And, according to information, it has
been shown that he, the accursed Grishka, has fled to the
Lithuanian frontier."
OFFICER. (To MISSAIL.) How can it be anyone but you?
GREGORY. "And the tsar has commanded to arrest him--"
OFFICER. And to hang!
GREGORY. It does not say here "to hang."
OFFICER. Thou liest. What is meant is not always put into
writing. Read: to arrest and to hang.
GREGORY. "And to hang. And the age of the thief
Grishka" (looking at VARLAAM) "about fifty, and his
height medium; he has a bald head, grey beard, fat
belly."
(All glance at VARLAAM.)
1ST OFFICER, My lads! Here is Grishka! Hold him!
Bind him! I never thought to catch him so quickly.
VARLAAM. (Snatching the paper.) Hands off, my lads!
What sort of a Grishka am I? What! Fifty years old,
grey beard, fat belly! No, brother. You're too young
to play off tricks on me. I have not read for a long time
and I make it out badly, but I shall manage to make it
out, as it's a hanging matter. (Spells it out.) "And his
age twenty." Why, brother, where does it say fifty?--
Do you see--twenty?
2ND OFFICER. Yes, I remember, twenty; even so it was
told us.
1ST OFFICER. (To GREGORY.) Then, evidently, you like a
joke, brother.
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