Page:Leskov - The Sentry and other Stories.djvu/202

 186 She sat silent and pensive.

"And you yourself," I asked, "what happened to you?"

She seemed to recover her senses and passed her hand over her brow.

"I can't remember what happened at first," she answered, "or how I went home. With all the others, of course somebody must have led me  and in the evening Drosida Petrovna said:

Now this mustn't be—you don't sleep, and at the same time you lie there as if made of stone. That's not right—cry—there must be relief—your heart must have relief.'

I can't, Auntie,' I said, 'my heart burns like a live coal, and there is no relief.'

Well,' she said, 'then the flagon can't be avoided.'

"She filled a glass out of her bottle for me."

Till now I did not allow you to have it, and dissuaded you, but now it can't be avoided. Pour it on the coal—take a sip.

I don't want to,' I said.

Little fool! Who wants it at first. It is bitter—bitter. But the poison of sorrow is more bitter. The coal must be drenched with this poison—it will be slaked for a moment—sip, sip quickly.