The superintendent struggled with him, but Aksenof would say nothing more.
So they never knew who had dug the hole.
The next night, when Aksenof lay down in his bunk and had hardly closed his eyes, he became conscious that some one came near him and sat down at his feet. He looked into the dark and recognized Makar. Aksenof spoke first:
“What more do you want from me? What are you up to now?”
Makar Semenof remained silent. Aksenof raised himself and said:
“What is it you want? Begone! Or else I’ll call a soldier.”
Makar Semenof bent over close to Aksenof and said in a whisper:
“Ivan Dmitrievich, forgive me!”
Aksenof said, “Forgive you for what?”
“It was I who killed the merchant, and it was I who slipped the knife into your sack. I wished to kill you too, but there was a noise outdoors, and so I slipped the knife in and crawled out through the window.”