Page:Tolstoy - Tales from Tolstoi.djvu/224

Tales from Tolstoi get up at all, and did not even come to herself, but writhed about upon her bed. Ehsyei went to the village shop, and bought millet, salt, meal, butter; searched till he found an old axe, chopped wood, and set the stove a-burning. The girl helped him a bit. Elisyei boiled some soup and water-gruel, and fed the people.

The muzhik ate a little, but not much, and the old woman ate some; the little boy and the little girl licked out the whole basin, and, embracing each other, went to sleep.

And the muzhik and the old woman began to tell how all this had befallen them.

"Up to this time we have managed to live," said they, "though poorly, but then the crops failed, and since autumn we have eaten up all there was. We ate up everything, and we began to beg of our neighbours and of all good people. At first they gave, but afterwards they refused to give. Those who were willing to give had nothing themselves. Then, too, we grew ashamed of asking any more, we owed everyone something—money, or grain, or bread. I sought for work," said the muzhik, "and no work was to be had. The people were fighting for work everywhere. One day you would have a little job to do perhaps, and then you would be wandering about two days more in search of another job. The old woman and the little girl went long distances 174