Page:Leo Tolstoi - Life Is Worth Living and Other Stories - tr. Adolphus Norraikow (1892).djvu/162

 Rh ing tea, and he would not refuse vodki (whiskey) when offered to him. He would drink with friends and come out soon after, if not quite intoxicated, yet feeling in a jovial mood. He would frequently talk foolishly, accusing his neighbor of various acts of misconduct and concluding by calling him names. Now, however, a great change had taken place, and his life became calm and joyful. In the morning he started to work, and when he had finished for the day he took his lamp from the shelf and placed it upon the table. He then opened his Testament and began to read, understanding more and more clearly each night the path of duty which lay before him.

It happened one night that Martin read till very late. He had been reading the Gospel of St. Luke, and had reached the following passage in the sixth chapter: "And unto him that smiteth thee on the one cheek offer also the other; and him that taketh away thy cloak forbid not to take thy coat also. Give to every