More Tales from Tolstoi
"Well, and have I said I wouldn't?" answered Serega. " I'll buy a stone as I said I would ; I'll buy a stone I say if I pay a rouble and a half for it I have not forgotten that it must be put up. Whenever I've occasion to go to town I'll buy it." " You might, at any rate, put up a cross ! " put in an old driver, " it's downright bad of you — ^why, you're still wearing the boots ! " " Where shall I get a cross from? — you can't hew it without a log." " Can't hew it without a log, eh ? A nice excuse ! Take an axe, go into the wood early, and then you'll hew it out easily enough ! Cut down a young aspen, and that'll give you a golubets[1] right enough." Early in the morning, when day had scarce begun to dawn, Serega took his axe and went out into the wood. Over everything lay a cold, whitish covering of still- falling dew, unillximinated by the sun. The east was brightening imperceptibly, and its feeble light was reflected on the fine passing clouds suspended in the vault of heaven. Not a single blade of grass below, not a single leaf on the high branches of the trees was astir. Only the rarely audible flutter of little wings in the thickest part of the forest, or a rustling on the ground disturbed the silence of the wood. Suddenly, a sound strange to Nature arose, and then died away again on the border of the forest But again this sound arose, and began to be repeated
at regular intervals on the ground below, around
- ↑ A grave cross, with a covering over it.
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