He happened to go into a watchman's hut in the forest to get a drink of water. The watchman had been his father's huntsman. Eugene Ivanich chatted with him, and the watchman began telling some strange tales of hunting sprees. It occurred to Eugene Ivanich that it would be convenient to arrange matters in this hut, or in the wood. Only he did not know how to manage it, and whether old Daniel would undertake the arrangement. "Perhaps he will be horrified at such a proposal; and I shall have disgraced myself, but perhaps he would agree to it quite simply." So he thought while listening to Daniel's stories. Daniel was telling how once when they had been stopping at the hut of the sexton's wife in an outlying field, he had brought a woman for Fëdor Zakharich Pryanishnikov.
"It will be all right," thought Eugene.
"Your father, may the kingdom of heaven be his, did not go in for nonsense of that kind."
"It won't do," thought Eugene. But to test the matter he said: "How was it you engaged on such bad things?"
"But what is there bad in it? She was glad of it, and Fëdor Zakharich was satisfied, very satisfied. I got a ruble. Why, what was he to do? He too is a lively limb, apparently, and drinks wine."
"Yes, I may speak," thought Eugene, and at once proceeded to do so.
"And, do you know, Daniel, I don't know how to endure it,"—he felt himself going scarlet.
Daniel smiled.
"I am not a monk,—I have been accustomed to it."
He felt that what he was saying was stupid, but was glad to see that Daniel approved.