'Why take proceedings?' chimed in the others.
'As to the Jew, we'll take it out of him another day! He won't escape us! We shall be on the look-out for him.'
Tchertop-hanov pulled his moustaches, snorted, and went home at a walking pace, accompanied by the Jew, whom he had delivered from his persecutors just as he had once delivered Tihon Nedopyuskin.
IV
A few days later the one groom who was left to Tchertop-hanov announced that someone had come on horseback and wanted to speak to him. Tchertop-hanov went out on to the steps and recognised the Jew, riding a splendid horse of the Don breed, which stood proud and motionless in the middle of the courtyard. The Jew was bareheaded; he held his cap under his arm, and had thrust his feet into the stirrup-straps, not into the stirrups themselves; the ragged skirts of his long coat hung down on both sides of the saddle. On seeing Tchertop-hanov, he gave a smack with his lips, and ducked down with a twitch of the elbows and a bend of the legs. Tchertop-hanov, however, not only failed to respond to his greeting, but was even enraged by it; he was all on fire in a minute: a scurvy Jew dare to ride a magnificent horse like that!... It was positively indecent!
'Hi, you Ethiopian fright!' he shouted; 'get off at once, if you don't want to be flung off into the mud!'
The Jew promptly obeyed, rolled off the horse like a sack, and keeping hold of the rein with one hand, he approached Tchertop-hanov, smiling and bowing.
'What do you want?' Panteley Eremyitch inquired with dignity.
'Your ex-shelency, deign to look what a horse!' said the Jew, never ceasing to bow for an instant.
'Er... well... the horse is all right. Where did you get it from? Stole it, I suppose?'