Page:Tolstoy - Tales from Tolstoi.djvu/243

Rh "If he had not come to us," said he, "we should all have died in our sins. We should have died in despair, cursing God and all men. And he put us on our legs again, and through him we learnt to know God, and believe in good people. Christ save him! We lived like cattle before, he made us men."

The people gave Efim to eat and to drink, then gave him a bed, and laid down to sleep themselves.

Efim lay down, but he did not sleep; he could not get Elisyei out of his head: Elisyei, just as he had seen him thrice at Jerusalem in the foremost place.

"There he was," thought he, "and he got there before me. I took no end of trouble upon myself, but God took him."

In the morning the people bade Efim God-speed! loaded him with pasties for his journey, and went to work; and Efim went on his way.

After exactly a year Efim arrived. He returned home in the spring.

He got home in the evening. His son was not at home, he was in the pot-house. The son came home a little tipsy, and Efim began to question him. Efim saw that in his absence his son had made a mess of everything. He had spent all the money like a fool, and had neglected all business. The father began to reproach him. The son began to be rude and saucy.

"You went to kick up your heels," said he, "and 193