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Danila is a master of a klutz or an incompetent. What was the name of Danila the master from Bazhov's tale in childhood? The clerk is surprised at the skill of the guy

Pavel Petrovich Bazhov is a famous Russian and Soviet writer. He was born in 1879 in the family of a mining foreman. Mines and factories surrounded the future writer from childhood. His youth was associated with the partisan struggle for Soviet power in eastern Kazakhstan (Ust-Kamenogorsk, Semipalatinsk). In the early 1920s, the future writer returned to the Urals, where he began to write down local folklore. Bazhov became famous for his stories, the first of which was published in 1936.

Origins of the Malachite Box

Pavel Petrovich heard ancient Ural legends from the watchman Vasily Khmelinin. It happened at the end of the 19th century, the future writer was still a teenager. Narratives told about mining, the dangers that lay in wait for the miners, the beauty of the bowels and rare stones.

Ancient legends struck the young man's imagination. Thirty years later, he returned to his native places and began to write down the legends that the old people told. Based on the plot motifs of folklore legends, Bazhov created magnificent works. The writer called them Ural tales. Later they were released as a separate collection called "Malachite Box".

main characters

Many children know the fairy tales "Mistress of the Copper Mountain", "Stone Flower", "Mining Master". These works are realistic. They describe in detail the life of the Ural mining workers. The images of Stepan, Nastasya, Danila the Master, Katya and other characters are developed with deep psychological authenticity. However, fantastic creatures also act in the stories:

Malachitnitsa, or the Mistress of the Copper Mountain.
Great Poloz.
Blue snake.
Earth cat.
Silver hoof.
Grandma Blue.
Jumping fireball.

The writer tries to convey not only the true life, but also the lively speech of his characters. The prototypes of the characters were people whom Bazhov had known since childhood. Many of them were considered legendary personalities of their time. Their names have immortalized folk legends.

Real characters

The prototype of the narrator Grandfather Slyshko is the watchman Vasily Khmelinin, who introduced the young Bazhov to the Ural legends. The writer knew the former factory worker very well. The watchman sprinkled his speech with the word "hear-to." Hence the nickname.

The prototype of the gentleman, who periodically came to the mines, was the famous businessman Alexei Turchaninov, who lived during the time of Empresses Elizabeth Petrovna and Catherine the Great. It was he who owned the idea of artistic processing of malachite, which Bazhov talks about in his works.

The famous Russian master Zverev became the prototype of Danila. He was a miner - the so-called specialists in the extraction of precious and semi-precious stones. Danila Zverev, like the literary character inspired by him, was distinguished by poor health. For thinness and small stature, he was called Lightweight. Danila the master Bazhov also has a nickname - Nedokormysh.

Mistress of the Copper Mountain

No less interesting are the fantastic characters of the Ural tales. One of them is the Mistress of the Copper Mountain. Under the appearance of a beautiful black-haired woman in a green dress with a malachite pattern, a powerful sorceress hides. She is the guardian of the Ural Mountains and mines. Malachite helps real professionals and creative people. She freed Stepan from the chains, presented his bride Nastya and daughter Tanya, taught Danila the secrets of craftsmanship.

The Mistress of the Copper Mountain takes care of her wards and protects them from evil people. She turned the cruel clerk Severyan into a block of stone. The powerful sorceress is also shown by the author as an ordinary woman - noble, loving and suffering. She becomes attached to Stepan, but lets him go to the bride.

Veliky Poloz, Babka Sinyushka and Fire-Rider

Bazhov's "Stone Flower" is filled with fantastic images. One of them is the Great Poloz. He is the owner of all the gold in the area. The image of a mighty serpent is in the myths and legends of many peoples. In the Ural tales, the daughters of the Great Poloz, the Copperhead, also appear.

Grandmother Sinyushka is a character with numerous origins. She is a "relative" of Baba Yaga from Slavic folklore. Sinyushka is a character standing on the verge of the real and otherworldly worlds. She appears before the human hero in two guises - as a young beauty and as an old woman in blue clothes. There is a similar character in the legends of the Mansi people, who inhabited the Urals in the old days. Grandmother Sinyushka is an important figure in local folklore. Its appearance is associated with swamp gas, which miners observed from afar. The mysterious blue haze awakened the imagination, causing the appearance of a new folklore character.

Bazhov's "Stone Flower" is associated with anthropomorphic fantastic images. One of them is the Leaping Fireball. This character looks like a cheerful little girl. She dances in the place where there are deposits of gold. The galloping fireball appears before the miners unexpectedly. Her dance delights those present. Researchers associate this image with the Golden Baba, an ancient Mansi deity.

Silver Hoof, Blue Snake, and Earthcat

In addition to fantastic heroes who have a human appearance, there are animal characters in the Ural tales. For example, the Silver Hoof. This is the name of one of Bazhov's fairy tales. The silver hoof is a magic goat. He knocks gems out of the ground. He has one silver hoof. With it, he beats the ground, from which emeralds and rubies jump out.

"The Stone Flower" by Bazhov is one of the stories in the collection "Malachite Box". Parents often read the fairy tale "The Blue Snake" to their children. At its center is a fantastic character, capable of both bestowing a gift on a good person and punishing a villain. The Blue Snake has gold dust on one side and black dust on the other. Where a person ends up, so will his life go. A blue snake with gold dust marks a deposit of a precious metal that is close to the surface.

Another fantastic character of the Ural tales is the Earth cat. It is connected with the ancient Slavic legend about secret treasures. The cat guarded them. In Bazhov, this character helps the girl Dunyakha find her way. The cat walks underground. Only her glowing ears are seen by people above the surface. The real prototype of the image are sulfur dioxide emissions. They often take the form of a triangle. The sparkling sulphurous gas reminded the prospectors of cat's ears.

Rooted in their native land

"Stone Flower" Bazhov is included in the collection "Malachite Box", published in 1939. This is a story adapted for children's perception. The collection includes the best works of the writer. The characters of many fairy tales are related. For example, Tanya from The Malachite Box is the daughter of Stepan and Nastya (the heroes of the Mistress of the Copper Mountain). And the character of the “Fragile Twig” Mityunka is the son of Danila and Katya (“Stone Flower”, “Mining Master”). It is easy to imagine that all the heroes of the Ural tales are neighbors living in the same village. However, their prototypes are clearly from different eras.

"Stone Flower" is a unique work. His characters are so colorful that they have become objects of creative processing more than once. They have beauty and truth. The heroes of Bazhov are simple, sincere people who keep in touch with their native land. In the Ural tales there are signs of a particular historical era. This is manifested in the description of household utensils, dishes, as well as methods of stone processing, typical for a particular time. The readers are also attracted by the colorful speech of the characters, interspersed with characteristic words and affectionate nicknames.

Creativity and beauty

"Stone Flower" is not only a storehouse of folk characters and bright fantastic images. The heroes of the Ural tales are generous and noble people. Their intentions are pure. And for this, as always happens in fairy tales, they receive a reward - wealth, family happiness and the respect of others.

Many of Bazhov's positive heroes are creative people. They know how to appreciate beauty and strive for perfection. A striking example is Danila the master. His admiration for the beauty of the stone led to an attempt to create a work of art - a bowl in the shape of a flower. But the master was dissatisfied with his work. After all, there was no miracle of God's creation in it - a real flower, from which the heart stops and aspires upward. In search of perfection, Danila went to the Mistress of the Copper Mountain.

P. P. Bazhov talks about this. The "Stone Flower", a summary of which schoolchildren need to know, has become the basis for a creative understanding of labor. But Danila is ready to forget his skill, to which he made many sacrifices, for the sake of happiness with his beloved Katya.

An experienced craftsman and his young apprentice

The tale "Stone Flower" begins with a description of the old master Prokopych. A great expert in his field, he turned out to be a bad teacher. The boys, who, on the orders of the master, were brought to Prokopich by the clerk, were beaten and punished by the master. But the result could not be achieved. Perhaps he didn't want to. The writer is silent about the reasons for this. Prokopyich returned the next student to the clerk. All the boys, according to the old master, were unable to comprehend the craft.

P. P. Bazhov writes about the intricacies of working with malachite. "Stone Flower", a summary of which is presented in the article, is directly related to the intricacies of stone-cutting work. This craft was considered unhealthy by the people because of the malachite dust.

And so they brought Danilka Nedokormysh to Prokopyich. He was a prominent boy. Tall and good looking. Yes, but very thin. That's why they called him the Underdog. Danila was an orphan. First, he was assigned to the lord's quarters. But a servant did not come out of Danila. He often stared at beautiful things - paintings or jewelry. And as if he did not hear the master's orders. Due to poor health, he did not become a miner either.

The hero of Bazhov's tale "Stone Flower" Danila was distinguished by a strange feature. He could look at some object for a long time, for example, a blade of grass. He also had a lot of patience. The clerk noticed this when the guy silently endured the blows of the whip. Therefore, Danilka was sent to study with Prokopych.

Young master and the pursuit of excellence

The boy's talent showed up immediately. The old master became attached to the boy, treated him like a son. Over time, Danila got stronger, became strong and healthy. Prokopyich taught him everything he knew how to do.

Pavel Bazhov, The Stone Flower and its contents are well known in Russia. The turning point in the story comes at the moment when Danila finished his studies and became a real master. He lived in prosperity and peace, but he did not feel happy. Everyone wanted to reflect the real beauty of the stone in the product. Once an old malachite told Danil about a flower that is in the garden of the Mistress of the Copper Mountain. Since then, the guy had no peace, even the love of Katya's bride did not please. So he wanted to see a flower.

Once Danila was looking for a suitable stone in the mine. And suddenly the Mistress of the Copper Mountain appeared to him. Began to ask her boyfriend to show a wonderful stone flower. She didn't want to give up. When Danila saw beautiful stone trees in a magical garden, he realized that he was unable to create anything like this. The master is sad. And then he completely left home on the eve of the wedding. Couldn't find him.

What happened next?

Bazhov's story "The Stone Flower" ends with an open ending. Nobody knew what happened to the guy. We find the continuation of the story in the story "The Mining Master". Danilov's fiancee Katya never got married. She moved into Prokopych's hut and began to look after the old man. Katya decided to learn a craft so that she could earn money. When the old master died, the girl began to live alone in his house and sell malachite crafts. She found a wonderful stone at the Serpent Mine. And there was the entrance to the Copper Mountain. And one day she saw Malachite. Katya felt that Danila was alive. And she demanded the return of the groom. It turned out that Danila then ran to the sorceress. He could not live without miraculous beauty. But now Danila asked the Mistress to let him go. The sorceress agreed. Danila and Katya returned to the village and began to live happily ever after.

Moral of the tale

Children are very interested in reading Bazhov's tales. "Stone Flower" is a talented work. A mighty power (Mistress of the Copper Mountain) rewarded the gifted master and his faithful bride. The gossip of fellow villagers, gossip and malice did not interfere with their happiness. The writer recreated a real folk tradition. It has a place for good magic power and pure human feelings. The idea of the work is difficult for children's perception. It is difficult for a child to understand why and how beauty can take possession of the human heart.

But still, every schoolchild should be introduced to an author like Bazhov. "Stone Flower" - what does this book teach? The story has a moral. Kind, sincere and true to their ideals people, despite their mistakes, will be rewarded. This will be taken care of by the forces of nature, which our ancestors humanized in legends. Bazhov is the only famous writer of Soviet Russia who artistically processed the Ural legends. They are associated with mines, mines, combustible gases, the hard work of serfs, and wonderful jewels that can be extracted directly from the earth.

Danila's obsession

Bazhov writes about this. "Stone Flower", the main idea of which is devotion to the family and vocation, tells in a simple and understandable language about the great human values. But what about the idea of the destructive power of beauty? Can students understand it? Perhaps Danila's obsessive thoughts about the stone flower are caused by the witchcraft of the Mistress of the Copper Mountain. But dissatisfaction with his own work appeared before meeting the sorceress.

An analysis of Bazhov's "Stone Flower" does not allow us to answer this question unambiguously. You can interpret the problem in different ways. Much will depend on the age of the child. It is better to focus on the positive qualities of the main characters. The pedagogical value of the work is very great. And the intricate plot, intrigue and the "to be continued" technique will help to attract the attention of the child.

Ural tales at one time received many positive reviews and positive feedback. "Stone Flower", Bazhov - these words should be familiar to every student.

Good evening, dear readers of the Sprint-Answer website. In this article you can find out the correct answer to the tenth question in the TV game "Who want to be a millionaire?" January 6, 2018. This was a repeat of the November 19, 2016 issue. Marat Basharov and Anastasia Volochkova took part in the game. On the site you can find all the answers to questions in this game.

What was the name of Danila the master from Bazhov's tale in childhood?

Pavel Petrovich Bazhov (January 15 (27), 1879, Sysert - December 3, 1950, Moscow) - Russian and Soviet revolutionary, writer, folklorist, essayist, journalist. Gained fame as the author of the Ural tales.

“Malachite Box” (“Ural Tales”) is a collection of tales by Pavel Bazhov, an example of literary processed “working folklore” of the Urals.

"Stone Flower"
Danila, who was called Nedokormysh in the village, was apprenticed to the master Prokofich. Once he received an order from the clerk: to make a chiseled bowl with legs for the master according to a special drawing. The bowl turned out to be even, smooth, but Danila was dissatisfied: “Here is the worst flower, and looking at it, the heart rejoices. Well, who will please the cup? Then he heard that Malachite had a stone flower in his domain, and he lost his peace.

A: undergrowth
B: klutz
C: Sad sack
D: Underfeeder

The correct answer to the tenth question is: Underfeeder, it should be noted that the players took two clues when answering this question.

Katya - Danilov's bride - remained unmarried. Two or three years have passed since Danilo got lost - she completely left the bride's time. For twenty years, in our opinion, in a factory way, an overage is considered. Guys like that rarely woo, widowers more. Well, this Katya, apparently, was handsome, all suitors climb to her, and she only has words:

- Danila was promised.

She is persuaded:

- What can you do! Promised but didn't come out. Now there is nothing to mention about it. Long ago a man bend.

Katya stands her ground:

- Danila was promised. Maybe he will come again.

They interpret it:

- He is not alive. True business.

And she rested on her:

“No one has seen him dead, and for me he is even more so alive.

They see that the girl is not in herself, they fell behind. Others began to raise a laugh: they called her the dead bride. It stuck to her. Katya Mertvyakova and Katya Mertvyakova, there was no other nickname.

Then some kind of plague on people happened, and Katya's old people both died. She has a great family. Three married brothers and some married sisters. A quarrel between them came out - who should remain in his father's place. Katya sees - stupidity has gone, and says:

- I'll go to Danilushkov's hut to live. Prokopyich has become old at all. At least I look like him. Brothers and sisters to persuade, of course:

“That doesn't fit, sister. Prokopyich is an old man, but you never know what they can say about you.

“For me,” he replies, “what? I won't be a gossip. Prokopyich, come on, I'm not a stranger. Adoptive father to my Daniel. I will call him auntie.

So she left. It’s something to say: the family didn’t fit tightly. They thought to themselves: extra from the family - less noise. And what about Prokopich? He liked it.

- Thank you, - says, - Katenka, that she remembered me.

And so they began to live. Prokopyich sits at the machine, and Katya runs around the house - in the garden there, to cook, cook and bake. The household is small, of course, for two ... Katya is a nimble girl, how long will it take her! At first things went smoothly for them, but Prokopych got worse and worse. Sitting for a day, lying for two. Wasted, old became. Katya was thinking about how they would continue to live.

“You can’t feed on women’s needlework, but I don’t know any other craft.”

Here he says to Prokopych:

- Auntie! You could at least teach me something simpler.

Prokopich even became funny.

— What are you! Is it a girl's business to sit behind malachite! Never heard of such a thing.

Well, she still began to look closely at Prokopichev's craft. Helped him wherever possible. Saw there, grind. Prokopyich began to show her something else. Not that real. Grind the plaque, make handles for fork-knives and make what was in use. It’s trifling, of course, the case, cheap, and all the breakups on occasion.

Prokopich did not live long. Then the brothers and sisters began to force Katya:

“Now you have to get married.” How will you live alone?

Katya cut them off:

Not your sadness. I don't need your fiancé. Danilushko will come. Learn in grief and come.

Brothers and sisters wave their hands at her:

Are you sane, Katherine? It's a sin to say such a thing! A man has long died, and she is waiting for him! Look, it will become more blasphemous (imagining. - Ed.).

“I’m not afraid,” he answers, “of that.

Then the parents ask:

- How are you going to live?

“Don’t worry about that,” he replies. I'll stay alone.

The brothers and sisters understood that Prokopych had some money left, and again for their own:

- Here comes the fool! If you have money, you definitely need a peasant in the house. The hour is not even - someone will hunt for money. They will turn your head off like a chicken. I only saw the light.

“How much,” he answers, “is allotted to me, so much I will see.

The brothers and sisters made noise for a long time. Who screams, who persuades, who cries, and Katya nailed her:

- I'll stay alone. You don't need any fiancé. I have for a long time.

Of course, the relatives were angry:

“In case, don’t show your eyes to us!”

“Thank you,” he answers, “dear brothers, dear sisters!” I will remember. Don't forget yourself - walk past!

Laughing, that is. Well, relatives and doors slam.

Katya was left alone. She cried, of course, at first, then she said:

- You're lying! I won't give in!

She wiped her tears and took care of the housework. Wash and scrape - cleanliness. Managed - and immediately sat down to the machine. Here, too, began to restore order. What she does not need, then away, and what is constantly required, then at hand. I put things in order and wanted to sit down to work:

“I’ll try to grind at least one plaque myself.”

Enough, but there is no suitable stone. The fragments of Danilushka's dope cup remained, but Katya took care of them. They were tied in a special knot. And Prokopych stone, of course, was a lot. Only Prokopyich sat at big jobs until his death. Well, the stone is big. Fragments and pieces all crept up - spent on small crafts. Here Katya thinks:

“It is necessary, apparently, to go to the mine dumps to look. Will a suitable pebble fall?

From Danila, and from Prokopyich, she heard that they took from the Snake Hill. That's where she went.

On Gumeshki, of course, there are always people: who disassembles the ore, who carries it. They look at Katya - where did she go with the basket. Katya is unhappy that they stare at her in vain. She didn’t even look on the dumps from this side, she walked around the hill. And the forest grew there. So Katya climbed through this forest to the very Snake Hill, and then she sat down. She felt bitter - she remembered Danilushka. He sits on a stone, and tears run. There are no people, the forest is all around - she does not guard. So tears fall to the ground. She cried, looking - at the very foot of the malachite stone was designated, only it sits all in the ground. How will you take it, if there are no pickles, no scrap? Katya still moved his hand. It seemed that the stone did not sit firmly. Here she is, let's rake the earth from the stone with a twig. She raked as much as possible, began to wobble. The stone gave way. As it crackled from below, the twig broke off evenly. The stone is small, like a tile. Three fingers thick, a palm wide, and no more than two-quarters long. Katya was even surprised.

“Just according to my thoughts. I'll cut it, so how many plaques will come out. And losses are nothing.

She brought the stone home and immediately started sawing. The work is not fast, and Katya still needs to manage at home. You see, all day at work, and there is no time to be bored. As soon as you sit down at the machine, everyone will remember Danilushka:

- He would have looked, what kind of new master showed up here. He is sitting in his Prokopich's place!

There were, of course, stalkers. How could it be without it ... At night, for some kind of holiday, Katya stayed up at work, and three guys climbed over to her fence. They wanted to scare Ali and something else - their business, only they were all drunk. Katya is shuffling with a saw and does not hear that there are people in her senki. I heard when they began to break into the hut:

“Open up, dead bride!” Receive live guests!

Katya first persuaded them:

- Get out, guys!

Well, it's nothing to them. They break on the door, and look - they will tear it off. Then Katya threw off the hook, threw open the doors and shouted:

- Come on, no. Whom to smack first?

The guys are looking, and she is with an ax.

“You,” they say, “no jokes!”

- What - answers - jokes! Who is beyond the threshold, and on the forehead.

The guys are even drunk, but they see - it's a serious matter. The girl is of age, the shoulder is steep, the eye is determined, and the ax, you see, has been in her hands. They didn't dare to enter. They made some noise, made some noise, got out and even told about it themselves. They began to tease the guys that the three of them had run away from one girl. They didn’t like it, of course, they wove that Katya was not alone, but a dead man stood behind her.

- Yes, so terrible that you will run away involuntarily.

They believed the guys - they didn’t believe it, but since then the people have gone:

- It's not clean in this house. No wonder she lives alone.

This reached Katya, but she did not become sad. I also thought: “Let them weave. It's better for me if they become afraid. Another time, you see, they won’t climb. ”

The neighbors are even surprised that Katya is sitting at the machine. They made her laugh:

- I took up the peasant craft! What will she get!

This Katya had to be saltier. She herself thought: “Will I succeed with one?” Well, all the same, she controlled herself: “Bazaar goods! Do you need a lot? If only it was smooth… Can’t I even master that?”

Katya sawed a stone. He sees that the pattern fit extremely well, and as planned, in which place to saw off across. Katya marveled at how cleverly everything was done. I divided it in a ready way, I began to grind. It's not a particularly tricky thing, but you can't do it without a habit either. Toiled at first, then learned. No matter where the plaques went, there was no loss at all. Only in the throw, which was necessary for the line.

Katya made plaques, once again wondered what kind of exit pebble it turned out to be, and began to figure out where to sell the craft. Prokopyich used to take such trifles to the city and there he rented everything to one shop. Katya heard about this shop many times. So she decided to go to the city.

“I’ll ask there if they will accept my craft in advance.”

She closed the hut and went on foot. In Polevaya they did not notice that she had gone into the city. Katya found out where the owner was, who had taken crafts from Prokopyich, and showed up straight into the shop. Looks - it's full of all kinds of stone, and malachite plaques are a whole closet behind glass. There are a lot of people in the shop. Who buys, who sells crafts. The owner is strict and important.

Katya at first was afraid to approach, then she dared and asked:

- Do not need malachite plaques?

The owner pointed to the cupboard with his finger:

“Don’t you see how good I have this?

The masters who handed over the work sing to him:

- A lot of none on this handicraft of masters divorced. Only the stone is translated. They do not understand that a good pattern is required for a plaque.

One of the masters from the field. He says to the owner slowly:

- This girl is stupid. They saw her neighbors behind the machine. Here you go, I got it.

The owner then says:

- Well, show me what you came with? Katya gave him a plaque. The owner looked, then stared at Katya and said:

- From whom did you steal?

Katya, of course, it seemed insulting. She spoke differently:

- What is your right, not knowing a person, to talk about him like that? Look here, if you're not blind! Who can steal so many plaques for one pattern? Come on, tell me! - and poured the whole craft onto the counter.

The owner and masters see - that's right, one pattern. And the pattern is rare. As if a tree protrudes from the middle, and a bird sits on a branch and a bird is also below. Clearly visible and done cleanly.

The buyers heard this conversation, they also rushed to have a look, only the owner immediately covered all the plaques. Found a spare.

- You can't see a lot. Now I'm going to put them under glass. Then choose what you like. - And Katya himself says: - Go through that door. Now you will receive money.

Katya went, and the owner followed her. He closed the door and asked:

- Why are you giving up?

Katya heard prices from Prokopich. So she said, and the owner let's laugh:

- What are you! .. What are you! That was the price I paid to a certain Prokopyich, a field craftsman, and even to his adopted son, Danilo. Yes, they were masters!

“I,” he answers, “I heard from them. I will be from the same family.

- Wow! the owner was surprised. “So it’s obvious that you still have Danilov’s work?”

“No,” he replies, “my

“Maybe the stone was left of him?”

- And she mined the stone herself.

The owner, you see, does not believe, but only did not begin to dress up. He paid honestly and even says:

- Forward it will happen to do this, carry it. I will accept without fail and put the real price.

Katya left, rejoices - how much money she received! And the owner put those plaques under glass. Buyers ran:

- How?

He, of course, was not mistaken - he appointed ten times against what he bought, and he slanders:

“There has never been such a pattern. Polevsky master Danila work. Better not to do it. Katya came home, and she herself marvels:

- What a thing! Best of all my plaques were! Got a good stone. The case, apparently, was a happy one. - Then she missed: - Isn't it Danilushko who gave me the news?

I thought so, curled up and ran to the Snake Hill.

And that malachite who wanted to embarrass Katya in front of the city merchant also returned home. He is envious that Katya has such a rare pattern. He came up with:

“We need to see where she gets the stone.” Isn't it a new place that Prokopyich or Danilo pointed out to her?

He saw that Katya ran somewhere, and he followed her. She sees that she bypassed Goumeshki and went somewhere behind the Snake Hill. The master goes there, and he himself thinks: “There is a forest. I’ll sneak through the forest to the very hole. ”

We went into the forest. Katya is not at all guarded, does not look around, does not listen. The master rejoices that he will get a new place so easily. Suddenly, something rustled on the sidelines, so much so that the master was even frightened. Has stopped. What's happened? While he was sorting it out like that, Katya was gone. He ran and ran through the woods. I barely made it to the Seversky Pond - maybe two versts from Gumeshki.

Katya did not know what she was being watched for. I climbed up the hill, to the very place where I took the first pebble. The hole seemed to have become larger, and the same pebble is again visible on the side. Katya shook him, and he lagged behind. Again, like a knot, he shrunk. Katya took a pebble and cried and wailed. Well, as the girls-women roar for the dead, they collect all sorts of words:

- Whom did you leave me for, my dear friend, - and so tacos ...

She burst into tears, as if it had become easier, she stood - she thought, she looked in the mine direction. The place is like a clearing. All around the forest is dense and high, but in the mine side it went smaller. Sunset time. It began to get dark in the clearing down from the forest, but in that place - the sun came to the mine. So this place burns, and all the pebbles on it shine.

Kate seemed curious. I wanted to get closer. She took a step, and it crumpled under her foot. She jerked her leg away, looking - there was no earth under her feet.

She stands on some high tree, at the very top. From all sides the same peaks approached. In the gaps between the trees below you can see grass and flowers, and they don’t look like the local ones at all.

Another would have been frightened in Katya's place, raised a scream-squeal, and she thought of something else altogether:

“There she is, the mountain, opened up! If only to look at Danilushka!

She just thought and sees through the gaps - someone is walking downstairs, she looks like Danilushka and pulls her hands up, as if to say what she wants. Katya did not see the light, so she rushed to him ... from a tree! Well, she immediately fell to the ground where she stood. She came to her senses and said to herself:

- It's true that I began to tease. We need to go home as soon as possible.

It is necessary to go, but she herself sits and sits, everything is waiting, whether the mountain will open again, whether Danilushko will appear again. So it sat until dark. Then only she went home, and she herself thinks: “I saw Danilushka after all.”

The master who was spying on Katya ran home by this time. I looked - Katya's hut is locked. He hid, - I'll see what she dragged. He sees - Katya is coming, and he stood across the road:

— Where did you go?

“To the Snake,” he replies.

- At night? What is there to do?

To see Daniel...

The master shied away, and the next day whispers crawled around the plant:

“The dead bride has gone completely mad. At night, he goes to the Serpentine, waiting for the dead. No matter how the plant was set on fire, out of a small mind.

The brothers and sisters heard, ran back again, let's watch and persuade Katya. Only she didn't listen. She showed them the money and said:

- Where do you think I got it from? They don’t take from good craftsmen, but they paid me so much for the first work! Why is that?

The brothers heard about her luck and say:

- A happy case came out. What is there to talk about.

— Such, — answers, cases did not happen. It was Danilo himself who planted such a stone for me and drew the pattern.

The brothers laugh, the sisters wave their hands:

- And really went crazy! You have to tell the clerk. No matter how the plant was set on fire!

They didn't say, of course. They were ashamed to betray their sister. Just went out and agreed:

“We need to look after Katerina. Wherever she goes, run after her now.

And Katya saw off her relatives, locked the doors and began to saw a new stone. Saws and guesses:

- If the same one is published, it means that I was not tempted - I saw Danilushka.

Here she is in a hurry to cut. She wants to see how the pattern really comes out as soon as possible. The night is already long, and Katya is still sitting at the machine. One sister woke up at that time, saw a fire in the hut, ran to the window, looked through the crack in the shutter and wondered:

- And sleep does not take her! Punishment with a girl!

Katya sawed off a board - the pattern was designated. Even better than that. A bird flew down from the tree, spread its wings, and from below another flies towards. Five times this pattern on the board. From point to point it is planned how to cut across. Katya did not even think about it. She grabbed it and ran somewhere. sister behind her. On the way, she knocked on the door of the brothers - run, they say, quickly. Brothers ran out, more people were shot down. And it's already bright. They look - Katya runs past Gumeshki. Everyone rushed there, but she, apparently, did not sense that the people were behind her. She ran through the mine, quietly went around the Snake Hill. The people also delayed - let's see, they say, what she will do.

Katya goes, as she is accustomed to, up the hill. I looked, and there was some unprecedented forest all around. She felt the wood with her hand, and it was cold and smooth, like a polished stone. And the grass below also turned out to be stone, and it's still dark here. Katya thinks:

“Looks like I hit the mountain.”

Relatives and the people at that time were alarmed:

— Where did she go? Now it was close, but not!

They run, they fuss. Who is on the hill, who is around the hill. They call to each other: “Can’t you see it there?”

And Katya walks in the stone forest and thinks how to find Danila. She walked and walked and shouted:

- Danilo, answer!

Golk went through the forest. The branches tapped: “There is none! He is not here! He is not here!" Only Katya did not let up.

- Danilo, answer!

Through the forest again: “He is not there! He is not here!"

Katya again:

- Danilo, answer!

Then the Mistress of the Mountain appeared before Katya.

- Why did you, - he asks, - climbed into my forest? What do you want? Are you looking for a good stone? Anyone take it and leave as soon as possible!

Katya says here:

“I don’t want your dead stone!” Give me a live Danilushka. Where do you have it hidden? What is your right to entice other people's suitors?

Well, brave girl. Right on the throat began to attack. This is the Mistress! And she is nothing, she stands calmly:

- What else can you say?

- And then I’ll say - give Danila! You have it ... The hostess burst out laughing and says:

"You stupid girl, do you know who you're talking to?"

“I’m not blind,” she screams, “I see. Just don't be afraid of you, lovebird! Not at all afraid! No matter how cunning you are, Danilo reaches out to me. She saw it herself. What did you take?

The owner then says:

“Let’s hear what he has to say.” Before that, it was dark in the forest, but then he immediately came to life evenly. It became light. The grass below caught fire with different lights, the trees are more beautiful than one another. You can see a clearing in the gaps, and on it there are stone flowers, and golden bees, like sparks, above those flowers. Well, such, listen, beauty, that a century would not have seen enough. And Katya sees Danilo running through this forest. Straight to her. Katya rushed towards: “Danilushko!”

“Wait,” the Mistress says and asks: “Well, Danilo-master, choose what to do?” If you go with her, you will forget everything about me; if you stay here, you must forget her and the people.

“I can’t,” he answers, “to forget people, but I remember her every minute.

Here the Mistress smiled brightly and said:

- Yours took, Katerina! Get your master. For your daring and your firmness, here is a gift for you. Let Danila have everything in my memory. Just let this be forgotten! - And the clearing with outlandish flowers immediately went out. “Now go in that direction,” the Mistress pointed out, and even warned: “You, Danilo, don’t tell people about the mountain.” Say that you went to a distant master for training. And you, Katerina, forget to think that I lured your fiancé. He himself came for what he has now forgotten.

Katya bowed here:

- Forgive me on a bad word!

- All right, - he answers, - that it will become stone! For you I say, so that you do not have colds.

Katya and Danila went through the forest, and it got darker and darker, and unevenly underfoot - bumps and pits. We looked around, and they were at the mine - at Gumeshki. The time is still early, and there are no people at the mine. They slowly made their way home. And those who ran after Katya are still wandering through the forest and calling to each other: “Can’t you see it there?”

Searched, searched - did not find. They ran home, and Danilo was sitting at the window.

We were scared, of course. They shy away, they say different spells. Then they see that Danilo began to fill his pipe. Well, they left.

“They won’t,” they think, “a dead man smoke a pipe.”

They started coming one by one. They look - and Katya is in the hut. The stove is pounding, but she herself is cheerful. She hasn't been seen like this for a long time. Here they became completely bolder, they entered the hut, began to ask:

- Where are you, Danilo, haven't seen you for a long time?

- To Kolyvan, - answers, - I went. I heard about the stone master there, as if there is no better worker than him. So I wanted to learn a little. Auntie the deceased answered. Well, I went arbitrarily - secretly left, Katya only said out.

“Why,” they ask, “have you broken your cup?”

- Well, you never know ... He came from the evening ... Maybe he drank too much ... It didn’t go according to his thoughts, so he gasped. Every master has this, I suppose, happened. What to talk about.

Then the brothers and sisters began to approach Katya, why didn’t she say something about Kolyvan. Only Katya also got a little. Cut off immediately:

- Whose cow would moo, mine would be silent. Little did I tell you that Danilo is alive. And you? They slipped suitors on me and led me astray! Sit down at the table. I baked chirla something (scrambled eggs - ed.).

That was the end of the matter. Relatives sat, talked about that, the other, dispersed. In the evening Danilo went to the clerk to show up. He made a noise, of course. Well, we got it sorted anyway.

So Danilo and Katya began to live in their hut. Well, they say, they lived in harmony. At work, everyone called Danila a mining foreman. No one could do against him. And they got wealth. Only no, no - and Danilo will think. Katya understood, of course, what she was talking about, but kept quiet.

- Danila was promised.

She is persuaded:

- What can you do! Promised but didn't come out. Now there is nothing to mention about it. Long ago a man bend.

Katya stands her ground:

- Danila was promised. Maybe he will come again.

They interpret it:

- He is not alive. True business.

And she rested on her:

“No one has seen him dead, and for me he is even more so alive.

Then some kind of plague on people happened, and Katya's old people both died. She has a great family. Three married brothers and some married sisters. A quarrel between them came out - who should remain in their father's place. Katya sees - stupidity has gone, and says:

- I'll go to Danilushkov's hut to live. Prokopyich has become old at all. At least I look like him.

Brothers and sisters to persuade, of course:

“That doesn't work, sister. Prokopyich is an old man, but you never know what they can say about you.

“For me,” he replies, “what? I won't be a gossip. Prokopyich, come on, I'm not a stranger. Adoptive father to my Daniel. I will call him auntie.

So she left. It’s something to say: the family didn’t fit tightly. They thought to themselves: an extra from the family - less noise. And what about Prokopich? He liked it.

- Thank you, - says, - Katenka, that they remembered me.

“You can’t feed on women’s needlework, but I don’t know any other craft.”

Here he says to Prokopych:

- Auntie! You could at least teach me something simpler.

Prokopich even became funny.

- What are you! Is it a girl's business to sit behind malachite! Never heard of such a thing.

Well, she still began to look closely at Prokopichev's craft. Helped him wherever possible. Saw there, grind. Prokopyich began to show her something else. Not really. Grind the plaque, make handles for fork-knives and make what was in use. It’s trifling, of course, the case, cheap, and all the breakups on occasion.

Prokopich did not live long. Then the brothers and sisters began to force Katya:

“Now you have to get married.” How will you live alone?

Katya cut them off:

Not your sadness. I don't need your fiancé. Danilushko will come. Learn in grief and come.

Brothers and sisters wave their hands at her:

Are you sane, Katerina? It's a sin to say such a thing! A man has long died, and she is waiting for him! Look, it will still bleat.

“I’m not afraid,” he replies, “of that.

Then the parents ask:

- How are you going to live?

“Don’t worry about that,” he replies. I'll stay alone.

The brothers and sisters understood that Prokopych had some money left, and again for their own:

“How much,” he answers, “is allotted to me, so much I will see.

The brothers and sisters made noise for a long time. Who screams, who persuades, who cries, and Katya nailed her:

- I'll stay alone. You don't need any fiancé. I have for a long time.

Of course, the relatives were angry:

- In case, do not show your eyes to us!

- Thank you, - he answers, - dear brothers, dear sisters! I will remember. Don't forget yourself - walk past!

Laughing, that is. Well, relatives and doors slam.

Katya was left alone. She cried, of course, at first, then she said:

- You're lying! I won't give in!

She wiped her tears and took care of the housework. Wash and scrape - cleanliness. Managed - and immediately sat down to the machine. Here, too, began to restore order. What she does not need, then away, and what is constantly required, then at hand. She put things in order and wanted to get down to work.

“I’ll try to grind at least one plaque myself.”

Enough, but there is no suitable stone. The fragments of the Danilushka dope bowl remained, but Katya took care of them. They were tied in a special knot. Prokopyich had a lot of stone, of course. Only Prokopyich sat at big jobs until his death. Well, the stone is big. Fragments and pieces all crept up - spent on small crafts. Here Katya thinks:

“It is necessary, apparently, to go to the mine dumps to look. Will a suitable pebble fall?

From Danila, and from Prokopich, she heard that they took from the Snake Hill. That's where she went.

On Gumeshki, of course, there are always people: who disassembles the ore, who carries it. They look at Katya - where did she go with the basket. Katya is unhappy that they stare at her in vain. She didn’t even look on the dumps from this side, she walked around the hill. And the forest grew there. So Katya climbed through this forest to the very Snake Hill, and here she sat down. She felt bitter - she remembered Danilushka. He sits on a stone, and tears run. There are no people, the forest is all around - she does not guard. So tears fall to the ground. She cried, looking - at the very foot of the malachite-stone was designated, only it sits all in the ground. How will you take it, if there are no pickles, no scrap? Katya still moved his hand. It seemed that the stone did not sit firmly. Here she is, let's rake the earth from the stone with a twig. She raked as much as possible, began to wobble. The stone gave way. As it crackled from below, the twig broke off evenly. The stone is small, like a tile. Three fingers thick, a palm wide, and no more than two-quarters long. Katya was even surprised:

– Just according to my thoughts. I'll cut it, so how many plaques will come out. And losses are nothing.

- He would have looked, what kind of new master showed up here. He is sitting in his Prokopich's place!

“Open up, dead bride!” Receive live guests!

Katya first persuaded them:

- Get out, guys!

Well, it's nothing to them. They break on the door, and they will tear it off. Then Katya threw off the hook, threw open the doors and shouted:

- Come on, no. Whom to smack first?

The guys are looking, and she is with an ax.

- You, - they say, - no jokes!

– What, – replies, – jokes! Who is beyond the threshold, and on the forehead.

Guys, even drunk, but they see - it's not a joke. The girl is of age, the shoulder is steep, the eye is determined, and the ax, you see, has been in her hands. They didn't dare to enter. They made some noise, made some noise, got out and even told about it themselves. They began to tease the guys that the three of them had run away from one girl. They didn’t like it, of course, they wove that Katya was not alone, but a dead man stood behind her.

- Yes, so terrible that you will run away involuntarily.