Page:Leo Tolstoi - Life Is Worth Living and Other Stories - tr. Adolphus Norraikow (1892).djvu/100

 Rh "I must have a drink," said Elissey.

"Well," said Euthymus, "you may go and get it. I do not want any."

"All right; you need not wait for me. I will be gone only a few minutes, and will overtake you on the road."

"Very well," said Euthymus; and he continued on his way alone, while Elissey turned toward a peasant's house near by.

As the latter approached the house, he saw that it was a low, white-washed structure resting on a black clay foundation. The white-wash had nearly all disappeared before the ravages of storm and time, giving the house a very dingy aspect. The roof slanted from the front to the rear of the building, the entrance to which was through a small yard, where Elissey had now arrived. Looking behind a pile of wood, he saw lying there a beardless man, who was attired in only a thin shirt and under-pants, the usual negligé costume of the Little Russians. The man appeared as if he had lain there all