can too?"

"Don't you worry about that, Mrs. Mravucsan, I'll amuse her at supper,
and look after her wants," answered Gyuri.

With great difficulty they got ready to go, Madame Krisbay moaning and
groaning as they tried to dress her, after having sent Gyuri into the
passage. Mrs. Mravucsan collected all the shawls, rugs, and cloaks, and
hung them over her arm.

"We will send the servant for the lady's box," she said.

Then she made madame lean on her, and they managed to get her
downstairs. Madame was complaining, half in French, half in German, and
the mayor's wife chatted continually, sometimes to the young couple
walking in front, sometimes to madame, who, with her untidy hair, looked
something like a poor sick cockatoo.

"This way, this way, my dear young lady. That is our house over there.
Only a few more steps, my dear madame. Oh, the dog won't bite you. Go
away, Garam! We shall be there directly. You will see what a good bed I
will give you to sleep in to-night; such pillows, the softest you can
imagine!"

It made no difference to her that Madame Krisbay did not understand a
word of what she was saying. Many women talk for the sake of talking.
Why should they not? They are probably afraid a spider might spin its
web before their mouth.

"It hurts you, does it not? But it will hurt still more to-morrow; that
is always the way with a bruise of that kind. Why, you will feel it in
two weeks' time."

Then, casting a sly glance at the pair walking in front:

"They make a handsome couple, don't they?"

It was not far to the Mravucsans' house, and it would have been nearer
still if there had not been an immense pool of water just in front of
the Town Hall, to avoid which they had to go a good bit out of their
way. But this pool was a necessity, for all the geese and ducks in the
village swam on it, the pigs came and wallowed in the mud round it, and
last, but not least, the firemen took their water from here in case of
fire. Oh, I forgot to say that all the frogs from the whole neighborhood
had taken up their abode in it, and gave splendid concerts to the
villagers.

So, as I said before, they needed the pool and gladly put up with its
presence, and it was considered common property. Once a civil engineer
had been sent there by the county authorities, and he had called their
attention to the fact that the pool ought to be filled up; but they just
laughed at him, and left it as it was.

So now they had to