Page:Halek's Stories and Evensongs.pdf/39

 “I, indeed! I am twelve years old and belong to school no longer, but you are only nine.”

“I don’t belong there either now,” retorted Krista, “and I won’t go!”

“How dare you? If papa knew of it he would drive you there”, retorted Venik angrily.

“I am come to feed the sheep with you, and you want to drive me away”, pleaded Krista.

On this Venik stood up, took her by the hand, and said imperiously, “Go at once, or I will drive you hence. Hie away to school!”

“I won’t go, and you know it”, retorted Krista.

And when she wouldn’t stir an inch, Venik took her round the waist and dragged her as far as his strength sufficed. Krista staggered back, sank to the ground, burst into tears, and cried plaintively, “Ah! I am only a poor orphan girl.”

These words touched Venik. He forgot all at once that he had to send her to school, and only saw that Krista was in plaintive mood, and that he was the cause of it. He stood as if fixed to the ground, and did not know in which direction to move, whether towards Krista or towards the tree; then he went to the tree and sat himself there. He wished to play but it wouldn’t come. No mass, no song even occurred to him. Then he looked round at Krista and could have cried with her, could have gone to her, I could have soothed her, could have asked her pardon and have excused her school, but he did not know how he could do that.

He felt even worse when Krista ceased to cry, when she raised her head and in silent sort reiterated what she had said before in words. When having her hands clasped and herself sunk to earth, and when having her eyes full of salt tears and fixed on the vague distance, like an actor in his part, she confirmed even by the expression of her countenance the signature over which was written, “Ah! I am but a poor orphan girl.”

As she sat thus plunged in her childish grief, Venik silently approached her, squatted himself beside her, and after a few moments said, “Krista, how does it feel to be an orphan?”

He said it with all the sympathy of which, at his age, he was capable. He said it as if he would have told her, “Tell me how it feels and I will share it with you.”

“How does it feel?” said Krista, in reply to his question. “When I have only you, and you drive me from you, how can I be any- Rh