had come on horseback, and was fastening his horse. they opened the door, and the servant who had been with the gentleman came in.
“good day,” said he.
“good day,” replied simon. “what can we do for you?”
“my mistress has sent me about the boots.”
“what about the boots?”
“why, my master no longer needs them. he is dead.”
“is it possible?”
“he did not live to get home after leaving you, but died in the carriage. when we reached home and the servants came to help him alight, he rolled over like a sack. he was dead already, and so stiff that he could hardly be got out of the carriage. my mistress sent me here, saying: ‘tell the bootmaker that the gentleman who ordered boots of him and left the leather for them no longer needs the boots, but that he must quickly make soft slippers for the corpse. wait till they are ready, and bring them back with you.’ that is why i have come.”
michael gathered up the remnants of the leather; rolled them up, took the soft slippers he had made, slapped them together, wiped them down with his apron, and handed them and the roll of leather to the servant, who took them and said: “good-bye, masters, and good day to you!”
