left off shrieking.  Then Avdyeeich hit upon the idea of shaking his finger at him, so he snapped his fingers up and down, backwards and forwards, right in front of the child’s mouth.  He did not put his finger into its mouth, because his finger was black and sticky with cobbler’s wax.  And the child stared at the finger and was silent, and presently it began to laugh.  And Avdyeeich was delighted.  But the woman went on eating, and told him who she was and whence she came.

“I am a soldier’s wife,” she said:  “my eight months’ husband they drove right away from me, and nothing has been heard of him since.  I took a cook’s place till I became a mother.  They could not keep me and the child.  It is now three months since I have been drifting about without any fixed resting-place.  I have eaten away my all.  I wanted to be a wet-nurse, but people wouldn’t have me:  ‘Thou art too thin,’ they said.  I have just been to the merchant’s wife where our grandmother lives, and there they promised to take me in.  I thought it was all right, but she told me to come again in a week.  But she lives a long way off.  I am chilled to death, and he is quite tired out.  But God be praised! our landlady has compassion on us, and gives us shelter for Christ’s sake.  But for that I don’t know how we could live through it all.”

Avdyeeich sighed, and said, “And have you no warm clothes?”

“Ah, kind friend! this is indeed warm-clothes time, but yesterday I pawned away my last shawl for two grivenki.”

The woman went to the bed and took up the child, but Avdyeeich stood up, went to the wall cupboard, rummaged about a bit, and then brought back with him an old jacket.

“Look!” said he, “’tis a shabby thing, ’tis true, but it will do to wrap up in.”

The woman looked at the old jacket, then she gazed at the old man, and, taking the jacket, fell a-weeping.  Avdyeeich also turned away, crept under the bed, drew out a trunk and seemed to be very busy about it, whereupon he again sat down opposite the woman.

Then the woman said:  “Christ requite thee, dear little father!  It is plain that it was He who sent me by thy window.  When I first came out it was warm, and now it has turned very cold.  And He it was, little father, who made thee look out of the window and have compassion on wretched me.”

Avdyeeich smiled slightly, and said:  “Yes, He must have done it, for I looked not out of the window in vain, dear gossip!”

And Avdyeeich told his dream to the soldier’s wife also, and how he had heard a voice promising that the Lord should come to him that day.

“All things are possible,” said the woman.  Then she rose up, put on the jacket, wrapped it round her little one, and then began to curtsey and thank Avdyeeich once more.

“Take this for Christ’s sake,” said Avdyeeich, giving her a two-grivenka piece, “and redeem your shawl.”  The woman crossed herself, Avdyeeich crossed himself, and then he led the woman to the door.