Page:Halek's Stories and Evensongs.pdf/168

 So it occurred to him, as if by accident, how that Terinka had several times compared his head with the grey-haired dog, Vorjech, and involuntarily he looked again into Vorjech’s eyes.

Vorjech seemed to understand him. He never stirred, and his eyes seemed to grow bedimmed and moist just as grandfather’s eyes did.

“Dear Vorjech, we are then discrowned,” said grandfather, “we are completely alike.”

And Vorjech whined, sprang up, and finally laid himself down at grandfather’s feet. Thenceforward Vorje ch followed at grandfather’s feet. Grandfather had, indeed, sunk very low: not only in mind; even in his dress this was apparent. Hitherto he had had his suit of velveteen clothing new at least at every annual festival, but now it was long past festival time, and grandfather had not yet changed his suit of clothes for a new one.

Perhaps it never once came into his mind. But during that time he pondered more frequently on his previous life. He saw that everything was not well done as he did it.

His previous hardness now melted into meekness, and then he saw that everything was not well done as he did it. He had been often in fault.

In this, his isolation, he began seriously to look out for some one who could understand him. But let him turn the pages to whichever side he would, every name was erased and everywhere only emptiness.

Nor again, were the servants such that he could converse with them. Our young mistress took the greatest pains to show them that they were not to obey grandfather. If he ever gave them any order Terinka bade them do just the very reverse, and that purposely.

The servants soon saw how the land lay. They laughed outright at grandfather, did not obey their mistress, and each one acted according to his own inclination.

And so our household was managed strangely—passing strangely.

Grandfather now at times even began to reflect that after all he had not a trustier friend than Kubista. It came to him that he had wronged, cruelly wronged his friend, and this sense of pity yet further increased his spiritual weakness.

More than once he even thought that it would be well to give the hand to Kubista. He thought that it would be a far better action than any he had hitherto performed, and that it would