Part 23 (2/2)

She shook her head, to say that she could not. He folded his hands, and began to beg her:

”Dina, if you please! Dear Dina, bring it to me!”

”I cannot,” she said. ”The people are at home, and they would see me.”

And she went away.

Zhilin was sitting there in the evening, and thinking what would happen.

He kept looking up. The stars could be seen, and the moon was not yet up. The mullah called, and all grew quiet. Zhilin was beginning to fall asleep; he thought the girl would be afraid.

Suddenly some clay fell on his head. He looked up and saw a long pole coming down at the end of the ditch. It tumbled, and descended, and came down into the ditch. Zhilin was happy; he took hold of it and let it down,--it was a stout pole. He had seen it before on his master's roof.

He looked up: the stars were s.h.i.+ning high in the heavens, and over the very ditch Dina's eyes glistened in the darkness. She bent her face over the edge of the ditch, and whispered: ”Ivan, Ivan!” and waved her hands in front of her face, as much as to say: ”Speak softly!”

”What is it?” asked Zhilin.

”They are all gone. There are two only at the house.”

So Zhilin said:

”Kostylin, come, let us try for the last time; I will give you a lift.”

Kostylin would not even listen.

”No,” he said, ”I shall never get away from here. Where should I go, since I have no strength to turn around?”

”If so, good-bye! Do not think ill of me!”

He kissed Kostylin.

He took hold of the pole, told Dina to hold on to it, and climbed up.

Two or three times he slipped down: the stocks were in his way. Kostylin held him up, and he managed to get on. Dina pulled him by the s.h.i.+rt with all her might, and laughed.

Zhilin took the pole, and said:

”Take it to where you found it, for if they see it, they will beat you.”

She dragged the pole away, and Zhilin went down-hill. He crawled down an incline, took a sharp stone, and tried to break the lock of the stocks.

But the lock was a strong one, and he could not break it. He heard some one running down the hill, leaping lightly. He thought it was Dina. Dina ran up, took a stone, and said:

”Let me do it!”

She knelt down and tried to break it; but her arms were as thin as rods,--there was no strength in them. She threw away the stone, and began to weep. Zhilin again worked on the lock, and Dina squatted near him, and held on to his shoulder. Zhilin looked around; on the left, beyond the mountain, he saw a red glow,--the moon was rising.

”Well,” he thought, ”before the moon is up I must cross the ravine and get to the forest.”

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