On the loss of his faithful friend, Tchertop-hanov again took to drink, and this time far more seriously. Everything went to the bad with him. He had no money left for sport; the last of his meagre fortune was spent; the last of his few servants ran away. Panteley Eremyitch's became complete: he had no one to speak a word to even, far less to open his heart to. His pride alone had suffered no . On the contrary, the worse his surroundings became, the more and lofty and he was himself. He became a complete in the end. One , one delight, was left him: a superb grey horse, of the Don breed, named by him Malek-Adel, a really wonderful animal.  
This horse came into his possession in this fashion.
 
As he was riding one day through a neighbouring village, Tchertop-hanov heard a crowd of peasants shouting and before a . In the middle of the crowd stalwart arms were continually rising and falling in exactly the same place.
 
'What is happening there?' he asked, in the tone to him, of an old peasant woman who was on the threshold of her hut. Leaning against the doorpost as though , the old woman stared in the direction of the tavern. A white-headed in a print smock, with a cypress-wood cross on his little bare breast, was sitting with little outstretched legs, and little fists between her bast ; a chicken close by was chipping at a stale crust of rye-bread.
 
'The Lord knows, your honour,' answered the old woman. Bending forward, she laid her wrinkled brown hand on the child's head. 'They say our lads are beating a Jew.'
 
'A Jew? What Jew?'
 
'The Lord knows, your honour. A Jew came among us; and where he's come from--who knows? Vassya, come to your mammy, sir; sh, sh, nasty !'
 
The old woman drove away the chicken, while Vassya clung to her petticoat.
 
'So, you see, they're beating him, sir.'
 
'Why beating him? What for?'
 
'I don't know, your honour. No doubt, he deserves it. And, indeed, why not beat him? You know, your honour, he crucified Christ!'
 
Tchertop-hanov uttered a , gave his horse a on the neck with the riding-whip, flew straight towards the crowd, and into it, began with the same riding-whip thrashing the peasants t............