Page:Halek's Stories and Evensongs.pdf/224

 Poldik’s mental economy, and he was delighted to think what roguish eyes she had, what pretty dimples when she laughed, what a fresh healthy face, in a word, that she was a girl whom any one would turn to look at as she passed.

Afterwards it came to pass, that it was not enough to give her his hand in a long good-bye, but he also greeted her with a shake of the hand when she brought the dinner, and he laughed more frequently during the meal, and said, “Troth, troth, Malka, it is charming.” After this he always gave his horses an extra feed of oats, so that now none of his comrades passed them without measuring them with a look which seemed to say, “Look at him! he means to turn his jades into horses still.” It is true they still pulled like jades, but already they might any day have trotted away like horses.

Once, I know not by what accident, he was behind his time in driving to his midday halting-place. Hitherto, be it understood, he had always been first with his cart at the midday trysting-place, and it was only after he had given his horses their first feed of oats that Malka made her appearance. But owing to this delay it happened that he overtook Malka on the road, indeed in one of the several streets which he threaded before debouching on Naplavka, and when he overtook her he said, “Malka, let me give you and the dinner a lift.” He said this with a touch of pride, for it was not every one who could say, “Malka, have a lift.” He took the basket out of her hands, placed it in the cart, then helped Malka to scramble up, pointed out to her how she was to sit, and drove the vehicle standing.

Lord! what a drive that was! All the time that Poldik held the reins he felt as though he was holding Malka and helping her into the cart. His features were quite playful, his eyes were quite beaming, then he confused “hee” and “heesta” together, smacked his whip as if he were off to the festival, and only swore when it was absolutely necessary. After which he always looked at Malka with a broad smile which seemed to inquire, “There! what do you think of that now for a drive?” It was a delightful moment to him when Malka smilingly replied, “Quite charming, Poldik dear, quite charming.” Here at last Poldik felt that he might allow himself a certain latitude; he incited his steeds and coaxed them with “Cl! cl!” in such a way that it put them in mind of their youthful years; so that they exchanged their sluggish pace for a fresher step, so that in places they even frisked, so that the cart bumped over the cobble-stones until Poldik had to skip from one