Page:Leo Tolstoi - Life Is Worth Living and Other Stories - tr. Adolphus Norraikow (1892).djvu/41

 34 "Yes; I was lying naked and slowly freezing. Simeon saw me and had pity upon me. He took off his kaftan and helped me to put it on, and afterward brought me here. And you also have pitied me, giving me food and drink. The Lord will reward you."

Arising from her seat, Matreona took from the window-sill the old shirt which she had been mending, and finding also a cast-off pair of her husband's trousers, she gave both to the man, saying:

"Take these; I see you have no clothing. Dress yourself, my good friend, and lie down to rest. You may select the stove, or any part of the bench which suits you."

Removing the kaftan, the stranger put on the garments which the woman had given him and lay down on the bench to rest.

Taking the kaftan in her hand, Matreona extinguished the light, and joining her husband she retired for the night. Although she covered herself with a portion of the coat, she was