to her, "Oh, dear, now she won't give me that apron!" All the
same, it was better to keep on good terms with the mistress, she was
the one who ruled the house. So she whispered in a tone of excuse:

"I'm sorry, Pani, but it was so funny when _gospadarz_--big, fat
_gospodarz_--compared himself to a tiny little flea. I couldn't help
it, I had to laugh." And she gave a waggish laugh, in which Mrs.
Tiralla this time joined. There was something merciless in the laughter
of the two women.

But Mr. Tiralla did not notice the mercilessness of it in his delight
at seeing his wife in a better humour. He took her by the hand as if
nothing had happened, and drew her into the room.

And she allowed him to draw her in. If he, even now, didn't notice that
she hated him, in spite of all she had done, didn't even notice it when
she told him it to his face, then he should feel it. It was his own
fault. A cruel smile played for a moment round her short upper Up, but
then the tears again started to her eyes.

As she was sitting there with him--he had tried to draw her on his
knee, but she had adroitly evaded him, and had squeezed herself in
between the table and the wall, so that he could not reach her so
easily--certain thoughts were chasing each other with frightful [Pg 13]
rapidity through her brain. She had often thought them out before, but
they always made her tremble anew. A deep silence reigned in the room.

But Mr. Tiralla did not desire any further entertainment. It was enough
for him if she were there, if he had the feeling that he only required
to stretch out his arm in order to grasp her with his strong hand, to
draw her to him, to caress her, even if she did not want it. After all,
he was the stronger. He had thrown himself full length on the bench
near the stove, but he could scarcely find room there for his huge
limbs, which stuck out on all sides. He sighed. He had already tramped
across his fields that morning, and had seen that the winter corn was
getting on all right, had heard the busy flails keeping time in the
barn, had looked for a long time at the cows chewing the cud in the
shed, and had stroked his two splendid horses. That had, indeed, been a
day's work. Now he had a perfect right to rest a little. Besides, there
was snow in the air, a big, thick, grey silence outside; so it was much
more comfortable to lie in the warm room until the _barschtsch_, and
the cabbage and the sausages were brought in. And after d