Page:Leskov - The Sentry and other Stories.djvu/144

 128 "All that remains to be done, is to ask to be put into hospital in Kasan."

"Oh! What do you mean, Serezha?"

"What can I do? This pain will be my death."

"How can you remain when I shall be driven on?"

"What's to be done? It rubs, I tell you it rubs; the chain is eating into the bone. If I had woollen stockings to put on that might help," said Sergei a minute later.

"Stockings? I still have some. New stockings, Sergei."

"What of that?" answered Sergei.

Without saying another word, Katerina Lvovna quickly vanished into the ward, rummaged in her bag on the boards and then hastily returned to Sergei with a pair of thick blue woollen stockings with bright red clocks at the sides.

"Now it will be all right," said Sergei, taking leave of Katerina Lvovna and accepting her last stockings.

Katerina Lvovna returned to her boards quite happy and was soon sound asleep.

When she had returned to the corridor she had not noticed that Sonetka went out of the ward, nor had she heard her return just before morning.

All this took place only two days' march from Kasan.