Page:Taras Bulba. A Tale of the Cossacks. 1916.djvu/67

Rh, such as robbing other people's gardens or orchards; but, on the other hand, he was always among the first to join the standard of an adventurous student, and never, under any circumstances whatsoever, did he betray his comrades; neither whips nor rods could make him do it. He bore himself sternly towards all temptations except those of war and wild carouses: at any rate, he almost never thought of anything else. He was frank with his equals. He was kind-hearted in the only way that kindness of heart could exist in such a character and at such an epoch. He was sincerely touched by his poor mother's tears; and this one thing only troubled him and caused him to hang his head thoughtfully.

His younger brother, Andríi, had rather livelier and more developed feelings. He studied more willingly, and without that effort with which strong, heavy characters generally apply themselves. He was more inventive than his brother, and frequently appeared as the leader of decidedly dangerous expeditions, and sometimes, thanks to the ingenious turn of his mind, he contrived to escape all punishment, while his brother Ostap, abandoning all concern, stripped off his coat, and lay down upon the floor without a thought of begging for mercy. He, also, was seething with the thirst for action; but, at the same time, his soul