6. A Very Rich Merchant
Antipka was too confused to think properly, and wandered back home in silence. As he stood by the stove, cooking a saucepan full of beetroot and cream soup, he tried to sort out his problems.
“Things seem to have gone wrong,” he murmured to himself. “First of all, my wife obviously hasn’t lost her bad temper during the night, and now I’ve let a hobgoblin escape into town. Who knows what harm he might do?” And he sighed and stirred his soup.
When he was going to bed he said to himself, “It would be better if I solved one problem at a time, I think. I shall leave my wife down the hole for another day in the hope that she will become quieter, and tomorrow I shall go into town to catch the wicked hobgoblin, if I can.” Then he blew out the candles.
The next morning, after throwing some more food down the hole, Antipka set off for town with his coil of rope.
It was midday as he walked down the main street and all the townsfolk were indoors. All except one, a very rich merchant, who was sitting on the steps of his great mansion with his head in his hands.
“Oh dear,” he sighed, as Antipka drew near. Out of politeness Antipka went up to him and bowed respectfully.
“Good morning, sir,” he said. “You seem to be very unhappy. Is there anything I can do to help?”
“Good morning, young man,” replied the rich merchant in a tired voice. “It is very kind of you to offer, but I’m afraid that no one can help me. Sit down next to me and I’ll tell you my troubles.”
So Antipka sat down on the grand flight of steps and listened to the merchant’s story.
“I am a merchant,” he began, “and a very rich one too, I might add. Until yesterday I had everything I could want, a loving wife, a beautiful and good-natured daughter, this fine house, plenty of servants; in fact, all the comforts of life.
And then suddenly, yesterday morning, my sweetdaughter, who was never known a day’s illness in her life, felt pins and needles in her left leg. Of course, I sent at once for the greatest pins and needles doctor in Russia, but not only was he unable to cure her, she started to hiccough while he was trying.
Naturally, I called the finest hiccoughs doctor in the land, but by the time he had arrived she had begun to sneeze as well.
And so it went on all day: first, pins and needles, the hiccoughs, then sneezing, then tummy-ache and finally she came out all over in purple spots. Her room in now full of doctors and not one of them can do anything to cure her. Oh, dear,” and then the merchant put his head in his hands again.
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