🧚 Opening, part 26 · page 2

“What will you do?”86

“I shall not tell you this time!”87

“Well, if evil is to be, it will come.”88

Nicholas thought, and again went to the peasant, told him to buy two tapers, one big and one small, and gave him instructions.89

Next day Elijah the Prophet and St. Nicholas were out together in the guise of wanderers, and the peasant happened to meet them, carrying two waxen candles—one big one that cost a rouble, and a little one that cost a kopek.90

“Where are you going to, peasant?”91 St. Nicholas said.92

“Oh, I am going to light the rouble taper to the Prophet Elijah; he has been so charitable to me.93 My field was ravaged by hail, so he intervened, _bátyushka_, and gave me a crop twice as good.”94

“For whom is the farthing dip?”95

“Oh, for St. Nicholas!” the peasant said, and pursued his way.96

“There you are, Elijah,” said St. Nicholas: “you said I gave everything away to the peasant; now you see what the truth is.”97

And with this the dispute was ended: Elijah the Prophet was reconciled, and ceased persecuting the peasant with hail-storms, so that he lived a merry life from that day and honoured both name-days equally.98

THE PRINCESS TO BE KISSED AT A CHARGE99

We still say that we are clever, but our elders go and quarrel with us and say, “No, we had more sense than you.”100 But the tale tells that, even when our grandfathers had not learned their lessons and our great-great-great-great-grandfathers had not been born, in a certain kingdom, in a certain land, once there lived an old man who had taught his three sons reading and writing.101

“Now, children,” he said to them, “I shall die; do you come and read prayers over my grave.”102

“Very well, _bátyushka_,” the three sons answered.103 And the two elder brothers were indeed fine lads, and they grew up fine stout fellows; but the youngest, Vanyúshka,[32] was under-sized, like a starved duckling, and flat-chested.104 The old man, their father, died.105

Just about then a decree was issued by the Tsar that his daughter, Eléna Tsarévna the Fair, had ordered a temple to be built for her, with twelve columns and twelve wreaths.106 She was going to sit in this temple on a lofty throne, and was going to wait for the bridegroom—the valiant man who should on a flying horse, at a single spring, kiss her on the lips.107 All the young folks were bustling about, washing themselves clean, combing their hair, and considering to whom should the great honour fall.108

“Brothers,” Vanyúshka said, “our father is dead: who of us will go and read prayers on his grave?”109

“Whoever wishes may go,” answered the brothers.110

So the youngest went.111 But the elders got ready and mounted their horses, curled their hair, dyed their hair; and all their kinsmen gathered round.112

Then the second night came: “Brothers, I read the prayers last night,” Ványa said; “it’s your turn; which of you will go?”113

“Any one who wishes may go; don’t interfere with us.”114

They gave their hats a knowing tilt, whooped and shouted, flew about, and rushed and galloped abroad on the open fields; and once again Ványa read the prayers; and so, too, on the third night.115 But the brothers saddled their horses, combed out their whiskers, and got ready on the very morrow to try their prowess in front of the eyes of Eléna the Fair.116 “What about our youngest brother?” they thought.117

“Never mind about him; he will only disgrace us and make people smile: let us go by ourselves.”118 So they started.119

But Ványa also very much wanted to look at Princess Eléna the Fair, and so he wept sorely, and he went to his father’s grave, and his father heard him in his last home, and he came up to him, shook off the grey earth from his forehead, and said, “Do not grieve, Vanyúshka; I will aid you in your sorrow.”120 Then the old man got up, whistled and halloed with a young man’s voice, with a nightingale’s trill; and from some source or other a horse ran up, and the earth trembled, and from his nostrils and from his ears flames issued forth.121 He breathed smoke, and stood in front of the old man as though he were rooted to the ground, and asked him, “What do you wish?”122

Ványa mounted the horse by one ear, dismounted it by the other, and turned into so fine a youth as no tale can tell and no pen can write.123 He sat on the horse, bent over sideways; and he flew like your hawk over there, straight to the palace of Eléna the Fair Tsarévna.124 He stretched out, leaped on, and he did not reach two of the crowns.125 He again made an effort, flew up, jumped; there was only one wreath left.126 He made one more effort, turned round once more, and, as fire leaps to the eyes, he instantly kissed and smacked Eléna the Fair on the lips.127 “Who is it!128 Who is it!129 Catch him!”130 For his very trace had vanished.131 Then he leapt back to his father’s grave, and he let his horse free into the open field; and he then bowed down to the earth and asked advice of his father, and the old man gave him advice.132 Ványa went back home as though he had never been there; and the brothers told him where they had been, what they had done and seen; and he listened as though he had never heard of it before.133

There was another bout next day, and you could never see an end of the _boyárs_ and the lords seated at the royal palace.134 The elder brothers started out, and the younger brother set out on foot secretly and quietly, just as though he had never kissed the Tsarévna, and he stopped in his distant corner.135 Eléna Tsarévna was asking for her bridegroom; Eléna Tsarévna was wishing to show him to the whole world, desiring to give him the half of her kingdom; but never a bridegroom appeared.136 They were looking for him in the midst of the _boyárs_, in the midst of the generals; and they went to them all, but they could not find him.137 But Ványa looked on and smiled, and waited until his bride came to him.138 For he said, “I won her like a knight; now she is to love me in my _kaftán_.”139

So she got up, looked out of the open windows, glanced through them all, and then she saw and recognised her bridegroom, took him to herself, and soon the betrothal took place.140 And oh, what a fine young man he was—so sensible, brave, and so handsome!141 He used to sit on his flying horse, undo his cap, put his arms a-kimbo; and he seemed like a king, like the reigning king; and you looked on, and you would never have imagined that at one time he could ever have been poor Vanyúshka.142

THE WOOD SPRITE143

One day the daughter of a pope, without asking leave of her mother or her father, went for a walk into the wood, and utterly lost her way.144 Three years went by.145 Now, in this wood, in which her mother and father lived, there was a bold hunter.146 On every holy day he used to go hunting with his gun and his dog in the dreamy forest.147