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But she had it
not, and she went home empty-handed. "And now, Nina, I suppose we may
starve," said her father, whom she found sitting close to the stove in
the kitchen, while Souchey was kneeling before it, putting in at the
little open door morsels of fuel which were lamentably insufficient for
the poor man's purpose of raising a fire. The weather, indeed, was as
yet warm--so warm that in the middle of the day the heat was matter of
complaint to Josef Balatka; but in the evening he would become chill;
and as there existed some small necessity for cooking, he would beg
that he might thus enjoy the warmth of the kitchen.
"Yes, we shall starve now," said Souchey, complacently. "There is not
much doubt about our starving."
"Souchey, I wonder you should speak like that before father," said
Nina.
"And why shouldn't he speak?" said Balatka. "I think he has as much
right as any one."
"He has no right to make things worse than they are."
"I don't know how I could do that, Nina," said the servant. "What made
you take that money back to your aunt?"
"I didn't take it back to my aunt.


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