says I ; ' you were so ill' ' No,' says he, ' I am well,' and as he kept moving his hands, a great terror fell upon me, and I shrieked and awoke. He can't be dead, surely? Uncle Khveder, Uncle Khveder, I say!" But no sound came from Theod'ore. " Surely he's not dead ? Let's go and see ! " said one of the drowsy drivers half awake. The wasted hand, hanging down from the stove and covered with reddish hair, was cold and white. " Go and tell the inspector ! He seems to be dead," said the driver. Theodore had no kinsfolk — he had outlived them all. Next day they buried him in the new church- yard behind the wood ; and for the next few days Nastasia kept telling everyone of the strange vision she had seen and how she had been the first to miss Uncle Theodore.
III.
Spring had come. In the wet streets of the town, among the frozen manure-heaps gurgled scurrying streamlets ; the colours of the garments and the con- versation of the people moving about the town were bright and cheerful. In the little gardens behind the fences the buds of the trees were biursting forth, and their branches were rocked almost audibly by the fresh breezes. There was a universal thaw, a constant dripping of transparent drops. The sparrows were chirping tumultuously and darting about on their
tiny wings. On the sunny side of the road, behind
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