A SUMMER ON THE YENESEI 173 



side complained bitterly about the conduct of the 

 officials, who would sometimes deposit goods a hundred 

 versts from their destination rather than trouble them- 

 selves to put in shore for a second time, she carried 

 most of the Yenesei fish cargoes. 



The arrival of the Lena caused a great stir in the 

 Prokopchuk household, due to the unexpected appear- 

 ance of a younger Miss Prokopchuk. This girl was 

 evidently of stronger stuff than poor subdued Marusia, 

 for during the previous summer she had told her father 

 roundly that she would no longer stay at home to see 

 her aunt usurp the place of her mother, and had gone 

 to Krasnoyarsk to educate herself. Now she had come 

 to Golchika for a month to pay a farewell visit before 

 travelling to Europe. She was evidently the favourite 

 child of Gerasim Androvitch — perhaps in his case 

 absence made the heart grow fonder. We surmised 

 that she read him a lecture on the way in which he 

 was consoling himself during his " grass-widowhood," 

 and told him that unless her aunt was sent away 

 immediately she would not remain in the house for a 

 day. It had been arranged that Anastasia Ivanowna 

 should go to Krasnoyarsk in the Lena, in order to buy 

 the winter stores. She, however, dreaded lest her 

 strong-minded young niece would destroy her own 

 influence over Gerasim Androvitch ; and at the last 

 minute she declined to start unless the girl accom- 

 panied her. On the evening before the steamer re- 

 turned, we went to pay a farewell call. We found 

 Gerasim Androvitch in a more or less inebriated con- 

 dition, while the rest of the household wore that air 



