Page:Halek's Stories and Evensongs.pdf/230

 Poldik waited for Malka a minute or two; but when she and Francis only dallied amidstream to teaze him, he shouted, “Malka, I must now be off!”

“We too”, shouted Francis from the river to the bank; and he laughed, and before any one expected it he was again pulling hard against the stream. The skiff was soon concealed behind larger craft, vanished from sight and, perhaps, was already again somewhere under Vysehrad.

Poldik stood waiting for Malka, hoping that she might yet soon return. But she did not return, and the wherrymen began now to laugh at Poldik in earnest.

“She has taken a small outing”, said one. “She wants to enjoy her freedom a little longer; Francis is showing her the world”, said another. “What matter! Francis knows the world, and he knows how to show it, too”, said others again.

Such was the tenor of the observations sarcastically interchanged among the bystanders.

Here Poldik suddenly turned his vehicle round loaded with sand, and tarried no longer. When he drove away his first word was “Heesta!” His horses got a severe belabouring until at last they flung out with their hoofs, and after this Poldik discharged a whole volley of oaths. But with this volley his store of ammunition seemed to become exhausted, and a considerable portion of the road and several streets were passed, and Poldik neither swore nor smacked his whip nor cried “gee-up” to his horses. He looked continually at the cobble-stones as if he had lost something among them, and was now searching for it.

He had been already some time at this amusement before Francis returned with the little boat on which he had given Malka a trip. “To-morrow we must take another trip”, said the young waterman to Malka when she stepped out upon the beach.

“Poldik has gone off on account of you”, said the wherrymen.

“He is in a precious huff on your account”, added others.

And they laughed; Malka also laughed. Malka thought that she would meet Poldik and excuse herself, but she did not meet him. The next day Poldik halted for the dinner-hour in the old place by the high wall, and there waited until Malka should bring his dinner. He had already looked eagerly on his way thither to see whether she was following him, in order that he might give her a lift. But he did not see her, and waited a pretty long time in vain expectation of her.