Page:Three stories by Vítězslav Hálek (1886).pdf/114

 And Venik smiled tauntingly and said, “Brother mine, seek.” Then he perceived that there were two bats and that they had found one another, and in the tree a piping from a nest of young bats made itself heard. And after this Venik said, “Ha! ha! how fares it with the young vampires, how fares it with the young vampires?” And again he added, “I also am but a hollow tree.”

Then he began to look to the horizon and saw the river glittering dead white below him, and above him a wan firmament and wan stars. And again his eyes looked deep into those star-depths, and far away in that direction whither Krista’s eyes had strayed, and he began to murmur fitful snatches of melody.

The hillside and his life upon it began to skip about in his memory, like the ignes fatui of the night. And thus, too, wildly rose and fell his snatches of wild melody.

Then he said to himself, “What is it all worth? When chill autumn comes, the birds must hie away away home!”

And he felt the chill winter round him once again. And once again he peered into the tree, at the couch of moss and leaves and said, “What shall I do with thee?”

And he arose and gathered up about half of the leaves and moss. “Thou shalt smile too,” he said, and made a fire of it. All was winter in his heart, and he warmed himself and smiled inanely and said