Page:Leo Tolstoi - Life Is Worth Living and Other Stories - tr. Adolphus Norraikow (1892).djvu/179

 172 and I have not since heard from him. I was out at service as a cook when my little baby came, and after that no one seemed to care to have me. No one wanted a servant who had to have a child with her, and since that time I have been without a place. The few things I once possessed have been sold to purchase food. I tried at many places to get a position as wet-nurse, but was always told that I was too thin. I have just now been to the merchant's house where our grandmother lives. His wife said she would give us shelter, and I thought that at last we were about to get settled, when she told me to come again next week. I was very tired, for I had travelled a long distance. My sweet babe was tired, too, and the road back is long. It is a good thing for us that the landlady where we live has a kind heart and has taken pity on us, and for Christ's sake has let us have a room free of charge; otherwise I do not know how I should manage to live."

Martin, as he heard the pitiful tale, sighed