Page:Selected Czech tales - 1925.djvu/58

 That was more than Lukas had bargained for. He had thought that, if for no other reason, she would have given in for the sake of appearances. Now that he found he was disappointed, he had to make good his boastful threat. So he took his cap and went to the inn which had never had any attraction for him, and now less than ever. While his wife was alive he had only occasionally gone there when he felt too miserable in her company, and his longing for Vendulka had been overstrong. He left his house with gall in his blood. Now he would take his revenge of his prudish and heartless sweetheart! When he returned from the inn at a late hour, he purposely upset all the pails and milkcans in the hall, so that she should hear the noise and think that he had come home drunk—because of her.

How could Vendulka have failed to know that all this nonsense was happening on her account? She had meant to be really angry with him, but when he chose to make a noise as if Beelzebub himself had taken possession of the place, she nearly died of laughing. He meant to punish her, and was only punishing himself! She knew quite well that he did not care for drink, and equally well that,