Page:Korolenko - Makar's Dream and Other Stories.djvu/274

250 feel as if some one had got me by the nose and were pulling me away from her. How different Galya is! That's why I say everything is wrong in this world. If a man loves one girl the other one's sure to have the money. I shall certainly shrivel up some day like a blade of grass. I loathe the world."

The soldier took his pipe out of his mouth, spat, and said:

"That's bad! Any one but me would never have thought of a way out of it, but I'm going to give you some advice that you'll not be sorry if you take. Will you give me the pair of new boots that Opanas left in pawn if I tell you what to do?"

"I wouldn't begrudge you a pair of boots for your advice, but have you thought of something that really will help me?"

Well, it turned out that that wicked soldier had thought of a plan which, if it had gone through a little bit sooner, would certainly have sent the miller straight to the devil in hell and I should never have been telling you this story.

"Very well, then, listen carefully to me," Kharko said. "Plainly, there are three of you, one man and two girls. And plainly one man can't possibly marry them both unless he's a Turk."

"How right the wretch is!" thought the miller. "What's coming next?"

"Good! Now as you are a rich man and Motria