Malachite Box

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Nastasya, Stepanova's widow, still has a malachite box. With every feminine device. There are rings, earrings and other things according to women's rites. The Mistress of the Copper Mountain herself gave Stepan this box when he was still planning to get married.

Nastasya grew up as an orphan, she was not used to this kind of wealth, and she was quite a fan of fashion. From the first years I lived with Stepan, I wore it, of course, from this box. It just didn't suit her. He’ll put the ring on... It fits exactly, doesn’t pinch, doesn’t slip, but when he goes to church or on a visit somewhere, he gets dirty. Like a chained finger, in the end it will turn blue. He'll hang the earrings - worse than that. It will tighten your ears so much that your lobes will swell. And to take it on your hand is no heavier than those that Nastasya always carried. Busks in six or seven rows only tried them on once. It’s like ice around your neck and they don’t warm up at all. She didn’t show those beads to people at all. It was a shame.

Look, they will say what a queen they have found in Polevoy!

Stepan also did not force his wife to carry from this box. Once he even said:

Nastasya put the box in the very bottom chest, where canvases and other things are kept in reserve.

How Stepan died and the stones in his dead hand It turned out that Nastasya had to show that box to strangers. And the one who knows, who told about Stepanov’s stones, says to Nastasya later, when the people have subsided:

Look, don't waste this box for nothing. It costs more than thousands.

He, this man, was a scientist, also a free man. Previously, he wore smart clothes, but he was removed: he supposedly weakened the people. Well, he didn’t disdain wine. He was also a good tavern plug, so be remembered, the little head is dead. And he is correct in everything. Write a request, wash off a sample, look at the signs - he did everything according to his conscience, not like others, just to rip off half a pint. Anyone and everyone will bring a glass to him as a festive occasion. So he lived at our factory until his death. He ate around the people.

Nastasya heard from her husband that this dandy is correct and smart in business, even though he has a passion for wine. Well, I listened to him.

Okay,” he says, “I’ll save it for a rainy day.” - And she put the box in its old place.

They buried Stepan, the Sorochins saluted with honor. Nastasya is a woman in wealth and wealth, and they began to woo her. And she is a smart woman, she tells everyone one thing:

Even though the golden one is the second, we are still the stepfathers of all the timid children.

Well, we are behind in time.

Stepan left good provision for his family. A clean house, a horse, a cow, complete furnishings. Nastasya is a hard-working woman, the kids are timid, they don’t live very well. They live for a year, they live for two, they live for three. Well, they have become poor after all. How can one woman with young children manage a household? You also have to get a penny somewhere. At least some salt. Relatives are here and let Nastasya sing in her ears:

Sell the box! What do you need it for? What good is it to lie in vain? Everything is one and Tanya won’t wear it when she grows up. There are some things over there! Only bars and merchants can buy. With our belt you won’t be able to wear an eco-friendly seat. And people would give money. Distributions for you.

In a word, they are slandering. And the buyer swooped in like a raven on a bone. All of them are merchants. Some give a hundred rubles, some give two hundred.

We feel sorry for your robbers, and because of your widowhood, we make allowances for you.

Well, they're trying to fool a woman, but they hit the wrong one.

Nastasya remembered well what the old dandy told her, he wouldn’t sell it for such a trifle. It's also a pity. After all, it was a groom’s gift, a husband’s memory. And what’s more, her youngest girl burst into tears and asked:

Mommy, don't sell it! Mommy, don't sell it! It’s better for me to go among the people and save my dad’s memo.

From Stepan, you see, there are only three little kids left. Two boys. They are timid, but this one, as they say, is neither like mother nor father. Even when Stepanova was a little girl, people marveled at this little girl. Not just the girls and women, but also the men said to Stepan:

This one must have fallen out of your hands, Stepan. Who has just been born! She herself is black and fable, and her eyes are green. It’s like she doesn’t look like our girls at all.

Stepan used to joke:

It's no surprise that she's black. My father hid in the ground from an early age. And that the eyes are green is also not surprising. You never know, I stuffed master Turchaninov with malachite. This is the reminder I still have.

So I called this girl Memo. “Come on, my reminder!” And when she happened to buy something, she would always bring something blue or green.

So that little girl grew up in people’s minds. Exactly and in fact, the horsetail fell out of the festive belt - it can be seen far away. And although she was not very fond of strangers, everyone was Tanyushka and Tanyushka. The most envious grandmothers, and they admired. Well, what a beauty! Everyone's nice. One mother sighed:

Beauty is beauty, but not ours. Exactly who replaced the girl for me.

According to Stepan, this girl was killing herself. She was all clean, her face lost weight, only her eyes remained. Mother came up with the idea of giving Tanya that malachite box - let him have some fun. Even if she’s small, she’s still a girl—from a young age, it’s flattering for them to make fun of themselves. Tanya started taking these things apart. And it’s a miracle - the one she tries on, she also fits it. Mother didn’t even know why, but this one knows everything. And he also says:

Mommy, what a good gift daddy gave! The warmth from it, as if you were sitting on a warm bed, and someone was stroking you softly.

Nastasya sewed the patches herself; she remembers how her fingers would become numb, her ears would hurt, and her neck could not get warm. So he thinks: “This is not without reason. Oh, for good reason!” - Yes, hurry up and put the box back in the chest. Only Tanya has since then asked:

Mommy, let me play with my dad’s gift!

When Nastasya gets strict, well, a mother’s heart, she will regret it, take out the box, and only punish:

Don't break anything!

Then, when Tanya grew up, she began to take out the box herself. The mother and the older boys will go to mowing or somewhere else, Tanya will stay behind to do housework. First, of course, he will manage that the mother punished him. Well, wash the cups and spoons, shake off the tablecloth, wave a broom in the hut, give food to the chickens, take a look at the stove. He’ll get everything done as quickly as possible, and for the sake of the box. By that time, only one of the upper chests remained, and even that one had become light. Tanya slides it onto a stool, takes out the box and sorts through the stones, admires it, and tries it on for herself.

Once upon a time a hitnik climbed up to her. Either he buried himself in the fence early in the morning, or then slipped through unnoticed, but none of the neighbors saw him pass along the street. He's an unknown man, but apparently someone brought him up to date and explained the whole procedure.

After Nastasya left, Tanyushka ran around doing a lot of housework and climbed into the hut to play with her father’s pebbles. She put on the headband and hung the earrings. At this time, this hitnik puffed into the hut. Tanya looked around - there was an unfamiliar man on the threshold, with an axe. And the ax is theirs. In the senki, in the corner he stood. Just now Tanya was rearranging him, as if in chalk. Tanya was frightened, she sat frozen, and the man jumped, dropped the ax and grabbed his eyes with both hands, as they burned. Moans and screams:

Oh, fathers, I'm blind! Oh, blind! - and he rubs his eyes.

Tanya sees that something is wrong with the man and begins to ask:

How did you come to us, uncle, why did you take the ax?

And he groans and rubs his eyes. Tanya took pity on him - she scooped up a ladle of water and wanted to serve it, but the man just shied away with his back to the door.

Oh, don't come near! - So he sat in the senki and blocked the doors so that Tanya wouldn’t inadvertently jump out. Yes, she found a way - she ran out through the window and to her neighbors. Well, here we come. They began to ask what kind of person, in what case? He blinked a little and explained that the person passing by wanted to ask for a favor, but something happened to his eyes.

Like the sun hit. I thought I would go completely blind. From the heat, perhaps.

Tanya didn’t tell her neighbors about the ax and the stones. They think:

“It’s a waste of time. Maybe she herself forgot to lock the gate, so a passer-by came in, and then something happened to him. You never know."

Still, they didn’t let the passerby go until Nastasya. When she and her sons arrived, this man told her what he had told his neighbors. Nastasya sees that everything is safe, she did not get involved. That man left, and so did the neighbors.

Then Tanya told her mother how it happened. Then Nastasya realized that he had come for the box, but apparently it was not easy to take it. And she thinks:

“We still need to protect her more tightly.”

She took it quietly from Tanya and the others and buried that box in the golbets.

All the family left again. Tanya missed the box, but there was one. It seemed bitter to Tanya, but then suddenly she felt a warmth. What is this thing? Where? I looked around, and there was light coming from under the floor. Tanya was scared - was it a fire? I looked into the golbets, there was light in one corner. She grabbed a bucket and wanted to splash it, but there was no fire and there was no smell of smoke. I dug around in that place and saw a box. I opened it, and the stones became even more beautiful. So they burn with different lights, and the light from them is like in the sun. Tanya didn’t even drag the box into the hut. Here in the golbtse I played my fill.

This is how it has been since then. The mother thinks: “Well, she hid it well, no one knows,” and the daughter, like housekeeping, snatches an hour to play with her father’s expensive gift. Nastasya didn’t even let her family know about the sale.

It will fit around the world - then I’ll sell it.

Even though it was tough for her, she strengthened herself. So they struggled for a few more years, then things got better. The older boys began to earn little, and Tanya did not sit idle. Listen, she learned how to sew with silks and beads. And so I learned that the best master craftswomen clapped their hands - where does she get the patterns, where does she get the silk?

And it also happened by chance. A woman comes to them. She was short, dark-haired, about Nastasya’s age, and sharp-eyed, and, apparently, she was snooping around like that, just hold on. On the back there is a canvas bag, in the hand there is a bird cherry bag, it looks like a wanderer. Asks Nastasya:

Couldn't you, mistress, have a day or two to rest? They don’t carry their legs, and they can’t walk close.

At first Nastasya wondered if she had been sent for the box again, but then she finally let her go.

I don't mind the space. If you don’t lie there, go and take it with you. Only this piece is an orphan one. In the morning - onion with kvass, in the evening kvass with onions, everything and change. You are not afraid of becoming thin, so you are welcome to live as long as you need to.

And the wanderer has already put her bag down, put her knapsack on the stove and takes off her shoes. Nastasya didn’t like this, but kept silent.

“Look, you ignorant one! We didn’t have time to greet her, but she finally took off her shoes and untied her knapsack.”

The woman unfastened her purse and beckoned Tanya to her with her finger:

Come, child, look at my handiwork. If he takes a look, I’ll teach you... Apparently, you’ll have a keen eye for it!

Tanya came up, and the woman handed her a small fly, the ends sewn with silk. And such and such, hey, a hot pattern on that fly that just became lighter and warmer in the hut.

Tanya's eyes glared, and the woman chuckled.

Look, my daughter, do you know what my handicraft is? Do you want me to learn it?

I want, he says.

Nastasya got so angry:

And forget to think! There’s nothing to buy salt with, but you came up with the idea of sewing with silks! Supplies, go figure, cost money.

Don’t worry about that, mistress,” says the wanderer. - If my daughter has an idea, she will have supplies. For your bread and salt I’ll leave it to her - it’ll last for a long time. And then you will see for yourself. They pay money for our skill. We don’t give away our work for nothing. We have a piece.

Here Nastasya had to give in.

If you spare enough supplies, you won’t learn anything. Let him learn as long as the concept is enough. I'll thank you.

This woman started teaching Tanya. Tanya quickly took over everything, as if she knew it before. Yes, here's another thing. Tanya was not only unkind to strangers, but to her own people, but she just clings to this woman and clings to her. Nastasya looked askance:

“I found myself a new family. She won’t approach her mother, but she’s stuck to a tramp!”

And she still teases her, keeps calling Tanya “child” and “daughter”, but never mentions her baptized name. Tanya sees that her mother is offended, but cannot restrain herself. Before that, hey, I trusted this woman because I told her about the box!

“We have,” he says, “we have a dear memento of my father—a malachite box.” That's where the stones are! I could look at them forever.

Will you show me, daughter? - asks the woman.

Tanya didn’t even think that something was wrong.

“I’ll show you,” he says, “when none of the family is home.”

After such an hour, Tanyushka turned around and called that woman to the cabbage. Tanya took out the box and showed it, and the woman looked at it a little and said:

Put it on yourself and you will see better.

Well, Tanya, - not the right word - began to put it on, and she, you know, praised it.

Okay, daughter, okay! It just needs to be corrected a little.

She came closer and started poking the stones with her finger. The one that touches will light up differently. Tanya can see other things, but not others. After this the woman says:

Stand up, daughter, straight up.

Tanya stood up, and the woman began to slowly stroke her hair and her back. She ironed everything, and she herself instructs:

I'll make you turn around, so don't look back at me. Look ahead, take note of what will happen, and don’t say anything. Well, turn around!

Tanya turned around - in front of her was a room the likes of which she had never seen. It's not the church, it's not like that. The ceilings are high on pillars made of pure malachite. The walls are also lined with malachite the height of a man, and a malachite pattern runs along the upper cornice. Standing right in front of Tanya, as if in the mirror, is a beauty the likes of which they only talk about in fairy tales. Hair like night and eyes green. And she is all decorated with expensive stones, and her dress is made of green velvet with iridescence. And so this dress is made, just like the queens in the pictures. What does it hold on to? Out of shame, our factory workers would burn to death to wear something like that in public, but this green-eyed girl stands calmly, as if that’s the way it should be. There are a lot of people in that room. They are dressed like a lord, and everyone is wearing gold and merit. Some have it hung on the front, some have it sewn on the back, and some have it on all sides. Apparently, the highest authorities. And their women are right there. Also bare-armed, bare-breasted, hung with stones. But where do they care about the green-eyed one! None hold a candle.

In a row with the green-eyed one is some kind of fair-haired guy. Eyes slanted, ears stumpy, like eating a hare. And the clothes he’s wearing are mind-blowing. This one didn’t think the gold was enough, so he, listen, put stones on his weapon. Yes, so strong that maybe in ten years they will find one like him. You can immediately see that this is a breeder. That green-eyed hare is babbling, but she at least raised an eyebrow, as if he were not there at all.

Tanya looks at this lady, marvels at her, and only then notices:

After all, there are stones on it! - Tanya said, and nothing happened.

And the woman chuckles:

I didn’t notice, daughter! Don't worry, you'll see in time.

Tanya, of course, asks - where is this room?

And this, he says, is the royal palace. The same chamber that is decorated with local malachite. Your late father mined it.

Who is this in her dad’s headdress and what kind of hare is she with?

Well, I won’t say that, you’ll soon find out for yourself.

On the same day that Nastasya came home, this woman began to get ready for the journey. She bowed low to the hostess, handed Tanya a bundle of silks and beads, then took out a small button. Either it is made of glass, or it is made of foolscap with a simple edge. He gives it to Tanya and says:

Accept, my daughter, a reminder from me. Like you forget something at work or hard case it will do, look at this button. Here you will have the answer.

She said so and left. They only saw her.

From that time on, Tanya became a craftswoman, and as she grew older, she looked like a bride. The factory guys have calloused their eyes about Nastasya’s windows, and they are afraid to approach Tanya. You see, she’s unkind, gloomy, and where would a free woman marry a serf? Who wants to put on a noose?

In the manor's house they also inquired about Tanya because of her skill. They began to send people to her. A younger and nicer footman will be dressed like a gentleman, given a watch with a chain and sent to Tanya, as if on some business. They wonder if the girl will have her sights set on this fellow. Then you can turn it back. It still didn't make any sense. Tanya will say that it’s on business, and other conversations of that lackey will be ignored. If he gets bored, he will make some mockery:

Go, my dear, go! They're waiting. They're afraid that your watch might wear out and your grip might loosen. See, without the habit, how you call them.

Well, these words are like boiling water for a dog to a footman or other servant of the lord. He runs as if scalded, snorting to himself:

Is this a girl? Stone statue, green-eyed! Will we find one!

He snorts like that, but he himself is overwhelmed. The one who will be sent cannot forget Tanyushka’s beauty. Like someone who is bewitched, he is drawn to that place - even to pass by, to look out the window. On holidays, almost all the factory bachelors have business on that street. The path has been paved right by the windows, but Tanya doesn’t even look.

The neighbors began to reproach Nastasya:

Why is it that Tatyana behaved so highly? She doesn’t have girlfriends and doesn’t want to look at guys. The Tsarevich-Krolevich is waiting for Christ's bride, is everything going well?

Nastasya just sighs at these submissions:

Oh, ladies, I don’t even know. And so I had a wise girl, and this passing witch completely tormented her. You start talking to her, and she stares at her magic button - and remains silent. She should have thrown away that damned button, but in fact it’s good for her. How to change the silk or something, it looks like a button. She told me too, but apparently my eyes have become dull, I can’t see. I would beat the girl, yes, you see, she’s a gold digger among us. Consider, it is only her work that we live. I think and think so and so, and I’ll roar. Well, then she will say: “Mommy, I know that there is no destiny for me here. I don’t greet anyone and don’t go to games. What's the point of driving people into depression? And while I’m sitting under the window, my work requires it. Why are you coming at me? What bad thing have I done? So answer her!

Well, life started to go well after all. Tanya’s handicraft has become fashionable. It’s not like in the al factory in our city, they learned about it in other places, they send orders and pay a lot of money. A good man can earn so much money. Only then did trouble befall them - a fire broke out. And it happened at night. The drive, the delivery, the horse, the cow, all kinds of gear - everything burned down. They were left with nothing but what they jumped out in. However, Nastasya snatched the box in time. The next day he says:

Apparently, the end has come - I will have to sell the box.

Sell it, mommy. Just don't sell it short.

Tanya glanced furtively at the button, and there the green-eyed one loomed - let them sell it. Tanya felt bitter, but what can you do? All the same, this green-eyed girl’s father’s memo will go away. She sighed and said:

Sell like that. - And I didn’t even look at those stones goodbye. And that’s to say - they took shelter with neighbors, where to lay out.

They came up with this idea - to sell it, but the merchants were right there. Who, perhaps, set up the arson himself in order to take possession of the box. Also, the little people are like nails, they’ll get scratched! They see that the kids have grown up and give more. Five hundred there, seven hundred, one reached a thousand. There's a lot of money in the plant, you can use it to get some. Well, Nastasya still asked for two thousand. So they go to her and dress up. They throw it on little by little, but they hide from each other, they cannot come to an agreement among themselves. Look, a piece of this - no one wants to give up. While they were walking like this, a new clerk arrived at Polevaya.

When they - clerks - sit for a long time, and in those years they had some kind of transfer. The stuffy goat that was with Stepan was dismissed by the old gentleman on Krylatovskoe for the stench. Then there was Fried Butt. The workers put him on a blank. Here Severyan the Killer stepped in. This again the Mistress of the Copper Mountain threw into the empty rock. There were two or three more there, and then this one arrived.

They say he was from foreign lands, he seemed to speak all sorts of languages, but worse in Russian. He strictly reprimanded one thing - flog. From above, like that, with a stretch - a couple. No matter what shortage they talk to him about, one thing screams: paro! They called him Parotey.

In fact, this Parotya was not very thin. Although he shouted, he didn’t rush people to the fire department. The scoundrels there didn't even care. The people sighed a little at this Parot.

Here, you see, there’s something wrong. By that time the old master had become completely frail, he could barely move his legs. He came up with the idea of marrying his son to some countess or something. Well, this young master had a mistress, and he had great affection for her. How should things be? It's still awkward. What will the new matchmakers say? So the old master began to persuade that woman - his son’s mistress - to marry the musician. This musician served with the master. He taught the little boys, through music, foreign conversation, as it was conducted according to their position.

Why, - he says, - you can live on bad fame, get married. I’ll give you a dowry and send your husband as a clerk to Polevaya. The matter is directed there, let only the people be stricter. That's enough, I guess it's no use even if you're a musician. And you will live better than the best with him in Polevoy. The first person, one might say, will be. Honor to you, respect from everyone. What's bad?

The butterfly turned out to be a conspiracy. Either she was in a quarrel with the young master, or she was playing tricks.

“I’ve had a dream about this for a long time,” he says, “but didn’t dare say it.”

Well, the musician, of course, was reluctant at first:

I don’t want to - she has a very bad reputation, like a slut.

Only the master is a cunning old man. No wonder he built factories. He quickly ruined this musician. He intimidated them with something, or flattered them, or gave them something to drink - that was their business, but soon the wedding was celebrated, and the newlyweds went to Polevaya. So Parotya appeared in our plant. He only lived for a short time, and so - what can I say in vain - he is not a harmful person. Then, when one and a half Khari took over from his factory workers, they felt so sorry for even this Parotya.

Parotya arrived with his wife just at the time when the merchants were courting Nastasya. Baba Parotina was also prominent. White and ruddy - in a word, a lover. Probably the master wouldn't have taken it. I guess I chose it too! This Parotin’s wife heard that the box was being sold. “Let me see,” he thinks, “I’ll see if it’s really worthwhile.” She quickly got dressed and rolled up to Nastasya. Factory horses are always ready for them!

Well,” he says, “dear, show me what kind of stones you sell?”

Nastasya took out the box and showed it. Baba Parotina’s eyes began to dart. Listen, she was brought up in Sam-Petersburg, she had been to various foreign countries with the young master, she had a lot of sense in these outfits. “What is this,” he thinks, “this? The queen herself does not have such decorations, but here it is - in Polevoy, among the fire victims! As long as the purchase doesn’t fall through.”

How much, he asks, are you asking?

Nastasya says:

I'd like to take two thousand.

The lady dressed herself up for appearance, and said:

Well, honey, get ready! Let's go to me with the box. There you will get the money in full.

Nastasya, however, did not give in to this.

“We don’t have such a custom,” he says, “for bread to follow the belly.” If you bring the money, the box is yours.

The lady sees what a woman she is, she’s eagerly running after the money, and she herself punishes:

Don't sell the box, honey.

Nastasya answers:

This be in hope. I won’t go back on my word. I’ll wait until evening, and then it’s my will.

Parotin’s wife left, and the merchants all came running at once. They were watching, you see. They ask:

“I sold it,” Nastasya answers.

For how long?

In two, as prescribed.

What, they shout, have you made up your mind or what? You give it into the hands of others, but deny it to your own! - And let's raise the price.

Well, Nastasya didn’t take the bait.

“This,” he says, “is something you’re accustomed to spinning around in words, but I haven’t had the chance.” I reassured the woman and the conversation was over!

Parotina's woman turned around very quickly. She brought the money, passed it from hand to hand, picked up the box and went home. Just on the threshold, and Tanya is coming towards you. She, you see, went somewhere, and all this sale happened without her. He sees some lady with a box. Tanya stared at her - they say, she’s not the one she saw then. And Parotin’s wife stared even more than that.

What kind of obsession? Whose is this? - asks.

“People call me daughter,” Nastasya answers. - The very same heir to the box you bought. I wouldn’t sell it if the end didn’t come. From a young age I loved to play with these dresses. He plays and praises them - they make them feel warm and good. What can we say about this! What's in the cart is gone!

It’s wrong, dear, to think so,” says Baba Parotina. - I’ll find a place for these stones. - And he thinks to himself: “It’s good that this green-eyed one doesn’t feel her strength. If someone like this showed up in Sam-Petersburg, she would turn the kings around. It must be - my fool Turchaninov didn’t see her.”

With that we parted ways.

Parotya’s wife, when she arrived home, boasted:

Now, dear friend, I’m not forced by you or the Turchaninovs. Just a little - goodbye! I’ll go to Sam-Petersburg or, better yet, abroad, sell the box and buy two dozen men like you, if the need arises.

She boasted, but she still wants to show off her new purchase. Well, what a woman! She ran to the mirror and first of all attached the headband. - Oh, oh, what is it! - I have no patience - he twists and pulls his hair. I barely got out. And he’s itching. I put on the earrings and almost tore my earlobes. She put her finger in the ring - it was chained, she could barely pull it off with soap. The husband chuckles: this is obviously not the way to wear it!

And she thinks: “What is this thing? We need to go to the city and show it to the master. He’ll fit it just right, as long as he doesn’t replace the stones.”

No sooner said than done. The next day she drove off in the morning. It's not far from the factory troika. I found out who the most reliable master is - and went to him. The master is very old, but he is good at his work. He looked at the box and asked who it was bought from. The lady said that she knew. The master looked at the box again, but didn’t even look at the stones.

“I won’t take it,” he says, “let’s do whatever you want.” This is not the work of the masters here. We can't compete with them.

The lady, of course, did not understand what the squiggle was, she snorted and ran to the other masters. Only everyone agreed: they will look at the box, admire it, but they don’t look at the stones and flatly refuse to work. The lady then resorted to tricks and said that she brought this box from Sam-Petersburg. They did everything there. Well, the master for whom she wove this just laughed.

“I know,” he says, “where the box was made, and I’ve heard a lot about the master.” All of us can't compete with him. The master fits one for one, it won’t suit another, whatever you want to do.

The lady didn’t understand everything here either, all she understood was that something was wrong, the masters were afraid of someone. I remembered that the old housewife said that her daughter loved to put these dresses on herself.

“Wasn’t it the green-eyed one they were chasing after? What a problem!”

Then he translates again in his mind:

“What do I care! I’ll sell it to any rich fool. Let him toil, and I’ll have the money!” With this I left for Polevaya.

I arrived, and there was news: we received the news - the old master ordered us to live long. He pulled a trick on Paroteya, but death outwitted him - it took him and hit him. He never managed to get his son married, and now he has become the complete master. After a short time, Parotin’s wife received a letter. So and so, my dear, I’ll come along the spring water to show myself at the factories and take you away, and we’ll caulk your musician somewhere. Parotya somehow found out about this and started a fuss. It's a shame, you see, for him in front of the people. After all, he’s a clerk, and then look, his wife is taken away. I started drinking heavily. With employees, of course. They are happy to try for nothing. Once upon a time we feasted. One of these drinkers and boast:

A beauty grew up in our factory; you won’t soon find another like it.

Parotya asks:

Whose is this? Where does he live?

Well, they told him and mentioned the box - it was in this family that your wife bought the box.

Parotya says:

I'd like to take a look.

And the drinkers found something to eat:

Let's go now and see if they installed the new hut properly. The family, even if they are free, live on factory land. If something happens, you can press it.

Two or three went with this Parotei. They brought the chain, let’s measure it to see if Nastasya had stabbed herself in someone else’s estate, if the tops were coming out between the pillars. They are looking for, in a word. Then they go into the hut, and Tanya was just alone. Parotya looked at her and was lost for words. Well, I have never seen such beauty in any land. He stands there like a fool, and she sits there, keeping quiet, as if it’s none of her business. Then Parotya walked away a little and began asking:

What are you doing?

Tanya says:

I sew to order, and I showed my work.

“Can I place an order,” says Parotya?

Why not, if we agree on the price.

“Can you,” Parotya asks again, “embroider my pattern with silk?”

Tanya slowly looked at the button, and there the green-eyed woman gave her a sign - take the order! - and points a finger at himself. Tanya answers:

I won’t have my own pattern, but I have a woman in mind, wearing expensive stones and wearing a queen’s dress, I can embroider this one. But such work will not be cheap.

“Don’t worry about this,” he says, “I’ll pay even a hundred, even two hundred rubles, as long as there is a similarity with you.”

“In the face,” he answers, “there will be similarities, but the clothes are different.”

We got dressed for a hundred rubles. Tanya set a deadline - in a month. Only Parotya, no, no, will run in as if to find out about the order, but he himself has the wrong thing in mind. He’s also frowned upon, but Tanya doesn’t notice at all. He will say two or three words, and that’s the whole conversation. Parotin’s drinkers began to laugh at him:

It won't break off here. You shouldn't be shaking your boots!

Well, Tanya embroidered that pattern. Parotya looks - wow, my God! but this is she, adorned with clothes and stones! Of course, he gives me three hundred-dollar tickets, but Tanya didn’t take two.

“We’re not used to accepting gifts,” he says. We feed on labor.

Parotya ran home, admired the pattern, and kept it secret from his wife. He began to feast less, and began to delve into the factory business a little bit.

In the spring, a young gentleman came to the factories. I drove to Polevaya. The people were rounded up, a prayer service was served, and then the bell ringers began to ring in the manor’s house. Two barrels of wine were also rolled out to the people - to remember the old master and congratulate the new master. That means the seed has been done. All the Turchanin masters were experts at this. As soon as you fill the master’s glass with a dozen of your own, it will seem like God knows what kind of holiday, but in reality it will turn out that you’ve washed your last penny and it’s completely useless. The next day people went to work, and there was another feast in the master's house. And so it went. They’ll sleep as long as they can and then go on a party again. Well, there, they ride boats, ride horses into the forest, play music, you never know. And Parotya is drunk all the time. The master purposely placed the most dashing roosters with him - pump him up to capacity! Well, they try to serve the new master.

Even though Parotya is drunk, he senses where things are headed. He feels awkward in front of guests. He says at the table, in front of everyone:

It doesn’t matter to me that master Turchaninov wants to take my wife away from me. May you be lucky! I don't need one like that. That's who I have! - Yes, and he takes that silk patch out of his pocket. Everyone gasped, but Baba Parotina couldn’t even close her mouth. The master, too, had his eyes fixed on him. He became curious.

Who is she? - asks.

Parotya, you know, laughs:

The table is full of gold - and I won’t say that!

Well, what can you say if the factory workers immediately recognized Tanya? One tries in front of the other - they explain to the master. Parotina woman with arms and legs:

What do you! What do you! Make such nonsense! Where did a factory girl get such a dress and expensive stones? And this husband brought the pattern from abroad. He showed it to me before the wedding. Now, from drunken eyes, you never know what will happen. Soon he won’t remember himself. Look all swollen!

Parotya sees that his wife is not very nice, so he starts blabbering:

You are Stramina, Stramina! Why are you weaving braids, throwing sand in the master’s eyes! What pattern did I show you? Here they sewed it for me. The same girl they're talking about over there. About the dress - I won't lie - I don't know. You can wear whatever dress you want. And they had stones. Now you have them locked in your closet. I bought them myself for two thousand, but I couldn’t wear them. Apparently, the Cherkassy saddle does not suit the cow. The whole factory knows about the purchase!

As soon as the master heard about the stones, he immediately:

Come on, show me!

He was, I hear, a little smart, a little extravagant. In a word, heir. He had a strong passion for stones. He had nothing to show off - as they say, neither his height nor his voice - just stones. Wherever he hears about a good stone, he can buy it now. And he knew a lot about stones, even though he wasn’t very smart.

Baba Parotina sees that there is nothing to do, she brought the box. The master looked and immediately:

How many?

It boomed completely unheard of. Master dress up. Halfway through they agreed, and the master signed the loan paper: you see, he didn’t have any money with him. The master put the box in front of him on the table and said:

Call this girl we're talking about.

They ran for Tanya. She didn’t mind, she went straight away, thinking how big the order was. She comes into the room, and it’s full of people, and in the middle is the same hare that she saw then. In front of this hare is a box - a gift from his father. Tanya immediately recognized the master and asked:

Why did they call you?

The master cannot say a word. I stared at her, and that was all. Then I finally found a conversation:

Your stones?

“They were ours, now they’re theirs,” and she pointed to Parotina’s wife.

“Mine now,” the master boasted.

This is up to you.

Do you want me to give it back?

There is nothing to give.

Well, can you try them on yourself? I would like to see how these stones look on a person.

“This,” Tanya answers, “is possible.”

She took the box, dismantled the decorations - the usual thing - and quickly put them in place. The master looks and just gasps. Oh yes oh, no more words. Tanya stood in her attire and asked:

Have you looked? Will? It’s not easy for me to stand here - I have work.

The master is here in front of everyone and says:

Marry me. Agree?

Tanya just grinned:

It would be inappropriate for a master to say such a thing. - She took off her clothes and left. Only the master does not lag behind. The next day he came to make a match. He asks and prays to Nastasya: give up your daughter for me.

Nastasya says:

I don’t take away her will, as she wants, but in my opinion it doesn’t fit.

Tanya listened and listened, and then said:

That's it, that's it... I heard that in the royal palace there is a chamber lined with malachite from the booty. Now, if you show me the queen in this chamber, then I will marry you.

The master, of course, agrees to everything. Now he’s starting to get ready for Sam-Petersburg and is calling Tanya with him - he says, I’ll give you the horses. And Tanya answers:

According to our ritual, the bride does not ride to the wedding on the groom’s horses, and we are still nothing. Then we’ll talk about it once you’ve fulfilled your promise.

When, he asks, will you be in Sam-Petersburg?

“I will certainly go to the Intercession,” he says. Don’t worry about it, but for now, leave here.

The master left, of course he didn’t take Parotina’s wife, he doesn’t even look at her. As soon as I came home to Sam-Petersburg, let’s spread the word all over the city about the stones and about my bride. I showed the box to many people. Well, the bride was very curious to see. For the fall, the master prepared an apartment for Tanya, brought all sorts of dresses, shoes, and she sent the news - here she lives with such and such a widow on the very outskirts.

The master, of course, is going there right away:

What do you! Is it a good idea to live here? The apartment is ready, first grade!

And Tanya answers:

I'm fine here.

The rumor about the stones and Turchaninov’s bride reached the queen. She says:

Let Turchaninov show me his bride. There are a lot of lies about her.

Master to Tanyushka, they say, we need to get ready. Sew an outfit so that you can wear stones from a malachite box into the palace. Tanya answers:

It’s not your sadness about the outfit, but I’ll take the stones to keep. Don't even think about sending horses after me. I'll use mine. Just wait for me at the porch, in the palace.

The master thinks, where did she get the horses? where is the palace dress? - but still didn’t dare ask.

So they began to gather for the palace. Everyone rides up on horses, wearing silks and velvets. Turchaninov the master hangs around the porch early in the morning - waiting for his bride. Others are also curious to look at her - they stopped immediately. And Tanya put on her stones, tied herself with a scarf in the factory style, threw on her fur coat and walked quietly. Well, people - where did this come from? - the shaft is falling behind her. Tanyushka approached the palace, but the royal lackeys did not let her in - it was not allowed, they say, because of the factory workers. Turchaninov the master saw Tanyushka from afar, but he was ashamed in front of his own people that his bride was on foot, and even in such a fur coat, he took it and hid. Tanya then opened her fur coat, the footmen looked - what a dress! The queen doesn't have that! - they let me in right away.

And when Tanya took off her scarf and fur coat, everyone around gasped:

Whose is this? Which lands is the queen?

And master Turchaninov is right there.

My bride,” he says.

Tanya looked at him sternly:

We'll see about that! Why did you deceive me - you didn’t wait at the porch?

Master back and forth - it was a mistake. Excuse me please.

They went to the royal chambers, where they were ordered. Tanya looks - it’s not the right place. Turchaninova asked the master even more sternly:

What kind of deception is this? It was told to you that in that chamber, which is lined with malachite from woodwork! - And she walked through the palace, just like at home. And senators, generals and others follow her.

What, they say, is this? Apparently, it was ordered there.

There were a ton of people, and everyone couldn’t take their eyes off Tanya, but she stood right next to the malachite wall and waited. Turchaninov, of course, is right there. He mutters to her that something is wrong, the queen did not order her to wait in this room. And Tanya stands calmly, even if she raised an eyebrow, as if the master was not there at all.

The queen went out into the room where she was assigned. He looks - there is no one. The Tsarina’s earphones bring it home - Turchaninov’s bride took everyone to the malachite chamber. The queen grumbled, of course, - what kind of self-will! She stamped her feet. She got a little angry, that is. The queen comes to the malachite chamber. Everyone bows to her, but Tanya stands there and doesn’t move.

The queen shouts:

Come on, show me this unauthorized bride - Turchaninov’s bride!

Tanya heard this, her eyebrows furrowed, and she said to the master:

This is something else I came up with! I told the queen to show me, and you arranged to show me to her. Cheating again! I don't want to see you anymore! Get your stones!

With this word she leaned against the malachite wall and melted. All that remains is that the stones sparkle on the wall, as if stuck to the places where the head, neck, and arms were.

Everyone, of course, was scared, and the queen fell unconscious on the floor. They started fussing and started lifting. Then, when the commotion subsided, the friends said to Turchaninov:

Pick up some stones! They'll steal it quickly. Not just any place - a palace! They know the price here!

Turchaninov and let's grab those stones. The one he grabs will curl up into a droplet. Sometimes the drop is pure, like a tear, sometimes it’s yellow, and sometimes it’s thick, like blood. So I didn’t collect anything. He looks and sees a button lying on the floor. From bottle glass, on a simple edge. Not a big deal at all. Out of grief, he grabbed her. I just took it in my hand, and in this button, as in large mirror, a green-eyed beauty in a malachite dress, all decorated with expensive stones, bursts into laughter:

Eh, you crazy slanting hare? Should you take me? Are you my match?

After that, the master lost his last mind, but did not throw away the button. No, no, and he looks at her, and there everything is the same: the green-eyed one is standing there, laughing and saying offensive words. Out of grief, the master let's copy, he got into debt, almost under him our factories were not sold under the hammer.

And Parotya, when he was suspended, went to the taverns. I drank to the point of drinking, and the patret is that silken shore. No one knows where this pattern went afterwards.

Parotin’s wife didn’t profit either; Go ahead, get the loan paper, if all the iron and copper are pledged!

From that time on, there was no word or breath about Tanya in our plant. How it wasn't.

Nastasya grieved, of course, but not too much either. Tanya, you see, at least she was a caretaker for the family, but Nastasya is still like a stranger.

And that is to say, Nastasya’s boys had grown up by that time. Both got married. The grandchildren have gone. There were a lot of people in the hut. Know, turn around - look after this one, give it to someone else... It's getting boring here!

The bachelor did not forget longer. He kept trampling under Nastasya’s windows. They waited to see if Tanya would appear at the window, but they never did.

Then, of course, they got married, but no, no, they remember:

That's what a girl we had at the factory! You won't see another one like this in your life.

Moreover, after this incident, a note came out. They said that the Mistress of the Copper Mountain began to double: people saw two girls in malachite dresses at once.

Listen to the fairy tale online:

Nastasya grew up as an orphan, she was not used to this kind of wealth, and she was quite a fan of fashion. From the first years I lived with Stepan, I wore it, of course, from this box. It just didn't suit her. He’ll put the ring on... It fits exactly, doesn’t pinch, doesn’t slip, but when he goes to church or on a visit somewhere, he gets dirty. Like a chained finger, in the end it will turn blue. He'll hang his earrings - worse than that. It will tighten your ears so much that your lobes will swell. And to take it on your hand is no heavier than those that Nastasya always carried. Busks in six or seven rows only tried them on once. It’s like ice around your neck and they don’t warm up at all. She didn’t show those beads to people at all. It was a shame.

Look, they will say what a queen they have found in Polevoy!

Stepan also did not force his wife to carry from this box. Once he even said:

Nastasya put the box in the very bottom chest, where canvases and other things are kept in reserve.

When Stepan died and the stones ended up in his dead hand, Nastasya had to show that box to strangers. And the one who knows, who told about Stepanov’s stones, says to Nastasya later, when the people have subsided:

Look, don't waste this box for nothing. It costs more than thousands.

Nastasya heard from her husband that this dandy is correct and smart in business, even though he has a passion for wine. Well, I listened to him.

Okay,” he says, “I’ll save it for a rainy day.” - And she put the box in its old place.

They buried Stepan, the Sorochins saluted with honor. Nastasya is a woman in wealth and wealth, and they began to woo her. And she is a smart woman, she tells everyone one thing:

Even though the golden one is the second, we are still the stepfathers of all the timid children.

Well, we are behind in time.

In a word, they are slandering. And the buyer swooped in like a raven on a bone. All of them are merchants. Some give a hundred rubles, some give two hundred.

We feel sorry for your robbers, and because of your widowhood, we make allowances for you.

Well, they're trying to fool a woman, but they hit the wrong one.

Mommy, don't sell it! Mommy, don't sell it! It’s better for me to go among the people and save my dad’s memo.

This one must have fallen out of your hands, Stepan. Who has just been born! She herself is black and fable, and her eyes are green. It’s like she doesn’t look like our girls at all.

Stepan used to joke:

So I called this girl Memo. “Come on, my reminder!” And when she happened to buy something, she would always bring something blue or green.

Beauty is beauty, but not ours. Exactly who replaced the girl for me.

Mommy, what a good gift daddy gave! The warmth from it, as if you were sitting on a warm bed, and someone was stroking you softly.

Mommy, let me play with my dad’s gift!

When Nastasya gets strict, well, a mother’s heart, she will regret it, take out the box, and only punish:

Don't break anything!

Oh, fathers, I'm blind! Oh, blind! - and he rubs his eyes.

Tanya sees that something is wrong with the man and begins to ask:

How did you come to us, uncle, why did you take the ax?

And he groans and rubs his eyes. Tanya took pity on him - she scooped up a ladle of water and wanted to serve it, but the man just shied away with his back to the door.

Like the sun hit. I thought I would go completely blind. From the heat, perhaps.

Tanya didn’t tell her neighbors about the ax and the stones. They think:

“It’s a waste of time. Maybe she herself forgot to lock the gate, so a passer-by came in, and then something happened to him. You never know."

Then Tanya told her mother how it happened. Then Nastasya realized that he had come for the box, but apparently it was not easy to take it. And she thinks:

“We still need to protect her more tightly.”

She took it quietly from Tanya and the others and buried that box in the golbets.

It will fit around the world - then I’ll sell it.

Couldn't you, mistress, have a day or two to rest? They don’t carry their legs, and they can’t walk close.

At first Nastasya wondered if she had been sent for the box again, but then she finally let her go.

And the wanderer has already put her bag down, put her knapsack on the stove and takes off her shoes. Nastasya didn’t like this, but kept silent.

“Look, you ignorant one! We didn’t have time to greet her, but she finally took off her shoes and untied her knapsack.”

The woman unfastened her purse and beckoned Tanya to her with her finger:

Come, child, look at my handiwork. If he takes a look, I’ll teach you... Apparently, you’ll have a keen eye for it!

Tanya came up, and the woman handed her a small fly, the ends sewn with silk. And such and such, hey, a hot pattern on that fly that just became lighter and warmer in the hut.

Tanya's eyes glared, and the woman chuckled.

Look, my daughter, do you know what my handicraft is? Do you want me to learn it?

I want, he says.

Nastasya got so angry:

And forget to think! There’s nothing to buy salt with, but you came up with the idea of sewing with silks! Supplies, go figure, cost money.

Here Nastasya had to give in.

If you spare enough supplies, you won’t learn anything. Let him learn as long as the concept is enough. I'll thank you.

“I found myself a new family. She won’t approach her mother, but she’s stuck to a tramp!”

“We have,” he says, “we have a dear memento of my father—a malachite box.” That's where the stones are! I could look at them forever.

Will you show me, daughter? - asks the woman.

Tanya didn’t even think that something was wrong.

“I’ll show you,” he says, “when none of the family is home.”

After such an hour, Tanyushka turned around and called that woman to the cabbage. Tanya took out the box and showed it, and the woman looked at it a little and said:

Put it on yourself and you will see better.

Well, Tanya, - not the right word - began to put it on, and she, you know, praised it.

Okay, daughter, okay! It just needs to be corrected a little.

She came closer and started poking the stones with her finger. The one that touches will light up differently. Tanya can see other things, but not others. After this the woman says:

Stand up, daughter, straight up.

Tanya stood up, and the woman began to slowly stroke her hair and her back. She ironed everything, and she herself instructs:

I'll make you turn around, so don't look back at me. Look ahead, take note of what will happen, and don’t say anything. Well, turn around!

Tanya looks at this lady, marvels at her, and only then notices:

After all, there are stones on it! - Tanya said, and nothing happened.

And the woman chuckles:

I didn’t notice, daughter! Don't worry, you'll see in time.

Tanya, of course, asks - where is this room?

And this, he says, is the royal palace. The same chamber that is decorated with local malachite. Your late father mined it.

Who is this in her dad’s headdress and what kind of hare is she with?

Well, I won’t say that, you’ll soon find out for yourself.

Accept, my daughter, a reminder from me. Whenever you forget something at work or a difficult situation comes up, look at this button. Here you will have the answer.