Page:Our Grandfather by Vítězslav Hálek (1887).pdf/68

 appear to be the host, and gave out that Terinka did it all at his own particular request, and he often consoled himself with the thought that he was not driven out of the house, because he helped to supply the table with drink and victuals. And how sedately Terinka always invited him to seat himself with them. It was enough to move his goodness when he scarcely knew whether he was to sit among them or not.

But he sat with them still.

And then when the relations went home, they could scarcely carry all the presents with which Terinka loaded them. Once a maidservant allowed herself to play a very untimely joke. Her mistress despatched her for a carpet bag in which to pack something for the Lord knows which of her uncles, and the maid brought a regular sack, saying she could not find anything else.

But besides all this there were other things to be observed in our young mistress.

When some one or other of her female relations paid her a visit the servants soon perceived that this relation wore a dress which no long time before their mistress had on new, and that when this aunt or cousin departed she invariably forgot that she had on her hostess’ gown.

Uncle John paid no attention to these littlenesses, he always acted according to grandfather’s wishes, and the instant our young mistress desired it he bade put to the horses afresh, that he might drive with her to the town where she laid in a fresh stock of things to be distributed at home.

They quite understood at the farm what driving to the town meant.

And Novak?