Page:Three stories by Vítězslav Hálek (1886).pdf/281



FTER a brief space of time the Loykas celebrated a wedding. The festivities passed off at Kmoch’s house—at the father of the bride’s; after the feasting Joseph conducted his wife to his homestead. And here the harpers and fiddlers who had still remained there since the day of the grandfather’s funeral, played before the hall doors as soon as the bride had entered the house, thus welcoming her with a burst of triumphant music. How could they do otherwise?

But they soon found out their mistake. “Just clear off the threshold, will you?” said the young mistress with such precision, that he whom it touched did not venture to reply.

Still, all the same, one of the musicians ventured to plead an excuse. “But our good old master ordered us to play here,” said he in exculpation of himself and his companions.

“You lie!” said Barushka. “Your good old master never orders anything which I do not like. Just be gone from here in double quick time.”