enough without that. He decided it would be better to look at Death in his final moment, before his soul went flying out of his body.
And what he saw then was wonderful, miraculous: Death picking up the jug with the leftover milk and smashing it down on the bandit’s head.
The Prince was startled. He let go of Senka and sank to the floor. Holding his head in his hands, with blood and milk running through his fingers.
Death shouted: ‘Don’t just stand there! Run.’
And she pushed the shirt she hadn’t finished darning into his hand.
But Senka didn’t run. Someone else, like a second Senka, said from inside him: ‘You come with me. He’ll kill you.’
‘He won’t kill me,’ she answered, and so calmly that Senka believed her straight away.
The Prince turned his face towards Senka. His eyes were murky and wild. He jumped to his feet with a jerk, then staggered and clutched at the table – he hadn’t properly recovered his wits and his legs wouldn’t hold him. But he managed to wheeze out: ‘I’ll find you, if I have to turn Moscow upside down. Even underground, I’ll find you. I’ll rip your sinews out with my teeth!’
He was so terrifying Senka just screamed out loud. He shot off as fast as his legs would carry him, tumbled off the porch arse over tip, then dashed this way and that, wondering which way to run.
The second Senka, the one buried farther down, proved cleverer and stronger than the first. Go where the Prince told you to go, it said, go underground. He just hoped he wouldn’t have to emigrate from Moscow. The Prince would never calm down now until he’d done for the poor orphan.
And if that was how it was looking, he’d better put some money away.
He paid another visit to the treasure vault. And he took a fair lot this time, five rods. He’d decided not to haggle with the jeweller and let him have them for a thousand each. Ashot Ashotovich was welcome to his good fortune.
Only Samshitov never got the chance to relish Senka’s generosity.
When Senka came out on to Maroseika Street, he saw two constables in front of the jewellery shop and inside – he could see through the display window – there was a whole crowd of blue uniforms.
Oh blimey! Ashot Ashotovich had traded his last rod of government silver. Someone must have squealed on him. Or maybe Judge Kuvshinnikov was even sharper than he seemed. He’d found out which of the numismatists had picked up Yauza rods and enquired who they bought them from –just like that.
But then, that wasn’t so terrible, was it? Senka hadn’t given the judge his address. And apart from Senka, no one knew where the treasure was.
The coppers might as well try to catch the wind.
Ah, but no! He’d told the Armenian about Madam Borisenko’s boarding house. Big nose would give him away, he was bound to!
Senka didn’t hang about making himself obvious in the wrong place. He ran to get a cab.
He had to move out of the boarding house before he was nabbed.
The outlines had emerged of a tendency towards a deterioration in the conditions of Senka’s existence, or, to put it simply, things were totally loused up: the Prince was on his tail, so were the police, and there was no one to sell the rods to, but Senka was feeling so cock-a-hoop that he couldn’t care less.
The hoofs clip-clopped along the road, the horse twitched its tail, the headwind ruffled the final traces of ‘mon ange’ from his hair and, in spite of everything, life was wonderful. Senka bobbed along on the seat of the cab, feeling perfectly content.
Maybe not for long, only a few moments, but he had been Death’s lover, and almost for real.
HOW SENKA’S TONGUE
WAS LOOSENED
That very evening Senka changed his lodgings. He was going to say goodbye to George, but his teacher had gone off for a wander. And so Senka left English-fashion, like a perfect swine. The only one to see him off to the cab was Madam Borisenko, who had transferred part of her fond feelings for Masa to his pupil. She asked, dismayed: ‘And will Masaul Mitsuevich not be calling any more?’
‘He’ll turn up tomorrow morning for certain,’ Senka promised. He still hadn’t decided whether he was going to let the Japanese know about his change of address. Tell him that Semyon Spidorov said thank you for the trouble he took and wishes him the very best