stranger's face lit up; his brows were no longer bent, he raised his eyes and smiled at Matryóna.
When they had finished supper, the woman cleared away the things and began questioning the stranger. 'Where are you from?' said she.
'I am not from these parts.'
'But how did you come to be on the road?'
'I may not tell.'
'Did some one rob you?'
'God punished me.'
'And you were lying there naked?'
'Yes, naked and freezing. Simon saw me and had pity on me. He took off his coat, put it on me and brought me here. And you have fed me, given me drink, and shown pity on me. God will reward you!'
Matryóna rose, took from the window Simon's old shirt she had been patching, and gave it to the stranger. She also brought out a pair of trousers for him.
'There,' said she, 'I see you have no shirt. Put this on, and lie down where you please, in the loft or on the oven[1].'
The stranger took off the coat, put on the shirt, and lay down in the loft. Matryóna put out the candle, took the coat, and climbed to where her husband lay.
Matryóna drew the skirts of the coat over her and lay down, but could not sleep; she could not get the stranger out of her mind.
When she remembered that he had eaten their last piece of bread and that there was none for to-morrow, and thought of the shirt and trousers she had given away, she felt grieved; but when she remembered how he had smiled, her heart was glad.
Long did Matryóna lie awake, and she noticed that Simon also was awake—he drew the coat towards him.
'Simon!'
- ↑ The brick oven in a Russian peasant's hut is usually built so as to leave a flat top, large enough to lie on, for those who want to sleep in a warm place.
