beside her. With their heads to the others' feet, sleep Grisha and
Anya. The cook's son, Andrey too, has managed to snuggle in beside
them. Near them lie the kopecks, that have lost their power till
the next game. Good-night!


THE RUNAWAY

IT had been a long business. At first Pashka had walked with his
mother in the rain, at one time across a mown field, then by forest
paths, where the yellow leaves stuck to his boots; he had walked
until it was daylight. Then he had stood for two hours in the dark
passage, waiting for the door to open. It was not so cold and damp
in the passage as in the yard, but with the high wind spurts of
rain flew in even there. When the passage gradually became packed
with people Pashka, squeezed among them, leaned his face against
somebody's sheepskin which smelt strongly of salt fish, and sank
into a doze. But at last the bolt clicked, the door flew open, and
Pashka and his mother went into the waiting-room. All the patients
sat on benches without stirring or speaking. Pashka looked round
at them, and he too was silent, though he was seeing a great deal
that was strange and funny. Only once, when a lad came into the
waiting-room hopping on one leg, Pashka longed to hop too; he nudged
his mother's elbow, giggled in his sleeve, and said: "Look, mammy,
a sparrow."

"Hush, child, hush!" said his mother.

A sleepy-looking hospital assistant appeared at the little window.