Children of the Soil

ly ordered her to go, but recommended very urgently moderate exercise up hill. Vaskovski went to the doctor to learn the condition of her he

the child to an early death, and in general gives directions to watch

his eyes with his hand. "Her mother will not be able to survive

e must suffer greatly. 'Not necessarily,' said the d

other anything abo

of the heart; but he added that with children such thing

d not yield to m

will alarm Pani Emilia, but it is difficult to avoid it. Wait; we can avoid it. I will bring him, and that immediately. We will tell Pani Emilia that such and such a celebrated doctor has come here

hom will

here will indicate a specialist. Let u

th which they surrounded her; but Pan Stanislav had not power to amuse her. Having his head filled with thoughts of the danger which threatened the child, he considered her gloom a sign of increasing sickness and an early

know what she begged of me t

down his alarm, and, turning to the lit

othing! Art thou not

aid shook he

yes tears appeared; but she covered these quic

er with her?" tho

exclusive property. Without knowing clearly what threatened her, she felt that this "Pan Stas" would go, and that a wrong would be done her, the first which she had experienced in life. She would have suffered less if some one else had inflicted the wrong; but, just think, her mamma and "Pan Stas" were wronging her! That seemed a vicious circle out of which the ch

but because grief is a bad medicine for a heart sick already, this yielding mi

est, though he told Pan Stanislav that the life of the child might continue months and years, but would be always as if hanging on a thread which might

ater struck her ears, which were listening then diligently. True, it might dispel her fears touching "Pan Stas," but it was a great shock to her. Pani Emilia had hesitated all day about showing Pan Stanislav that lette

er, when she had put Litka to sleep, she

eatly to heart that you

ave receive

hav

show it

you extracts from it.

know that

r yet; but it astonishes me that Pan Mashko, w

was not sure that I would come here, especially as

Returning to the table, she trimmed the lamp, and, sittin

lone. You know that her head was a little imaginative, therefore this sal

slav, "but I will to you. I have committed one of the grea

her pale blue eyes

do not ask through curiosity, but friendship, for I sh

ide's sake. Besides, in each one of us there are, as it were, two distinct persons; the second of these criticises whatever is done by the first one. This second man began to say to me: 'Drop this affair; you cannot live with the father.' In truth, he is unendurable. I resolved to drop the affair. I got rid of the claim. That is how it happened. Only later did I find that I could not dismiss the thought of Panna Plavitski; I had always this same impression:

s that the brief dream ended by an awakening more sudden than she had looked for. She writes that

y him, as God

times to be touching on irony. Pan Mashko offers papa three thousand life annuity, and the whole amount for the parcelling of Magyerovka. I do not wonder that he seeks his own profit, but through such a bargain he would get the property for almost nothing. Papa himself said to him, "In this way, if I live one year I shall get from Kremen three thousand, for Magyerovka is mine anyhow." Pan Mashko answered that in the present state of affairs the creditors would take the money for

but sent her a suitor," said Pan St

ut almost the same words into the letter. Pani Emilia

o need, therefore, of great keenness to divine his reason for buying the claim and coming to Kremen. Just in this w

dful to explain all t

Stanislav. "I cannot even make the excuse

tter in her delicate fingers so

he more; to wit, your suffering. It would be a reproach for me to leave you as you are, and I cannot. Do not lose hope. There

ed her hand and ra

st honorable person that

nd since I think that there is only one road to ha

ince I have life, I wish that life to

the r?le of matchmaker for the first time in life, I wish to be

ht hair, which was somewhat disarranged above her forehead. There was something in her so bewitching and at the same time so virginal

nt away much pleased with her; that what you have done was done without reckoning with yourself, purely under the influence of the thought that you could not come to an

t I will purchase the debt of h

ing Pan Stanislav, who boasts that he has freed himself

in this, to spare nothing on an object that is worth it." At that moment, howeve

ll not marry without affection. I know that Mashko did not please her at all. That will never take

him to-day. He cannot stop in Kremen long at on