The Horse-Stealers and other stories

aming day and night of being married, was sitting in her room, gazing with exhausted, half-cl

reflection of her face, her hands, of the frame—all this was already clouded in mist and merged i

. It was he, the destined one, the object of long dreams and hopes. The destined one was for Nellie everything, the significance of life, personal happiness, career, fate. Outside him, as on the grey background of the looking-glass, all was dark, empty, meaningless. And so it was not strange that, seeing before her a handsome, gently

night knocking at the door of Stepan Lukitch, the district doctor. The old dog hoarsely

for God’s sake!”

gate creaked and Nellie

doctor a

the cook into her sleeve, as th

his fever patients, and gave o

three chairs, she at last reached the doctor’s bedroom. Stepan Lukitch was lying on his bed, dressed, but without his coat, and with pouting lips was breathing i

ead on his hand, and looked at his visitor with fixed, sleepy eyes. “My husband is ill!” Nellie

e doctor, blowin

e! Or . . . it’s terrible t

or her husband’s illness, her unutterable terror. Her sufferings would have touched the he

tomorrow!”

know my husband has typhus! At once

st three days I’ve been away, seeing typhus patients, and I’m exhausted and

t before her eyes a

I absolutely can’t. I can scarcely si

ctor l

ir. “I beseech you! Help me, for mercy’s sake! Make

Why, I have told

to bring him to reason. . . . She thought if only he knew how dear her husband was to her and how u

octor,” she heard St

tand it. It is thirty miles from us to you, and as much from here to the Zemstvo doctor. No, it’s impossibl

fever . . . my head’s in a whirl . . . a

egoism! A man is bound to sacrifice his life for his neighbour, an

, sympathy for others. . . . In reply to her threats, the doctor greedily gulped a glass of cold water. Nellie fell to entreating and

put it on to you. Come along! I will repay you. .

was lost. . . . But at last Nellie was in the carriage with the doctor. Now they had only to drive thirty miles and her husband would have a doctor’s help. The earth was wrapped in darkness. One

e way. It was fearfully jolting, but th

!” Nellie implo

ard. Nellie saw the familiar gates, the well with the crane,

Lukitch, making him sit down on the sofa in the dining-room.

lie found the doctor lying down. He

lease! . .

a!” muttered

ha

ing . . . Vlassov said

t the doctor was as delirious as

he Zemstvo docto

rozen earth. She was suffering in body and in soul, and delusive na

y the interest for the mortgage to the bank. He could not sleep, she could not sleep, and both racke

ds, scarlet fever, diphtheria, bad marks at school, separ

ever happened one must bury the other. And Nellie saw her husband dying. This terrible event presented itself to her i

?” she asked, looking blan

ith her husband seemed to h

rted, jumped up, and opened her eyes wide. One looking-glass she sa

and saw a pale, tear-stained face.

sleep,” she thought w