On hearing this, Kiribyeevitch "turned pale as snow in autumn, his bold eyes clouded over, a shiver ran through his mighty shoulders, on his parted lips the words fell dead." With one blow, the young merchant crushes in the lifeguardsman's breast, and the latter falls dead, the death being beautifully described in stately, picturesque language.

At sight thereof, the Tzar Ivan Vasilievitch waxed wroth, stamped on the earth, scowled with his black brows; ordered that the young merchant be seized and hauled before him.

He then demands whether Kalashnikoff has slain his faithful servant Kiribyeevitch "voluntarily, involuntarily, or against his will." Kalashnikoff boldly makes answer that he has done it with deliberate intent, and that the reason therefor he will not tell to the Tzar, but only to God alone.

He tells the Tzar to order him to be executed, but not to deprive his little children or his young widow and his brothers of his favor.

The Tzar replies that it is well Kalashnikoff has answered truthfully; he will give the young widow and the children a grant from his treasury, and give command that, from that day forth, his brothers may traffic throughout the wide Russian realm free of taxes.
But Kalashnikoff must mount the scaffold, lay down his turbulent head, and the executioner shall be ordered to make his axe very sharp, and the great bell shall be tolled in order that all the men of Moscow may know that the Tzar has not deprived him of his favor.