Page:Tolstoy - Tales from Tolstoi.djvu/318

Tales from Tolstoi was very angry, and cried out, "Daddy, daddy! they are stealing your sheaves from the field." Then his father awoke in the night, and said, "Methinks they are stealing my sheaves, I will go and see." And mounting his horse, away he went. He came to the field, saw Vasily, and called to the other muzhiks, and they beat Vasily, bound him, and carried him off to prison.

Then the godson beheld his own mother, and he saw how she lay asleep in her hut, and lo! a robber crept into the back part of the hut and began to break open the strong-box. His mother awoke and cried out, but the robber, perceiving her, drew forth his axe and aimed at the mother, desiring to kill her. At this the godson was unable to contain himself, but aimed his sceptre at the robber. It struck him full on the forehead and killed him on the spot.

No sooner had the godson killed the robber than the walls came together again, and the pavilion was just as it had been before. Then the door opened, and in came the godfather. The godfather walked up to his godson, seized him by the arm, pulled him down from the throne, and said, "Thou hast not obeyed my commands, thou hast done an ill deed in opening the closed and forbidden door. A second 268