‘We were bargaining for one beyond the river the other day and they would not take sixty rubles for it, though it is a Nogay horse.’

‘Will you come and be my drabant?’ (A drabant was a kind of orderly attached to an officer when campaigning.) ‘I’ll get it arranged and will give you a horse,’ said Olenin suddenly. ‘Really now, I have two and I don’t want both.’

‘How — don’t want it?’ Lukashka said, laughing. ‘Why should you make me a present?

We’ll get on by ourselves by God’s help.’

‘No, really! Or don’t you want to be a drabant?’ said Olenin, glad that it had entered his head to give a