More Tales from Tolstoi
The husband of the invalid covered his face with his hands and rushed out of the room. The first person he met in the corridor outside was his Httle lad, six years of age, chasing his little sister, and full of the spirit of the thing. " What ! Didn't they tell you to bring the children to mamma?" he asked the nurse. " No, she didn't want to see them." The little lad stopped for one instant, gazed intently at his father's face, suddenly kicked out his foot, and with a merry cry ran on further. " She's pretending to be my little black horse," shrieked the lad, pointing at his little sister. Meanwhile, in the other roo'm, the sister was sitting by the side of the invalid, and, by means of an art- fully prepared conversation, was endeavouring to prepare her for the thought of death. The doctor was mixing a draught at the other window. The invalid, in a white dressing-gown, and propped up all round with pillows, was sitting up in bed and looking at her sister in silence. "Ah, my friend," she cried, suddenly interrupting her, " don't prepare me ! Oon't take me for a child. I'm a Christian woman, I know all about it. I know I have not long to live. I know that if my husband had listened to me sooner I should now have been in Italy, and possibly — nay, certainly — ^would have been quite well. They all told him so. But what are we to do if God wills it so? We have all a great many sins to answer for, I know that ; but I trust in God's mercy to forgive us all— I am sure He will forgive
us all. I try to understand myself, and" I know I have
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