Page:Halek's Stories and Evensongs.pdf/279

 After this, the very next time Bartos delved a new grave, she laid herelf in it and slept there, as she said, “like maminka”. From that time she slept in every grave as soon as it was delved, if it was not winter-time and if it did not rain. When any one died she consoled herself with the idea that she and Bartos would dig a new grave, and then that she could once more sleep in one. On the whole a funeral was a considerable source of pleasure to her. She saw plenty of people, she saw the priests, then she heard them sing and weep and pray. These funeral prayers became her own morning and evening prayers, these hymns were her hymns, and from the people whom she saw there she formed her notions about human beings, and about the great world. And so she always looked forward to a new funeral, because it was something novel.

She looked forward to it also because she heard new hymn tunes, and when the burial-service was over she sang what she had heard until the next funeral, which perhaps brought her a fresh supply of hymns. However, as she heard at every funeral “Odpocinte v pokoji verne dusicky” [Rest in peace ye faithful spirits], this hymn became her favourite. She did not know what these “verne dusicky” [faithful spirits] were, but putting two and two together in her head she had a notion that they were those who slept in the graves. Whenever she laid herself down to sleep, she said to herself in her inmost heart that she would be a “verna dusicka”. And sometimes when she had slept there a long time she said to herself on awakening, “To-day I have been a long time a faithful spirit.”

So then when Frank received her question whether he had ever slept in a grave with so much astonishment, she said, “You have never yet slept like a faithful spirit.” And after a time she added, “Stop, and we will be faithful spirits together.”

Frank, however, of course, did not comprehend the connection between these expressions; however, they pleased him somehow. When he looked at Staza, he felt as though he had to say, “What thou sayest pleaseth me. Why should I not wish to be with thee a faithful spirit?”

After digging some time longer, Bartos inquired of Frank how his grandfather had died, whereupon Frank narrated about the clod of earth, about the balcony, and how after this his grandfather fell dead at his feet. This narrative was listened to by Staza with great interest so that for a while she even ceased to shovel out the loose earth, and looked upon Frank as a man Rh