details of her life with great indifference, could not control herself
upon that; she burst into tears, and as she took her seat in the cart,
she kissed Gerasim three times like a good Christian. He meant to
accompany her as far as the town-barrier, and did walk beside her cart
for a while, but he stopped suddenly at the Crimean ford, waved his
hand, and walked away along the riverside.

It was getting towards evening. He walked slowly, watching the water.
All of a sudden he fancied something was floundering in the mud close to
the bank. He stooped over, and saw a little white-and-black puppy, who,
in spite of all its efforts, could not get out of the water; it was
struggling, slipping back, and trembling all over its thin wet little
body. Gerasim looked at the unlucky little dog, picked it up with one
hand, put it into the bosom of his coat, and hurried with long steps
homewards. He went into his garret, put the rescued puppy on his bed,
covered it with his thick overcoat, ran first to the stable for straw,
and then to the kitchen for a cup of milk. Carefully folding back the
overcoat, and spreading out the straw, he set the milk on the bedstead.
The poor little puppy was not more than three weeks old, its eyes were
just open--one eye still seemed rather larger than the other; it did not
know how to lap out of a cup, and did nothing but shiver and blink.
Gerasim took hold of its head softly with two fingers, and dipped its
little nose into the milk. The pup suddenly began lapping greedily,
sniffing, shaking itself, and choking. Gerasim watched and watched it,
and all at once he laughed outright. . . . All night long he was waiting
on it, keeping it covered, and rubbing it dry. He fell asleep himself at
last, and slept quietly and happily by its side.

No mother could have looked after her baby as Gerasim looked after his
little nursling. At first she--for the pup turned out to be a bitch--was