Page:Brandes - Poland, a Study of the Land, People, and Literature.djvu/151

Rh power to put the peasant into the mood he desires. This always becomes apparent after confession. When a theft has been committed, it constantly happens that the priest brings back the stolen object. The peasant does not bring it himself, but in his anguish he gives it to the priest that the latter may forward it to its owner.

The piety of the Russian peasant does not exclude certain tricks and a good deal of sharp practice in his dealings with the saints.

A Russian peasant with horse and cart had got upon the ice, which was about to break up, and in his distress he promised St. Nicholas the value of the horse, if he reached the shore alive with his vehicle. This he did, and now his main thought was how to get out of this scrape without breaking his word to the saint. The horse was worth more than a hundred rubles, and this was a loss he did not like to suffer. At last he hit on a way of escape. He went to the fair with his horse and soon found a purchaser. "How much do you want for your horse?" asked the latter.—"Five rubles," was the answer.—"Five rubles? You are not in earnest; but of course I will pay that."—"Very well," said the peasant; "but I have decided not to sell it without this hen, which I have on my back."—"And what is the price of the hen?"—"Ninety-five rubles." The bargain was made and the saint got his five rubles.

The Polish peasant is more artless with his saints. He has not the fire and fervour of invocation of the Italian peasant, but he kneels lost in supplication before their images. This was evident yesterday.

After the service the great dinner for all the clergy took place at the young priest's house. The chief landed proprietors of the neighbourhood were also present, forty persons in all, as mentioned. As our young priest has only an annual salary of 150 rubles, and with all his perquisites does not get more than six or seven hundred rubles, it is impossible for him to give such dinners. But the custom is to send him all the meat and drink he wants from the manor, also table linen, dishes, plates, and glasses. The thing was particularly difficult yesterday, because the festival