person
The Passer-by
the passer-by
also: прохожий, странник
A stranger encountered in the graveyard at night who claims first to be a lost religious wanderer from Vologda, then, once the watchman has been lured into escorting him, drops the disguise to claim he is the risen ghost of the locksmith Gubarev; in truth a thief using the ghost story to immobilize the watchman with fear while his confederates rob the cemetery church.
Reading notes
- An Evil Deed §12 wanderer
"Странник" (strannik) denotes a religious wanderer or pilgrim, a recognized figure in Russian Orthodox folk life who traveled on foot between monasteries and holy sites living on alms; claiming this identity is what allows the passer-by to move through the graveyard at night without immediate suspicion, and his claim is later revealed to be false (section 55).
- An Evil Deed §36 I'm a Vologda man
Vologda, a northern Russian province, was proverbially associated with itinerant pilgrims and holy wanderers; claiming to be "from Vologda, from far away" reinforces the passer-by's pose as a genuine strannik with no local ties -- a detail that later turns out to serve his cover as a thief casing the cemetery, since a stranger with no local ties raises fewer questions.