Page:Poet Lore, volume 21, 1910.djvu/465

 and even the other day. Then, of course, it was just as late as it is now. But what has happened so all of a sudden?

Kocianova.—These last few days, that I was so sick, I prayed to God to give me back my health once more for your sake. So I would at least live long enough to see you a pastor of the Lord and to know that I have not brought you up in vain. Ach! Better had He called me into His fold, rather than to live to witness this.

Petr (painfully).—Maminka.

Matoush (seriously).—Don’t blaspheme, Marianka. What has happened, has happened. It was His will. But you, Petr. Let us talk sensibly. We are grown-up people; you too, Petr, are no longer a child. Tell me, what do you intend to do? If you do not wish to finish your theological studies, well and good. You say that you would only sin against your own conscience if you would sacrifice your outward life to the service of the Lord without your inward will. You could have been a good enough servant even without that inward conviction. But these changes do not happen all of a sudden—still, let us take it for granted. But you are no longer at that age when one can drop one career and start another without many consequences. It is rather late. And you have to be something.

Petr.—I am capable of doing everything, only if my conscience is clear.

Matoush.—You are capable. Well, maybe you are. But you have considered all these things before you decided—and I hope that you have not forgotten all the circumstances. Do you want to go to the university? Do you want to study medicine? Law?

Petr.—Decide upon anything, uncle. I will gladly take up anything, anything, anything.

Matoush.—Foolish man. We should again decide for you, to-day when you have matured, when as a man you should be able to take an independent step, even heedlessly.

Petr.—And have I not taken such a step?

Matoush.—Yes, but how. You want to drop theology. But what would you like to be? Let us say that you’ll go to the university. In the first place you ought to consider that a man of your age is not an able student. Then I am an old man and liable to die to-day or to-morrow, and country parsons, you know, do not leave any temporal wealth. How are you going to study?

Petr.—I will work, uncle, I will work days and nights. Others