文档介绍：Master and Man1 Master and Man by Leo Tolstoy Trans. Louise and Aylmer MaudeMaster and Man2CHAPTER IIt happened in the 'seventies in winter, on the day after St. Nicholas'sDay. There was a fete in the parish and the innkeeper, Vasili AndreevichBrekhunov, a Second Guild merchant, being a church elder had to go tochurch, and had also to entertain his relatives and friends at when the last of them had gone he at once began to prepare todrive over to see a neighbouring proprietor about a grove which he hadbeen bargaining over for a long time. He was now in a hurry to start, lestbuyers from the town might forestall him in making a profitable youthful landowner was asking ten thousand rubles for the grovesimply because Vasili Andreevich was offering seven thousand. Seventhousand was, however, only a third of its real value. Vasili Andreevichmight perhaps have got it down to his own price, for the woods were in hisdistrict and he had a long-standing agreement with the other villagedealers that no one should run up the price in another's district, but he hadnow learnt that some timber-dealers from town meant to bid for theGoryachkin grove, and he resolved to go at once and get the matter as soon as the feast was over, he took seven hundred rubles from hisstrong box, added to them two thousand three hundred rubles of churchmoney he had in his keeping, so as to make up the sum to three thousand;carefully counted the notes, and having put them into his pocket-bookmade haste to , the only one of Vasili Andreevich's labourers who was notdrunk that day, ran to harness the horse. Nikita, though an habitualdrunkard, was not drunk that day because since the last day before the fast,when he had drunk his coat and leather boots, he had sworn off drink andhad kept his vow for two months, and was still keeping it despite thetemptation of the vodka that had been drunk everywhere during the firsttwo days of the was a