Page:Tolstoy - Tales from Tolstoi.djvu/61

Rh hands, drew it down beneath his armpits, and picked up his gloves from the floor. "Well, now, I am all right!"

"It is your feet you ought to look to most," said the cook, "and those boots of yours are bad."

Nikita stood stock-still as if he would call to mind something.

"I ought to — yes! Well, I must go as I am. It will not be far."

And he ran into the courtyard.

"Won't you find it cold, Nikitushka?" said his mistress, when he had reached the sledge.

"Cold! why I'm warm all over!" replied Nikita, disposing the straw in the fore part of the sledge so as to cover his feet, and sticking under the straw the whip, which is quite unnecessary for a good horse.

Vasily Andreich was already sitting in his place, almost filling up the entire back part of the sledge with his well-clothed back wrapped in its double suit of furs, and seizing the reins at the same moment, he flicked the horse with them. Nikita, as they set off, bent forward a little to the left to get into an easier position, and stretched out one leg.

The good horse set the sledge in motion (the curved sides of it creaking a little as they set off), and off they went at a smart trot along the level frozen road leading to the village.

"What do you mean by hanging on behind there? 11