Two years later, all sorts of disasters fell on Pantelei Yeremeich Chertopkhanov. The first of them was the most sensitive for him: Masha left him. Chertophanov was convinced that the fault was the young neighbor, retired ulan captain Jaff, but the reason for everything was vagabond gypsy blood that flowed in Masha's veins. Chertophanov tried to stop Masha, threatened to shoot her, begged that she shot him, but nothing helped. Masha went missing. Chertophanov washed down, then came to his senses, and then a second calamity overtook him.

His bosom friend Tikhon Ivanitch Nedopyuskin died. For the past two years, he suffered from shortness of breath, constantly falling asleep, and when he woke up, he could not recover for a long time. The county doctor assured him that “shockers” had occurred. The departure of Masha very strongly crippled Tikhon. After the first frosts, a real blow happened to him. That day he died. Tikhon bequeathed his estate to his friend Chertophanov, but it was soon sold. For this money Chertophanov erected a statue on his friend’s grave, which he wrote out of Moscow. The statue was supposed to represent a praying angel, but instead they sent him the goddess Flora. She still stands above the grave of Nedopyuskin.

After the death of a friend, the affairs of Chertophanov went badly, even there was nothing to hunt for. Driving once on horseback in a neighboring village, Chertophanov saw that the men were beating up a Jew. He dispersed the crowd with a whip and took the Jew with him. A few days later, in gratitude for the salvation, the Jew brought him a wonderful horse. Out of pride, Chertophanov did not want to accept it as a gift and promised to pay 250 rubles in 6 months. He called the horse Malek-Adele.

From this day on, Malek-Adel became the main concern in the life of Chertophanov. He loved the horse more than Masha, and became attached to him more than to Nedopyuskin. Thanks to Malek-Adel, Chertopkhanov gained an undoubted, last superiority over his neighbors. Meanwhile, the due date was approaching, and Chertopkhanov had no money. Two days before the deadline, he inherited 2,000 rubles from a distant aunt. That very night Malek-Adele was stolen from him. At first Chertophanov decided that the Jew stole the horse and almost strangled him when he came for the money. Then, after intensified reflection, Chertophanov came to the conclusion that Malek-Adel was taken away by his first master: only the horse would not have resisted him. Together with the Jew, Michel Leiba, they went in pursuit, leaving Cossack Perfishka at home.

A year later Chertophanov returned home with Malek-Adel. He told Perfishka how he had found a horse at the Romny fair, and how he had to buy it from a gypsy-young lady. At heart, he was not entirely sure that the horse he had brought was actually Malek-Adele, but drove these thoughts away. Most of all, Chertophanov was confused by the differences in the habits of that Malek-Adel and this.

Once Chertophanov drove through the backyards of the priest's settlement surrounding the local church. The deacon met him congratulated Chertophanov on the acquisition of a new horse. To Chertopkhanov’s objection that the horse was the same, the deacon objected that Malek-Adel was gray in apples, and now he remained the same, although he had to turn white - the gray coat turns white over time. After this conversation Chertophanov rushed home, locked himself in a key and began to drink.

After drinking half a bucket of vodka, Chertophanov took a gun and led Malek-Adel to a nearby forest to shoot the impostor. At the last moment he changed his mind, drove off his horse and went home. Suddenly something pushed him in the back - it was Malek-Adele who returned. Chertophanov grabbed a gun, put a muzzle at the horse’s forehead, fired and rushed away. Now he understood that this time he also committed suicide.

Six weeks later, the Cossack Perfishka stopped the bailiff passing by the estate and informed him that Chertophanov had lain down and was apparently dying. All this time he drank without drying out. Stanovoy ordered the Cossack to go for the priest. Pantelei Yeremeich died that very night. Two people escorted his coffin: Perfishka and Moshel Leib, who did not fail to pay the last debt to his benefactor.