Vassili, annoyed by this guffaw, went out hastily. Malva closed her lips tightly, knitted her brows, and replied to Jakoff—
"Where we are going is not your affair! What is it to you? I advise you not to meddle with other people's business. Do you hear that, my lad?"
And she went off.
"Oh, very well!" cried Jakoff. "Just wait a bit! Ha! ha! ha! I'll show you.... All right!... you're a nice sort of young lady!"
He grumbled on for a few minutes longer, then went off to sleep with a drunken, satisfied smile on his red face.
Vassili stuck three posts into the sand, and tied the tops of them together; over this he threw a mat, and having thus rapidly arranged a shelter, he lay down in the shade, put his hands behind his head, and looked at the sky. When Malva approached and threw herself on the sand at his side, he turned towards her a face full of resentment.
"Well, old man," she asked, laughing, "aren't you more pleased than that at seeing your son?"
"He mocks me ... and why? Because of you ... that's what it means," replied Vassili, gloomily.
"Because of me, indeed?..."
She maliciously feigned astonishment "Why ... of course!"