initial commit of ebook 11461HEADmain

7 files changed, 20406 insertions, 0 deletions

diff --git a/old/11461-8.txt b/old/11461-8.txt
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..d2bcbbc
--- /dev/null
+++ b/old/11461-8.txt
@@ -0,0 +1,6805 @@
+The Project Gutenberg EBook of Armenian Literature, by Anonymous
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+
+Title: Armenian Literature
+
+Author: Anonymous
+
+Release Date: March 5, 2004 [EBook #11461]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
+
+*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK ARMENIAN LITERATURE ***
+
+
+
+
+Produced by Juliet Sutherland, Susan Skinner and the Online Distributed
+Proofreading Team.
+
+
+
+
+
+ARMENIAN LITERATURE
+
+COMPRISING
+
+POETRY, DRAMA, FOLK-LORE, AND CLASSIC TRADITIONS
+
+
+TRANSLATED INTO ENGLISH FOR THE FIRST TIME
+
+WITH A SPECIAL INTRODUCTION BY
+
+ROBERT ARNOT, M.A.
+
+
+REVISED EDITION
+
+
+1904
+
+
+
+
+
+SPECIAL INTRODUCTION
+
+The literature of ancient Armenia that is still extant is meagre in
+quantity and to a large extent ecclesiastical in tone. To realize its
+oriental color one must resort entirely to that portion which deals with
+the home life of the people, with their fasts and festivals, their
+emotions, manners, and traditions. The ecclesiastical character of much
+of the early Armenian literature is accounted for by the fact that
+Christianity was preached there in the first century after Christ, by
+the apostles Thaddeus and Bartholomew, and that the Armenian Church is
+the oldest national Christian Church in the world.
+
+It is no doubt owing to the conversion of the entire Armenian nation
+under the passionate preaching of Gregory the Illuminator that most of
+the literary products, of primitive Armenia--the mythological legends
+and chants of heroic deeds sung by bards--are lost. The Church would
+have none of them. Gregory not only destroyed the pagan temples, but he
+sought to stamp out the pagan literature--the poetry and recorded
+traditions that celebrated the deeds of gods and goddesses and of
+national heroes. He would have succeeded, too, had not the romantic
+spirit of the race clung fondly to their ballads and folk-lore.
+Ecclesiastical historiographers in referring to those times say quaintly
+enough, meaning to censure the people, that in spite of their great
+religious advantages the Armenians persisted in singing some of their
+heathen ballads as late as the twelfth century. Curiously enough, we owe
+the fragments we possess of early Armenian poetry to these same
+ecclesiastical critics. These fragments suggest a popular poesy,
+stirring and full of powerful imagery, employed mostly in celebrating
+royal marriages, religious feasts, and containing dirges for the dead,
+and ballads of customs--not a wide field, but one invaluable to the
+philologist and to ethnological students.
+
+The Christian chroniclers and critics, however, while preserving but
+little of the verse of early Armenia, have handed down to us many
+legends and traditions, though they relate them, unfortunately, with
+much carelessness and with a contempt for detail that is often
+exasperating to one seeking for instructive parallelisms between the
+heroic legends of different nations. Evidently the only object of the
+ecclesiastical chroniclers in preserving these legends was to invest
+their descriptions of the times with a local color. Even Moses of
+Chorene, who by royal command collected many of these legends, and in
+his sympathetic treatment of them evinces poetic genius and keen
+literary appreciation, fails to realize the importance of his task.
+After speaking of the old Armenian kings with enthusiasm, and even
+condoning their paganism for the sake of their virility, he leaves his
+collection in the utmost disorder and positively without a note or
+comment. In the face of such difficulties, therefore, it has been hard
+to present specimens of early Armenian folk-lore and legends that shall
+give the reader a rightful idea of the race and the time.
+
+As Armenia was the highroad between Asia and Europe, these old stories
+and folk-plays show the influence of migrating and invading people. The
+mythology of the Chaldeans and Persians mingles oddly with traditions
+purely Armenian. This is well shown in the story of David of Sassun,
+given in this volume. David was the local hero of the place where Moses
+of Chorene was born and probably spent his declining years, after years
+of literary labor and study in Athens and Alexandria. The name of the
+district was Mush, and close by the monastery in which Moses was buried
+lies the village of Sassun.
+
+David's history is rich in personal incident, and recalls to the reader
+the tales related of the Persian Izdubar, the Chaldeo-Babylonian Nimrod,
+and the Greek Heracles. He is as much the hero of the tale as is Joseph
+Andrews in Fielding's classic of that name. His marvellous strength is
+used as handily for a jest as for some prodigious victory over man or
+monster. He is drawn for us as a bold, reckless fellow, with a
+rollicking sense of humor, which, in truth, sits but awkwardly upon the
+intense devotion to the Cross and its demands with which Moses or some
+later redactor has seen fit to burden this purely pagan hero. David is
+very human in spite of his blood-stained club and combative instincts,
+and his kindliness and bonhomie awake in us a passing disappointment at
+his untimely demise.
+
+If we except some ecclesiastical writings, these fragments preserved by
+Moses of Chorene and others comprehend all that is left to us of the
+literature of Armenia antedating the Persian invasion. After the Persian
+flood of fire and sword had rolled over this Asiatic Poland, the
+stricken Christian Church revived. A monk named Mesrob set to work to
+revive the spirit of literature. His difficulties were great. It was not
+alone the resuscitating of a dead literary desire, but it entailed also
+the providing of a vehicle of expression, namely an alphabet, so deeply
+had the Persian domination imprinted itself upon the land. As might be
+expected, the primary results of the revival were didactic, speculative,
+or religious in character. Mysticism at that time flourished in the
+monasteries, and the national spirit--the customs, habits, joys, and
+emotions of the people--had not yet found re-expression in script. The
+Church became the dominant power in literature, and if it is true on the
+one hand that the Armenian people lost intellectual independence, it is
+also true on the other that they gained that religious zeal and strength
+which enabled them as an entity--a united race--to survive the fatal day
+of Avarair, where, under the shadow of hoary Ararat, the Armenian
+Marathon was fought and lost, and Vartan, their national hero, died. All
+sorts of traditions cluster still around the battlefield of Avarair. A
+species of red flower grows there that is nowhere else to be found, and
+it is commonly believed that this red blossom sprang originally from the
+blood of the slain Armenian warriors. On the plain of Avarair is also
+found a small antelope with a pouch upon its breast secreting musk--a
+peculiarity gained, they say, from feeding on grass soaked with the
+blood of Armenia's sons. And at Avarair, too, it is said that the lament
+of the nightingales is ever, "Vartan, Vartan." The story of these times
+is preserved in fragments in the religious chronicles of Lazarus of
+Pharb and of Eliseus. When, during the Persian domination, Armenia
+became entirely shut off from the avenues of Greek culture, and was left
+unaided in her struggle for national existence, the light of literature
+again sank to a feeble gleam. There was, indeed, a faint revival in the
+tenth century, and again a second and a stronger renaissance in the
+twelfth under the impulse given by Nerses, and by his namesake, the
+Patriarch. But this revival, like the former, was not general in
+character. It was mostly a revival of religious mysticism in literature,
+not of the national spirit, though to this epoch belong the choicest
+hymnological productions of the Armenian Church.
+
+There are no chronicles extant that can be called purely Armenian. The
+oldest chronicles that we have of Armenia--and there are many--wander
+off into the histories of other people--of the Byzantines, for instance,
+and even of the Crusaders. The passages that deal with Armenia are
+devoted almost entirely to narrating the sufferings of the Armenians
+under the successive invasions of pagans and Mahometans, and the efforts
+made to keep the early Christian faith--forming almost a national book
+of martyrs, and setting forth a tragic romance of perpetual struggle.
+These records cannot be called Armenian literature in a real sense, for
+in many cases they were not written by Armenians, but they picture in
+vivid fashion the trials suffered by Armenians at the hands of invading
+nations, and the sacrifices made to preserve a national existence. They
+picture, in pages bristling with horrible detail, the sacrifices and
+sufferings of a desperate people, and in them we see Armenia as the
+prophet saw Judea, "naked, lying by the wayside, trodden under foot by
+all nations." These chronicles have an interest all their own, but they
+lack literary beauty, and not being, in themselves, Armenian literature,
+have not been included in the selections made as being purely
+representative of the race and land.
+
+The examples of Armenian proverbs and folk-lore included in this volume
+show, as is usual, the ethnological relationship that is so easily
+traced between the fables of _Aesop_, of Bidpai, of Vartan, and of
+Loqman. It may be said with truth that in the folk-lore and fables of
+all nations can be traced kinship of imagination, with a variety of
+application that differs with the customs and climate of the people. But
+the Armenian is especially rich in a variety of elements. We meet
+enchantments, faculties, superstitions, and abstract ideas personified,
+which are supposed to attach miraculous meanings to the most ordinary
+events. Dreams, riddles, and the like--all are there. The one strange
+personification is the Dew. The Dew is a monster, half demon, half
+human; sometimes harmless, sometimes malevolent; mortal, indeed, but
+reaching a good or, shall we say, an evil old age. The Dew figures in
+nearly all Armenian fairy-tales.
+
+The Armenian proverbs exhibit the persistent capacity of the Armenians
+during a time of _Sturm und Drang_ to embody, in pithy, wise, and
+sometimes cynical form, the wisdom drawn from their own experience and
+from that of the ages. It is possible that the cynical vein discernible
+in some of these proverbs is a result of the intense and continued
+national trials. Take, for instance, this proverb, "If a brother were a
+good thing, God would have provided himself with one." Can anything be
+more cynical?
+
+The poems are of later origin. Since the twelfth century, when
+literature burst the bonds imposed upon it by ecclesiastical domination,
+the poetic spirit of the Armenians has found expression. It is rich in
+oriental passion and imagery, brilliant in expression, and intensely
+musical. But through all the poems we are reminded of the melancholy
+strain that pervaded the exiles of Jerusalem when "by the waters of
+Babylon" they "sat down and wept." The apostrophe to Araxes reminds us
+of the trials of Armenia, of her exiled sons, of her wasted land, and of
+the perpetual fast she ever keeps in mourning for her children.
+
+The comedy of "The Ruined Family" and the pathetic story of "The Vacant
+Yard" are also of the post-monastic era. In the comedy we gain an
+insight into the jealousy and the pride of life that pervaded then as
+now the middle walks of life. Its Ibsenesque quality is very striking.
+The persistent and human struggle of the mother to gain a high position
+in life for her daughter through marriage, and the agonizing of the
+father to get together a suitable dower for his daughter, together with
+the worldly-wise comments and advice of the old aunt, are so true to
+modern life that one realizes anew the sameness of human nature in all
+climes and ages.
+
+"The Vacant Yard" gives us a charming picture of Armenian life. The
+people are depicted with an impartial pen, subject to the minor crosses
+and humors of fate, having their ups and downs just as we do to-day, but
+the intense local color that pervades the story holds one to the closing
+line.
+
+As a people the Armenians cannot boast of as vast a literature as the
+Persians, their one-time conquerors, but that which remains of purely
+Armenian prose, folk-lore, and poetry tells us of a poetic race, gifted
+with imaginative fire, sternness of will, and persistency of adherence
+to old ideas, a race that in proportion to their limited production in
+letters can challenge comparison with any people.
+
+[Signature: Robert Arnot]
+
+
+
+CONTENTS
+
+
+PROVERBS AND FOLK-LORE
+
+THE VACANT YARD
+
+ARMENIAN POEMS
+  A Plaint
+  Spring in Exile
+  Fly, Lays of Mine
+  The Woe of Araxes
+  The Armenian Maiden
+  One of a Thousand
+  Longing
+
+DAVID OF SASSUN
+
+THE RUINED FAMILY
+
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+
+PROVERBS AND FOLK-LORE
+
+[_Translated by F.B. Collins, B.S._]
+
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+
+PROVERBS AND FOLK-LORE
+
+
+I know many songs, but I cannot sing.
+
+When a man sees that the water does not follow him, he follows the
+water.
+
+When a tree falls there is plenty of kindling wood.
+
+He who falls into the water need have no fear of rain.
+
+A good swimmer finds death in the water.
+
+Strong vinegar bursts the cask.
+
+Dogs quarrel among themselves, but against the wolf they are united.
+
+God understands the dumb.
+
+Only he who can read is a man.
+
+The chick shows itself in the egg, the child in the cradle.
+
+What a man acquires in his youth serves as a crutch in his old age.
+
+One wit is good; two wits are better.
+
+Begin with small things, that you may achieve great.
+
+A devil with experience is better than an angel without.
+
+What the great say, the humble hear.
+
+He who steals an egg will steal a horse also.
+
+Turn the spit, so that neither meat nor roasting-iron shall burn.
+
+One can spoil the good name of a thousand.
+
+What manner of things thou speakest of, such shalt thou also hear.
+
+The grandfather ate unripe grapes, and the grandson's teeth were set on
+edge.
+
+One bad deed begets another.
+
+Go home when the table is set, and to church when it is almost over.
+
+A devil at home, a parson abroad.
+
+God created men and women: who, then, created monks?
+
+Poor and proud.
+
+In dreams the hungry see bread and the thirsty water.
+
+Ere the fat become lean, the lean are already dead.
+
+Wish for a cow for your neighbor, that God may give you two.
+
+What is play to the cat is death to the mouse.
+
+Unless the child cries, the mother will not suckle it.
+
+A fish in the water is worth nothing.
+
+Gold is small but of great worth.
+
+At home the dog is very brave.
+
+Observe the mother ere you take the daughter.
+
+If you lose half and then leave off, something is gained.
+
+The good mourn for what was taken away, the wolf for what was left
+behind.
+
+Only a bearded man can laugh at a beardless face.
+
+He descends from a horse and seats himself on an ass.
+
+No other day can equal the one that is past.
+
+When a man grows rich, he thinks his walls are awry.
+
+Make friends with a dog, but keep a stick in your hand.
+
+One should not feel hurt at the kick of an ass.
+
+The blind have no higher wish than to have two eyes.
+
+The thief wants only a dark night.
+
+A thief robbed another thief, and God marvelled at it in heaven.
+
+He who has money has no sense; and he who has sense, no money.
+
+He who begs is shameless, but still more shameless is he who lends not
+to him.
+
+Better lose one's eyes than one's calling.
+
+What the wind brings it will take away again.
+
+A bad dog neither eats himself nor gives to others.
+
+Running is also an art.
+
+Only in the bath can one tell black from white.
+
+Water is sure to find its way.
+
+What does the blind care if candles are dear?
+
+Speak little and you will hear much.
+
+No one is sure that his light will burn till morning.
+
+He who speaks the truth must have one foot in the stirrup.
+
+The more you stone a dog the more he barks.
+
+One blossom does not make a spring.
+
+One hand cannot clap alone.
+
+Strike the iron while it is hot.
+
+Take up a stick, and the thieving dog understands.
+
+Corruption illumines dark paths.
+
+When they laid down the law to the wolf, he said, "Be quiet, or the
+sheep will run away."
+
+One hears Ali is dead; but one knows not which one.
+
+The scornful soon grow old.
+
+Who shall work? I and thou. Who shall eat? I and thou.
+
+Stay in the place where there is bread.
+
+If bread tastes good, it is all one to me whether a Jew or a Turk bakes
+it.
+
+One loves the rose, another the lilac.
+
+Before Susan had done prinking, church was over.
+
+The simpleton went to the wedding and said, "Indeed, it is much better
+here than it is at home."
+
+He sleeps for himself and dreams for others.
+
+The flower falls under the bush.
+
+Not everything round is an apple.
+
+What does an ass know about almonds?
+
+A king must be worthy of a crown.
+
+When you are going in consider first how you are coming out.
+
+What thou canst do to-day leave not until to-morrow.
+
+The rose of winter-time is fire.
+
+The end of strife is repentance.
+
+From the same flower the serpent draws poison and the bees honey.
+
+My heart is no table-cover to be spread over everything.
+
+As long as the wagon is not upset the way is not mended.
+
+The water that drowns me is for me an ocean.
+
+The Armenian has his understanding in his head, the Georgian in his
+eyes.
+
+The ass knows seven ways of swimming, but when he sees the water he
+forgets them all.
+
+The wound of a dagger heals, but that of the tongue, never.
+
+A good ox is known in the yoke, a good woman at the cradle of her child.
+
+Love ever so well, there is also hate; hate ever so much, there is
+always love.
+
+A shrewd enemy is better than a stupid friend.
+
+To rise early is not everything; happy are they who have the help of
+God.
+
+A dress that is not worn wears itself out.
+
+I came from the ocean and was drowned in a spoonful of water.
+
+Because the cat could get no meat, he said, "To-day is Friday."
+
+The house that a woman builds God will not destroy; but a woman is
+likely to destroy the house that God has built.
+
+The dowry a woman brings into the house is a bell. Whenever you come
+near, the clapper strikes in your face.
+
+By asking, one finds the way to Jerusalem.
+
+Which of the five fingers can you cut off without hurting yourself?
+
+The father's kingdom is the son's mite.
+
+Far from the eye, far from the heart.
+
+If a brother was really good for anything, God would have one.
+
+When God gives, He gives with both hands.
+
+A daughter is a treasure which belongs to another.
+
+The world is a pair of stairs: some go up and others go down.
+
+The poor understand the troubles of the poor.
+
+The childless have one trouble, but those who have children have a
+thousand.
+
+God turns away his face from a shameless man.
+
+The eyes would not disagree even if the nose were not between them.
+
+Until you see trouble you will never know joy.
+
+You never know a man until you have eaten a barrel of salt with him.
+
+Every man's own trouble is as large as a camel.
+
+The goat prefers one goat to a whole herd of sheep.
+
+The fox has destroyed the world, and the wolf has lost his calling.
+
+The fool throws himself into the stream, and forty wise men cannot pull
+him out.
+
+A near neighbor is better than a distant kinsman.
+
+When I have honey, the flies come even from Bagdad.
+
+A guest comes from God.
+
+The guest is the ass of the inn-keeper.
+
+When everything is cheap the customer has no conscience.
+
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+
+THE SHEEP-BROTHER
+
+
+Once there was a widow and she had a daughter. The widow married a
+widower who had by his first wife two children, a boy and a girl. The
+wife was always coaxing her husband: "Take the children, do, and lead
+them up into the mountains." Her husband could not refuse her, and, lo!
+one day he put some bread in his basket, took the children, and set off
+for the mountain.
+
+They went on and on and came to a strange place. Then the father said to
+the children, "Rest here a little while," and the children sat down to
+rest. The father turned his face away and wept bitterly, very bitterly.
+Then he turned again to the children and said, "Eat something," and they
+ate. Then the boy said, "Father, dear, I want a drink." The father took
+his staff, stuck it into the ground, threw his coat over it, and said,
+"Come here, my son, sit in the shadow of my coat, and I will get you
+some water." The brother and sister stayed and the father went away and
+forsook his children. Whether they waited a long time or a short time
+before they saw that their father was not coming back is not known. They
+wandered here and there looking for him, but saw no human being
+anywhere.
+
+At last they came back to the same spot, and, beginning to weep, they
+said:
+
+"Alas! Alas! See, here is father's staff, and here is his coat, and he
+comes not, and he comes not."
+
+Whether the brother and sister sat there a long time or a short time is
+not known. They rose after a while, and one took the staff and the other
+the coat, and they went away without knowing whither. They went on and
+on and on, until they saw tracks of horses' hoofs filled with
+rain-water.
+
+"I am going to drink, sister," said the brother.
+
+"Do not drink, little brother, or you will become a colt," said the
+sister.
+
+They passed on till they saw tracks of oxen's hoofs.
+
+"O sister dear, how thirsty I am!"
+
+"Do not drink, little brother, or you will be a calf," the sister said
+to him.
+
+They went on till they saw the tracks of buffalo hoofs.
+
+"O sister dear, how thirsty I am!"
+
+"Drink not, little brother, or you will be a buffalo calf."
+
+They passed on and saw the tracks of bears' paws.
+
+"Oh, I am so thirsty, sister dear."
+
+"Drink not, little brother, or you will become a little bear."
+
+They went on and saw the tracks of swine's trotters.
+
+"O sister dear, I am going to drink."
+
+"Drink not, little brother, or you will become a little pig."
+
+They went on and on till they saw the tracks of the pads of wolves.
+
+"O sister dear, how thirsty I am!"
+
+"Do not drink, little brother, or you will become a little wolf."
+
+They walked on and on till they saw the tracks of sheep's trotters.
+
+"O sister dear, I am almost dying with thirst."
+
+"O little brother, you grieve me so! You will, indeed, be a sheep if you
+drink."
+
+He could stand it no longer. He drank and turned into a sheep. He began
+to bleat and ran after his sister. Long they wandered, and at last came
+home.
+
+Then the stepmother began to scheme against them. She edged up to her
+husband and said: "Kill your sheep. I want to eat him."
+
+The sister got her sheep-brother away in the nick of time and drove him
+back into the mountains. Every day she drove him to the meadows and she
+spun linen. Once her distaff fell from her hand and rolled into a
+cavern. The sheep-brother stayed behind grazing while she went to get
+the distaff.
+
+She stepped into the cavern and saw lying in a corner a Dew, one
+thousand years old. She suddenly spied the girl and said: "Neither the
+feathered birds nor the crawling serpent can make their way in here; how
+then hast thou, maiden, dared to enter?"
+
+The girl spoke up in her fright. "For love of you I came here, dear
+grandmother."
+
+The old Dew mother bade the girl come near and asked her this and that.
+The maiden pleased her very much. "I will go and bring you a fish," she
+said, "you are certainly hungry." But the fishes were snakes and
+dragons. The girl was sorely frightened and began to cry with terror.
+The old Dew said, "Maiden, why do you weep?" She answered, "I have just
+thought of my mother, and for her sake I weep." Then she told the old
+mother everything that had happened to her. "If that is so," said the
+Dew, "sit down here and I will lay my head on your knee and go to
+sleep."
+
+She made up the fire, stuck the poker into the stove, and said:
+
+"When the devil flies by do not waken me. If the rainbow-colored one
+passes near, take the glowing poker from the stove and lay it on my
+foot."
+
+The maiden's heart crept into her heels from fright. What was she to do?
+She sat down, the Dew laid her head on her knees and slept. Soon she saw
+a horrible black monster flying by. The maiden was silent. After a while
+there came flying by a rainbow-colored creature. She seized the glowing
+poker and threw it on the old Dew's foot. The old mother awoke and said,
+"Phew, how the fleas bite." She rose and lifted up the maiden. The
+girl's hair and clothing were turned to gold from the splendor of the
+rainbow colors. She kissed the old Dew's hand and begged that she might
+go. She went away, and taking her sheep-brother with her started for
+home. The stepmother was not there, and the maiden secretly dug a hole,
+buried her golden dress, and sat down and put on an old one.
+
+The stepmother came home and saw that the maiden had golden hair.
+
+"What have you done to your hair to make it like gold?" she asked. The
+maiden told her all, how and when. The next day the stepmother sent her
+own daughter to the same mountain. The stepmother's daughter purposely
+let her distaff fall and it rolled into the hole. She went in to get it,
+but the old Dew mother turned her into a scarecrow and sent her home.
+
+About that time there was a wedding in the royal castle; the King was
+giving one of his sons in marriage, and the people came from all
+directions to look on and enjoy themselves.
+
+The stepmother threw on a kerchief and smartened up the head of her
+daughter and took her to see the wedding. The girl with the golden hair
+did not stay at home, but, putting on her golden dress so that she
+became from head to foot a gleaming houri, she went after them.
+
+But on the way home, she ran so fast to get there before her stepmother,
+that she dropped one of her golden shoes in the fountain. When they led
+the horses of the King's second son to drink, the horses caught sight of
+the golden shoe in the water and drew back and would not drink. The King
+caused the wise men to be called, and asked them to make known the
+reason why the horses would not drink, and they found only the golden
+shoe. The King sent out his herald to tell the people that he would
+marry his son to whomsoever this shoe fitted.
+
+He sent people throughout the whole city to try on the shoe, and they
+came to the house where the sheep-brother was. The stepmother pushed the
+maiden with the golden locks into the stove, and hid her, and showed
+only her own daughter.
+
+A cock came up to the threshold and crowed three times, "Cock-a-doodle
+doo! The fairest of the fair is in the stove." The King's people brushed
+the stepmother aside and led the maiden with golden hair from the stove,
+tried on the shoe, which fitted as though moulded to the foot.
+
+"Now stand up," said they, "and you shall be a royal bride."
+
+The maiden put on her golden dress, drove her sheep-brother before her,
+and went to the castle. She was married to the King's son, and seven
+days and seven nights they feasted.
+
+Again the stepmother took her daughter and went to the castle to visit
+her stepdaughter, who in spite of all treated her as her mother and
+invited her into the castle garden. From the garden they went to the
+seashore and sat down to rest. The stepmother said, "Let us bathe in the
+sea." While they were bathing she pushed the wife of the King's son far
+out into the water, and a great fish came swimming by and swallowed her.
+
+Meanwhile the stepmother put the golden dress on her own daughter and
+led her to the royal castle and placed her in the seat where the young
+wife always sat, covering her face and her head so that no one would
+know her.
+
+The young wife sat in the fish and heard the voice of the bell-ringer.
+She called to him and pleaded: "Bell-ringer, O bell-ringer, thou hast
+called the people to church; cross thyself seven times, and I entreat
+thee, in the name of heaven, go to the prince and say that they must not
+slaughter my sheep-brother."
+
+Once, twice the bell-ringer heard this voice and told the King's son
+about it.
+
+The King's son took the bell-ringer with him and went at night to the
+seashore. The same voice spoke the same words. He knew that it was his
+dear wife that spoke, and drew his sword and ripped open the fish and
+helped his loved one out.
+
+They went home, and the prince had the stepmother brought to him, and
+said to her: "Mother-in-law, tell me what kind of a present you would
+like: a horse fed with barley or a knife with a black handle?"
+
+The stepmother answered: "Let the knife with a black handle pierce the
+breast of thine enemy; but give me the horse fed with barley."
+
+The King's son commanded them to tie the stepmother and her daughter to
+the tail of a horse, and to hunt them over mountain and rock till
+nothing was left of them but their ears and a tuft of hair.
+
+After that the King's son lived happily with his wife and her
+sheep-brother. The others were punished and she rejoiced.
+
+And three apples fell down from heaven.
+
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+
+THE YOUTH WHO WOULD NOT TELL HIS DREAM
+
+There lived once upon a time a man and wife who had a son. The son arose
+from his sleep one morning and said to his mother: "Mother dear, I had a
+dream, but what it was I will not tell you."
+
+The mother said, "Why will you not tell me?"
+
+"I will not, and that settles it," answered the youth, and his mother
+seized him and cudgelled him well.
+
+Then he went to his father and said to him: "Father dear, I had a dream,
+but what it was I would not tell mother, nor will I tell you," and his
+father also gave him a good flogging. He began to sulk and ran away from
+home. He walked and walked the whole day long and, meeting a traveller,
+said after greeting him: "I had a dream, but what it was I would tell
+neither father nor mother and I will not tell you," Then he went on his
+way till finally he came to the Emir's house and said to the Emir:
+"Emir, I had a dream, but what it was I would tell neither father nor
+mother, nor yet the traveller, and I will not tell you."
+
+The Emir had him seized and thrown into the garret, where he began to
+cut through the floor with a knife he managed to get from some one of
+the Emir's people. He cut and cut until he made an opening over the
+chamber of the Emir's daughter, who had just filled a plate with food
+and gone away. The youth jumped down, emptied the plate, ate what he
+wanted, and crept back into the garret. The second, third, and fourth
+days he did this also, and the Emir's daughter could not think who had
+taken away her meal. The next day she hid herself under the table to
+watch and find out. Seeing the youth jump down and begin to eat from her
+plate, she rushed out and said to him, "Who are you?"
+
+"I had a dream, but what it was I would tell neither father nor mother,
+nor the traveller, nor yet the Emir. The Emir shut me up in the garret.
+Now everything depends on you; do with me what you will."
+
+The youth looked at the maiden, and they loved each other and saw each
+other every day.
+
+The King of the West came to the King of the East to court the daughter
+of the King of the East for his son. He sent an iron bar with both ends
+shaped alike and asked: "Which is the top and which is the bottom? If
+you can guess that, good! If not, I will carry your daughter away with
+me."
+
+The King asked everybody, but nobody could tell. The King's daughter
+told her lover about it and he said: "Go tell your father the Emir to
+throw the bar into a brook. The heavy end will sink. Make a hole in that
+end and send the bar back to the King of the West." And it happened that
+he was right, and the messengers returned to their King.
+
+The King of the West sent three horses of the same size and color and
+asked: "Which is the one-year-old, which is the two-year-old, and which
+the mare? If you can guess that, good. If not, then I will carry off
+your daughter."
+
+The King of the East collected all the clever people, but no one could
+guess. He was helpless and knew not what to do. Then his daughter went
+to her lover and said, "They are going to take me away," and she told
+him when and how.
+
+The youth said: "Go and say to your father, 'Dip a bundle of hay in
+water, strew it with salt, and put it near the horses' stall. In the
+morning the mare will come first, the two-year-old second, the
+one-year-old last.'"
+
+They did this and sent the King of the West his answer.
+
+He waited a little and sent a steel spear and a steel shield, and said:
+"If you pierce the shield with the spear, I will give my daughter to
+your son. If not, send your daughter to my son."
+
+Many people tried, and among them the King himself, but they could find
+no way of piercing the shield. The King's daughter told him of her
+beloved prisoner, and the King sent for him. The youth thrust the spear
+into the ground, and, striking the shield against it, pierced it
+through.
+
+As the King had no son, he sent the youth in place of a son to the King
+of the West to demand his daughter, according to agreement.
+
+He went on and on--how long it is not known--and saw someone with his
+ear to the ground listening.
+
+"Who are you?" the youth asked.
+
+"I am he who hears everything that is said in the whole world."
+
+"This is a brave fellow," said the youth. "He knows everything that is
+said in the world."
+
+"I am no brave fellow. He who has pierced a steel shield with a steel
+spear is a brave fellow," was the answer.
+
+"I am he," said the youth. "Let us be brothers."
+
+They journeyed on together and saw a man with a millstone on each foot,
+and one leg stepped toward Chisan and the other toward Stambul.
+
+"That seems to me a brave fellow! One leg steps toward Chisan and the
+other toward Stambul."
+
+"I am no brave fellow. He who has pierced a steel shield with a steel
+spear is a brave fellow," said the man with the millstones.
+
+"I am he. Let us be brothers."
+
+They were three and they journeyed on together.
+
+They went on and on and saw a mill with seven millstones grinding corn.
+And one man ate all and was not satisfied, but grumbled and said, "O
+little father, I die of hunger."
+
+"That is a brave fellow," said the youth. "Seven millstones grind for him
+and yet he has not enough, but cries, 'I die of hunger.'"
+
+"I am no brave fellow. He who pierced a steel shield with a steel spear
+is a brave fellow," said the hungry man.
+
+"I am he. Let us be brothers," said the youth and the four journeyed on
+together. They went on and on and saw a man who had loaded the whole
+world on his back and even wished to lift it up.
+
+"That is a brave fellow. He has loaded himself with the whole world and
+wishes to lift it up," said the youth.
+
+"I am no brave fellow. He who has pierced a steel shield with a steel
+spear is a brave fellow," said the burdened man.
+
+"I am he. Let us be brothers."
+
+The five journeyed on together. They went on and on and saw a man lying
+in a brook and he sipped up all its waters and yet cried, "O little
+father, I am parched with thirst."
+
+"That is a brave fellow. He drinks up the whole brook and still says he
+is thirsty," said the youth.
+
+"I am no brave fellow. He who has pierced a steel shield with a steel
+spear is a brave fellow," said the thirsty man.
+
+"I am he. Let us be brothers."
+
+The six journeyed on together. They went on and on and saw a shepherd
+who was playing the pipes, and mountains and valleys, fields and
+forests, men and animals, danced to the music.
+
+"That seems to me to be a brave fellow. He makes mountains and valleys
+dance," said the youth.
+
+"I am no brave fellow. He who has pierced a steel shield with a steel
+spear is a brave fellow," said the musical man.
+
+"I am he. Let us be brothers," said the youth.
+
+The seven journeyed on together.
+
+"Brother who hast pierced a steel shield with a steel spear, whither is
+God leading us?"
+
+"We are going to get the daughter of the King of the West," said the
+youth.
+
+"Only you can marry her," said they all.
+
+They went on till they came to the King's castle, but when they asked
+for the daughter the King would not let her go, but called his people
+together and said: "They have come after the bride. They are not very
+hungry, perhaps they will eat only a bite or two. Let one-and-twenty
+ovens be filled with bread and make one-and-twenty kettles of soup. If
+they eat all this I will give them my daughter; otherwise, I will not."
+
+The seven brothers were in a distant room. He who listened with his ear
+to the ground heard what the King commanded, and said:
+
+"Brother who hast pierced a steel shield with a steel spear, do you
+understand what the King said?"
+
+"Rascal! how can I know what he says when I am not in the same room with
+him? What did he say?"
+
+"He has commanded them to bake bread in one-and-twenty ovens and to make
+one-and-twenty kettles of soup. If we eat it all, we can take his
+daughter; otherwise, not."
+
+The brother who devoured all the meal that seven millstones, ground
+said: "Fear not, I will eat everything that comes to hand, and then cry,
+'Little father, I die of hunger.'"
+
+When the King saw the hungry man eat he screamed: "May he perish! I
+shall certainly meet defeat at his hands."
+
+Again he called his people to him and said, "Kindle a great fire, strew
+it with ashes and cover it with blankets. When they come in in the
+evening they will be consumed, all seven of them."
+
+The brother with the sharp ears said: "Brother who hast pierced a steel
+shield with a steel spear, do you understand what the King said?"
+
+"No; how can I know what he said?"
+
+"He said, 'Kindle a fire, strew it with ashes, and cover it with
+blankets, and when they come in in the evening they will be consumed,
+all seven of them.'"
+
+Then said the brother who drank up the brook: "I will drink all I can
+and go in before you. I will spit it all out and turn the whole house
+into a sea."
+
+In the evening they begged the King to allow them to rest in the room
+set apart for them. The water-drinker filled the whole room with water,
+and they went into another.
+
+The King lost his wits and knew not what to do. He called his people
+together, and they said in one voice, "Let what will happen, we will not
+let our princess go!"
+
+The man with the sharp ears heard them, and said, "Brother who hast
+pierced a steel shield with a steel spear, do you understand what the
+King said?"
+
+"How should I know what he said?"
+
+"He said, 'Let what will happen, I will not let my daughter go.'"
+
+The brother who had loaded himself with the whole world said: "Wait, I
+will take his castle and all his land on my back and carry it away."
+
+He took the castle on his back and started off. The shepherd played on
+his pipes, and mountains and valleys danced to the music. He who had
+fastened millstones to his feet led the march, and they all went
+joyously forward, making a great noise.
+
+The King began to weep, and begged them to leave him his castle. "Take
+my daughter with you. You have earned her."
+
+They put the castle back in its place, the shepherd stopped playing, and
+mountain and valley stood still. They took the King's daughter and
+departed, and each hero returned to his dwelling-place, and he who had
+pierced the steel shield with the steel spear took the maiden and came
+again to the King of the East. And the King of the East gave him his own
+daughter, whom the youth had long loved, for his wife. So he had two
+wives--one was the daughter of the King of the East, the other the
+daughter of the King of the West.
+
+At night, when they lay down to sleep, he said: "Now, I have one sun on
+one side and another sun on the other side, and a bright star plays on
+my breast."
+
+In the morning he sent for his parents and called also the King to him,
+and said, "Now, I will tell my dream." "What was it, then?" they all
+said. He answered: "I saw in my dream one sun on one side of me and
+another sun on the other, and a bright star played on my breast."
+
+"Had you such a dream?" they asked.
+
+"I swear I had such a dream."
+
+And three apples fell from heaven: one for the story-teller, one for him
+who made him tell it, and one for the hearer.
+
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+
+THE VACANT YARD
+
+[_Translated by E.B. Collins, B.S._]
+
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+
+THE VACANT YARD
+
+
+Several days ago I wished to visit an acquaintance, but it chanced he
+was not at home. I came therefore through the gate again out into the
+street, and stood looking to right and left and considering where I
+could go. In front of me lay a vacant yard, which was, I thought, not
+wholly like other vacant yards. On it was neither house nor barn nor
+stable: true, none of these was there, but it was very evident that this
+yard could not have been deserted long by its tenants. The house must,
+also, in my opinion, have been torn down, for of traces of fire, as, for
+example, charred beams, damaged stoves, and rubbish heaps, there was no
+sign.
+
+In a word, it could be plainly perceived that the house which once stood
+there had been pulled down, and its beams and timbers carried away. In
+the middle of the premises, near the line hedge, stood several high
+trees, acacias, fig, and plum-trees; scattered among them were
+gooseberry bushes, rose-trees, and blackthorns, while near the street,
+just in the place where the window of the house was probably set, stood
+a high, green fig-tree.
+
+I have seen many vacant lots, yet never before have I given a passing
+thought as to whom any one of them belonged, or who might have lived
+there, or indeed where its future possessor might be. But in a peculiar
+way the sight of this yard called up questions of this sort; and as I
+looked at it many different thoughts came into my mind. Perhaps, I
+thought to myself, a childless fellow, who spoiled old age with sighs
+and complaints, and as his life waned the walls mouldered. Finally, the
+house was without a master; the doors and windows stood open, and when
+the dark winter nights came on, the neighbors fell upon it and stripped
+off its boards, one after another. Yes, various thoughts came into my
+head. How hard it is to build a house, and how easy to tear it down!
+
+While I stood there lost in thought, an old woman, leaning on a staff,
+passed me. I did not immediately recognize her, but at a second glance I
+saw it was Hripsime. Nurse Hripsime was a woman of five-and-seventy,
+yet, from her steady gait, her lively speech, and her fiery eyes, she
+appeared to be scarcely fifty. She was vigorous and hearty, expressed
+her opinions like a man, and was abrupt in her speech. Had she not worn
+women's garments one could easily have taken her for a man. Indeed, in
+conversation she held her own with ten men.
+
+Once, I wot not for what reason, she was summoned to court. She went
+thither, placed herself before the judge, and spoke so bravely that
+everyone gaped and stared at her as at a prodigy. Another time thieves
+tried to get into her house at night, knowing that she was alone like an
+owl in the house. The thieves began to pry open the door with a crowbar,
+and when Nurse Hripsime heard it she sprang nimbly out of bed, seized
+her stick from its corner, and began to shout: "Ho, there! Simon,
+Gabriel, Matthew, Stephan, Aswadur, get up quickly. Get your axes and
+sticks. Thieves are here; collar the rascals; bind them, skin them,
+strike them dead!" The thieves probably did not know with whom they had
+to deal, and, when at the outcry of the old woman they conceived that a
+half-dozen stout-handed fellows might be in the house, they took
+themselves off. Just such a cunning, fearless woman was Aunt Hripsime.
+
+"Good-morning, nurse," said I.
+
+"God greet thee," she replied.
+
+"Where have you been?"
+
+"I have been with the sick," she rejoined.
+
+Oh, yes! I had wholly forgotten to say that Nurse Hripsime, though she
+could neither read nor write, was a skilful physician. She laid the sick
+person on the grass, administered a sherbet, cured hemorrhoids and
+epilepsy; and especially with sick women was she successful. Yes, to her
+skill I myself can bear witness. About four years ago my child was taken
+ill in the dog-days, and for three years my wife had had a fever, so
+that she was very feeble. The daughter of Arutin, the gold-worker, and
+the wife of Saak, the tile-maker, said to me: "There is an excellent
+physician called Hripsime. Send for her, and you will not regret it."
+To speak candidly, I have never found much brains in our doctor. He
+turns round on his heels and scribbles out a great many prescriptions,
+but his skill is not worth a toadstool.
+
+I sent for Hripsime, and, sure enough, not three days had passed before
+my wife's fever had ceased and my children's pain was allayed. For three
+years, thank God, no sickness has visited my house. Whether it can be
+laid to her skill and the lightness of her hand or to the medicine I
+know not. I know well, however, that Nurse Hripsime is my family
+physician. And what do I pay her? Five rubles a year, no more and no
+less. When she comes to us it is a holiday for my children, so sweetly
+does she speak to them and so well does she know how to win their
+hearts. Indeed, if I were a sultan, she should be my vezir.
+
+"How does the city stand in regard to sickness?" I asked her.
+
+"Of that one would rather not speak," answered Hripsime. "Ten more such
+years and our whole city will become a hospital. Heaven knows what kind
+of diseases they are! Moreover, they are of a very peculiar kind, and
+often the people die very suddenly. The bells fly in pieces almost from
+so much tolling, the grave-diggers' shovels are blunt, and from the
+great demand for coffins the price of wood is risen. What will become of
+us, I know not."
+
+"Is not, then, the cause of these diseases known to you?"
+
+"Oh, that is clear enough," answered Hripsime. "It is a punishment for
+our sins. What good deeds have we done that we should expect God's
+mercy? Thieves, counterfeiters, all these you find among us. They snatch
+the last shirt from the poor man's back, purloin trust moneys, church
+money: in a word, there is no shameless deed we will not undertake for
+profit. We need not wonder if God punishes us for it. Yes, God acts
+justly, praised be his holy name! Indeed, it would be marvellous if God
+let us go unpunished."
+
+Hripsime was not a little excited, and that was just what I wished. When
+she once began she could no longer hold in: her words gushed forth as
+from a spring, and the more she spoke the smoother her speech.
+
+"Do you know?" I began again, "that I have been standing a long while
+before this deserted yard, and cannot recall whose house stood here, why
+they have pulled it down, and what has become of its inhabitants? You
+are an aged woman, and have peeped into every corner of our city: you
+must have something to tell about it. If you have nothing important on
+hand, be kind enough to tell me what you know of the former residents of
+the vanished house."
+
+Nurse Hripsime turned her gaze to the vacant yard, and, shaking her
+head, said:
+
+"My dear son, the history of that house is as long as one of our
+fairy-tales. One must tell for seven days and seven nights in order to
+reach the end.
+
+"This yard was not always so desolate as you see it now," she went on.
+"Once there stood here a house, not very large, but pretty and
+attractive, and made of wood. The wooden houses of former days pleased
+me much better than the present stone houses, which look like cheese
+mats outside and are prisons within. An old proverb says, 'In stone or
+brick houses life goes on sadly,'
+
+"Here, on this spot, next to the fig-tree," she continued, "stood
+formerly a house with a five-windowed front, green blinds, and a red
+roof. Farther back there by the acacias stood the stable, and between
+the house and the stable, the kitchen and the hen-house. Here to the
+right of the gate a spring." With these words Nurse Hripsime took a step
+forward, looked about, and said: "What is this? the spring gone, too! I
+recollect as if to-day that there was a spring of sweet water on the
+very spot where I am standing. What can have happened to it! I know that
+everything can be lost--but a spring, how can that be lost?" Hripsime
+stooped and began to scratch about with her stick. "Look here," she said
+suddenly, "bad boys have filled up the beautiful spring with earth and
+stones. Plague take it! Well, if one's head is cut off, he weeps not for
+his beard. For the spring I care not, but for poor Sarkis and his family
+I am very sorry."
+
+"Are you certain that the house of Sarkis, the grocer, stood here? I had
+wholly forgotten it. Now tell me, I pray, what has become of him? Does
+he still live, or is he dead? Where is his family? I remember now that
+he had a pretty daughter and also a son."
+
+Nurse Hripsime gave no heed to my questions, but stood silently, poking
+about with her stick near the choked-up spring.
+
+The picture of Grocer Sarkis, as we called him, took form vividly in my
+memory, and with it awoke many experiences of my childhood. I remembered
+that when I was a child a dear old lady often visited us, who was
+continually telling us about Grocer Sarkis, and used to hold up his
+children as models. In summer, when the early fruit was ripe, she used
+to visit his house, gather fruit in his garden, and would always come to
+us with full pockets, bringing us egg-plums, saffron apples, fig-pears,
+and many other fruits. From that time we knew Sarkis, and when my mother
+wanted any little thing for the house I got it for her at his store. I
+loved him well, this Sarkis; he was a quiet, mild man, around whose
+mouth a smile hovered. "What do you want, my child?" he always asked
+when I entered his store.
+
+"My mother sends you greeting," I would answer. "She wants this or
+that."
+
+"Well, well, my child, you shall have it," he usually answered, and
+always gave me a stick of sugar candy, with the words, "That is for you;
+it is good for the cough." It never happened that I went out of the
+store without receiving something from him. In winter-time he treated me
+to sugar candy, and in summer-time he always had in his store great
+baskets full of apricots, plums, pears, and apples, or whatever was in
+season in his garden. His garden at that time--some thirty or
+thirty-five years ago--was very famous. One time my mother sent me to
+Sarkis's store to procure, as I remember, saffron for the pillau. Sarkis
+gave me what I desired, and then noticing, probably, how longingly I
+looked toward the fruit-baskets, he said:
+
+"Now, you shall go and have a good time in my garden. Do you know where
+my house is?"
+
+"Yes, I know. Not far from the Church of Our Lady."
+
+"Right, my son, you have found it. It has green blinds, and a fig-tree
+stands in front of it. Now take this basket and carry it to Auntie, and
+say that I sent word that she was to let you go into the garden with my
+son Toros. There you two may eat what you will."
+
+He handed me a neat-looking basket. I peeped into it and saw a sheep's
+liver. I was as disgusted with this as though it were a dead dog, for at
+that time liver-eaters were abhorred not less than thieves and
+counterfeiters; they with their whole family were held in derision, and
+people generally refused to associate with them. In a moment I forgot
+entirely what a good man Sarkis was; I forgot his fruit-garden and his
+pretty daughter, of whom the good old lady had told me so many beautiful
+things. The liver had spoiled everything in a trice. Sarkis noticed
+this, and asked me smiling:
+
+"What is the matter?"
+
+"Have you a dog in your yard?" I asked, without heeding his words.
+
+"No," he said.
+
+"For whom, then, is the liver?"
+
+"For none other than ourselves. We will eat it."
+
+I looked at Sarkis to see if he were jesting with me, but no sign of
+jesting was to be seen in his face.
+
+"You will really eat the liver yourselves?" I asked.
+
+"What astonishes you, my boy? Is not liver to be eaten, then?"
+
+"Dogs eat liver," I said, deeply wounded, and turned away, for Sarkis
+appeared to me at that moment like a ghoul.
+
+Just then there came into the store a pretty, pleasing boy. "Mamma sent
+me to get what you have bought at the Bazaar, and the hearth-fire has
+been lit a long time." I concluded that this was Sarkis's son, Toros. I
+perceived immediately from his face that he was a good boy, and I was
+very much taken with him.
+
+"Here, little son, take that," Sarkis said, and handed him the basket
+which I had set down.
+
+Toros peeped in, and when he spied the liver he said, "We will have a
+pie for dinner." Then he put on his cap and turned to go.
+
+"Toros," called his father to him, "take Melkon with you to our house
+and play with him as a brother."
+
+I was exceedingly pleased with the invitation, and went out with Toros.
+When we arrived at Sarkis's house and entered the garden it seemed as
+though I were in an entirely new world. The yard was very pretty, no
+disorder was to be seen anywhere. Here and there pretty chickens,
+geese, and turkeys ran about with their chicks. On the roof sat doves of
+the best kinds. The yard was shaded in places by pretty green trees, the
+house had a pretty balcony, and under the eaves stood green-painted tubs
+for catching rain-water. In the windows different flowers were growing,
+and from the balcony hung cages of goldfinches, nightingales, and canary
+birds; in a word, everything I saw was pretty, homelike, and pleasant.
+
+In the kitchen cooking was going on, for thick smoke rose from the
+chimney. At the kitchen-door stood Sarkis's wife, a healthy,
+red-cheeked, and vigorous woman, apparently about thirty years old. From
+the fire that burned on the hearth her cheeks were still more reddened,
+so that it seemed, as they say, the redness sprang right out of her. On
+a little stool on the balcony sat a little girl, who wore, according to
+the prevailing fashion, a red satin fez on her head. This was Toros's
+sister. I have seen many beautiful girls in my time, but never a
+prettier one. Her name was Takusch.
+
+Getting the mother's consent, we entered the garden, where we helped
+ourselves freely to the good fruit and enjoyed the fragrance of many
+flowers. At noon, Sarkis came home from the store, and invited me to
+dinner. My gaze was continually directed toward the beautiful Takusch.
+Oh, well-remembered years! What a pity it is that they pass by so
+quickly! Two or three months later I journeyed to the Black Sea, where I
+was apprenticed to a merchant, and since that time I have not been in my
+native city--for some twenty-four years--and all that I have told was
+awakened in my memory in a trice by my meeting with Hripsime.
+
+The old woman was still standing on the site of the choked-up spring,
+scratching around on the ground with her stick.
+
+"Nurse Hripsime, where is Sarkis and his family now?" I asked.
+
+"Did you know him, then?" she asked, astonished.
+
+"Yes, a little," I replied.
+
+"Your parents were acquainted with him?"
+
+"No. I was only once in his house, and then as a boy."
+
+"Oh, then! That was his happiest time. What pleasant times we had in his
+garden! Formerly it was not as it is now--not a trace of their pleasant
+garden remains. The house has disappeared. Look again: yonder was the
+kitchen, there the hen-house, there the barn, and here the spring."
+
+As she spoke she pointed out with her stick each place, but of the
+buildings she named not a trace was to be seen.
+
+"Ah, my son," she went on, "he who destroyed the happiness of these
+good, pious people, who tore down their house and scattered the whole
+family to the winds, may that man be judged by God! He fell like a wolf
+upon their goods and chattels. I wish no evil to him, but if there is a
+God in heaven may he find no peace in his house, may his children bring
+no joy to him, and may no happiness find its way within his four walls.
+As he ruined those four poor wretches and was guilty of their early
+death, so may he roam over the wide world without rest nor find in sleep
+any comfort! Yes, may his trouble and sorrow increase with the abundance
+of his wealth!
+
+"I knew Sarkis when he was still a boy. When you knew him he must have
+been about forty years old. He was always just as you saw him: reserved,
+discreet, pious, beneficent to the poor, and hospitable. It never
+occurred that he spoke harshly to his wife or raised his hand against
+his children. He was ever satisfied with what he had; never complained
+that he had too little, or coveted the possessions of others. Yes, a
+pious man was Sarkis, and his wife had the same virtues. Early in
+childhood she lost her parents, and relatives of her mother adopted her,
+but treated her badly. Yes, bitter is the lot of the orphan, for even if
+they have means they are no better off than the poor! They said that
+when her father died he left her a store with goods worth about 3,000
+rubles, and beside that 2,000 ducats in cash; but he was hardly dead
+when the relations came and secured the stock and gold as guardians of
+the orphan. When she was fourteen years old, one after another wooed
+her, but when the go-betweens found out that there was nothing left of
+her property they went away and let the girl alone.
+
+"Happily for her, Sarkis appeared, and said: 'I want a wife; I seek no
+riches,' Of course, the relations gave her to him at once, and with her
+all sorts of trumpery, some half-ruined furniture, and a few gold
+pieces. 'That is all her father left,' they said, and demanded from him
+a receipt for the whole legacy from her father. That was the way they
+shook her off!
+
+"At that time Sarkis himself had nothing, and was just as poor as his
+wife. He was clerk in a store, and received not more than 150 rubles in
+notes yearly, which were worth in current money scarcely one-third their
+face value. Yes, they were both poor, but God's mercy is great and no
+one can fathom his purposes! In the same year the merchant whom he
+served suddenly died after making over to Sarkis the whole store and all
+that was in it, on condition that a certain sum should be paid every
+year to the widow.
+
+"Sarkis took the business, and after three years he was sole owner of
+it. He increased it continually, and on the plot of ground he had
+inherited from his father he built a pretty house and moved into it. In
+the same year God gave him a daughter, whom he named Takusch, and four
+years later his son Toros came into the world.
+
+"So these two orphans established a household and became somebodies;
+people who had laughed at them now sought their society, and began to
+vie with each other in praising Sarkis. But Sarkis remained the same
+God-fearing Sarkis. He spoke evil of no one, and even of his wife's
+relatives, who had robbed him, he said nothing. Indeed, when they had
+gone through that inheritance and were in want he even helped them out.
+
+"As I have said, Sarkis refused no one his assistance, but his wife had
+also a good heart. The good things she did cannot be told. How often she
+baked cracknel, cakes, rolls, and sweet biscuit, and sent great plates
+full of them to those who could not have such things, for she said, 'May
+those who pass by and smell the fragrance of my cakes never desire them
+in vain.'
+
+"About this time my husband died--may God bless him!--and I was living
+alone. Sarkis's wife came to me and said, 'Why will you live so lonely
+in your house? Rent it and come to us.' Of course, I did not hesitate
+long. I laid my things away in a large chest and moved over to their
+house, and soon we lived together like two sisters. Takusch was at that
+time four years old, and Toros was still a baby in arms. I lived ten
+years at their house, and heard not a single harsh word from them. Not
+once did they say to me, 'You eat our bread, you drink our water, you
+wear our clothing,' They never indulged in such talk: on the contrary,
+they placed me in the seat of honor. Yes, so they honored me. And, good
+heavens! what was I to them! Neither mother nor sister nor aunt, in no
+way related to them. I was a stranger taken from the streets.
+
+"Yes, such God-fearing people were Sarkis and his wife. The poor
+wretches believed that all mankind were as pure in heart as they were. I
+had even at that time a presentiment that they would not end well, and
+often remonstrated with them, begging them to be on their guard with
+people. But it was useless for me to talk, for they sang the old songs
+again.
+
+"Like a sweet dream my years with the good people passed. Surely pure
+mother's milk had nourished them! I knew neither pain nor grief, nor did
+I think of what I should eat to-morrow, nor of how I could clothe myself.
+As bounteous as the hand of God was their house to me. Twelve months in
+every year I sat peacefully at my spinning-wheel and carried on my own
+business.
+
+"Once during dog-days--Takusch was at that time fifteen years old and
+beginning her sixteenth year--toward evening, according to an old
+custom, we spread a carpet in the garden and placed a little table there
+for tea. Near us steamed and hissed the clean shining tea-urn, and
+around us roses and pinks shed their sweet odors. It was a beautiful
+evening, and it became more beautiful when the full moon rose in the
+heavens like a golden platter. I remember that evening as clearly as
+though it were yesterday. Takusch poured out the tea, and Auntie Mairam,
+Sarkis's wife, took a cup; but as she lifted it to her lips it fell out
+of her hand and the tea was spilled over her dress.
+
+"My spirits fell when I saw this, for my heart told me that it meant
+something bad was coming. 'Keep away, evil; come, good,' I whispered,
+and crossed myself in silence. I glanced at Takusch and saw that the
+poor child had changed color. Then her innocent soul also felt that
+something evil was near! Sarkis and Mairam, however, remained in merry
+mood and thought of nothing of that sort. But if you believe not a
+thousand times that something is to come, it comes just the same!
+Mairam took her napkin and wiped off her dress and Takusch poured her a
+fresh cup. 'There will come a guest with a sweet tongue,' said Sarkis,
+smiling. 'Mairam, go and put another dress on. You will certainly be
+ashamed if anyone comes.'
+
+"'Who can come to-day, so late?' said Mairam, smiling; 'and, beside, the
+dress will dry quickly.'
+
+"Scarcely had she spoken when the garden door opened with a rush and a
+gentleman entered the enclosure. He had hardly stepped into the garden
+when he began to blab with his goat's voice like a windmill.
+
+"'Good-evening. How are you? You are drinking tea? That is very fine for
+you. What magnificent air you have here! Good-evening, Mr. Sarkis.
+Good-evening, Mrs. Mairam, Good-evening, Hripsime. What are you doing? I
+like to drink tea in the open air. What a beautiful garden you have.
+Dare I taste these cherries? Well--they are not bad; no, indeed, they
+are splendid cherries. If you will give me a napkin full of these
+cherries I will carry them home to my wife. And what magnificent
+apricots! Mr. Sarkis, do you know what! Sell me your house. No, I will
+say something better to you. Come to my store--you know where it
+is--yonder in the new two-storied house. Yes, yes, come over there and
+we will sit down pleasantly by the desk and gossip about Moscow
+happenings.'
+
+"We were as if turned to stone. There are in the world many kinds of
+madmen, chatterboxes, and braggarts, but such a creature as this I saw
+for the first time in my life, and do you know who it was? Hemorrhoid
+Jack.
+
+"Have you heard of him? Have you seen this hostage of God? Hripsime
+asked.
+
+"No, I do not know him," I said.
+
+"What! and you live in our city? Is there anyone who does not know the
+scoundrel? Go to the brokers, and they will tell you many he has thrown
+out of house and home by fraud and hunted out of the city. Have you ever
+seen how a bird-catcher lures the birds into his net--how he whistles to
+them? That's the way this John gets the people into his traps. To-day he
+will act as if altogether stupid. To-morrow he is suddenly shrewd, and
+understands the business well. Then he is simple again and a pure lamb.
+Now he is avaricious, now generous. And so he goes on. Yes, he slips
+around among the people like a fox with his tail wagging, and when he
+picks out his victim, he fastens his teeth in his neck and the poor
+beggar is lost. He gets him in his debt and never lets him get his
+breath between interest payments, or he robs him almost of his last
+shirt and lets him run. But see how I run away from my story!
+
+"'Good-evening,' said Sarkis, as soon as he perceived Hemorrhoid Jack,
+and offered him his hand. 'What wind has blown you here? Mairam, a cup
+of tea for our honored Mr. John.'
+
+"'Mr. Sarkis, do you know why I have come to you?' began Jack. 'The
+whole world is full of your praise; everywhere they are talking about
+you, and I thought to myself, "I must go there and see what kind of a
+man this Sarkis is." And so here I am. Excuse my boldness. I cannot help
+it: I resemble in no way your stay-at-home.
+
+"'I am somewhat after the European fashion, you know. Who pleases me, I
+visit him quite simply. Present myself and make his acquaintance. Then I
+invite him to my house, go again to his and bring my family with me.
+Yes, such a fellow am I, let them laugh at me who will,'
+
+"'Oh,' I thought, 'poor Sarkis is already fallen into the net, and his
+family with him.'
+
+"Meanwhile, Mairam had poured the tea, placed the cup on a tray, and
+Takusch had put it before Jack.
+
+"'Where did you buy the tea?' he began, taking the cup. 'When you want
+tea, buy it of me, I pray. You know, I am sure, where my store is. I can
+give you every desirable brand, and at low price. The tea that cost two
+rubles I will give to you for one ruble ninety-five kopecks. Yes, I will
+sell it to you at a loss. Oh, what bad tea you drink!' At the same time
+he began to sip and in a moment emptied the cup. 'Be so good as to give
+me another cup,' he said. 'In the fresh air one gets an appetite. If I
+am to enjoy tea-drinking, let me hitch up my carriage and drive out to
+the Monastery Gardens. There, out-of-doors, I drink two or three glasses
+and settle for them. Yes, such European customs please me,'
+
+"'May it benefit you!' said Sarkis.
+
+"'Now, now, Mr. Sarkis, are you coming to my house to-morrow?' asked
+Hemorrhoid Jack.
+
+"'I will see,' answered Sarkis.
+
+"'What is there to see? If you want to come, come then. We will sit
+behind the counter, drink our glass of tea, and chat. Now and then, we
+will talk about European affairs, bookkeeping, news, and other things,'
+
+"'All right, I shall surely come. I shall not forget.'
+
+"'Good. And now it is time for me to be gone, for I must make two more
+visits to-day,' remarked Hemorrhoid Jack.
+
+"'Do they pay visits at this hour?' responded Sarkis. 'It must be
+nearly ten o'clock. Takusch, get a light.'
+
+"Takusch went into the room, and soon returned with a light. Sarkis took
+out his watch, and coming near the light said: 'Look, it is already a
+quarter to ten.'
+
+"John looked, and at once cried out: 'Oh, Mr. Sarkis, what a magnificent
+watch you have! Where did you get it? It appears to me to be a costly
+one. Let me see it.'
+
+"'This watch I received as a gift from our late Czar. You know that
+several years ago our late Czar visited Taganrog. On this occasion the
+people of Taganrog wished to give him a magnificent horse, but they
+could not find an appropriate saddle. It happened that I had one that
+would do, and when they heard of it, they came to me and told me for
+what they needed the saddle. Who would not be ready to make such a
+sacrifice for the Czar? Indeed, who would not only sacrifice a costly
+saddle (and this one was not worth much), but even his life, gladly, if
+need be? Therefore, I immediately hired a wagon, and taking this
+extraordinary saddle with me and then on to Taganrog to the governor's.
+
+"'"Your Highness seeks a saddle?" I asked.
+
+"'"Yes, indeed," he answered.
+
+"'"Here it is," said I.
+
+"'"Thank you," he said, and pressed my hand. Then he led me into his own
+room. By George! it looked like one in a king's castle. He had me sit
+down, served me with tea, invited me to dine at his table: in a word, he
+treated me well. At my departure, he took out of a drawer a ring set
+with genuine brilliants, gave it to me, and said, "Take this from me as
+a gift, and what I receive from the Czar I will give to you also." And
+he kept his word. The Czar really came, and they gave him the horse with
+my saddle. His Majesty thanked me for it and gave me this watch. Look,
+now, what a beautiful one it is!'
+
+"'Yes, truly, it is a pretty thing. Show me it again. I wish to see what
+kind of a watch it is,' said Hemorrhoid Jack, examining the watch. 'And
+have you the ring by you? Can I see it? Oh, let me see what kind of a
+thing it is. I like to see such things, particularly if they come from
+persons of high rank.'
+
+"'Is the ring not in the chest of drawers?' said Sarkis, looking around
+toward his wife.
+
+"'Yes, I keep it there,' answered Mairam, faintly, for she might well
+foresee something evil. 'Who is it routs about in the chest of drawers
+in the night?'
+
+"'Good Auntie Mairam,' began Jack, in a wheedling tone, 'I beg of you,
+bring the ring, that I may see it. Be so kind! When I see such a rare
+thing my heart leaps in my breast with delight. It is true joy for me to
+hold such things in my hand and look at them. Bring me the ring, I beg
+of you.'
+
+"I looked at him at that moment, and he seemed to me like a veritable
+gypsy. Had I not been obliged to consider those present, I should
+certainly have spit in his face, so great was my aversion to this
+scoundrel. Yes, what the proverb says is true: 'If a rich man becomes
+poor, he is scented for years with his wealth; if a poor man grows rich
+he stinks of poverty for forty years!' That was the way with this
+Hemorrhoid Jack. Oh, if it had been in my power I would have seized the
+scoundrel by the collar and thrown him out of the gate. But Sarkis was
+not of my temperament; he had a gentle heart and was meek as a lamb. I
+went up to him, pushed his elbow, and whispered:
+
+"'What are you doing, you good-natured fool? Why did you let him take
+the watch in his hand? And are you going to show the ring, too? You will
+see, he has bad intentions. I'll bet my head he will bring misfortune on
+yours. Do you not see his greedy eyes? He will ruin you altogether, you
+and house, and ground,' I said.
+
+"I had my trouble for my pains. Although a man of ripe years, Sarkis was
+nevertheless like a mere boy, believing all people as honest as
+himself. Heaven knows! perhaps such a fate was destined for him, and it
+was impossible for him to get out of the way of misfortune.
+
+"Mairam brought the ring, and as soon as the scoundrel saw it he grabbed
+it from her hand and put it on his finger.
+
+"'What a pretty thing it is!' he said, smirking. 'How it glistens! What
+a precious ring! What wonderfully beautiful brilliants! What ought I to
+give you for such a ring? Tell me. It pleases me exceedingly. Yes,
+without joking, sell it to me. No, we will arrange it otherwise: I will
+give you all kinds of goods out of my store at a very low price, yes,
+very cheap. May the apoplexy strike me if I make anything out of you! I
+will sell you everything at cost price, and if you wish, will give you
+ten kopecks rebate on the ruble.'
+
+"'No, my dear sir,' said Mairam, embarrassed. 'Can one sell a souvenir
+of the Czar, and one of such great value? We have no occasion to do it.
+We are no Jews, to sell off everything, to turn into money whatever
+comes into our hands. Are we such poor beggars that we cannot have
+something good and valuable in our chest? No, Mr. John, what you say
+seems to me to be very singular. You are rich, yet you say that you have
+never in your life seen a gold watch nor a ring set with brilliants. It
+seems to me a fine new custom that one must immediately have what one
+sees. No, dear sir, cast not your eyes upon our property; be content
+with what you have.'
+
+"'Mrs. Mairam,' said the scoundrel, smirking, 'why are you so angry? May
+one not joke with you?'
+
+"'A fine joke!' I said, putting in my oar. 'You looked at the trees, and
+you will at once tear them down. You fell on the fruit like a wolf. You
+saw the garden, and at once wanted to buy. Now you want the ring, and
+will exchange for it your wares. What sort of tomfoolery are you talking
+to us? You are either crazy yourself or will make others so. The apple
+falls not far from the stem--one sees that in you.'
+
+"'Aunt Hripsime, why are you so cross? Dare one not jest?'
+
+"'Enough, enough; I understand your joke very well,' I cried
+indignantly.
+
+"Yes, we women scolded him right well, but Sarkis said no earthly word.
+He sat there dumb and speechless as the stick in my hand. The Lord God
+gave him a tongue to speak with, but, dear heaven, he sat there like a
+clod and never uttered a syllable. I was like to burst with wrath.
+
+"Then that unscrupulous fellow repeated his speech. 'Don't you
+understand a joke? Have you, then, no sense of fun?' He would have
+struck us over the ear, and that the fellow called a joke! And how the
+creature looked! His face was like a drum-skin. It was as though someone
+had wiped off the holy oil from this grimacing mask with a butcher's
+sponge. Yes, here you see how people become rich; how they get hold of
+other people's property. Conscience hunts the scoundrel to the deuce: he
+lets his skin grow thick; feigns outwardly to be dull; if anyone spits
+in his face he regards it only as a May-shower; if anyone goes for him
+for his rascality, he takes it as a joke. And so the rascals become
+rich! One must be born to those things, that's the way I see it.
+
+"If you knew all that we said to this scoundrel's face! We all but
+seized him by the collar and threw him out the gate. We belabored him
+well, but the fellow stood as if dumb, remained silent, and laughed in
+our faces as if we had been speaking to each other and not to him. He
+neither took the watch out of his pocket nor the ring from his finger.
+Finally, I thought to myself, 'I will wait a little and see what will
+happen.'
+
+"And do you know what this bad fellow said to our Sarkis after a short
+silence? 'Your watch and ring please me well, old fellow. Let me take
+them for a month or two. I will send them to Moscow and have some like
+them made for myself. As soon as I get them back I will give them back
+to you unhurt.'
+
+"Our stupid Sarkis dared not say no, and he had his way.
+
+"'Take them,' said Sarkis, 'but take care that they do not go astray,
+for--'
+
+"'But what are you thinking about?' answered the scoundrel. 'Am I
+then--. Where do you buy your calico?' the scoundrel began after a
+pause. 'How much do you pay an ell? Where do you buy your linen cloth?
+How high does it come by the ell? Where do you buy your silk and satin?'
+
+"Heaven knows what all he prated about, and Sarkis answered him and told
+everything just as it really was.
+
+"'We buy our manufactured goods of Yellow Pogos,' and told the prices
+of everything without reserve.
+
+"'Have you lost your wits, man?' cried Hemorrhoid Jack. 'Can any man in
+his full senses buy anything of Yellow Pogos? Don't you know that he is
+a swindler? Why don't you buy your goods of me? I will give them to you
+cheaper by half,'
+
+"To this Sarkis answered, 'When I need something again I will buy it of
+you.'
+
+"I knew well enough that Sarkis needed nothing at the time, and that he
+said this only to get rid of the fellow. But Jack did not or would not
+understand, and began again.
+
+"'No, do not put it that way,' he said. 'Come to-morrow and pick out
+what pleases you. Do not think for a minute that I wish to make money
+out of you. Let the goods lie in your closet, for, between ourselves,
+goods were very cheap in Moscow this year, and I cleverly threw out my
+line and bought everything at half price. This year is a lucky one for
+my customers. If one of them will let his goods lie a little while he
+will certainly double his money on them. Yes, buy, I tell you, but not
+by the ell. Buy by the piece and you will not regret it, I assure you. I
+will send you in the morning five or six different kinds of goods.'
+
+"'But why such haste?' said Mairam. 'My chest of drawers is full of
+stuff for clothes, and what I am wearing is still quite new. If we need
+anything we will come to you.'
+
+"'What are you talking about, Auntie Mairam?' answered Hemorrhoid Jack.
+'Do you not believe me? I tell you, you can get double for the goods,
+and if you cannot use everything yourself, give it to your neighbors.
+You will do good business. On my word of honor, I swear to you, you will
+make double on it. Would I lie for the sake of such a trifle? Whom do
+you think you have here? But that is a small matter: I have still
+something better to propose. You must take a shipment of tea from me. In
+the winter the price will rise, and you can make enormous profits out of
+it. To-morrow I will send you one chest--for the present. Well? Now,
+really, I will send it to you.'
+
+"'My dear John,' exclaimed Sarkis, 'you must know how risky it is to
+begin a new business. I have never handled tea, and the thing appears
+to me somewhat daring. I know no customers for tea, and understand
+nothing about the goods. If it remains lying by me and spoils--'
+
+"'What empty straw are you threshing now?' cried Hemorrhoid Jack. 'As
+soon as the people know that you have tea to sell they will of their own
+accord come running into your store. Do you think that you will have to
+look up customers? In a week or two not a trace of your tea will remain.
+I speak from practical experience. This year little tea has been brought
+from Siberia, and what they have brought has almost all fallen into my
+hands. Do not think that I seek a buyer in you! God forbid! When I
+learned what a good man you were, I thought to myself, "I must give him
+a chance to make something. Yes, I want him to make a few kopecks." Do
+you think I am in need of purchasers? Now, Sarkis, to-morrow I will send
+you the goods. What?'
+
+"'By heaven, I know not how I ought to answer you. Do you know, I am
+afraid,' said Sarkis.
+
+"The poor fellow could say nothing farther, for he was such an honest,
+good-natured fellow that it was hard for him to refuse anybody anything.
+The word 'no' did not exist for him.
+
+"'You are talking nonsense,' began Hemorrhoid Jack anew. 'Give up your
+grocery and set up a wholesale business. Manage it according to the
+European plan, and you shall see how thankful to me you will be in time.
+Do you believe that I am your enemy? Would I advise you badly? Now, the
+matter is settled. In the morning I will send you several chests of tea
+and put them in your store. You will find out that Hemorrhoid Jack
+wishes you no ill. Yes, I will say something even better. You know what
+machorka is?--a cheap tobacco that the poor folk smoke. What do you
+think of this stuff? Do you think that there is a class of goods more
+profitable than this? People make thousands from it, and build
+themselves fine houses. And what expenses have they with it? Put the
+tobacco in an empty stable or shed and it may lie there. A chest of it
+put on sale in your store and I tell you, if you do not make ruble for
+ruble out of it, then spit in my face.
+
+"'Last spring most of this stuff was in the hands of a Cossack. The
+stupid fellow didn't know what he ought to expect for it, and he needed
+money--this gander! I brought him home with me; had brandy, bread, and
+ham set out; and, after a little talk back and forth, I bought 400
+chests at half price. Half I paid in cash, the rest in eighteen months.
+Now, wasn't that a good trade? If I don't make my 3,000 rubles out of
+it, I shall be a fool. If you like, I will send you some of these goods.
+Put it in your shop or in your shed and let it lie there; it eats and
+drinks nothing. Now, I tell you, if you do not make 100 per cent, out of
+it, spit in my face. Shall I send you a few chests of it?'
+
+"'By heaven, I cannot go into it,' answered Sarkis. 'Do you know, I am
+afraid to undertake a new trade? If the stuff does not go off or spoils
+on my hands or the price falls, what shall I do? You know that our
+capital consists of only a few kopecks. We spend as we earn. If I run
+after the rubles and lose the kopecks thereby, who will give me
+something to eat?' concluded the poor wretch, as if he scented some
+evil.
+
+"But could he free himself from that Satan of a Hemorrhoid Jack? Like a
+leech he had fastened himself on his neck and demanded that he should
+buy the goods.
+
+"'Now, Sarkis,' he began again, 'the thing is settled. I am to send you
+in the morning manufactured goods, tea, and tobacco. Well?'
+
+"'I will see; I must turn it over in my mind,' stammered Sarkis. He
+wanted to be rid of him, but he knew not how to begin.
+
+"'What does that "I will see!" mean? Nothing,' the other continued. 'You
+may see a thousand times and you will not find again such good goods and
+such a favorable opportunity. I speak from experience. You must not let
+this chance slip by or you will throw gold out of the window with your
+own hands. I am talking about great gains, great profits; do you think
+it is a joke?'
+
+"'We shall see,' said poor Sarkis. 'We have many days before us. Yes, we
+will surely do something.'
+
+"'What you do now is not worth much,' cried Hemorrhoid Jack. 'I see that
+if I leave the thing to your decision, in five years you will not have
+reached one. Isn't that true? In the morning I will send you one load of
+goods and the rest later.'
+
+"With these words he seized his cap, quickly made his adieus, and went
+away.
+
+"It was nearly one o'clock; Mairam and Takusch were sitting there asleep
+and I also was very sleepy, but I fought against my sleepiness to watch
+that devil of a Hemorrhoid Jack. Mankind can be a priest to
+mankind--also a Satan!
+
+"When he was in the street, Sarkis said to me: 'What a wonderful
+conversation we have had this evening. Of all this man has said, I
+understand nothing. His purposes are not exactly bad, but I don't know
+how it happens--my heart presages something of evil.'
+
+"I was just going to answer him when suddenly I sneezed; but only once.
+
+"'See now,' I said to Sarkis; 'I was right in saying he was going to
+trick you. Now it has proved itself.'
+
+"'If one sneezes only once by day that is a bad sign, but at night it
+means something good,' he interrupted me.
+
+"'Oh,' I said, 'do not, I pray, give me lessons; don't teach me what a
+sneeze is the sign of. Whether it is in the daytime or at night it is a
+bad sign, and if one just made up his mind to do anything, he should let
+it drop.'
+
+"Sarkis would not give in that I was right, but began to chatter about a
+sneeze at night being a good thing. I said no and he said yes, and so it
+went on until I finally gave it up."
+
+"'Oh, 'I said, 'have your own way, but when misfortune comes to you do
+not blame me for it.'
+
+"'I have really begun nothing,' he observed. 'That was only a talk. We
+have only discussed something. I have really no desire to try my hand
+with the tea and tobacco.'
+
+"That he said to me, but heaven only knows! perhaps in his thoughts he
+was already counting the thousands he hoped to earn. Money has such
+power that my blessed grandmother always said that the devil had
+invented it. He had racked his brains to find a way to lead mankind into
+wickedness and did not succeed until he invented money. Then he was
+master of our souls. How many men money has deprived of reason! Sarkis
+was not of so firm a mind that he would be able to stand out against
+such rosy hopes.
+
+"The next day, early in the morning, the shop-boy came running into the
+house in a great hurry, and said that nine cart-loads of goods were
+standing at the gate. The man who was in charge of them was asking for
+Sarkis.
+
+"'What kind of an invasion is this!' cried Sarkis. 'I must go and see
+who it is. Perhaps the loads are not for me at all. God knows for whom
+they are!'
+
+"He went out, and we after him. Although I had not seen the loads of
+goods, I knew the whole story in a moment.
+
+"Before we had reached the gate a man met us and said:
+
+"'My master sends you greeting and begs you to take these nine
+wagon-loads of goods and sign for them.'
+
+"'Who is your master?' we asked, all together.
+
+"'Hemorrhoid Jack. Don't you know him? He was at your house last
+evening.'
+
+"I was ready to burst with anger.
+
+"'You fellow,' I said, 'who told your master to send these goods here?
+Have we ordered anything? Turn at once and get out of the room.'
+
+"'Is that so!' said the man. 'After a thing is settled you can't take
+back your word. Where shall I put the goods now?'
+
+"'Where you brought them from, take them back there!'
+
+"'The coach-house is closed.'
+
+"'That does not concern us; that is your master's affair.'
+
+"'If he were here I would tell him, but he is not here.'
+
+"'Where is he then?' I asked.
+
+"'He has gone to Taganrog.'
+
+"'When did he start?'
+
+"'About two hours ago. He will not be back for two months, for he has
+very important business in the courts.'
+
+"It could not be doubted now that this villain of a John had already
+begun his tricks; but that innocent Sarkis did not see through his
+devilish purposes. Had I been in his place I would have run immediately
+to the City Hall and told every detail of the business, and the thing
+would have come out all right. But Sarkis was not the man for that.
+
+"'Well, if that is the case drive into the yard and unload. The goods
+cannot stand in the street. When Jack comes back from Taganrog I will
+arrange things with him in some way.'
+
+"The wagons came into the yard with a clatter and the driver unloaded
+the goods and piled them up in the coach-house. I stood as if turned to
+stone and silently watched this move in their game. 'What will come of
+it?' I thought to myself.
+
+"Ah, but I would rather have died than see what did come of it!
+
+"When the goods were unloaded the clerk demanded a receipt, which Sarkis
+gave him without hesitation, whereupon the clerk went away satisfied.
+
+"Later we heard that Jack had not gone to Taganrog at all, and had only
+ordered the clerk to say so.
+
+"That same day when we were sitting at dinner, Sarkis turned to me and
+said: 'See, Hripsime, your sneeze has cheated you. Did you not say that
+Jack was going to play a trick on me? You see something very different
+has happened. This forenoon four or five persons came into my shop who
+wished to buy tea and tobacco. I told them the matter was not yet
+settled; that we had not agreed on the price; as soon as the agreement
+was made I would begin business. Do you see? I have not advertised that
+I was going to handle the goods, yet everybody knows it and one customer
+after another comes into my store. How will it be when the goods are put
+on sale?--they will fight for them. It will give me a great deal to do;
+I must only go to John and settle on the terms. Yes, little mother, such
+a wholesale trade is not to be despised; the wholesaler can often make
+more money in a moment than the retailer makes in two years. Yes, my
+love, in business that is really so!'
+
+"'God grant that it may be so!' I said, and nothing more was said about
+Jack.
+
+"Several months passed by and November came. One evening we were sitting
+together chatting comfortably when the door opened softly and an old
+woman entered. I knew immediately that she was a matchmaker. In three
+days Takusch was betrothed to a plain, middle-rate man. The wedding was
+to take place the next winter on her father's name-day. As a dowry her
+parents promised 3,000 rubles--1,500 in cash, and the rest in jewels.
+
+"Tagusch was at that time fifteen years old. Although I had lived in her
+parents' house I had never looked right attentively at her face,
+scarcely knew, in fact, whether she was beautiful or ugly; but when on
+her betrothal day she put on a silk dress and adorned herself as is
+customary at such a festive time; when she had put on her head a satin
+fez with gold tassels and a flower set with brilliants, I fairly gaped
+with admiration. I am almost eighty years old, but in all my life I have
+never seen a more beautiful girl.
+
+"I am no dwarf, but she was a few inches taller than I. She was slender
+as a sweet-pine tree. Her hands were delicate and soft, her fingers were
+like wax. Hair and eyebrows were black, and her face like snow. Her
+cheeks were tinged rose-red, and her glance! that I cannot forget even
+to this day. It was brighter than a genuine Holland diamond. Her
+eyelashes were so long that they cast shadows on her cheeks. No, such a
+charming creature I have never seen in dreams, let alone reality. She
+was--God forgive my sins--the pure image of the Mother of God in our
+church; yes, she was even more beautiful. When I looked at her I could
+not turn my eyes away again. I gazed at her and could not look enough.
+On the betrothal day I sat in the corner of the room with my eyes nailed
+on Takusch.
+
+"'How sorry I am,' thought I, 'that you with that angel face are to be
+the wife of a commonplace man, to be the mother of a family and go into
+a dirty, smoky kitchen. Shall your tender hands become hard as leather
+with washing, ironing, kneading, and who knows what housework beside?
+Shall your angel cheeks fade from the heat of the oven and your eyes
+lose their diamond-shine from sewing?' Yes, so thought I, and my heart
+bled within me for this girl who ought to wear a queen's crown and live
+in a palace. Surely, if this rose maiden had lived in olden times she
+would certainly have married a king or a king's son. And the poor thing
+stood there like a lamb, for she did not understand what life was. She
+thought marriage would be nothing more than a change in her
+dwelling-place. Oh, but I was sorry that evening that she was going to
+marry only an ordinary, but still eligible, young man, and yet it would
+have been a great good fortune for her if this had come to pass. Had we
+thought at that time that great misfortunes were in store for the poor
+child! And that cursed Hemorrhoid Jack was the cause of them all!
+
+"That betrothal day was the last happy day of the poor wretches. I
+never afterward saw smiles on their faces, for from that day their
+circumstances grew worse and worse and their business became very bad.
+They lost house and ground, moved about for several months from one
+rented house to another, until finally they disappeared from the city.
+
+"The day after the betrothal Hemorrhoid Jack sent word to Sarkis by his
+clerk that Sarkis must pay 2,700 rubles for the tobacco and tea and 184
+rubles for the manufactured goods. I have forgotten to tell you that
+among the latter were old-fashioned dress-goods, taxed cloth, linen,
+satin, and some silk. The clerk also said that if Sarkis did not pay the
+184 rubles the ring and watch would be retained.
+
+"Poor Sarkis was completely dazed.
+
+"'Have I bought the goods?' he asked.
+
+"'Certainly you have bought them,' answered the unscrupulous clerk.
+'Otherwise you would not have sold a chest of tea and a bale of tobacco.
+Beside, the coat your boy is wearing was made from our cloth.'
+
+"This was true. On the third day after receiving the goods, Sarkis had
+sold a bale of tobacco and a chest of tea, and had cut off several yards
+of cloth. It was very singular that in the course of three months Sarkis
+had not once caught sight of Hemorrhoid Jack to call him to account for
+the delivery of the goods. He had been several times to his house, where
+they said, 'He is at the store.' At the store they said Jack was at
+home. It was very evident that he wished to defraud Sarkis. After much
+talk back and forth the matter came into the courts, and since Sarkis
+had sold part of the goods and had given a receipt for them, he had to
+pay the sum demanded.
+
+"For several months past business had been going very badly with the
+poor fellow and he could not raise the required sum, so he had to give
+up his property. First they drove the poor man out of his house and
+emptied his store and his storehouse. Then they sold the tobacco and the
+tea, for which no one would give more than fifty rubles, for both were
+half rotten. The store and all that was in it were then auctioned off
+for a few hundred rubles, and finally the house was offered for sale. No
+one would buy it, for among our people the praiseworthy custom rules
+that they never buy a house put up at auction till they convince
+themselves that the owner sells it of his own free-will. The household
+furniture was also sold, and Sarkis became almost a beggar, and was
+obliged, half naked, to leave his house, with his wife and children.
+
+"I proposed that they should occupy my house, but he would not have it.
+'From to-day the black earth is my dwelling-place,' he said, and rented
+a small house at the edge of the town near where the fields begin.
+
+"When the neighbors found out the treachery of Hemorrhoid Jack, they
+were terribly angry, and one of them threw a note into his yard in which
+was written: that if he took possession of poor Sarkis's house they
+would tear or burn it down. That was just what John wished, and he
+immediately sent carpenters to tear down the house and stable and then
+he sold the wood.
+
+"At this time I became very sick and lay two months in bed. When I got
+up again I thought to myself, 'I must go and visit the poor wretches!' I
+went to their little house, but found the door locked and the windows
+boarded up. I asked a boy, 'My child, do you know where the people of
+this house are?' 'Two weeks ago they got into a wagon and drove away,'
+answered the lad. 'Where are they gone?' I asked. 'That I don't know,'
+he said.
+
+"I would not have believed it, but an old woman came up to me on the
+street, of her own accord, and said:
+
+"'They all got into a wagon and have moved away into a Russian village.'
+
+"What the village was called she could not tell me, and so every trace
+of them was lost.
+
+"Many years later a gentleman came from Stavropol to our city, who gave
+me some news of the poor wretches. They had settled in a Cossack
+village--he told me the name, but I have forgotten--where at first they
+suffered great want; and just as things were going a little better with
+them, Mairam and Sarkis died of the cholera and Takusch and Toros were
+left alone. Soon after, a Russian officer saw Takusch and was greatly
+pleased with her. After a few months she married him. Toros carried on
+his father's business for a time, then gave it up and joined the army.
+So much I found out from the gentleman from Stavropol.
+
+"Some time later I met again one who knew Takusch. He told me that she
+was now a widow. Her husband had been a drunkard, spent his whole nights
+in inns, often struck his poor wife, and treated her very badly. Finally
+they brought him home dead. Toros's neck had been broken at a horse-race
+and he was dead. He said also that Takusch had almost forgotten the
+Armenian language and had changed her faith.
+
+"'That is the history of the Vacant Yard."
+
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+
+ARMENIAN POEMS
+
+[_Metrical Version, by Robert Arnot, M.A._]
+
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+
+ARMENIAN POEMS
+
+
+A PLAINT
+
+    Were I a springtime breeze,
+  A breeze in the time when the song-birds pair,
+  I'd tenderly smooth and caress your hair,
+    And hide from your eyes in the budding trees.
+
+    Were I a June-time rose,
+  I'd glow in the ardor of summer's behest,
+  And die in my passion upon your breast,
+    In the passion that only a lover knows.
+
+    Were I a lilting bird,
+  I'd fly with my song and my joy and my pain,
+  And beat at your lattice like summer-rain,
+    Till I knew that your inmost heart was stirred.
+
+    Were I a winged dream,
+  I'd steal in the night to your slumbering side,
+  And the joys of hope in your bosom I'd hide,
+    And pass on my way like a murmuring stream.
+
+    Tell me the truth, the truth,
+  Have I merited woe at your tapering hands,
+  Have you wilfully burst love's twining strands,
+    And cast to the winds affection and ruth?
+
+    'Twas a fleeting vision of joy,
+  While you loved me you plumed your silvery wings,
+  And in fear of the pain that a man's love brings
+    You fled to a bliss that has no alloy.
+
+MUGURDITCH BESHETTASHLAIN.
+
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+
+SPRING IN EXILE
+
+  Wind of the morn, of the morn of the year,
+    Violet-laden breath of spring,
+    To the flowers and the lasses whispering
+  Things that a man's ear cannot hear,
+  In thy friendly grasp I would lay my hand,
+  But thou comest not from my native land.
+
+  Birds of the morn, of the morn of the year,
+    Chanting your lays in the bosky dell,
+    Higher and fuller your round notes swell,
+  Till the Fauns and the Dryads peer forth to hear
+  The trilling lays of your feathery band:
+  Ye came not, alas, from my native land.
+
+  Brook of the morn, of the morn of the year,
+    Burbling joyfully on your way,
+    Maiden and rose and woodland fay
+  Use as a mirror your waters clear:
+  But I mourn as upon your banks I stand,
+  That you come not, alas, from my native land.
+
+  Breezes and birds and brooks of the Spring,
+    Chanting your lays in the morn of the year,
+    Though Armenia, my country, be wasted and sere,
+  And mourns for her maidens who never shall sing,
+  Yet a storm, did it come from that desolate land,
+  Would awaken a joy that ye cannot command.
+
+RAPHAEL PATKANIAN.
+
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+
+FLY, LAYS OF MINE!
+
+  Fly, lays of mine, but not to any clime
+    Where happiness and light and love prevail,
+  But seek the spots where woe and ill and crime
+    Leave as they pass a noisome serpent-trail
+
+  Fly, lays of mine, but not to the ether blue,
+    Where golden sparks illume the heavenly sphere,
+  But seek the depths where nothing that is true
+    Relieves the eye or glads a listening ear.
+
+  Fly, lays of mine, but not to fruitful plains
+    Where spring the harvests by God's benison,
+  But seek the deserts where for needed rains
+    Both prayers and curses rise in unison.
+
+  Fly, lays of mine, but not to riotous halls,
+    Where dancing sylphs supply voluptuous songs,
+  But seek the huts where pestilence appals,
+    And death completes the round of human wrongs.
+
+  Fly, lays of mine, but not to happy wives,
+    Whose days are one unending flow of bliss,
+  But seek the maidens whose unfruitful lives
+    Have known as yet no lover's passionate kiss.
+
+  Fly, lays of mine, and like the nightingales,
+    Whose liquid liltings charm away the night,
+  Reveal in song the sweets of summer's gales,
+    Of lover's pleadings and of love's delight.
+
+  And tell my lady, when your quests are o'er,
+    That I, away from her, my heart's desire,
+  Yearn for the blissful hour when I shall pour
+    Down at her feet a love surcharged with fire.
+
+MUGURDITCH BESHETTASHLAIN.
+
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+
+THE WOE OF ARAXES
+
+  Meditating by Araxes,
+    Pacing slowly to and fro,
+  Sought I traces of the grandeur
+    Hidden by her turgid flow.
+
+  "Turgid are thy waters, Mother,
+    As they beat upon the shore.
+  Do they offer lamentations
+    For Armenia evermore?
+
+  "Gay should be thy mood, O Mother,
+     As the sturgeons leap in glee:
+   Ocean's merging still is distant,
+     Shouldest thou be sad, like me?
+
+  "Are thy spume-drifts tears, O Mother,
+     Tears for those that are no more?
+   Dost thou haste to pass by, weeping,
+     This thine own beloved shore?"
+
+   Then uprose on high Araxes,
+     Flung in air her spumy wave,
+   And from out her depths maternal
+     Sonorous her answer gave:
+
+  "Why disturb me now, presumptuous,
+     All my slumbering woe to wake?
+   Why invade the eternal silence
+     For a foolish question's sake?
+
+  "Know'st thou not that I am widowed;
+     Sons and daughters, consort, dead?
+   Wouldst thou have me go rejoicing,
+     As a bride to nuptial bed?
+
+  "Wouldst thou have me decked in splendor,
+     To rejoice a stranger's sight,
+   While the aliens that haunt me
+     Bring me loathing, not delight?
+
+  "Traitress never I; Armenia
+     Claims me ever as her own;
+   Since her mighty doom hath fallen
+     Never stranger have I known.
+
+  "Yet the glories of my nuptials
+     Heavy lie upon my soul;
+   Once again I see the splendor
+     And I hear the music roll.
+
+  "Hear again the cries of children
+     Ringing joyfully on my banks,
+  And the noise of marts and toilers,
+    And the tread of serried ranks.
+
+  "But where, now, are all my people?
+    Far in exile, homeless, lorn.
+  While in widow's weeds and hopeless,
+    Weeping, sit I here and mourn.
+
+  "Hear now! while my sons are absent
+    Age-long fast I still shall keep;
+  Till my children gain deliverance,
+    Here I watch and pray and weep."
+
+  Silent, then, the mighty Mother
+    Let her swelling tides go free.
+  And in mournful meditation
+    Slowly wandered to the sea.
+
+RAPHAEL PATKANIAN.
+
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+
+THE ARMENIAN MAIDEN
+
+  In the hush of the spring night dreaming
+    The crescent moon have you seen,
+  As it shimmers on apricots gleaming,
+    Through velvety masses of green.
+
+  Have you seen, in a June-tide nooning,
+    A languorous full-blown rose
+  In the arms of the lilies swooning
+    And yielding her sweets to her foes?
+
+  Yet the moon in its course and the roses
+    By Armenia's maiden pale,
+  When she coyly and slowly discloses
+    The glories beneath her veil.
+
+  And a lute from her mother receiving,
+    With a blush that a miser would move,
+  She treads a soft measure, believing
+    That music is sister to love.
+
+  Like a sapling her form in its swaying,
+    Full of slender and lissomy grace
+  As she bends to the time of her playing,
+    Or glides with a fairy-light pace.
+
+  The lads for her beauty are burning,
+    The elders hold forth on old age,
+  But the maiden flies merrily spurning
+    Youth, lover, and matron and sage.
+
+RAPHAEL PATKANIAN.
+
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+
+ONE OF A THOUSAND
+
+  Sweet lady, whence the sadness in your face?
+  What heart's desire is still unsatisfied?
+  Your face and form are fair and full of grace,
+  And silk and velvet lend you all their pride.
+  A nod, a glance, and straight your maidens fly
+  To execute your hest with loving zeal.
+  By night and day you have your minstrelsy,
+  Your feet soft carpets kiss and half conceal;
+  While fragrant blooms adorn your scented bower,
+  Fruits fresh and rare lie in abundance near.
+  The costly narghilé exerts its power
+  To soothe vain longing and dispel all fear:
+  Envy not angels; you have paradise.
+  No lowly consort you. A favored wife,
+  Whose mighty husband can her wants suffice;
+  Why mar with grieving such a fortunate life?
+
+  So to Haripsime, the Armenian maid,
+  On whom the cruel fortune of her lot had laid
+  Rejection of her faith, spake with a sigh
+  The wrinkled, ugly, haggard slave near by.
+
+  Haripsime replied not to the words,
+  But, silent, turned her face away. With scorn
+  And sorrow mingled were the swelling chords
+  Of passionate lament, and then forlorn,
+  Hopeless, she raised her tearful orbs to heaven.
+
+  Silent her lips, her grief too deep for sound;
+  Her fixed gaze sought the heavy banks of cloud
+  Surcharged with lightning bolts that played around
+  The gloomy spires and minarets; then bowed
+  Her head upon her hands; the unwilling eyes
+  Shed tears as heavy as the thunder-shower
+  That trails the bolt to where destruction lies.
+
+  There was a time when she, a happy girl,
+  Had home and parents and a numerous kin;
+  But on an Eastertide, amid a whirl
+  Of pillage, murder, and the savage din
+  Of plundering Kavasses, the Pacha saw
+  Her budding beauty, and his will was law.
+
+  Her vengeful sire fell 'neath a sabre's stroke;
+  Her mother, broken-hearted, gave to God
+  The life in which no joys could now evoke
+  The wonted happiness. The harem of the Turk
+  Enfolds Haripsime's fresh maidenhood,
+  And there where danger and corruption lurk,
+  Where Shitan's nameless and befouling brood
+  Surround each Georgian and Armenian pearl,
+  She weeps and weeps, shunning the shallow joys
+  Of trinkets, robes, of music, or the whirl
+  Of joyous dance, of singing girls and boys,
+  And murmurs always in a sobbing prayer,
+  "Shall never help be sent? Is this despair?"
+
+RAPHAEL PATKANIAN.
+
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+
+LONGING
+
+  Tell me, brother, where is rest
+  From the flame that racks my breast
+          With its pain?
+  Fires unceasing sear my heart;
+  Ah, too long, too deep, the smart
+          To heal again.
+
+  When I'd pluck the roses sweet
+  Sharpest thorns my fingers greet;
+         Courage flies.
+  Since my love has humbled me,
+  Tyrant-like has troubled me,
+         'Spite my cries.
+  Health and joy have taken flight,
+  Prayer nor chant nor priestly rite
+         Do I prize.
+
+  Girl, my girl, my peerless one,
+  Radiant as Armenia's sun,
+         Beautiful Sanan!
+  Earth has none as fair as thou,
+  Nor can ages gone bestow
+         One like my Sanan.
+
+  Sixteen summers old is she,
+  Grace of slender pines has she,
+         Like the stars her eyes.
+  Lips, thrice blessed whom they kiss,
+  Brows as dark as hell's abyss,
+         And with sighs,
+  Her heart to win, her love alone,
+  What mighty prince from his high throne
+         Would not descend?
+  So I crave nor crown nor gold,
+  Longed-for One, I her would hold
+         Till time shall end.
+
+RAPHAEL PATKANIAN.
+
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+
+DAVID OF SASSUN
+
+NATIONAL EPOS OF ARMENIA
+
+[_Translated by F.B. Collins, B.S._]
+
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+
+DAVID OF SASSUN
+
+
+Strong and mighty was the Caliph of Bagdad[1]; he gathered together a
+host and marched against our Holy John the Baptist[2]. Hard he oppressed
+our people, and led many into captivity. Among the captives was a
+beautiful maiden, and the caliph made her his wife. In time she bore two
+sons, Sanassar and Abamelik. The father of these children was a heathen,
+but their mother was a worshipper of the cross[3], for the caliph had
+taken her from our people.
+
+[1] From the sense and according to the time in which the action takes
+place, Nineveh must be understood here; and instead of an Arabian
+caliph, the Assyrian king Sennacherib. There is an anachronism here, as
+the reader will see, for a king living 800 years before Christ is called
+an Arabian caliph, though the caliphs first took up their residence in
+Bagdad in the year 755.
+
+[2] The reference here is to the famous monastery of St. John the
+Baptist, which was built by Gregory the Illuminator during the fourth
+century, on the mountain of Kark, near the Euphrates, on a spot where
+heathen altars had previously stood. On certain days pious Armenians
+made annual pilgrimages to the place. Among them many poets and
+champions, who, with long fasts and many prayers, begged from the saint
+the gifts of song, strength, and courage. John the Baptist was regarded
+by the Armenians generally as the protector of the arts.
+
+[3] So the Armenians called Christians.
+
+This same caliph again gathered together a host and fell upon our
+people. This time--I bow before thy holy miracle, O sainted John--this
+time our people pressed him sorely, and in his affliction he cried unto
+his idols: "May the gods save me from these people; bring me to my city
+safe and well, and both my sons will I sacrifice unto them."
+
+In Bagdad the mother lay sleeping, and she had a dream. She dreamed she
+had in each hand a lamp, and when their flames seemed ready to go out
+they flashed up brightly again. When morning came she told this dream to
+her sons, and said: "Last night holy St. John appeared to me in my
+dreams and said that your father was in great trouble and had vowed to
+sacrifice you. When he again comes home he will stab you: look to your
+safety."
+
+Both sons cried unto their gods, took food with them for their journey,
+put gold into their purses, and set out on their travels. Coming to a
+narrow valley they halted there. They saw a river, and in the distance a
+brook clove the river to mid-stream, then mingled with its waters and
+flowed onward with it.
+
+And Sanassar said to Abamelik: "He who finds the source of this brook
+and builds him a dwelling there, his race shall also wax mighty."
+
+The brothers rose with one will and followed the brook upstream. They
+found its spring and saw its waters flowing as from a small pipe, and
+they ran down with the brook and increased till they mixed with waters
+of the great river. Here the brothers halted and laid the foundations of
+their dwelling.
+
+And Sanassar hunted while Abamelik worked on the house. Ten, yea, twenty
+days they worked on their dwelling. It happened that once Abamelik came
+upon Sanassar asleep, worn out with fatigue, his venison thrown away
+unroasted. Abamelik was much troubled at this, and said, "Rise, brother,
+and we will depart from this place. How long shall we stay here and eat
+meat without salt? If it were God's will that we should have happiness,
+in our father's wooden palace we should have found it." And they mounted
+their horses and rode to the Lord of Arsrom.[4] Both came thither,
+presented themselves to him, and bowed before him.
+
+[4] The original name of this city is Theodosiopol. It was founded by
+the Greek commander Anato in the year 412 A.D. and named in honor of
+Emperor Theodosius II. Later it was captured by the Sultan of Ikonika,
+Who named it Arsi-Rom, "Land of the Greeks." The Armenians call it
+Karin, after the old Armenian province in which it lies.
+
+Now both brothers were mighty men. They found favor with the Emir of
+Arsrom, and he asked them of their birth and of their tribe, and said,
+"What manner of men are you?"
+
+Sanassar answered and said, "We are the sons of the Caliph of Bagdad."
+
+"Hoho!" said the Emir, while terror seized him. "We feared you dead, and
+here we meet you living. We cannot take you in. Go whither ye will."
+
+And Sanassar said to Abamelik, "Since we have run away from our father,
+why should we bear his name? From this day, when anyone asks us
+concerning ourselves, let us say we have neither father nor mother nor
+home nor country: then will people lodge us."
+
+Thence they rode to the Emir of Kars, who gave the lads the same
+answer. They turned and rode to the King of Kraput-Koch. The King of
+Kraput-Koch scrutinized the lads, and they found favor in his sight; and
+Abamelik presented himself to the King and bowed low before him. This
+pleased the King greatly, and he said: "My children, whither came ye?
+What have you? and what do you lack?"[5]
+
+[5] Southwest from the Sea of Wan lies a high mountain called
+Kraput-Koch ("Blue Ridge," from its blue color). Probably there was a
+dukedom or kingdom of Kraput-Koch which served as a city of refuge for
+the wandering Assyrian princes. Perhaps the legend has preserved in the
+person of the King of Kraput-Koch the memory of the Armenian prince
+Skajordi.
+
+"We have neither father nor mother nor anyone beside," answered the
+brothers.
+
+And it came to pass that Sanassar became the King's _tschubuktschi_[6]
+and Abamelik his _haiwatschi,_[7] and they lived at the King's house a
+long time.
+
+[6] Pipe-bearer.
+
+[7] The servant who prepares the coffee.
+
+But Sanassar said one day to Abamelik: "We fatigued ourselves greatly
+with labor, yet was our house not finished. To-morrow make the King no
+coffee, nor will I hand him his pipe. Let us not appear before him
+to-morrow."
+
+When the King awoke, neither of them was near. He called the lads to him
+and said: "I asked you once if you had anyone belonging to you, either
+father or mother; and you said you had no one. Why, then, are you so
+sad?"
+
+And the brothers said: "Live long, O King! In truth, we have neither
+father nor mother. Even if we hide it from you we cannot hide it from
+God. We worked a little on a dwelling, but left the work unfinished and
+came away." And they told the King everything as it was.
+
+The heart of the King was grieved, and he said: "My children, if such is
+the case, to-morrow I will give you some court servants. Go and finish
+your house."
+
+Then the King arose and gave them forty servants, skilful workers, and
+each had a mule and a bridle.
+
+Early in the morning they arose and loaded the beasts with their tools,
+and the two brothers led them to the dwelling. They travelled on and at
+last reached the spring and the threshold of their house.
+
+Now Sanassar said to Abamelik: "Brother, shall we build the house first
+or the huts for the servants? These poor wretches cannot camp out in the
+sun."
+
+And they began first to make the huts. So strong was Abamelik that he
+built ten huts every day, while the others brought in wood for their
+building. In four days they finished forty huts, and then they set about
+building the house and finished it. They set up stone pillars in
+rows--so powerful were they--and laid a stone base under them, and the
+house was made ready.
+
+Abamelik rode to the King of Kraput-Koch and said: "We are thy children.
+We have built our castle: it is finished, and we come to you and entreat
+you, 'Come and give our dwelling a name,'" It pleased the King of
+Kraput-Koch that Abamelik had done this, and he said: "I rejoice that
+you have not forgotten me."
+
+So the King gave Abamelik his daughter in marriage and made him his
+close friend. After the wedding the King and the young pair came
+together at the palace--and Uncle Toross[8] was with them--and they
+mounted their horses and departed. Abamelik rode before them to point
+out the way. When they were approaching the castle the King suddenly
+turned his horse as if to ride back again, and said: "You have given
+your castle a name and have purposely brought me here to try me."
+
+[8] Probably the King's brother.
+
+Abamelik said: "May your life be long, O master! Believe me, we have
+given the castle no name. We have but built it and made it ready."
+
+"Very well. It may be that you have given it no name, but as you have
+set up rows of stone pillars let us call it Sausun or Sassun."[9]
+
+[9] "Sassun" signifies "pillar upon pillar." This explains the origin of
+the name of Sassun, a district of the old Armenian province Achznik,
+south of the city of Musch. The residents of this district up to the
+present day owe their independence to their inaccessible dwelling-place.
+
+Here they remained several days. Uncle Toross was also married and
+stayed at Sassun, but the King returned home.
+
+And Abamelik was strong and became a mighty man. From the environs of
+the Black Mountain and the Peak of Zetzinak, from Upper Musch as far as
+Sechanssar and the Plains of Tschapachtschur,[10] he reigned, and built
+a wall around his dominions. He made four gates. Often he shut his
+doors, mounted his horse, and captured whatever came in his way, both
+demons and beasts of prey. Once he penetrated into Mösr and ravaged it,
+and he went in to the wife of the Lord of Mösr and lay with her. She
+bore a son, and the King of Mösr knew that the boy was Abamelik's and
+named him Mösramelik. But afterward Abamelik slew the King and took his
+wife and became King of Mösr.[11]
+
+[10] The names cited here exist to the present day. The places lie in
+the old districts of the Turuberan and Achznik in the present district
+Musch.
+
+[11] The Armenians now call Egypt Mösr. This probably refers to Mossul.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+Now Sanassar dwelt at Sassun, but the gods of his fathers gave him no
+repose, so he travelled to Bagdad to the home of his father and mother.
+His father, sitting at his window, saw his son Sanassar come riding up,
+and recognized him, and the caliph said: "My life to thee, great god!
+Thou hast brought back thy victim. Certainly in thy might thou wilt
+restore the second soon."
+
+The mother--she was a Christian--began to weep and shed tears over her
+children. The father took a sharp sword and went out to meet his son,
+saying: "Come, my son, let us worship the great god in his temple. I
+must sacrifice to him."
+
+The son said, "Dear father, your god is great and very wonderful. Truly
+in the night he permits us no rest. Certainly he will bring the second
+victim to you by force."
+
+And they went into the temple of the god, and the son said: "Father
+dear, you know that we left your house when we were yet children, and we
+knew not the might of your god."
+
+"Yes, yes, my son, but kneel before him and pray."
+
+The son said: "What a wonderful god your god is! When you bowed before
+your god, there was a darkness before my eyes and I did not see how you
+did it. Bow once more before him, that I may learn to worship him."
+
+When the father did the second time the son cried: "Bread and wine, the
+Lord liveth!" and seized his club and hurled the caliph full seven yards
+distant to the ground. And with his club he shattered all the images
+where they stood, put the silver in the skirts of his robe and carried
+it to his mother, saying: "Take this, mother, and wear it for ornament!"
+
+His mother fell full length and bowed herself and said: "I thank thee,
+Creator of heaven and earth. It is well that thou hast rescued me from
+the hands of this cruel man."
+
+They found Sanassar a wife and placed him on the throne in his father's
+place, and he remained at Bagdad.[12]
+
+[12] Here the story of Sanassar breaks off and he is not mentioned again
+in the tale.
+
+Now Abamelik, who reigned in Mösr, left his son Mösramelik to rule in
+his stead and went to Sassun. Many years passed and children were born
+to him. To one he gave the name Tschentschchapokrik. The eldest son he
+named Zöra-wegi, the second Zenow-Owan; while the third son was called
+Chor-Hussan,[13] and the youngest David.
+
+[13] All these names are poetic and refer to certain characteristics of
+their bearers. "Zenow-Owan" means "melodiously-speaking John";
+"Chor-Hussan" means "good singer"; "Tschentschchapokrik" means "sparrow";
+and "Zöranwegi," "cowardly Wegi."
+
+Of these, Tschentschchapokrik and Zöranwegi proved to be ne'er-do-weels.
+Zenow-Owan had such a voice that he dried seven buffalo hides in the sun
+and wound them round his body so that it should not rend him. But the
+cleverest of all was David, and to his strength words cannot do justice.
+
+Abamelik's life was long, but old age came upon him. Once he sat sunk in
+thought and said to himself: "Enemies are all about me. Who will care
+for my children after my death? Mösramelik alone can do this, for none
+beside him can cope with my enemies."
+
+He set out to visit Mösramelik,[14] but he was very aged. "Mösramelik, my
+son," he said, "you are truly of my blood. If I die before you, I
+intrust my children to you. Take care of them. If you die first, confide
+yours to me and I will watch over them."
+
+[14] To Mossul.
+
+He returned and lived in his castle. His time came and he died. Then
+Mösramelik came and took the children to his house, for he had not
+forgotten his father's command. Sassun mourned the death of Abamelik for
+seven years. Then the peasants feasted and drank again with Uncle
+Toross, for they said: "Uncle Toross, our lads have grown old and our
+pretty girls are old women. If thou thinkest that by our seven years of
+weeping Abamelik will live again we would weep seven years longer."
+Uncle Toross gave the peasants their way, and said: "Marry your lads and
+maidens. Weeping leads nowhere."
+
+And they sat down and feasted and drank wine. Uncle Toross took a cup
+in his hand and paused: he was thinking about something, and he neither
+drank nor set the cup down. His son cries from the street: "Father,
+dear, there are the mad men of Sassun. Take care, they will be jeering
+at you. Let us go away."
+
+Uncle Toross turned to his son and said: "Oh, you dog of a son! Shall I
+sit here and feast? Did not Mösramelik come and take our children away?
+Abamelik's children in trouble, and I sitting at a banquet? Oh, what a
+shame it is! Bread and wine, God be praised! Truly, I will drink no wine
+till I have fetched the little ones." And Uncle Toross went out of
+Sassun and came to Mösr. He greeted Mösramelik, and they sat down
+together. Said Uncle Toross: "Now, we are come for God's judgment. It is
+true that you made an agreement with Abamelik, but if a man sells a
+captive he should first wait on the lord."[15]
+
+[15] This means that if a captive is to be sold his kinsmen have a right
+before all others to redeem him.
+
+They arose and went to the court,[16] and Uncle Toross was given the
+children.
+
+[16] Schariat, the name of the Turkish court of justice, stands in the
+original.
+
+But Mösramelik stood in fear of these children, and he said to Uncle
+Toross, "Let these children first pass under my sword, and then take
+them with you."
+
+Uncle Toross told the lads of this, and Zöranwegi said, "Let us pass
+under his sword and escape hence"; and the other two said the same. But
+David said otherwise: "If he wishes us dead he will not kill us to-day,
+for the people will say he has murdered the children. Under his sword I
+will not go. He does this so that I shall not lift my sword against him
+when I am a man." Uncle Toross got the boys together, that they might
+pass under the sword of Mösramelik, for he was very anxious. David was
+rebellious; he stood still and went not under it. Uncle Toross seized
+his collar and pushed him, but David would not go. He ran past it at one
+side and kicked with his great toe upon a flint until the sparks flew.
+And Mösramelik was frightened and said: "This child is still so young
+and yet is terrible. What will happen when he is a man! If any evil
+comes to me it will be through him."
+
+Uncle Toross took the children and came to Sassun. Zöranwegi he
+established in the castle in his father's place, but David, who was the
+youngest, was sent out to herd the calves.
+
+What a boy David was! If he struck out at the calves with his oaken
+stick, he would throw them all down, and forty others beside. Once he
+drove the calves to the top of the mountain. He found a herdsman there
+who was abusing his calves, and said: "You fellow! What are you up to?
+Wait now, if I catch you, you will get something from my oaken stick
+that will make you cry Ow! ow!"
+
+The fellow answered David: "I am ready to give my life for your head if
+I am not a shepherd from your father's village. These calves, here,
+belong to the peasants."
+
+David said, "If that is so, watch my calves also. I know not what time I
+should drive them home. When the time comes tell me, that I may drive
+them in."
+
+Then David drove in the calves on time that day, and Uncle Toross was
+pleased and said: "Always be punctual, my son; go out and come back
+every day at the right time."
+
+"Uncle Toross, it was not my wisdom that did this. I have hired a
+comrade who will watch over my calves and see that I am ready with
+them."
+
+Once his comrade tarried, and David was greatly vexed. It appeared that
+a religious festival was held in the village, and on this account the
+young man was detained. Finally he arrived, and David said to him,
+"To-day you get nothing from me."
+
+The young man said: "David, I am willing to die for you. From fear of
+your anger, I waited not for the end of the service of God in the
+church, and not one spoonful of the holy soup[17] has passed my lips. I
+drove out the calves and am here. Now you know why I tarried."
+
+[17] Although me Armenians became Christians in the fourth century, they
+still retain many heathen customs which have lost all their original
+significance. They still sacrifice sheep and cows which have on the
+previous evening been given some salt consecrated by the priests. The
+meat is cooked in immense kettles and carried around to the houses. The
+shepherd speaks of soup of this kind.
+
+David said: "Wait here; I will bring you your dinner."
+
+He set off with his oaken stick over his shoulder. He came to the
+village, and found that all the people had brought corn to the priests,
+who blessed it. David stuck his oaken stick through the handle of the
+four-handled kettle, and, full as it was, lifted it to his shoulder and
+walked away. The priests and the peasants wondered at it, and one cried,
+"Truly, he has carried off a kettle!"
+
+A priest cried out, "For God's sake, be silent! It is one of those mad
+men of Sassun. Take care or he will come back and break our ribs for us.
+May he take the thing and fall down with it!"
+
+And David took the kettle of grits to his comrade, whom he found weeping
+on the mountain.
+
+"Ha, ha," said David, "I know why you weep. I have brought the grits,
+but have forgotten butter and salt. That is why you weep. Eat the grits
+now, and have salt and butter this evening."
+
+But the youth said. "David, I am ready to die for you, What need have I
+of salt and butter; forty thieving Dews have come and driven away our
+calves."
+
+David said, "Stay here and watch these calves, and I will bring back all
+the others"; and he went after the calves. He followed their tracks to
+the entrance of a cave and paused. He cried out with so loud a voice
+that the Dews were frightened, and were as full of fear as is the devil
+when Christ's voice is heard in hell.
+
+And when the leader of the Dews heard the voice he said: "That is surely
+David, Abamelik's son. Go receive him with honor, else he will strike us
+dead."
+
+They went out, one by one, and David struck each as he passed with his
+oaken cudgel, so that their heads fell off and only dead bodies remained
+in the place. He cut off the ears of all the forty and buried them under
+a stone at the mouth of the cave.
+
+He laid down his club and entered the cave. There he saw a heap of gold
+and a heap of silver--indeed, all the treasures of the world. Since his
+father's death they had robbed and concealed their plunder in this
+cavern. He opened a door, and saw a steed standing fastened to a ring.
+David was sunk in thought, and said to himself: "Uncle dear, this
+property belongs to you, but this beast to me. If you give it to
+me--good. If not, you travel after those other fellows." Then he
+answered for Uncle Toross: "My child, the treasure and the beast should
+belong to you. What shall I do with them?"
+
+He looked around and saw upon a pyre a copper kettle with four handles,
+and in it were his forty calves. He stuck his oaken stick through the
+handles and raised the kettle, poured off the water, pushed the calves'
+feet back into the kettle, lifted it to his shoulder, and went back to
+his comrade.
+
+The two drove the rest of the herd into the village, and David called
+the owners to him and said: "If you deceive my brother a hair's breadth
+in the reckoning it will go badly with you. Sell this kettle. May it
+repay you for your calves."
+
+He separated his own calves from the peasants', and went home. It was
+then midday. He said to Uncle Toross: "Take quickly twenty asses and we
+will go out and bring back treasure that shall suffice you and your
+children till the seventh generation."
+
+And they took the asses and set forth. When they reached the cavern,
+Uncle Toross saw the bodies of the Dews stretched near the entrance, and
+they were swelled up like hills. In great fright Uncle Toross loosed his
+ass from the others and fell back.
+
+David said: "You destroyer! I fled not before them living, but you fear
+them dead! If you believe me not, turn back and raise this stone. I
+concealed all their ears there."
+
+Uncle Toross came back and took the asses, and they went into the cave.
+They made a pack of all the treasure and carried it away with them.
+David said: "All this treasure belongs to you, but the steed is mine. If
+you will not give it to me, you shall follow after them."
+
+He answered: "My child, the horse and the treasure too are yours. What
+should I do with it?"
+
+Uncle Toross let David mount the steed. He gave him the spurs and he
+bucked to right and left. This was no ordinary steed--the difficulties
+of managing him cannot be described.
+
+They returned to Sassun with the treasure. David procured a beautiful
+falcon and rode off to hunt. The calves he had long ago given over.
+
+Once, as he hunted, he rode across the soil of a poor man, whose family
+numbered seven heads, and the man had seven beds of millet. Four beds he
+laid waste, and three remained. Someone ran with the news to the old
+graybeard and said: "You are ruined. Go at once to your field, for
+before night he will destroy the other three beds."
+
+The graybeard rose early and went out and saw his field was laid waste.
+He glanced about and saw David coming with a falcon on his hand. The
+graybeard cursed David and said: "Dost thou not fear God? Dost thou test
+thy strength on my grain-field? I have seven mouths to fill, and seven
+millet beds. Four thou hast destroyed, and three remain! If you are
+brave, go and get back your inheritance that extends from the summit of
+Mount Zözmak as far as Sechanssar. Mösramelik has taken it from you and
+draws wealth from it Go and get it back. Why try your strength on me?"
+
+But David answered: "Old man, curse me not. Here is a handful of
+gold--use it." And as he said it he killed his falcon.
+
+David returned home and said: "Uncle Toross, go and bring me my father's
+staff and bow. I am going to make war, for others consume my inheritance
+and none of you have said anything about it to me."
+
+Uncle Toross arose and demanded of Zöranwegi in David's name the staff
+and bow of Abamelik, but Zöranwegi refused it. David sent a second time,
+saying: "If you give it to me, good. If not, I will see to it that your
+head flies off and only your body remains."
+
+Zöranwegi was frightened, and surrendered the bow and baton, and Uncle
+Toross brought them to David. And David fell asleep and dreamed. The
+next day he took forty calves and went to holy Maratuk,[18] where he
+slaughtered the forty calves and bathed in their blood. Then he fell on
+his face and prayed and wept until God sent from heaven a sacred sign
+and a token. Even now the holy sign is to be found in Hawar at the house
+of Sork. David kissed the holy sign and put it under the right shoulder,
+and the token under the left.
+
+[18] Maratuk is a monastery built on a mountain of the same name.
+
+Mösramelik knew that David, Abamelik's son, was come into manhood, and
+he gathered together a host to march against him. And he appointed a
+_holbaschi_,[19] who prepared his army and attacked David at Maratuk. He
+met on the march seven women, and said to them, "Sing and dance until I
+return," and they answered: "Why shall we dance and sing? We know not
+what we should say."
+
+[19] This Turkish title shows that the legend has been altered at a late
+date.
+
+And Holbaschi sang for them:
+
+  "May the little women busy themselves grinding corn;
+  May the stout women help with the camel-loading;
+  For Holbaschi carries grim war to Sassun.
+  Strong yoke-oxen and red milch-cows he'll bring back
+  In the springtime; butter and Tochorton
+  Will be plentiful in the Land of Mösr."
+
+Holbaschi saw the women begin dancing and singing, and started his host
+again and went to Maratuk and entered its gates. The daughter of the
+priest of Maratuk had often glanced slyly at David, and he was not
+indifferent to her. The priest's daughter went to David and said:
+"David, I am ready to die for you! Arise and see how many warriors are
+congregated in the courtyard."
+
+When she had spoken she went out and closed all the gates from without.
+David stretched himself and cried: "Bread and wine, the Lord liveth!"
+and began to knock off the heads of the men of war. He beheaded them so
+that the bodies flew over the walls and the heads remained lying in the
+court. And he laid hold of Holbaschi, and tore out his teeth and drove
+them into his brow like nails. And he bent his lance till it curved like
+a dog's collar and put it around his neck. "Now," he said, "take
+yourself off and tell all to Mösramelik. If people still remain in his
+country let him herd them together before I come."
+
+Holbaschi met the women a second time, and they were singing and
+dancing. And one of them sang:
+
+  "Holbaschi, dear Holbaschi, went hence like a cruel wolf,
+  Why come you back to us like a hunting dog?
+  Your lance lies on your neck like a dog's collar,
+  Thy mouth gapes like an open window,
+  And slime flows out like curdled milk from a skin;[20]
+  And whole caravans of flies buzz round it."
+
+[20] In Armenia, as is usual in the East, they make butter out of
+curdled milk; and for this reason the vessel is always covered with
+scum.
+
+And Holbaschi sang:
+
+  "Oh, you shameless, worthless hussies,
+  I thought that Sassun was a free field.
+  Think not that only rocks and clefts opposed me.
+  There new-born children are fierce devils,
+  Their arrows like beams of the oil-mill;
+  And like windows they tear out the mouths of their enemies.
+  All the brave lads who went with me
+  Are fallen in Charaman.[21]
+  In the spring its waters will bring you booty,
+  Then your butter and cheese can be made."
+
+[21] A valley near Musch.
+
+Now David armed himself and marched against Mösramelik. He found a great
+host assembled and encamped near Sechanssar.[22]
+
+[22] Literally, a table-like mountain.
+
+David said: "I promise thee not to give battle till I have eaten rice
+pillau in the green and red tent," and he urged his horse forward and
+appeared suddenly from the west in front of the tent. Great fright
+possessed the army when they perceived this rider, and Melik said, "What
+manner of man art thou?"
+
+"I am the son of a western king, and I have come to help you."
+
+Melik pitched a tent for him, and they ate together seven days. On the
+eighth day David mounted his horse, rode twice before Mösramelik's tent,
+and said: "Now, come out, I want to fight you. How long, Mösramelik, are
+you going to encroach upon my inheritance?" And David cried: "Bread and
+wine, God lives!" and fighting began on all sides.
+
+Uncle Toross heard of the combat. He tore up a poplar by its roots,
+threw it across his shoulder, and set out. He halted at the upper end of
+the valley in which the fight was going on. If anyone crept away David
+shouted: "Dear Uncle Toross, chase him back into the valley and I will
+be ready for him!"
+
+At last the army began to murmur: "Let them struggle hand to hand. He
+who overpowers the other has conquered."
+
+Then said one of them. "Sit down, that I may slay you with my club," and
+the other said: "No, you sit down." At last they agreed that David,
+being the youngest, should sit, So he put his shield over his head, laid
+under it the holy cross, and sat down. Mösramelik made an onset from
+three leagues, burst upon him, and assailed him with a club, saying,
+"Earth thou art, be earth again!"
+
+David said: "I believe in the high and holy cross of Maratuk. It is to
+me as if I were still eating rice pillau under the red and green tent."
+
+Mösramelik sprung upon him three times, struck him with his club, and
+said: "Earth thou art, be earth again!" and David replied only, "I
+believe in the high and holy cross of Maratuk."
+
+Then came Mösramelik's turn to sit down, and he was stubborn and would
+not. But the army reproached him and put his shield over his head, and
+he sat down. Then came Mösramelik's mother, and began to ask mercy,
+saying: "David, I am ready to die for you! Is he not thy brother? Slay
+him not; have pity on him!"
+
+"O shameless woman! When he struck me, thou saidst not, 'Is he not thy
+brother!' But, may your wish be granted! One blow I will give up for
+God's sake, the second for your sake, but the third belongs to me, and
+when I strike either he dies or lives!"
+
+David rode back and forward again, and seizing his club hurled
+Mösramelik seven yards deep into the earth. Then he ravaged Mösr and
+ascended the throne.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+The Emir[23] of Kachiswan had a daughter, and her name was
+Chandud-Chanum.[24] Chandud-Chanum heard of David's valor, and gave gifts
+to a bard and said to him: "Go, sing to David of my beauty, that he may
+come hither and we may love each other."
+
+[23] "Emir," in the eyes of the orientals, is almost the same as "king."
+
+[24] "Chandud" is a woman's name. "Chanum" means "lady."
+
+The bard went to Sassun, for he thought David was there. He came to
+Sassun and entered Zöranwegi's castle, thinking David lived in it, and
+sat down and began to sing to Zöranwegi. Zöranwegi cried: "Go. Club him
+and hunt him forth. He thinks to bring David hither by cunning!"
+
+They set upon the singer, dragged him to the valley, and threw him into
+the road. In the evening the shepherds returned on their oxen to the
+village. An ox became wild, and the herdsman fell off, and seeking the
+cause he found the bard, who wept and lamented and asked the herdsman:
+
+"Which of the brothers lives in that castle?"
+
+The shepherd answered: "Here lives Zöranwegi; yonder, in Mösr, David."
+
+And the bard gave a piece of gold to the shepherds, and they gathered up
+the pieces of his broken tambur[25] and pointed out his way to him. He
+went and sang of Chandud-Chanum's beauty before David. David rewarded
+him richly, and said, "Go before, I will come," and the singer went and
+told all to Chandud-Chanum.[26]
+
+[25] An instrument like a guitar.
+
+[26] The song in which the bard praises the beauty of Chandud-Chanum is
+wanting. A certain carelessness is seen generally in the rest of the
+narrative.
+
+David departed straightway and went by way of Sassun and the Heights of
+Zözmak. He found a plough[27] standing in his way. He freed the oxen,
+seized the plough-chain, mounted his horse, and dragged the plough down.
+And it fell from the summit of the Black Mountain plump into the
+aqueduct of the village of Marnik.
+
+[27] The Armenians use, in ploughing, a kind of plough which is drawn by
+from five to ten pairs of buffaloes or oxen.
+
+He drew on and perceived that a buffalo had got loose and run along the
+road and left its dung there. David looked at the dung and said: "If
+evil befalls me he is guilty of it who left the dung there; if not, it
+is also his work that it befalls me not."
+
+From a side-path appeared a buffalo, and David had never seen the like
+before. He lifted his club to slay him when from the opposite side a
+shepherd came and began to scold the buffalo. David thought the shepherd
+was scolding him and said, "Fellow, what have I done to you that you
+rail at me?"
+
+The shepherd answered: "Who are you? Ah, you are a Sassun brawler who
+has seen nothing of the world! I spoke to my buffalo."
+
+"Don't be angry, youngster! It is a shame, indeed, that in my country I
+have never seen the like. Are there many such creatures in these parts?"
+
+The shepherd said, "Come, and I will show you."
+
+And they went to the field of Ausut, where the peasants hitched their
+buffaloes and drove them. David found the buffaloes with tongues lolling
+from the heat as they drew the plough. David felt pity for them; he
+unhitched them and drove them to the pond.
+
+The ploughman began to curse him, and he said: "Ploughman, curse me not;
+only give me the chain into my hand."
+
+He seized the chain and began to draw; the ploughman guided the plough
+and David ploughed nine furrows. Then the shepherd said to David: "That
+is not thy strength. Leave thy horse and then draw. We shall see whether
+it is thine or thy horse's strength."
+
+David left his horse and ploughed nine furrows alone.
+
+The shepherd then said to David: "It is already noon. Come now and eat,
+then thou canst go on thy way!"
+
+David answered: "No, I will ride on. Thy children want to eat, and if I
+come nothing will remain for them."
+
+However, they sat down and when the dinner was set out David crumbled
+all the bread and the vessels all at once, and the shepherd said: "Here,
+hide yourselves or he will devour us also."
+
+David said: "Surely, brother, he who drags the plough must eat bread.
+How could it be otherwise?"
+
+And he went his way to the city where Chandud-Chanum dwelt.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+David came to the gates of the castle where Chandud-Chanum lived--to the
+place where all her suitors came to woo. He saw a youth standing near
+the door with a club in his hand, David said: "Ha, my lad, what do they
+call you?"
+
+"My name is Gorgis."
+
+"Gorgis!" said David. "When I marry Chandud-Chanum you shall be
+godfather! Now, Godfather Gorgis, who is in the house?"
+
+"Matchmakers from the giants--Schibikan of Chorassan and Hamsa of Lori."
+
+David said, "Take my horse and fasten him." And he took his horse and
+tied him.
+
+Then David asked: "What kind of a club have you? Show it me."
+
+David took the club and threw it into the air with such force that it
+is whirring till this very day. Then he said, "Godfather Gorgis, let us
+go in and eat and drink."
+
+They went in, and David sat down, for he was tired and hungry, and every
+matchmaker, one after the other, handed David a cup of wine. David lost
+patience and seized the wine-pitcher and emptied it in one draught,
+saying, "Now say only what is well for you!"
+
+The wine made David drunk, and when he let his head fall the matchmakers
+drew their swords to strike him, but when he raised his head they
+concealed their swords. They began this again when Godfather Gorgis
+called out: "Think not that you are in Georgia! No, this is a dangerous
+country." And when David heard him he said, "Now stand bravely at the
+door!"
+
+The matchmakers sprang up and as they ran each gave Gorgis a box on the
+ear and escaped. David then turned to Gorgis and said: "Where can I see
+Chandud-Chanum?"
+
+"In the garden of the King," Gorgis answered. "To-day is Friday and she
+will be there. Before her walk twenty slaves, and twenty walk behind
+her. We will go to-day and see her there."
+
+So Gorgis and David went thither and concealed themselves behind the
+garden wall and waited. The slaves passed by one after another, and,
+when Chandud-Chanum came, David put his arm around her neck and kissed
+her three times. Chandud-Chanum said not a word. He kissed her again.
+Chandud-Chanum seized him by the collar and threw him against the wall
+so that the blood gushed from his nose.
+
+David was angry and was going to mount his horse. "Godfather Gorgis," he
+said, "lead out my horse. I will destroy the city and depart."
+
+Gorgis began to plead: "I pray you, put it off till morning. It is dark
+now. At daybreak arise and destroy the city and depart."
+
+David lay in bed and could not sleep from anger. "Would it were dawn
+that I might rise and destroy the city and get away from here," he
+thought to himself.
+
+Chandud-Chanum was still walking in the garden. A lame slave came to her
+and said: "Thy walk will end sadly. Take care, David is going to destroy
+the city and depart."
+
+She took the cloth in which her evening meal had been brought, and
+wrapped her head in it. She turned and went straightway into the castle
+where David was and knocked at his door.
+
+David said: "What insolent people live here! They will not wait till
+morning, but say, 'Arise, destroy the city and be off!'"
+
+Gorgis arose and looked out of the window and said, "These are women,
+not men," and they opened the door.
+
+Chandud-Chanum came to David and said: "You kissed me first for the
+fatigue of your journey, a second time for yourself, and a third time
+for God's sake. Why did you kiss me a fourth time? You are the son of
+your father and I am the daughter of mine. It has been said: Take to
+yourself a wife that you may have a son who is like his uncle. Do you
+think you have brought me the heads of the giants Hamsa of Lori and
+Schibikan of Chorassan, that you kiss me a fourth time?"
+
+David's heart softened and he said: "If that is so I will go out at
+daybreak and bring you their heads." Then he added: "Very well, I go; if
+they are stronger than I they will kill me. For God's sake come and seek
+my body. On the right hand I have a birth-mark--a cross--by that you
+shall know me. Bring my body back and bury it."
+
+So David set out. The giants perceived a rider coming, for the dust from
+his horse's hoofs rose to heaven: "This rider comes to fight with us.
+Perhaps he is of the race of Sergo."[28]
+
+[28] Sergo-Sarkus (Sergius) so the Kurds called the Christians,
+regarding them as descendants of St. Sergius, who is very popular among
+the Armenians of Wan and Musch.
+
+They called to him, saying: "Ho, fellow! who are you, and whence come
+you? Do you know Chandud-Chanum? Will you take this ring to her?"
+
+David said: "Certainly I know her, but I have come to take your heads to
+the Princess Chandud. I know nothing about your rings!"
+
+The eyebrows of Schibikan of Chorassan hung down over his breast and he
+fastened them across his back. Hamsa of Lori had an underlip so long
+that it reached the ground and swept it.
+
+David and the giants began to hack and hew each other and they fought
+with clubs and bows until night. David cried: "I believe in the high and
+holy cross of Maratuk," and took his sword and cut both their heads off.
+He bound their hair together and hung them across his horse like saddle
+bags and their tongues furrowed the ground like a plough.
+
+David rode away with their heads and had already traversed half the way
+when he saw approaching him, riding between heaven and earth, a rider,
+who called out to him! "Do you think you have conquered the giants
+Schibikan and Hamsa?" The rider sprang behind David and struck at him
+with a club. He crawled under the saddle and the club struck the stirrup
+and tore it loose, and it fell to the ground. David sprang out from
+under the saddle and cried: "Bread and wine, as the Lord liveth!" and
+swung his club over his enemy. The enemy dodged the blow, but his hair
+fell away from his face. David looked and recognized Chandud-Chanum; she
+had disguised herself and had come to meet him.
+
+"O shameless woman!" David said. "You would disgrace me a second time."
+
+They rode together into Chandud-Chanum's city. They arrived and
+dismounted and called Chandud-Chanum's father. David said to him: "Will
+you give me your daughter for a wife?"
+
+Her father said: "I will not give her to you. If you will marry her and
+live here, I will give her to you. If you must take her away, I will not
+give her. How can I do otherwise? I have enemies all around me; they
+will destroy my city."
+
+And David said: "I will marry her and stay here. I will not take her
+away."
+
+So they were married and celebrated the wedding, feasting seven days and
+seven nights.
+
+The time passed by unheeded, and when nine months, nine days and nine
+hours had passed, God sent them a son.
+
+And David said to Chandud-Chanum: "If this child is mine, he must have a
+mark--he will show great strength." They put the child in
+swaddling-clothes, but instead of bands they bound him with
+plough-chains. He began to cry and stir in his cradle and the chain
+snapped into pieces.
+
+They sent word to David: "The youngster is a stout fellow. He has
+broken the chains. But one of his hands seems hurt. He clenches his
+fist, and no one can open it."
+
+David came and sat down, looked at the hand and opened it. In the hand
+he found a little lump of clotted blood. "The whole world is to him as a
+drop of blood, and he will hold it in his hand. If he lives he will do
+wonderful deeds."
+
+Then they christened the boy and gave him the name of Mcher.
+
+Time passed and the boy grew fast, and David left him in Kachiswan with
+his grandparents, and took Chandud-Chanum with him to Sassun. The men of
+Chlat[29] heard David's coming and they assembled an army, built a
+rampart, formed their wagons into a fortress, and began to give battle.
+When Chandud-Chanum sent her lance against the wall she shattered it and
+the wagons flew seven leagues away. Then David went forward and drove
+the fighters away, saying to them: "Ye men of Chlat! what shameless
+people ye be! Ye wage war on women! Let me but take my wife to Sassun
+and I will come back, and we will fight it out."
+
+[29] The city of Chlat (Turkish "Achlat") lies northwest of the Sea of
+Wan. In olden times it was famous for its splendor, its high walls, and
+its citadel. The inhabitants had been injured by David's father and
+wished to avenge themselves.
+
+But the men of Chlat believed him not. "Swear to us by the holy cross
+you carry; then we will believe you," said they.
+
+David touched the token with his hand as he thought, but the cross was
+there and he knew it not, and the power of the cross was that no one
+could swear by it.
+
+He took Chandud-Chanum to Sassun. Here he first knew that he had sworn
+on the cross, for he found the cross lying at his left shoulder where
+the token had been.
+
+"Now it will go badly with me," said David. "Whether I go or whether I
+stay, it will go badly with me. And I must go."
+
+He advanced, therefore, to give battle, and the men of Chlat pressed him
+sorely. His horse was caught in the reedy marsh of Tschechur.[30] With
+difficulty he crawled out of the bog and reached the waters of the
+Lochur.[31]
+
+[30] A marsh at the outlet of the Kara-Su, a tributary of the Euphrates.
+
+[31] A small river which empties into the Sea of Wan not far from Chlat.
+
+Once Abamelik had lingered at the house of Ibraham Aga, and forcibly
+entered the sleeping-room of his wife. Her name was Schemschen-Chanum.
+She had borne a daughter to Abamelik, who was now an ardent Mahometan.
+This daughter took up her bow and arrows and concealed herself on the
+sloping river-bank. When David bathed in the waters of Locher she shot
+him, assassin-like, with an arrow in the back. David arose and made a
+great outcry and his voice sounded even up to Sassun. Zönow-Owan,
+Chorassan, Uncle Toross, Tschöntschchapokrik, and Zöranwegi came
+together, for they heard the voice of David. And Zönow-Owan called to
+him from Sassun, "We are coming."
+
+And they went forth to help David, who heard in the water the voice of
+his kinsmen. They came to the river and found David, who said:
+"Zönow-Owan, she seemed frightened at our calling. Go and find her."
+
+And they sought and found the blue-eyed maiden. David seized her by one
+foot, trod on the other, tore her in pieces, and threw her into the
+village at the foot of the mountain. From this deed he named the village
+Tschiwtis-Tschapkis.[32] The village lies at the mouth of the Tschechur
+and is called Tschapkis to this day.
+
+[32] Literally, "I will tear in pieces and scatter."
+
+The brothers took David with them and moved on to Sassun. And after four
+days David died, and his brothers mourned for him. They went to
+Chandud-Chanum to console her and wish her long life; but Chandud-Chanum
+said, "Ah, me, after David's death I am but the subject of your scorn."
+
+And Tschöntschchapokrik said: "Chandud-Chanum, weep not, weep not. David
+is dead, but my head is still whole."
+
+Chandud-Chanum climbed the tower and threw herself down. Her head struck
+a stone and made a hole in it, and into this hole the men of Sassun pour
+millet and grind as the people of Mösr do; and every traveller from Mösr
+stops there before the castle to see the stone.
+
+The brothers came to see the body of Chandud-Chanum, and they pressed on
+her breasts and milk flowed therefrom. They said: "Surely she has a
+child! If there is a child it must be in Kachiswan."[33] And they set out
+for Kachiswan and said to the governor: "A child of our brother and
+sister-in-law lives here. Where is it?"
+
+[33] The small city of Kagisman, not far from Kars.
+
+"It is not here."
+
+"We have a sign. In the breast of our sister-in-law was milk."
+
+Then the governor said: "She had a daughter, but it is dead."
+
+"We have a test for that also--for our dead. The grave of one dead one
+year is one step long, of one dead two years, two steps long, and so
+on."
+
+They went to the church-yard and found not a single grave which stood
+their test.
+
+Zönow-Owan said: "Bind leather bands about me. I will cry out."
+
+The truth was, they had dug a cellar for Mcher underground, and hid him
+there and watched over him.
+
+The brothers bound Zönow-Owan about the body and he cried out. Mcher
+knew his voice and would have gone to him, but his grandmother said to
+him: "That is not the voice of thy kinsman. It is the noise of children
+and the beating of drums."
+
+When Mcher heard the voice for the third time he beat down the door and
+went out. One door destroyed the other. By a blow of his fist he sent
+the first door against the second, the second against the third, and so
+all seven doors were shattered.
+
+Mcher saw his uncles from afar, but his father was not there. He asked,
+and his uncle told him the men of Chlat had slain his father. He fell
+upon his face and wept, and as he lay there his uncles wished to lift
+him, but exert themselves as they would they could not move him.
+
+The tears of Mcher furrowed the earth and flowed like a river. After
+three days he arose, mounted his father's horse, and rode to Chlat. He
+circled the town and destroyed it--as it is even to this day. Then he
+ascended the mountain Memrut[34] and saw the smoke of the ruins grow ever
+denser. Only one old woman remained alive. He seized her, and, bending
+two trees down, bound her feet to the trees and let them loose. And thus
+he killed her. Since then no smoke ascends from Chlat.
+
+[34] A high mountain not far from Chlat northwest of the Sea of Wan.
+Many interesting legends about it exist. Haik, the ancestor of the
+Armenian Nimrod, is said to be buried here.
+
+Mcher permitted his uncles to return to their own dwelling-places and
+himself rode toward Tosp.
+
+Men say he is still there, and they show his house, and even now water
+flows from the rocks for his horse.
+
+On Ascension-night the door of Mcher's rock opens. But it is decreed
+that he shall not go out: the floor holds him not, his feet sink into
+the earth.
+
+Once on Ascension-night a shepherd saw Mcher's door open, and the
+shepherd entered. Mcher asked him: "By what occupation do you live?"
+
+"By brains," said the shepherd.
+
+Then Mcher said: "We shall see what kind of brains you have! Take the
+nose-bag of my horse and hang it around his neck."
+
+The shepherd tried with all his might, but could not lift the bag. He
+led the horse to the bag, opened it, and put the straps around the
+horse's neck. The horse raised his head and lifted the bag. The shepherd
+led him back to his place and said, "That is the sort of brains by which
+we live in the world."
+
+Then the shepherd said, "Mcher, when will you leave this place?"
+
+Mcher answered: "When plum-trees bear wheat and wild-rose bushes barley,
+it is appointed I shall leave this place."
+
+And three apples fell down from heaven--one for the story-teller, one
+for the hearer, and the other for the whole world.
+
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+
+THE RUINED FAMILY
+
+BY
+
+GABRIEL SUNDUKIANZ
+
+
+[_Translated by F.B. Collins, B.S._]
+
+
+
+DRAMATIS PERSONAE
+
+OSSEP GULABIANZ, a merchant.
+SALOME, his wife.
+NATO, his daughter.
+CHACHO, Ossep's aunt.
+GEWO, a merchant, Ossep's friend.
+ALEXANDER MARMAROW, a young official.
+BARSSEGH LEPROINK, a merchant.
+KHALI, his wife.
+MOSI, Leproink's relative.
+MICHO, shop-boy at Leproink's.
+DARTSCHO, clerk at Leproink's.
+MARTHA, Salome's friend.
+
+Guests, an executor, his secretary, creditors, witnesses, and several
+servants.
+
+The scene is Tiflis. The first and third acts take place in Ossep's
+house, the second in Barssegh's.
+
+
+THE RUINED FAMILY
+
+
+ACT I
+
+_Well-furnished room with open door in centre and ante-room behind. To
+the left in foreground a window looking out upon a garden. To the right
+a sofa, in front of which is a table. To the left a tachta[35] with a
+ketscha[36] and several mutakas.[37] A side door._
+
+[35] Broad, low sofa.
+
+[36] Carpet.
+
+[37] Long, round pillows.
+
+
+
+
+SCENE I
+
+_Salome. Chacho_.
+
+
+SALOME [_from back of stage_]. You're welcome. Come, come, I beg of you.
+Dear aunt, how can I thank you for taking the trouble to come here!
+
+CHACHO [_covered by a tschadra[38] enters from the right of the
+ante-chamber_]. Good-morning! [_Taking off the tschadra._] Why did you
+send for me in such haste?
+                    [_Gives one end of the tschadra to Salome_.
+
+[38] A long veil, covering the head and upper part of the body.
+
+SALOME [_taking hold of one end of the tschadra_]. Dear aunt, I am in
+such a desperate mood that if someone were to pierce my heart not a drop
+of blood would flow.
+                    [_While she is speaking they fold the tschadra_.
+
+CHACHO. So it seems that it cannot be managed?
+
+SALOME. How could it be managed, dear aunt? They insist upon having
+8,000 rubles. Ossep will not give so much. You know what a miser he is!
+
+CHACHO. Yes, he is really odd.
+
+SALOME. But, dear aunt, God would surely not allow an affair like this
+to come to nothing for the sake of 2,000 rubles. What, am I to let a man
+of such social position and such brilliancy escape me?
+
+CHACHO. Great heaven, how can anyone be so obstinate!
+
+SALOME. That is just why I begged you to come to us. Speak to Ossep
+about it, and perhaps your words will soften him.
+
+CHACHO. I will talk with him; yes, indeed, I will talk to him. We cannot
+neglect a matter of such importance, my child. [_Lays the tschadra under
+the tachta covering the ketscha and sits down on it_.] Great heaven, how
+sore the pavement has made my feet!
+
+SALOME [_seating herself on a chair_]. May God reward you, dear aunt!
+May the Holy Mother be a protectress for your children as you are now
+for my Nato.
+
+CHACHO. Is not Nato my child also? Is she a stranger to me? I am
+altogether charmed with her beautiful form. But where is the child? Is
+she not at home?
+
+SALOME. Yes, certainly; she is dressing. You understand, dear aunt, how
+you are to talk to him? Perhaps you will succeed with him. They expect
+the final answer to-day; this morning the young man's sister was here,
+and she may be here again any minute.
+
+CHACHO. Don't be afraid, dear child. Calm yourself. Where is Ossep? What
+does he think about it?
+
+SALOME. He is busy, but he will be here directly. He says, and insists
+upon it, that he will allow our daughter to marry no one but a business
+man.
+
+CHACHO. He is right, my child; a good business man is worth much. Yes;
+is not one who has money in his pockets the best?
+
+SALOME. Oh, how you talk! What business man is to be compared with
+Alexander Marmarow! Is there any business man worthy to untie his
+shoe-strings? His politeness alone is worth more than ten business men.
+Lately he honored us with a visit, and I was so fascinated with his
+manners! and beside he is still young; is handsome; is educated; has a
+good position and a good salary and will advance every day--everybody
+says so. Perhaps some day he will be governor.
+
+CHACHO. That is all very well, dear Salome; but if the thing cannot be
+done, what then? One must submit, to some extent, to the head of the
+family. A good business man never suffers from hunger, and lives without
+wanting anything. I don't know what has gotten into your heads.
+Officials! always officials!
+
+SALOME. You speak well, dear aunt, but Nato would not marry a business
+man at any price. I would thank God if she would. Would I be so stupid
+as not to be glad of it? The deuce take these times! This comes of too
+much study: the girls now mind neither father nor mother!
+
+CHACHO. Yes; how the world has changed! The streams and the hills are
+the same, but the people are different! But, by the way, Salome, do you
+know what I have heard? They say that Leproink is trying for him also;
+is that true?
+
+SALOME. Yes, yes, dear aunt, a lot of go-betweens go to his house. But
+God will surely not let a man like that become his son-in-law while my
+daughter is left to become the wife of a shopkeeper.
+
+CHACHO. Who would have believed that this Barssegh would have worked
+himself up like that! Yet God be praised! Perhaps it is the times that
+bring it about. Yesterday or the day before he was a shop-boy at
+Basaschoma,[39] and now! I can picture him as he was then! He wore a
+_tschocha_[40] of green camelot with a narrow purple belt. The wadding
+stuck out at his elbows and his boots were mended in four places. Great
+piles of goods were loaded on the poor devil's shoulders. Many a time,
+with the yardstick in one hand, he came to our houses with whole pieces
+of calico and got a few pennies from us for his trouble. And now he is a
+man of some importance! Many's the time we gave him a cuff and sent him
+back and forth with his goods. And, Salome, do you know that he lied?
+God save us from such lies! But what could he do? One would die of
+hunger, to be sure, if one always told the truth.
+
+[39] A bazaar in Tiflis.
+
+[40] A long overcoat.
+
+SALOME. Yes, yes, dear aunt, it is the same Barssegh--whom they all call
+"Wassil Matwejitsch" now.
+
+CHACHO. What! have they turned Mathus, his father, into Matjewitsch? Who
+is good enough for them now? Many a time has the cobbler, Mathus, mended
+my shoes. His workshop was in the Norasch quarter. O good heavens, the
+world is upside down!
+
+
+
+
+SCENE II
+
+
+NATO [_entering at right_]. Mamma! O aunt, are you here, too?
+                    [_Hugs her and kisses her_.
+
+CHACHO. O my only treasure! [_Kisses her_.] How fresh and pretty you
+are! Where are you going? Are you going out when I have just come?
+
+NATO. What are you saying, dear aunt? I will come back again
+immediately. I am only going to make a few purchases at the bazaar.
+[_Turning to Salome_] Dear mamma----
+                    [_They begin to speak together in a low tone_.
+
+CHACHO [_aside_]. Yes, yes, her father is right! [_Aloud._] I will go
+and see what the children are doing [_trying to rise_]. Come here, you
+pretty rogue, and give me your hand. I feel exhausted.
+                    [_Nato helps her_.
+
+SALOME [_offering her hand_]. Let me help you, too.
+
+CHACHO. May God give you health and a life as long as mine! [_To Nato:_]
+O my heart's angel--if only I have my wish and see you wear the bridal
+wreath!
+
+SALOME. God grant it, dear aunt!
+
+CHACHO. He will, he will, my child! [_Going toward the entrance._] Good
+heaven! how old I have grown!
+                    [_Goes out at the left._
+
+
+
+
+SCENE III
+
+
+NATO. Don't keep me waiting, mamma.
+
+SALOME. And won't a little less satisfy you? Why do you want so much all
+of a sudden?
+
+NATO. But, dear mamma, please; I want it so much!
+
+SALOME [_putting her hand in her pocket_]. I can never get away from
+you.
+                    [_Takes out her purse and looks for something in it._
+
+NATO [_holding out her hand_]. You have it there, mamma.
+
+SALOME. Have a little patience. [_Takes out some money and gives it to
+her_.] Take it! take it! though I know your father will scold about it.
+
+NATO. But what can I do, when I need it so badly?
+
+SALOME. Need it--nonsense! There is no end of your needs. [_Pulling at
+Nato's hat._] How have you put your hat on again? And the flowers are
+all pulled apart.
+                    [_Arranges it._
+
+NATO. Bah! what difference does that make?
+
+SALOME. You're crazy! [_Removes her veil._] How have you put on your
+veil? I must ever and eternally fix something on you!
+
+NATO. You will make me too beautiful, mamma.
+
+SALOME. Whether I make you beautiful or not, it will make no difference.
+You will be only the wife of a merchant.
+
+NATO. Yes, yes, I have been expecting that!
+
+SALOME. And you really think that your father will ask you?
+
+NATO. And whom should he ask?
+
+SALOME. Think what you will; he will not let his decision be altered by
+you. He says, "I will give her only to a business man."
+
+NATO. Yes, yes, surely.
+
+SALOME. By heaven!
+
+NATO. Mamma, is what you say true?
+
+SALOME. As true as the sun shines above you. He spoke of it again
+to-day.
+
+NATO. It is decided, then?
+
+SALOME. What am I to do if there is no other way out? You know we have
+not any too much money.
+
+NATO. And you are going to make a shopkeeper's wife of me, so that
+everyone will laugh at me [_ready to cry_]; so that I shall be an object
+of scorn for all. And why have you had me so well educated? Have I
+learned Russian and French and piano-playing for a man of that sort?
+What does a shopkeeper want of a piano? Pickle-jars and butter-tubs are
+useful to him, but not my French! I am curious as to how he would speak
+to me: _Moi aller, vous joli tu voir_.
+
+SALOME. Enough! enough! you wild girl!
+
+NATO [_crying_]. It is out of the question, mamma. No, not for the
+world could I marry a business man! I will not have one! I would rather
+jump into the water than marry one! [_Crying, she gives the money
+back_.] Take it back! What do I need it for now? Why should I go out and
+make purchases? For whom, then?
+                    [_Takes off her mantle, flings her parasol aside, sits
+                         down on the sofa and begins to cry_.
+
+SALOME. O great heaven! is this not torture? I get it on both sides.
+[_Turning to Nato_:] Be still, you stupid girl!
+
+NATO. For this I have learned so much; for this you have brought me up
+so grandly and given yourself so much trouble and care! [_Weeping_.] Is
+he, also, to take me walking on the boulevard? Is he to accompany me to
+the club and to the theatre?
+                    [_Sobbing_.
+
+SALOME. Be quiet! Enough! Give yourself no unnecessary heartache.
+
+NATO [_jumps up and embraces Salome_]. Dear, dear mamma! dearest mamma,
+save me!
+
+SALOME. Oh, rather would your mother be dead than to see this day!
+
+NATO. Dear mamma, save me! save me, or I shall go into consumption! God
+is my witness!
+
+SALOME [_weeping_]. The deuce take everything!
+                    [_Wipes away her tears_.
+
+NATO. Mamma, if you please, I would rather not marry at all. I will
+serve you here at home like a housemaid. Only make them stop this
+affair!
+
+SALOME. That has already happened, my child.
+
+NATO. Dear mamma, please do it.
+
+SALOME. But I tell you, truly.
+
+NATO. Is it really true?
+
+SALOME. As true as the sun shines.
+
+NATO [_kissing Salome_]. O my dear, dear mamma!
+
+SALOME. At last I am rid of you. Your eyes are real tear-fountains. It
+would not have taken much more to make me cry, too.
+
+NATO [_laughing_]. Ha! ha! ha!
+
+SALOME. You can laugh now.
+
+NATO. Ha! ha! ha! you gave me such a fright!
+
+SALOME. You are terribly flighty. [_Presses the money into her hand_.]
+Here, take it; and do not be too long.
+                    [_Smoothes Nato's hair_.
+
+NATO [_pulling herself away from her mother_]. Very well, mamma.
+                    [_Taking her parasol and mantle_.
+
+SALOME. Wipe your eyes, I pray, or they will laugh at you!
+
+NATO. They are quite dry; and what does anybody care about my eyes?
+                    [_Going._
+
+SALOME. Come back soon; don't allow yourself to be delayed.
+
+NATO. I will come back right away, dear mamma.
+                    [_Goes toward the right into the ante-room._
+
+
+
+
+SCENE IV
+
+
+SALOME [_alone_]. No, there is no other way out. Cost what it will, I
+shall accomplish what I want. Yes, I must, if I am ruined by it. Mother
+of God, plead for my Nato!
+
+OSSEP [_enters, right_]. Where has Nato gone?
+
+SALOME. Just across the way, to the store. She needed some music.
+
+OSSEP. These are fine times for me! And a girl like this is to become a
+good citizen's wife! [_Sits down on the sofa_.
+
+SALOME [_coming near_]. That is what I say, too, dear Ossep. [_Lays hand
+on his shoulder_.] Are you not sorry? Is it not too bad about her?
+
+OSSEP. I am still more to be pitied; but who pities me? SALOME. Shall we
+really give her to a business man for a wife?
+
+OSSEP. And what else? Is a merchant such a bad fellow? To judge by your
+words, I also am good for nothing; I who, day and night, worry myself to
+get you bread.
+
+SALOME [_embracing him_]. How can you say such a thing, dear Ossep?
+Listen to me; are you not sorry for Nato? It would be quite different if
+she had been educated as I was.
+
+OSSEP [_smiling_]. Hm! Then she would be the right sort.
+
+SALOME [_draws back her hand_]. You are very polite, really! You laugh
+at poor me! Well, talk as you like, but finish this affair with Nato.
+
+OSSEP. I have already finished it. What will you have of me?
+
+SALOME. How, then? You will not give as much as they demand.
+
+OSSEP. How can I give it when I have not so much?
+
+SALOME [_embracing him_]. Dear Ossep, please do it.
+
+OSSEP. But I cannot do it.
+
+SALOME [_still pleading_]. If you love me only a little bit, you will do
+me this favor.
+
+OSSEP. O woman! Can you not understand at all what yes and no mean? I
+tell you short and plain that I cannot afford to do it. My back is too
+weak to lift such a burden. A man can stretch out his feet in bed only
+as far as the covers reach. Isn't that true? Am I stingy? And would I be
+stingy toward my own child?
+
+SALOME. But in this case no one asks whether we have it or not. Would it
+not be stupid to have such a lover for your daughter and not sacrifice
+everything for him? Others, indeed, have no great wealth, and yet give
+and are not called crazy.
+
+OSSEP. Perhaps they have stolen money, since it is so easy for them to
+give it up. However, what is the use of so much talk? Take the cotton
+out of your ears and listen, for, I tell you, I have no money; and I
+repeat, I have no money. To-day or to-morrow I expect the conclusion of
+important business. If it is not completed, I am lost, body and soul.
+And you stand before me and torture me by asking me to do what is
+impossible!
+
+SALOME. But why do you seem so angry? One cannot even open one's mouth
+before you.
+                    [_Seats herself sulking on the tachta_.
+
+OSSEP. Yes, I am angry. You women would exasperate an angel, let alone a
+man!
+
+SALOME [_reproachfully_]. Just heaven! with my heart bleeding, I speak
+to you of our daughter and you are angry! You, then, are her father? Let
+us suppose I was dead: would it not be your sacred duty to provide for
+her future?
+
+OSSEP. Am I not providing for her, you wicked woman? Have I not
+presented three or four young persons to you as sons-in-law? For that
+matter, they would still be very glad to take her. They are young,
+clever, and industrious, and, moreover, persons of our condition in
+life. But who can be reasonable and speak to you? You have got it into
+your head that Nato's husband shall be an official, and there you stick.
+It is not your daughter's future that makes your heart bleed, but your
+own ambition.
+
+SALOME. What more can I say to you? Are they, then, your equals? Who are
+they, properly speaking? Who are their parents?
+
+OSSEP [_springing up_]. And who are you, then? Whose daughter, whose
+wife are you? Perhaps you are descended from King Heraclius; or perhaps
+you are the wife of a prince!
+
+SALOME. How the man talks! Were your parents of better rank than mine?
+What? Say!
+
+
+
+
+SCENE V
+
+
+_Chacho_.
+
+CHACHO [_enters, left_]. What's all this noise about?
+
+OSSEP. O aunt, you are here?
+
+CHACHO. Yes, it is I, as I love and live. How are you, my son?
+
+OSSEP. Pretty well, thank God. And how are you, aunt?
+
+CHACHO. My dear son, I am very feeble. But what is going on here? They
+must have heard your voices in the street.
+
+SALOME. Do you not know that married people often have little quarrels?
+
+CHACHO. That I know a hundred times better than you. And only a
+blockhead takes a dispute between man and wife seriously. That is true;
+but that you two have already had time to get used to each other is also
+true.
+
+OSSEP. Sit down, dear aunt. Tell me, rather, whether a wagon can be
+moved when one ox pulls to the right and the other to the left.
+
+CHACHO. It will not stir from its place any more than I will now.
+[_Sits down with legs planted firmly_.] What can move me away from here?
+
+OSSEP. Now, is it not true? One must help the other, for one alone
+cannot accomplish much, be he ever so strong and ready to work.
+
+SALOME. Oh, yes! and you are the one ready to work and I am the lazy
+one, I suppose.
+
+OSSEP. For heaven's sake, do not fly into a passion like that!
+
+CHACHO [_to Salome_]. That was nothing more than a figure of speech. Who
+is accusing you of laziness?
+
+OSSEP [_sitting down_]. Tell me, can we count ourselves among those
+persons who can give their daughter 10,000 rubles for a dowry? Are we
+able to do that?
+
+SALOME. Eight thousand is surely not 10,000.
+
+OSSEP. Both are too much for me.
+
+SALOME. Oh, it is all the same to me; it is not for myself; it is for
+your daughter.
+                    [_Sits down, ready to cry, upon the sofa_.
+
+OSSEP. It is a beautiful thing, the way you look out for your daughter;
+but everything has its time and place. We have, remember, two other
+daughters to provide for.
+
+CHACHO. Dear Ossep, why are you so obstinate?
+
+OSSEP. I am not obstinate; but you two are. Yes, you are obstinate, and
+will pay no attention at all to what I say.
+
+CHACHO. Since when have you become such a niggard? You should have
+economized when you gave the sasandars[41] something like ten rubles for
+a fee.
+
+[41] Musicians.
+
+OSSEP. Those times have passed and won't come back again, dear aunt. At
+that time I was able to do it; but not now. Trade is dull and my
+business is going badly.
+
+CHACHO. Possibly with your enemies, dear son; but there is nothing the
+matter with your business.
+
+OSSEP [_aside_]. There you have it! They insist that I let them inspect
+my books. [_Aloud_.] Do you know, what, aunt? What I say I first
+consider, for I do not like to speak to no purpose. If that young man
+pleases you and my daughter, and you will have him at all hazards, I
+have nothing against it. So therefore go to him; and if you can settle
+the affair with 6,000 rubles, do it. I will gladly make the best of it;
+but mind, this is my last word, and if you hang me up by the feet, I
+will not add a single shilling.
+
+CHACHO. What has come over you, Ossep? If you are willing to give 6,000
+rubles, you will surely not let the whole thing go to pieces for the
+sake of 500 or 1,000 more?
+
+OSSEP. Do you know what, aunt? Even if a voice from heaven were to
+demand it of me, that is my last word. Even if you flayed me alive, I
+would not give another shilling.
+
+CHACHO. Do not excite yourself, dear son. Let us first see. Perhaps it
+can be settled with 6,000 rubles.
+
+OSSEP. Yes, to that even I say yes.
+
+SALOME. If a man can give 6,000, he can surely give 1,000 or 2,000 more.
+Why do you fret yourself unnecessarily?
+
+OSSEP [_aroused_]. God deliver me from the hands of these women! They
+say that one woman can get the best of two men; and here I am alone and
+fallen into the hands of two of you. Where, then, have you discovered
+this confounded fellow of a son-in-law? That comes of his visits. What
+has he to do with us? We are entirely different kind of people. [_To
+Salome_:] He is neither your brother nor your cousin; why, then, does he
+come running into our house? I believe he has been here as many as three
+times. I decline once and for all his visits. May his foot never cross
+my threshold!
+
+CHACHO. Do not get excited, my son. Do not be vexed.
+
+OSSEP. Now, aunt, you come so seldom to our house, and just to-day you
+happen in: how does that come?
+
+CHACHO. If you are so vexed about my visit, go down in the cellar and
+cool yourself off a little.
+
+OSSEP. I am a man; do you understand me? If I tell you that I can give
+no more, you should believe me.
+
+CHACHO. We believe it, truly; we believe it, but we must say to you,
+nevertheless, that the dowry that a man gives his daughter means a great
+deal. It does not mean buying a house, when it is laudable to be
+economical. No; where the dowry is concerned, a man must think neither
+of his pocket nor of his money-box. You were acquainted with Jegor? Did
+he not sell his last house and afterward lived like a beggar to give
+his daughter a proper dowry? When he died, was there not money for his
+burial? That you know yourself very well. Are you any poorer than he,
+that you grumble like a bear about 2,000 rubles?
+
+OSSEP. O great Heavens! they will bring me to despair yet. Isn't this a
+punishment of Providence, to bring up a daughter, spend a lot of money
+on her education, and when you have done everything, then hang a bag of
+gold around her neck, so that she may find someone who is kind enough to
+take her home with him? A pretty custom!
+
+SALOME. Against the manners and customs of the world you can do nothing,
+however.
+
+OSSEP. The devil take your manners and customs! If you hold so fast to
+old ways, then stick to all of them. Is it an old custom to wear,
+instead of Georgian shoes, little boots--and with men's heels, too? And
+that a girl should be ashamed to go with her own people and should walk
+around on the arm of a strange young man: is that also one of the good
+old customs? Where can we find anything of the good old manners and
+customs of our fathers, in the living or eating or housekeeping, or in
+the clothing, or in balls and society? What! was it so in old times? Do
+you still talk about old manners and customs? If once we begin to live
+after the new fashion, let us follow it in all things. Why do we still
+need to have bedclothes for twenty-four beds for guests? Why do we use
+the old cupboard and cake-oven and sofa-cover? Why does one not visit a
+mother with a young baby and stay whole months with them? Why does one
+invite 100 persons to a wedding and give funeral feasts and let eighty
+women mourners come and howl like so many dervishes? And what is that
+yonder [_points to the furniture_]? That one is old-fashioned and the
+others new-fashioned. If we can have one kind, why do we use the
+other? [_Silent awhile_.
+
+SALOME. Well, well! don't be angry! So you will give 6,000 rubles--you
+have promised it. What is lacking I will procure.
+
+OSSEP. You will procure it? Where, then, will you get it? Not some of
+your own dowry, I hope.
+
+SALOME. I had no dowry. Why do you tease me with that? No, everything I
+have I will sell or pawn. The pearls, my gold ornaments, I will take off
+of my _katiba_. The gold buttons can be melted. My brooch and my
+necklace, with twelve strings of pearls, I will also sell; and, if it is
+necessary, even the gold pins from my velvet cap must go. Let it all go!
+I will sacrifice everything for my Nato. I would give my head to keep
+the young man from slipping through my hands.
+                    [_Exit hastily at left_.
+
+
+
+
+SCENE VI
+
+_Ossep. Chacho_.
+
+
+OSSEP. Have you ever seen anything like it, aunt? I ask you, aunt, does
+that seem right?
+
+CHACHO. My son, who takes a thing like that to heart?
+
+OSSEP. She is obstinate as a mule. Say, does she not deserve to be
+soundly beaten, now?
+
+CHACHO. It only needed this--that you should say such a thing! As many
+years as you have lived together you have never harmed a hair of her
+head; then all of a sudden you begin to talk like this. Is that
+generous?
+
+OSSEP. O aunt! I have had enough of it all. Were another man in my
+place, he would have had a separation long ago. [_Sits down_.] If she
+sees on anyone a new dress that pleases her, I must buy one like it for
+her; if a thing pleases her anywhere in a house, she wants one in her
+house; and if I don't get it for her she loses her senses. It is, for
+all the world, as though she belonged to the monkey tribe. Can a man
+endure it any longer?
+
+CHACHO. The women are all so, my son. Why do you fret yourself so much
+on that account?
+
+OSSEP. Yes, yes; you have the habit of making out that all women are
+alike--all! all! If other people break their heads against a stone,
+shall I do the same? No; I do what pleases myself, and not what pleases
+others.
+
+CHACHO. Ossep, what nonsense are you talking? As I was coming here,
+even, I saw a laborer's wife so dressed up that a princess could hardly
+be compared with her. She had on a lilac silk dress and a splendid shawl
+on her head, fine, well-fitting gloves, and in her hand she held a satin
+parasol. I stood staring, open-mouthed, as she passed. Moreover, she
+trailed behind her a train three yards long. I tell you my heart was sad
+when I saw how she swept the street with that beautiful dress and
+dragged along all sorts of rubbish with it. I really do not see why they
+still have street-sweepers. It was a long time before I could turn my
+eyes from her, and thought to myself, Lord, one can't tell the high from
+the low nowadays! And what can one say to the others if a laborer's wife
+puts on so much style?
+
+OSSEP. I said that very thing. I have just spoken of it. A new public
+official has just arrived. She sees that others want to marry their
+daughters to him, and she runs, head first, against the wall to get
+ahead of them.
+
+CHACHO. You are really peculiar. You have, you say, not enough money to
+provide a dowry for your daughter, and yet you brought her up and
+educated her in the fashion. For what has she learned to play the piano,
+then? Consider everything carefully.
+
+OSSEP. Devil take this education! Of what good is this education if it
+ruins me? Is that sort of an education for the like of us? Ought we not
+to live as our fathers lived and stay in our own sphere, so that we
+could eat our bread with a good appetite? What kind of a life is that of
+the present day? Where is the appetizing bread of earlier times?
+Everything that one eats is smeared with gall! For what do I need a
+_salon_ and a parlor, a cook and a footman? If a man stretches himself
+too much in his coat the seams must burst!
+
+CHACHO. If you don't want to have all those things can't you manage the
+house another way? Who is to blame for it?
+
+OSSEP. Have I managed it so? I wish he may break his neck who brought it
+all to pass! I haven't done it; it came of itself, and how it happened I
+don't know Oftentimes when I look back over my early days I see that
+things were very different twenty years ago. It seems to me I have to
+live like an ambassador! [_Stands up_.] We are all the same, yes, we all
+go the same pace. Wherever you go you find the same conditions, and no
+one questions whether his means permit it. If a man who has 10,000
+rubles lives so, I say nothing; but if one with an income of 1,000
+rubles imitates him, then my good-nature stops. What are the poorer
+people to learn from us if we give them such an example? Weren't the old
+times much better? In a single _darbas_[42] we all lived together; three
+or four brothers and their families. We saved in light and heat, and the
+blessing of God was with us. Now in that respect it is wholly different.
+If one brother spends fifty rubles, the other spends double the sum, so
+as not to be behind him. And what kind of brothers are there now, as a
+rule? And what kind of sisters and fathers and mothers? If you were to
+chain them together you could not hold them together a week at a time.
+If it is not a punishment from God, I don't know what is.
+
+[42] Hall.
+
+CHACHO. My dear Ossep, why do you revive those old memories? It gives me
+the heartache to recall those old times. I remember very well how it
+was. In the room stood a long broad sofa that was covered with a carpet.
+When evening came there would be a fire-pan lighted in the middle of the
+room and we children would sit around it That was our chandelier. Then a
+blue table-cloth was spread on the sofa and something to eat, and
+everything that tasted good in those days was placed on it. Then we sat
+around it, happy as could be: grandfather, father, uncle, aunt,
+brothers, and sisters. The wine pitcher poured out sparkling wine into
+the glasses, and it wandered from one end of the table to the other.
+Many times there were twenty of us. Now if for any reason five persons
+come together in a room one is likely to be suffocated. [_Points to the
+ceiling_.] With us there was an opening for smoke in the ceiling that
+was worth twenty windows. When it became bright in the morning the
+daylight pressed in on us, and when it grew dark the twilight came in
+there, and the stars glimmered through. Then we spread our bed-things
+out, and we went to sleep together with play and frolic. We had a kettle
+and a roasting-spit in the house, and also a pot-ladle and strainer, and
+the men brought in the stock of provisions in bags. Of the things they
+brought, one thing was as appetizing as the other. Now, it seems the
+cooks and servants eat all the best bits. God preserve me from them! Our
+homes are ruined by the new ways!
+
+OSSEP. Do you know what, aunt? I wager it will not be long before the
+whole city is bankrupt. On one side extravagance and the new mode of
+life will be to blame, and on the other our stupidity. Can we go on
+living so? It is God's punishment, and nothing more. You will scarcely
+believe it when I tell you that I pay out ten rubles every month for
+pastry for the children alone.
+
+CHACHO. No! Reduce your expenses a little, my son. Retrench!
+
+OSSEP. That is easily said. Retrench, is it? Well, come over here and do
+it. I would like to see once how you would begin. Listen, now! Lately I
+bought a pair of children's shoes at the bazaar for three abaces.[43] The
+lad threw them to the ceiling. "I want boots at two and a half rubles,"
+said the six-year-old rascal. He was ready to burst out crying. What
+could I do but buy new ones? If others would do the same I could let the
+youngster run in cheap boots. How can one retrench here? Twenty years,
+already, I have struggled and see no way out. To-day or to-morrow my
+head will burst, or I may beat it to pieces against a stone wall. Isn't
+it an effort at retrenchment when I say that I cannot afford it? but
+with whom am I to speak here? Does anyone understand me? Yes, reduce
+your expenses!
+                    [_Goes toward the ante-room to the right and meets Nato
+                         with four sheets of music in her hand_.
+
+[43] Abace--20 kopecks.
+
+
+
+
+Scene VII
+
+_Nato, Ossep, Chacho_.
+
+
+OSSEP. Yes, yes, reduce your expenses!
+
+CHACHO. Little girl, how quickly you have come back!
+
+NATO. I did not go far, aunt.
+
+CHACHO. What have you in your hand, sweetheart?
+
+NATO. I have bought some new music.
+
+OSSEP [_stepping up to them_]. Yes, yes, retrench! [_Taking a sheet of
+music out of her hand_.] What did you pay for this?
+
+NATO. Four abaces.
+
+OSSEP. And for this [_taking another_]?
+
+NATO [_looking at it_]. Six abaces.
+
+OSSEP [_taking a third_]. And for this?
+
+NATO [_fretfully_]. One ruble and a half.
+
+OSSEP [_taking the last_]. And certainly as much for this?
+
+NATO. No, papa; I paid two rubles and a half for that.
+
+OSSEP [_angrily_]. And one is to economize! Am I to blame for this? What
+have you bought four pieces for? Was not one or two enough?
+
+NATO [_frightened_]. I need them.
+
+OSSEP [_still more angrily_]. Tell me one thing--is this to be endured?
+If she could play properly at least, but she only drums two or three
+pieces and says she can play. I cannot play myself, but I have heard
+persons who played well. They could use these things, but not we. I wish
+the devil had the man who introduced this! [_Throws the music on the
+floor_.] I'll cut off my hand if she can play properly.
+
+CHACHO. There, there, stop, now!
+
+OSSEP. Whatever she tries to do is only half done: music, languages--she
+has only half learned. Tell me, what can she do? Is she able to sew
+anything? or to cut out a dress for herself? Yes, that one seems like a
+European girl! Ha! ha! Five times I have been in Leipsic, and the
+daughter of the merest pauper there can do more than she can. What have
+I not seen in the way of needlework! I gaped with admiration. And she
+cannot even speak Armenian properly, and that is her mother tongue! Can
+she write a page without mistakes? Can she pronounce ten French words
+fluently? Yes, tell me, what can she do? What does she understand? She
+will make a fine housekeeper for you! The man who takes her for his wife
+is to be pitied. She be able to share with him the troubles of life!
+Some day or other she will be a mother and must bring up children. Ha,
+ha! they will have a fine bringing-up! She is here to make a show; but
+for nothing beside! She is an adept at spending money. Yes, give her
+money, money, so that she can rig herself out and go to balls and
+parties! [_Nato cries._] Can I stand this any longer? Can I go on with
+these doings? Retrench, you say. What is this [_taking a corner of
+Nato's tunic in his hand_]? How is this for a twelve-story building?
+Does it warm the back? How am I to reduce expenses here? And if I do it,
+will others do it also? I'd like to see the man who could do it!
+                    [_Nato still crying._
+
+CHACHO.
+Do all these things you have said in my presence amount to anything? You
+yourself said that you troubled yourself little about what others did.
+What do you want, then? Why should you poison the heart of this innocent
+girl?
+                    [_All are silent awhile._
+
+OSSEP [_lays his hand on his forehead and recovers himself._] O just
+heaven, what am I doing? I am beside myself. [_Goes up to Nato._] Not to
+you, not to you, my Nato, should I say all this! [_Embraces her._] No,
+you do not deserve it; you are innocent. We are to blame for all. I am
+to blame, I! because I imitated the others and brought you up as others
+brought up their daughters. Don't cry! I did not wish to hurt you. I was
+in bad humor, for everything has vexed me to-day, and unfortunately you
+came in at the wrong moment. [_Picks up the music and gives it to her._]
+Here, take the music, my child. [_Embraces her again._] Go and buy some
+more. Do what you wish everywhere, and be behind no one. Until to-day
+you have wanted nothing, and, with God's help, you shall want nothing in
+the future.
+                    [_Kisses her and turns to go._
+
+CHACHO. Now, Ossep, think it over; come to some decision in the matter.
+
+OSSEP. I should like to, indeed; but what I cannot do I cannot do.
+                    [_Goes off at the right._
+
+
+
+
+SCENE VIII
+
+_Nato, Chacho, then Salome_.
+
+
+NATO [_falling sobbing in Chacho's arms_]. O dear, dear aunt.
+
+CHACHO. Stop; don't cry, my dear, my precious child. It is indeed your
+father. Stop; stop, Salome.
+
+SALOME [_coming in smiling_]. Dear aunt, I have arranged everything.
+[_Stops._] What is this now? Why are you crying?
+                    [_Nato wipes away her tears and goes toward the divan_.
+
+CHACHO. You know her father, don't you? He has been scolding her, and
+has made her cry.
+
+SALOME. If her father has been troubling her, then I will make her happy
+again. Nato, dear, I have betrothed you. [_Nato looks at her in
+wonderment._] Yes, my love, be happy--what have you to say about it? Mr.
+Alexander Marmarow is now your betrothed.
+
+NATO. Is it really true, mamma dear?
+
+CHACHO [_at the same time_]. Is it true?
+
+SALOME. It is true, be assured.
+
+NATO [_embracing Salome_]. O my dear, dear mother.
+
+SALOME [_seizing her daughter and kissing her_]. Now I am rid of my
+worries about you. I hope it will bring you joy. Go and put on another
+dress, for your betrothed is coming.
+
+NATO. Now?
+
+SALOME. Certainly, at once. You know, I presume, that you must make
+yourself pretty.
+
+NATO [_happy and speaking quickly_]. Certainly. I will wear the white
+barège with blue ribbons, the little cross on black velvet ribbon, and a
+blue ribbon in my hair. [_Hugs Chacho_.] O my precious auntie!
+
+CHACHO [_embracing and kissing her_]. May this hour bring you
+good-fortune! I wish it for you with all my heart.
+
+NATO [_hugging and kissing Salome again_]. O you dear, you dearest
+mamma. [_Runs out of the room_.
+
+
+
+
+SCENE IX
+
+_Salome. Chacho_.
+
+
+CHACHO. What does all this mean? Am I dreaming or am I still awake?
+
+SALOME. What are you saying about dreams? His sister Champera was here,
+and about five minutes later he himself came. They live very near here.
+
+CHACHO. If it was arranged so easily, why have you wrangled and
+quarrelled so much?
+
+SALOME [_in a whisper_]. But what do you think, aunt? I have arranged
+the affair for 7,000 rubles, and I have had to promise his sister 200
+rubles beside.
+
+CHACHO. May I be struck blind! And you have done this without Ossep's
+knowing it?
+
+SALOME [_whispering_]. He will not kill me for it, and let him talk as
+much as he will. It could not go through otherwise. Get up and let us go
+into that room where Ossep will not hear us. [_Helps her to rise_.
+
+CHACHO. O just heaven! What women we have in these days!
+
+
+
+
+SCENE X
+
+
+OSSEP [_alone, buckling his belt and holding his cap in his hand, comes
+in through the right-hand door, stands awhile in deep thought while he
+wrings his hands several times_]. Give me money! Give me money! I would
+like to know where I am to get it. It is hard for me to give what I have
+promised. And what if it cannot be arranged for that sum? Am I, then, to
+make a mess of this!--I who have always been willing to make any
+sacrifice for my children? It must, indeed, lie in this--that the suitor
+does not please; for I could not find 2,000 to add to the 6,000 that I
+have promised. Yes, that's it! The man is not the one I want for her. If
+he were an ordinary fellow, he would not treat with me. At any rate,
+what he is after will show itself now; yes, we shall soon see what kind
+of man he is! Up to this day I have always kept my word, and the best
+thing I can do is to keep it now.
+
+_Enter Gewo_.
+
+OSSEP [_meeting him as he enters from the right_]. Oh, it is you, dear
+Gewo! What brings you to our house? [_Offering him his hand_.] I love
+you; come again, and often!
+
+GEWO. You know well that if I had not need of you, I would not come.
+
+OSSEP. How can I serve you? Pray, sit down.
+
+GEWO [_seating himself_]. What are you saying about serving? Do you
+think that this confounded Santurian has--
+
+OSSEP [_interrupting him anxiously_]. What has happened?
+
+GEWO. The dear God knows what has happened to the fellow!
+
+OSSEP. But go on, what has happened?
+
+GEWO. What could happen? The fellow has cleared out everything.
+
+OSSEP [_disturbed and speaking softly_]. What did you say, Gewo? Then I
+am lost, body and soul; then I am ruined!
+
+GEWO. I hope he will go to the bottom. How is one to trust any human
+being nowadays? Everyone who saw his way of living must have taken him
+for an honest man.
+
+OSSEP [_softly_]. You kill me, man!
+
+GEWO. God in heaven should have destroyed him long ago, so that this
+could not have happened. But who could have foreseen it? When one went
+into his store everything was always in the best order. He kept his
+word, paid promptly when the money was due; but what lay behind that, no
+one knew.
+
+OSSEP. I have depended on him so much. What do you say, Gewo? He owes me
+10,000 rubles! I was going to satisfy my creditors with this sum.
+To-morrow his payment was due, and the next day mine. How can I satisfy
+them now? Can I say that I cannot pay them because Santurian has given
+me nothing? Am I to be a bankrupt as well as he? May the earth swallow
+me rather!
+
+GEWO. I wish the earth would swallow him, or rather that he had never
+come into the world! I have just 2,000 rubles on hand; if you wish I
+will give them to you to-morrow.
+
+OSSEP. Good; I will be very thankful for them. But what do you say to
+that shameless fellow? Have you seen him? Have you spoken with him?
+
+GEWO. Of course. I have just come from him.
+
+OSSEP. What did he say? Will he really give nothing?
+
+GEWO. If he does not lie, he will settle with you alone. Let the others
+kick, he said. Go to him right off, dear Ossep. Before the thing becomes
+known perhaps you can still get something out of him.
+
+OSSEP. Come with me, Gewo. Yes, we must do something, or else I am lost.
+
+GEWO. The devil take the scoundrel!
+
+
+
+
+SCENE XI
+
+
+SALOME [_coming in from the left_]. May I lose my sight if he is not
+coming already. He is already on the walk. [_Looking out of the window
+and then walking toward the entry_.] How my heart beats!
+
+[_Goes into the ante-room. Alexander appears at the window and then at
+the door of the ante-room_.]
+
+_Alexander enters_.
+
+SALOME [_at the door_]. Come; pray come in. [_Offers her hand_.] May
+your coming into our house bring blessings!
+
+ALEXANDER [_making a bow_]. Madame Salome [_kisses her hand_], I am
+happy that from now on I dare call myself your son.
+
+SALOME [_kissing him on the brow_]. May God make you as happy as your
+mother wishes. Please, please sit down! Nato will be here immediately.
+                    [_They sit down_.
+
+ALEXANDER. How are you, Madame Salome? What is Miss Natalie doing? Since
+that evening I have not had the pleasure of seeing her.
+
+SALOME. Thank you, she is very well. The concert that evening pleased me
+exceedingly. Thank heaven that so good a fashion has found entrance
+among us. In this way we have a perfect bazaar for the marriageable
+girls, for had not this concert taken place where would you two have
+found an opportunity to make each other's acquaintance? Where else
+could you have caught sight of each other?
+
+ALEXANDER. Dear lady, Miss Natalie must please everybody without
+concerts, and awaken love in them. Oh, how I bless my fate that it is my
+happy lot to win her love!
+
+SALOME. And my Nato pleases you, dear son-in-law?
+
+ALEXANDER. Oh, I love her with all my heart, dear madame!
+
+SALOME. If you love her so much, dear son, why did you exact so much
+money? For the sake of 1,000 rubles this affair almost went to pieces.
+Your sister Champera swore to me that if we did not give 1,000 rubles
+more you would this very day betroth yourself to the daughter of
+Barssegh Leproink.
+
+ALEXANDER. I wonder, Madame Salome, that you should credit such things.
+I marry Leproink's daughter! I refuse Miss Natalie on her account!
+forget her beautiful black eyes and her good heart, and run after money!
+Would not that be shameful in me! I must confess to you freely, dear
+madame, that my sister's way of doing things is hateful to me. _Fi
+mauvais genre!_ But let us say no more about it. If only God will help
+us to a good ending!
+
+SALOME. God grant that neither of you may have anything to
+regret!--[_rising_] I will come back immediately, dear son-in-law; I am
+only going to see what is keeping Nato. [_Alexander also rises_.] Keep
+your seat, I beg of you. How ceremonious you are! I will come right
+back.
+                    [_Exit right_.
+
+
+
+
+SCENE XII
+
+
+ALEXANDER [_alone._] At last my burning wish is fulfilled! Now I have
+both a pretty wife and money. Without money a man is not of the least
+importance. Let him give himself what trouble he may, if he has no
+money, no one will pay any attention to him. I have made only one
+mistake in the business. I have been in too much of a hurry. If I had
+held out a little longer they would have given me 8,000 rubles; now I
+must be satisfied with 7,000. Still, what was to be done? It would not
+have gone through otherwise; and for that matter, I may, perhaps,
+somehow make up for it in other ways. In any case, I stand here on a fat
+pasture-land where they seem to be pretty rich. The principal thing is
+that I should make myself popular among them, then I shall have
+succeeded in getting my fill out of them. Ha, ha, ha! How they worry
+themselves! Yes, the whole office will be in an uproar to-morrow. [_With
+affected voice_:] "Have you heard the news? Marmarow is engaged, and has
+received 7,000 rubles dowry. And such a beautiful girl! Such a lovely
+creature!" [_Clucking with his tongue and changing his voice_:] "Is it
+possible!" [_In his own voice_:] Charming, charming, Marmarow! [_Looking
+at his clothing:_] Chic! A true gentleman am I! Yes, I am getting on. I
+must now think only of to-morrow and the next day, and how to get on
+further. The principal thing is for a man to know the value of money,
+for without money nothing can be undertaken. First, I shall have the
+interest on my capital; then my salary, and last some hundred rubles
+beside. That makes 3,000 or 4,000 rubles a year. If I lay aside 1,000
+rubles every year, I have in seven or eight years 10,000; in fifteen
+years double that, and so on. Yes, Monsieur Marmarow, you understand it!
+Be happy, therefore, and let the others burst with envy.
+
+_Salome and Nato enter at the right, Salome holding Nato's hand_.
+
+ALEXANDER. Miss Natalie, the whole night long I thought only of you!
+[_Kisses her hand_.]
+
+SALOME. Kiss her on the cheek and give her the engagement ring.
+
+ALEXANDER. Oh, you are the sun of my existence! [_Draws a ring from his
+finger and gives it to Natalie_.] From now on you are mine. Please!
+[_Kisses her_.]
+
+SALOME. Be happy and may you reach old age together. [_Kisses Alexander;
+then Nato_.] God bless you, my children. Sit down, I pray you, Alexander
+[_pointing to the sofa on which Alexander and Nato sit down_]. Your
+father will soon be here. [_Walks to and fro in joyful excitement_.]
+
+ALEXANDER [_looking at Nato_]. Dear Natalie, why are you so silent? Let
+me hear your sweet voice, I beg of you.
+
+NATO. I am speechless, Monsieur Marmarow.
+
+ALEXANDER. Monsieur!
+
+NATO. Dear Alexander.
+
+ALEXANDER [_seizing her hand_]. So! That sounds much sweeter! [_Kisses
+her hand_.]
+
+_Enter Chacho_.
+
+SALOME. Come in, dear aunt.
+
+CHACHO. Such a thing has never happened to me before! Could you not wait
+till the man of the house arrived?
+
+SALOME. Oh, it is all the same; he will be here soon enough. Give them
+your blessing, I beg of you.
+
+CHACHO. May God bestow all good things upon you. May heaven grant the
+prayer of me, a sinner. [_Alexander and Nato stand up_.] May you have
+nothing to regret. May you flourish and prosper and grow old together on
+the same pillow. [_Ossep comes to the door and stands astonished_.]
+
+CHACHO [_continuing_]. God grant that your first may be a boy! Love and
+respect each other! May the eye of the Czar look down on you with mercy!
+[_Sees Ossep_.] Let the father now offer you his good wishes.
+
+SALOME. Dear Ossep, congratulate your daughter.
+
+NATO. Dear papa!
+                    [_Goes up to Ossep and kisses his hand. Ossep stands
+                         motionless_.
+
+ALEXANDER [_seizing Ossep's hand_]. From now on, dear father, count me
+among your children. [_Turning to Nato offended_:] What is this?
+
+SALOME. Don't be impolite, Ossep.
+
+CHACHO. What has happened to you, Ossep?
+
+ALEXANDER [_to Salome_]. I understand nothing of this. [_To Ossep_:] My
+father, you seem dissatisfied.
+
+OSSEP [_recovering himself_]. I dissatisfied! No--yes--I am dizzy.
+
+ALEXANDER [_offering him a chair_]. Sit down, I pray, my father.
+
+OSSEP [_to Alexander_]. Do not trouble yourself. It is already passed.
+
+SALOME. Can one meet his son-in-law like that? And such a son-in-law,
+beside! Say something, do.
+
+OSSEP. What shall I say, then? You have consummated the betrothal. God
+grant that all will end well. [_To Alexander_:] Please be seated.
+
+ALEXANDER. My father, when do you wish the betrothal to be celebrated?
+
+OSSEP. That depends upon you. Do as you wish.
+
+ALEXANDER. I will invite twenty persons and bring them with me. My
+superiors I must invite also; it would not do to omit them.
+
+OSSEP. Do as you see fit.
+
+ALEXANDER [_to Salome_]. Perhaps he is angry with me. If there is any
+reason for it, pray tell me now.
+
+SALOME. What are you saying? That cannot be!
+                    [_They move away a little and speak softly together_.
+
+OSSEP [_on the other side of the stage to Chacho_]. You Godforsaken!
+Could you not wait a moment?
+
+CHACHO. What is the matter now?
+
+OSSEP. Only God in heaven knows how I stand! Think of it! Santurian has
+failed.
+
+CHACHO. Great heaven!
+
+ALEXANDER [_offering Nato his arm_]. Something must have happened!
+                    [_They go off at the left, Salome following_.
+
+OSSEP. Righteous God, why dost thou punish me thus?
+
+SALOME [_returning to Ossep_]. Do with me as you will, but it could not
+have been helped. I have promised him 7,000 rubles as dowry, [_Turning
+to Chacho as she leaves the room_:] Pray come with me, aunt. You come,
+too, Ossep.
+                    [_Exit Salome_.
+
+
+
+
+SCENE XIII
+
+
+OSSEP [_much excited_]. What do I hear? Has she spoken the truth? Do you
+hear? Why do you not answer me? Why are you silent? [_Still more
+excited_.] It is true, then! Yes, yes, I see that it is true! O God, let
+lightning strike this unlucky house that we may all die together. I
+have just lost an important sum and come home to prevent further
+negotiations. And see there!
+
+CHACHO. I am to blame for it. Do not get excited. I will add 1,000
+rubles to it, if need be, from the money I have laid by for my burial.
+
+OSSEP. From your burial money? Have I already fallen so low that I must
+ask alms? Keep your money for yourself! I do not want it. Drop that
+complaint also, for I am still rich, very rich. How can it injure me
+that Santurian has failed? I stand here firm and unshakable, and have
+inexhaustible money resources. [_Tearing his hair_.] O God! O God!
+[_Walks to and fro excitedly_.] Now I will go and wish my son-in-law
+joy. Yes, I must go so that I shall not make myself ridiculous to him.
+The man is a government official!
+                    [_Exit right, laughing bitterly_.
+
+CHACHO. Gracious heaven, be thou our saviour and deliverer.
+
+
+CURTAIN.
+
+
+
+
+ACT SECOND
+
+SCENE I
+
+_A richly furnished sales-room in Barssegh's house_.
+
+
+MICHO. Two, three, four, five, six and this little piece. It does not
+measure so much!
+
+BARSSEGH [_standing up and giving Micho a rap on the nose_]. You have
+what is lacking there. Measure again. Now you've got what is lacking. I
+will tear your soul out of your body if you measure so that in seven
+arschin[44] it comes out one werschok short.
+
+[44] Russian measure of length.
+
+MICHO [_measuring again_]. O dear, O dear!
+
+BARSSEGH. Look out, or I will take that "O dear" out of your ear. Be up
+and at it now!
+
+MICHO. Oh, Mr. Barssegh! [_Measuring._] One, two, three--
+
+BARSSEGH. Stretch it, you blockhead.
+
+MICHO [_stretching the cotton_]. Three, four. [_Wipes the perspiration
+from his brow_.]
+
+BARSSEGH. What is the matter with you? You sweat as though you had a
+mule-pack on your back.
+
+MICHO. Five.
+
+BARSSEGH. Pull it out more.
+
+MICHO. Six and this little piece. It lacks three werschok again.
+
+BARSSEGH [_pulling his ears_]. It lacks three werschok? There they are!
+
+MICHO. Oh my, oh my!
+
+BARSSEGH. You calf; will you ever develop into a man?
+
+MICHO. O dear mother!
+
+BARSSEGH [_pulling him again by the ear_]. Doesn't it grow longer?
+
+MICHO [_crying_]. Dear Mr. Barssegh, dear sir, let me go.
+
+BARSSEGH. I want to teach you how to measure.
+
+MICHO. It reaches, I say; it reaches, indeed; it reaches. Let me
+measure again.
+
+BARSSEGH. Now take care that you make it seven arschin.
+
+MICHO [_aside_]. Holy Karapet, help me. [_Measuring_.] One, two--
+
+BARSSEGH. O you blockhead!
+
+MICHO. Three.
+
+BARSSEGH Wake up!
+
+MICHO. Four.
+
+BARSSEGH. Haven't you seen how Dartscho measures?
+
+MICHO. Five.
+
+BARSSEGH. Will you ever learn how to do it?
+
+MICHO. Five.
+
+BARSSEGH. If you keep on being so stupid my business will be ruined.
+
+MICHO. Five--five.
+
+BARSSEGH. I give you my word that I will give you the sack.
+
+MICHO. Five--five.
+
+BARSSEGH. Measure further.
+
+MICHO. Five--[_aside_:]; Holy George, help me! [_Aloud_:] Six. I cannot
+stretch it any more or I shall tear it.
+
+BARSSEGH. Measure, now.
+
+MICHO. O dear; I believe it is already torn.
+
+BARSSEGH [_looking at the cloth_]. I see nothing. God forbid!
+
+MICHO [_looking at the measure_]. It is short a half werschok of seven
+arschin every time.
+
+_The madman, Mosi, comes in at the middle door and stands in the
+background_.
+
+
+
+
+SCENE II
+
+_Mosi_.
+
+
+BARSSEGH [_hitting Micho on the head_]. What are you good for? Can't you
+get that half werschok out of it?
+
+MICHO [_howling_.] What am I to do when the cloth is too short?
+
+BARSSEGH [_pulling his hair_]. Are you sure you're not lying?
+
+MICHO [_yelling_.] How can you say that? Measure it yourself and we
+shall see whether there are seven arschin here.
+
+BARSSEGH [_angry; taking measure and calico_]. You say there are not
+seven here? Wait, I will show you [_measuring._] One, two, three, four,
+five, six, seven, and a quarter left over for a present to you. What do
+you say about it now? You must learn to measure if you burst doing it.
+But you think only of your week's pay. Now, hurry up; be lively there!
+
+MICHO. O heaven! How shall I begin? One, two--
+
+BARSSEGH. Be careful and don't tear it.
+
+MICHO [_crying._] What do you want of me? If I pull on the stuff I tear
+it; and if I don't stretch it, no seven arschin will come out of it.
+
+MOSI [_coming near_]. Ha! ha! ha! Who is the toper? Who? 'Tis I; the mad
+Mosi. Ha! ha! ha!
+
+BARSSEGH [_aside._] How comes this crazy fellow here?
+
+MOSI [_seizing the measure and calico_]. Give it to me, you booby! There
+are not only seven arschin here, but twenty-seven [_measuring quickly_].
+One, two, four, six, eight, ten, twelve, and here are thirteen and
+fourteen. Do you want me to make still more out of it? You must shove
+the stick back in measuring. Can't you understand that? [_Throws the
+stick and calico upon Micho_.] Here, take it and be a man at last. You
+the shop-boy of such a great merchant and not find out a little thing
+like that. Haven't you learned yet how to steal half a werschok? Ha, ha,
+ha!
+                    [_Micho tries to free himself but becomes more
+                         entangled in the cloth_.
+
+BARSSEGH [_to Mosi_], I forbid such impudent talk in my presence! Be
+silent, or I'll show you.
+
+MOSI. That's the way with all mankind. They never appreciate good
+intentions. [_Pointing to Micho_.] I only wanted to make something of
+him. Go, go, my son, be a man! Learn from your master! You surely see
+how much money he has scraped together! [_To Barssegh_:] How is it about
+eating? It's time for dinner! Have the table set; I have come as a
+guest. What have you to-day? Coal-soup, perhaps, or water-soup? Yes,
+yes; you will entertain me finely! Ha, ha!
+
+BARSSEGH [_aside_]. This confounded fellow is drunk again! [_To Micho_:]
+Get out of the room!
+                    [_Exit Micho middle door._
+
+
+
+
+SCENE III
+
+
+MOSI. From this stuff you can make a shroud for yourself. To-day or
+to-morrow you must die, that's sure.
+
+BARSSEGH. You'd better be still!
+                    [_Enter Khali at left_.
+
+KHALI. Do you know the latest?
+
+BARSSEGH. What has happened?
+
+KHALI. What has happened? Marmarow was betrothed yesterday.
+
+BARSSEGH. No!
+
+KHALI. By heaven!
+
+BARSSEGH. To whom?
+
+KHALI. To the daughter of Ossep Gulabianz.
+
+BARSSEGH. Is that really true?
+
+KHALI. Do you think I am lying? They promised him 10,000 rubles dowry. I
+always said you should have saved something. Now you have it! They have
+snatched him away from you. And such a man, too! They puff themselves up
+entirely too much. Where did they get the money, I would like to know?
+                    [_Micho appears at the middle door_.
+
+BARSSEGH. Run right off down to the Tapitach.[45] You know where Ossep
+Gulabianz's store is?
+
+[45] A district of Tiflis.
+
+MICHO. Gulabianz? The one who brought money to-day?
+
+BARSSEGH. Yes, that one. Go and look for him wherever he is likely to
+be. Tell him he must bring the rest of the money at once. Now, run
+quickly. What else do I want to say? Oh, yes [_pointing to the calico_];
+take that winding-sheet with you.
+
+MOSI. Ha, ha, ha! Listen to him!
+
+BARSSEGH. By heaven! What am I chattering about? I am crazed! [_Angrily,
+to Micho_:] What are you gaping at? Do you hear? Take this calico. Go to
+the store and tell Dartscho to come here. Lively, now!
+                    [_Exit Micho with goods_.
+
+BARSSEGH [_going on_]. I would like to see how he is going to give
+10,000 rubles dowry. I would like to know whose money it is?
+
+KHALI. That stuck-up Salome has gotten my son-in-law away from me.
+
+BARSSEGH. Never mind. I will soon put them into a hole.
+
+MOSI. Oh, don't brag about things you can't perform. What has Ossep done
+to you that you want revenge? How can Ossep help it if your daughter is
+as dumb as straw and has a mouth three ells long? And what have Micho's
+ears to do with it? You should simply have given what the man asked.
+
+BARSSEGH [_rising_]. O you wretch, you!
+
+MOSI. Yes, you should certainly have paid it. Why didn't you? For whom
+are you saving? To-morrow or the day after you will have to die and
+leave it here.
+
+BARSSEGH. Stop, or--
+
+KHALI [_to Mosi_]. Why do you anger him? Haven't we trouble and anxiety
+enough?
+
+MOSI. Well, I will be still. But I swear that this young man may call
+himself lucky that he has freed himself from you and closed with Ossep.
+Both of you together are not worth Ossep's finger-tips.
+
+BARSSEGH. Leave me in peace or I will shake off all my anger on to you.
+
+MOSI. What can you do to me? You cannot put my store under the hammer.
+What a man you are, indeed!
+
+BARSSEGH. A better man than you any day.
+
+MOSI. In what are you better?
+
+BARSSEGH. In the first place, I am master of my five senses, and you are
+cracked.
+
+MOSI [_laughs_]. Ha, ha, ha! If you were rational you would not have
+said that. Am I crazy because I show up your villanies? You are wise,
+you say? Perhaps you are as wise as Solomon!
+
+BARSSEGH. I am wealthy.
+
+MOSI. Take your money and--[_Whispers something in his ear._] You have
+stolen it here and there. You have swindled me out of something, too. Me
+and this one and that one, and so you became rich! You have provided
+yourself with a carriage, and go riding in it and make yourself
+important. Yes, that is the way with your money. Did your father Matus
+come riding to his store in a carriage, eh? You say you are rich? True,
+there is scarcely anyone richer than you; but if we reckon together all
+the money you have gained honorably, we shall see which of us two has
+most. [_Drawing his purse from his pocket and slapping it_.] See! I have
+earned all this by the sweat of my brow. Oh, no, like you I collected it
+for the church and put it in my own pocket. Are you going to fail again
+soon?
+
+BARSSEGH. Heaven preserve me from it!
+
+MOSI. It would not be the first time. When you are dead they will shake
+whole sacks full of money in your grave for you.
+
+BARSSEGH. Will you never stop?
+
+KHALI. Are you not ashamed to make such speeches?
+
+MOSI. Till you die I will not let you rest. As long as you live I will
+gnaw at you like a worm, for you deserve it for your villany. What!
+Haven't you committed every crime? You robbed your brother of his
+inheritance; you cheated your partner; you have repudiated debts, and
+held others to false debts. Haven't you set your neighbors' stores on
+fire? If people knew everything they would hang you. But the world is
+stone-blind, and so you walk God's earth in peace. Good-by! I would like
+to go to Ossep and warn him against you; for if he falls into your
+clutches he is lost.
+
+
+
+
+SCENE IV
+
+
+BARSSEGH. Yes, yes; go and never come back.
+
+KHALI. I wish water lay in front of him and a drawn sword behind.
+
+BARSSEGH. This fellow is a veritable curse!
+
+KHALI. Yes, he is, indeed.
+
+BARSSEGH. The devil take him! If he is going to utter such slanders, I
+hope he will always do it here, and not do me harm with outsiders.
+
+KHALI. You are to blame for it yourself. Why do you have anything to do
+with the good-for-nothing fellow?
+
+BARSSEGH. There you go! Do I have anything to do with him? He is always
+at my heels, like my own shadow.
+
+KHALI. Can't you forbid him to enter your doors?
+
+BARSSEGH. So that he will not let me pass by in the streets? Do you
+want him to make me the talk of the town?
+
+KHALI. Then don't speak to him any more.
+
+BARSSEGH. As if I took pleasure in it! It is all the same to him whether
+one speaks to him or not.
+
+KHALI. What are we to do with him, then?
+
+BARSSEGH [_angrily_]. Why do you fasten yourself on to me like a gadfly?
+Have I not trouble enough already? [_Beating his hands together_.] How
+could you let him escape? You are good for nothing!
+
+KHALI. What could I do, then, if you were stingy about the money? If you
+had promised the 10,000 rubles, you would have seen how easily and
+quickly everything would have been arranged.
+
+BARSSEGH. If he insists upon so much he may go to the devil. For 10,000
+rubles I will find a better man for my daughter.
+
+KHALI. I know whom you mean. Give me the money and I will arrange the
+thing to-day.
+
+BARSSEGH [_derisively_]. Give it! How easily you can say it! Is that a
+mulberry-tree, then, that one has only to shake and thousands will fall
+from it? Don't hold my rubles so cheaply; for every one of them I have
+sold my soul twenty times.
+
+KHALI. If I can only get sight of that insolent Salome, I'll shake a
+cart-load of dirt over her head. Only let her meet me!
+                    [_Exit, left_.
+
+
+
+
+SCENE V
+
+
+BARSSEGH [_alone_]. And you shall see what I will do! Only wait, my dear
+Ossep! I am getting a day of joy ready for you and you will shed tears
+as thick as my thumb. I have been looking for the chance a long time,
+and now fate has delivered you into my hands. You braggart, you shall
+see how you will lie at my feet. I am the son of the cobbler Matus.
+There are certain simpletons who shake their heads over those who had
+nothing and suddenly amount to something. But I tell you that this world
+is nothing more than a great honey-cask. He who carries away the best
+part for himself, without letting the others come near it, he is the
+man to whom praise and honor are due. But a man who stands aside, like
+Ossep, and waits till his turn comes is an ass.
+
+_Enter Dartscho_.
+
+BARSSEGH. Ah, Dartscho! How quickly you have come!
+
+DARTSCHO. I met Micho just now, and he told me that you had sent for me.
+
+BARSSEGH. I have something important to speak with you about. [_He sits
+down_.] Where were you just now?
+
+DARTSCHO. At George's, the coal man. He owed us some money, and I have
+been to see him seven times this week on that account.
+
+BARSSEGH. He is very unpunctual. But how does it stand? Has he paid?
+
+DARTSCHO. Of course! What do you take me for? I stayed in the store as
+if nailed there, and when a new customer came in I repeated my demand.
+There was nothing left for him to do but to pay me, for shame's sake.
+
+BARSSEGH. That pleases me in you, my son. Go on like that and you will
+get on in the world. Look at me! There was a time when they beat me over
+the head and called me by my given name. Then they called me Barssegh,
+and finally "Mr." Barssegh. When I was as old as you are I was nothing,
+and now I am a man who stands for something. If my father, Matus, were
+still alive he would be proud of me. I tell you all this so that you
+will spare no pains to make yourself a master and make people forget
+that you are the son of a driver. A son can raise up the name of his
+father; he can also drag it down into the dust.
+
+DARTSCHO. You see best of all what trouble I take, Mr. Barssegh. When I
+open the store in the morning, I never wait until Micho comes, but I
+take the broom in my hand and sweep out the store. And how I behave with
+the customers, you yourself see.
+
+BARSSEGH. Yes, I see it; I see it, my son, and it is on that account I
+am so good to you. Only wait till next year and you shall be my partner.
+I will supply the money and you the labor.
+
+DARTSCHO. May God give you a long life for that! I seem to myself like
+a tree which you have planted. I hope I will still bear fruit and you
+will have your joy in me. Do you know that I have gotten rid of those
+damaged goods?
+
+BARSSEGH. Is it possible?
+
+DARTSCHO. It's a fact.
+
+BARSSEGH. To whom have you sold them?
+
+DARTSCHO. To a man from Signach. I laid two good pieces on top so that
+he did not notice it. Let him groan now.
+
+BARSSEGH. And how? On credit?
+
+DARTSCHO. Am I then crazy? Have I ever sold damaged goods on credit,
+that you make such a supposition? Of course I took something off for it,
+but made believe I only did it to please him. He paid me the full sum at
+once; and if he is now boasting how cheap he bought the goods, I hope he
+will sing my praises also.
+
+BARSSEGH. Do you know, dear Dartscho, you are a fine fellow? Yes, I have
+always said that you would amount to something.
+
+DARTSCHO. God grant it! What commands have you, Mr. Barssegh? There is
+no one in the store.
+
+BARSSEGH. Oh, right! I had almost forgotten. If Ossep Gulabianz comes to
+borrow money, give him nothing.
+
+DARTSCHO. What has happened?
+
+BARSSEGH. I am terribly angry at him.
+
+DARTSCHO. And I have even more reason to be angry at him; he is
+altogether too stuck-up. But what has occurred?
+
+BARSSEGH. I will show him now who I am. His whole business is just like
+a hayrick; a match is enough to set the whole thing ablaze.
+
+DARTSCHO. I would not be sorry for ten matches! Tell me what I can do
+about it? The rest I know already.
+
+BARSSEGH. Think of it! The fellow has snatched away a fine fat morsel
+from my very mouth. I had found an excellent husband for my daughter.
+For a whole week we carried on negotiations with him and everything was
+near final settlement when this Ossep came in and bid over us. On the
+very same day he betrothed his daughter to the man.
+
+DARTSCHO. The devil take him for it!
+
+BARSSEGH. And do you know, also, whose money he is going to use? It is
+my money he is going to give him.
+
+DARTSCHO. That is just it! That is it!
+
+BARSSEGH. Things look bad for his pocket. Now he is going to marry off
+his daughter and put himself in a tight place. Go, therefore, and get
+out an execution against him; otherwise nothing can be squeezed out of
+him.
+
+DARTSCHO. We shall see. I will go at once and demand our money.
+
+BARSSEGH. I have already sent Micho, but I hardly believe he will give
+it up so easily. On that account I sent for you to find out someone who
+can help us.
+
+DARTSCHO. I know a lawyer who can manage so that in three hours they
+will put an attachment on his store.
+
+BARSSEGH. Go on so forever, dear Dartscho! Yes, I have long known that
+you were going to be the right sort of fellow!
+
+DARTSCHO. The apprentice of a right good master always gets on in the
+world.
+
+BARSSEGH. Go quickly then; lose no time.
+
+DARTSCHO. I will not waste an hour.
+
+BARSSEGH. Go! May you succeed!
+                    [_Exit Dartscho, middle door_.
+
+BARSSEGH [_alone_]. Yes, yes, friend Ossep, now show what you can do! I
+would burn ten candles to have you in my power.
+                    [_Exit, right, taking the account book_.
+
+
+
+
+SCENE VI
+
+_Khali. Salome_.
+
+
+KHALI [_entering from the left_]. Such a bold creature I never saw
+before in my life! [_Calling through the window_:] Come in! come in! I
+pray! Do you hear, Salome? I am calling you. Come in here a moment
+[_coming back from the window_]. She is coming. Wait, you insolent
+thing! I will give you a setting-out such as no one has ever given you
+before!
+
+SALOME [_dressed in the latest fashion, with a parasol in her hand;
+enters at middle door_]. Why did you call me? Good-morning! How are you?
+                    [_They shake hands_.
+
+KHALI. Thank you. Pray sit down. [_They both sit down_.] So you have
+betrothed your daughter?
+
+SALOME. Yes, dear Khali. God grant that we soon hear of your Nino's like
+good-fortune! I betrothed her last evening. I found a good husband for
+her. He is as handsome as a god. I can scarcely stand for joy!
+
+KHALI. Yes, make yourself important about it!
+
+SALOME [_offended_]. What is this? What does it mean?
+
+KHALI. You owed us a favor, and you have done it for us.
+
+SALOME. What have I done to you?
+
+KHALI. You could not do more, indeed. You have cheated me out of a
+son-in-law. Is not that enough?
+
+SALOME. But, my dear Khali, what kind of things are you saying to me?
+What do you mean by it?
+
+KHALI. Be still! be still! I know well enough how it was.
+
+SALOME. May I go blind if I know what you are talking about!
+
+KHALI. Didn't you know very well that I wished to give my daughter to
+him?
+
+SALOME. I don't understand you! You said no earthly word to me about it.
+
+KHALI. Even if I have not said anything about it, someone has certainly
+told you of it.
+
+SALOME. No one has said a word about it.
+
+KHALI. She lies about it, beside! Isn't that shameful?
+
+SALOME. Satan lies. What are you accusing me of?
+
+KHALI. And you really did not know that I wished to give him my
+daughter?
+
+SALOME. And if I had known it? When a man wants to marry, they always
+speak of ten, and yet he marries only one.
+
+KHALI. So you knew it very well? Why did you lie, then?
+
+SALOME. You are out of your head! How was I to find it out? Did you send
+word by anyone that you were going to give your daughter to the man? In
+what way am I to blame for it? You knew as much as I did. You treated
+with him just as I did and sent marriage brokers to him.
+
+KHALI. I approached him first.
+
+SALOME. O my dear, the flowers in the meadow belong not to those who
+see them first, but to those who pluck them.
+
+KHALI. You did not wait. Perhaps I would have plucked them.
+
+SALOME. And why didn't you pluck them?
+
+KHALI. You wouldn't let me. Do you think I do not know that you promised
+him more than we did?
+
+SALOME. May I go blind! Khali, how can you say that? How much did you
+promise him?
+
+KHALI. How much did we promise him? Ha! ha! as though you did not know
+it! Eight thousand rubles.
+
+SALOME. Then you promised more than we did, for we can give him only
+7,000.
+
+KHALI. You surely do not think me so stupid as to believe that!
+
+SALOME. As sure as I wish my Nato all good fortune, what I say is true.
+
+KHALI. And you think that I believe you?
+
+SALOME. What? What do you say? Would I swear falsely about my daughter?
+
+KHALI. Of course it is so! Would he let my 8,000 go to take your 7,000?
+
+SALOME. I am not to blame for that. Probably your daughter did not
+please him, since he did not want her.
+
+KHALI. What fault have you to find with my daughter? As though yours
+were prettier, you insolent woman, you!
+
+SALOME [_standing up_]. You are insolent! Is it for this you called me
+in? Can your daughter be compared to my Nato? Is it my fault that your
+daughter has a wide mouth?
+
+KHALI. You have a wide mouth yourself; and your forward daughter is not
+a bit prettier than mine!
+
+SALOME. What! you say she is forward? Everyone knows her as a modest and
+well-behaved girl, while everybody calls yours stupid. Yes, that is
+true; and if you want to know the truth, I can tell it to you--it is
+just on that account that he would not have her.
+
+KHALI. Oh, you witch, you! You have caught the poor young man in your
+nets and deceived him. I would like to know where you are going to get
+the 7,000 rubles.
+
+SALOME. That is our affair. I would rather have broken my leg than to
+have come in here.
+
+KHALI. He is up to the ears in debt and is going to give such a dowry!
+
+SALOME [_coming back_]. Even if we are in debt, we have robbed nobody,
+as you have.
+
+KHALI [_springing up_]. 'Tis you who steal; you! You are a thief! Look
+out for yourself that I do not tear the veil off your head, you wicked
+witch, you!
+
+SALOME [_holding her veil toward her_]. Try it once. I would like to see
+how you begin it. You have altogether too long a tongue, and are only
+the daughter-in-law of the cobbler Matus.
+
+KHALI. And what better are you? You are a gardener's daughter, you
+insolent thing!
+
+SALOME. You are insolent, yourself! Do not think so much of
+yourself--everyone knows that you have robbed the whole world, and only
+in that way have gotten up in the world.
+
+KHALI. Oh, you good-for-nothing!
+                    [_Throws herself on Salome and tears her veil off_.
+
+SALOME. Oh! oh!                [_Gets hold of Khali's hair_.
+
+KHALI. Oh! oh!
+
+SALOME. I'll pull all your hair out!
+                    [_Astonished, she holds a lock in her hand_.
+
+_Enter Ossep_.
+
+OSSEP. What do I see?
+
+KHALI [_tearing the lock from Salome's hand_]. May I be blind!
+                    [_Exit embarrassed_.
+
+SALOME [_arranging her veil_]. Oh, you monkey, you!
+
+OSSEP. What is the meaning of this?
+
+SALOME. God only knows how it came to this. I was walking quietly in the
+street and she called me in and tore the veil from my head because I, as
+she said, took her daughter's suitor away from her.
+
+OSSEP. It serves you right! That comes from your having secrets from me
+and promising him 7,000 rubles instead of 6,000.
+
+SALOME. I would rather have broken a leg than come into this horrid
+house. I did it only out of politeness. I wish these people might lose
+everything they have got [_pinning her veil_]. At any rate, I punished
+her for it by pulling off her false hair. If she tells on herself now,
+she may also tell about me. She got out of the room quickly, so that no
+one would find out that her hair was as false as everything else.
+
+OSSEP. It would be best for us if the earth opened and swallowed us up.
+
+SALOME [_crying_]. Am I, then, so much to blame here?
+
+OSSEP. Really, you look splendid! Go! go! that no one sees you here. It
+is not the first time that you have put me in a dilemma. Go! and pray
+God to change noon into midnight and make the streets dark, so that no
+one sees that you have a torn veil on your head.
+
+SALOME [_wiping away her tears_]. God only knows everything I have to
+suffer from you!
+
+OSSEP [_alone_]. Great heaven! how this world is arranged! When one
+trouble comes to a man a second comes along, too, and waits at his door.
+When I am just about ready to cope with the first, in comes the second
+and caps the climax. I don't know which way to turn with all my debts;
+and now this women's quarrel will be laid at my door.
+
+
+
+
+SCENE VII
+
+
+BARSSEGH [_coming in, angry_]. I will show him that I am a man!
+
+OSSEP. Good-morning!
+
+BARSSEGH. I want neither "good-morning" nor any other wish from you. You
+have, I suppose, come to help your wife. Give me a blow, too, so the
+measure will be full. This is surely the interest on the money you owe
+me.
+
+OSSEP. Calm yourself. What, indeed, do you want?
+
+BARSSEGH. Do you, then, believe that I will overlook my wife's hair
+being pulled out? That I will not pardon.
+
+OSSEP. What is there to pardon? Your wife tore my wife's veil from her
+head.
+
+BARSSEGH. A veil is not hair.
+
+OSSEP. For heaven's sake, stop! Is a women's spat our affair?
+
+BARSSEGH. Say what you wish, but I will do what pleases me.
+
+OSSEP. Calm yourself; calm yourself.
+
+BARSSEGH. Yes, yes; I will calm you, too.
+
+OSSEP. Believe me; it is unworthy of you.
+
+BARSSEGH. She has torn her veil, he says. What is a veil, then? A thing
+that one can buy, and at most costs two rubles.
+
+OSSEP. The hair was also not her own. Why do you worry yourself about
+it? For a two-ruble veil she tore a two-kopeck band. The band is there,
+and she can fasten the hair on again.
+
+BARSSEGH. No, you can't get out of it that way. I will not pardon her
+for this insolence.
+
+OSSEP [_aside_]. Great heaven!
+
+BARSSEGH. You'll see! you'll see!
+
+OSSEP. Do what you will! I did not come to you on that account. You sent
+for me by Micho?
+
+BARSSEGH. Yes, you are right. Have you brought me my money? Give it to
+me, quick!
+
+OSSEP. How you speak to me! Am I your servant, that you speak so
+roughly? You surely do not know whom you have before you. Look out, for
+if I go for you, you will sing another tune.
+
+BARSSEGH. That has not happened to me yet! He owes me money, and even
+here he makes himself important!
+
+OSSEP. Do you think because I owe you money I shall stand your insults?
+I speak politely to you, and I demand the same from you.
+
+BARSSEGH. Enough of that! Tell me whether you have brought the money or
+not.
+
+OSSEP. Have I ever kept back from you any of your money? Why should I do
+it to-day?
+
+BARSSEGH. Then give it to me now.
+
+OSSEP. You said at that time--
+
+BARSSEGH. I know nothing of that time.
+
+OSSEP. What is the matter with you? You speak as if in a dream.
+
+BARSSEGH. Whether I speak as in a dream or not, give me the money, and
+have done with it.
+
+OSSEP [_takes a chair and sits down_]. You are mistaken, my dear Mr.
+Barssegh; you are mistaken. Sit down, pray.
+
+BARSSEGH [_ironically_]. Thank you very much.
+
+OSSEP. You will surely not take back your word?
+
+BARSSEGH. Hand over the money.
+
+OSSEP. What has happened to you? You speak like a madman.
+
+BARSSEGH. It is all the same to me however I speak.
+
+OSSEP. When I gave you the 5,000 rubles that time, did not you say that
+I was to pay the rest in a month?
+
+BARSSEGH [_sitting down_]. And if I did say so, what does it amount to?
+I need it now.
+
+OSSEP. You should have said so at the time and I would not have paid out
+my money in other ways. How comes it that you demand it so suddenly? I
+am no wizard, I am sure, to procure it from the stars for you.
+
+BARSSEGH. You may get it wherever you want to. I need it, and that
+settles it.
+
+OSSEP. Just heaven! Why did you give me a month's grace and reckon on an
+additional twelve per cent. for it?
+
+BARSSEGH. What kind of grace? Have you anything to show for it?
+
+OSSEP. Isn't your word enough? Why do we need a paper in addition?
+
+BARSSEGH. I didn't give you my word.
+
+OSSEP. What? You did not give it? You admitted it just a few minutes
+ago.
+
+BARSSEGH. No, I said nothing about it.
+
+OSSEP [_standing_]. My God! what do I see and hear? You are a merchant
+and tread your word under foot. Shame on you! [_Takes him by the arm and
+leads him to the mirror_.] Look! look at your face! Why do you turn
+pale?
+
+BARSSEGH. Let me go!
+
+OSSEP [_holding him fast by the sleeve_]. How can you be so
+unscrupulous? Look! How pale your lips are!
+
+BARSSEGH. Let me go! [_Freeing himself_.] You act exactly as though you
+were the creditor.
+
+OSSEP. No, you are the creditor. I would rather be swallowed up alive
+by the earth than be such a creditor as you are. What do you think you
+will be in my eyes after this?
+
+BARSSEGH. I tell you, hand out my money or I will lay your note before
+the court immediately! I would only like to know where you are going to
+get the dowry for your daughter. You will pay over my money to your
+son-in-law, will you, and give me the go-by?
+
+OSSEP. Give yourself no trouble! Even if you should beg me now, I would
+not keep your money. To-morrow at this time you shall have it, and then
+may the faces turn black of those who still look at you.
+
+BARSSEGH. I want it at once.
+
+OSSEP. Then come with me. You shall have it. The sooner a man is rid of
+a bad thing, the better it is. Give me the note! No, don't give it to
+me, for you don't trust me. You are not worthy of trusting me. Take it
+yourself and come with me. We will go at once to the bazaar, sell it,
+then you can have your money. I may lose something by it. It makes no
+difference. It is easier to bear this misfortune than to talk to you. Do
+you hear? Shall we go?
+
+BARSSEGH. What do you mean?
+
+OSSEP. Get the note, I tell you! Don't you hear?
+
+BARSSEGH. What kind of a note?
+
+OSSEP. Rostom's note.
+
+BARSSEGH. Rostom's' note? What is this note to you?
+
+OSSEP. What is it to me? It is no word, indeed, that you can deny. It is
+a document.
+
+BARSSEGH. What is it to you that I have this document in my hands? That
+is mine and Rostom's business.
+
+OSSEP. Yours and Rostom's business! [_Pauses_.] It is, I see, not yet
+enough that you lie. You are a thief and a robber beside. What people
+say of you is really true; namely, that you have robbed everybody, and
+by this means have acquired your wealth. Yes, it is true that you have
+ruined twenty-five families; that you have put out their candle and
+lighted yours by it. Now I see, for the first time, that everything that
+people say about you is true. Now I believe, indeed, that these chairs,
+this sofa, this mirror, your coat, your cane--in a word, every article
+that you call yours--represents some person you have robbed. Take my
+bones and add to them. Make the measure full. You have made your
+conscience a stone and will hear nothing; but I tell you, one day it
+will awake, and every object that lies or stands here will begin to
+speak and hold up to you your villanies. Then you can go and justify
+yourself before your Maker. Shame upon him who still calls you a human
+being! [_Exit by the middle door_.
+
+BARSSEGH. Ha! ha! ha! [_Exit at the right_.
+
+
+CURTAIN.
+
+
+
+
+ACT THIRD
+
+SCENE I--OSSEP'S HOUSE
+
+
+NATO [_stands before the mirror elegantly dressed, and, while she
+prinks, hums a European melody. Then she draws out of her pocket a
+little photograph and speaks to herself while looking in the mirror_]. O
+my treasure! my treasure! [_Presses the photo to her breast and kisses
+it._] _Mon chèr!_ Come; we will dance. [_Dances around the table_.]
+Tra-la-la, Tra-la-la. [_Sits down at the right_.] Alexander; my
+Alexander; dear Alexander! Yes, you are really an angel. Why are you so
+handsome? You have black eyes and I also have black. Then arched
+eyebrows just like me. [_Touches her eyebrows_.] A pretty little
+mustache, which I lack. Which of us is more beautiful, I or you? You are
+handsomest; no, I am handsomest [_springing up_]. We will see at once.
+
+[_Looks at herself in the mirror and then at the photograph. Enter
+Alexander at the middle door_.
+
+NATO [_without noticing Alexander_]. No, you are the more beautiful!
+                    [_Kisses the photograph_.
+
+                    [_Alexander approaches softly and kisses Nato_.
+
+NATO [_frightened_]. Oh!
+
+ALEXANDER. No, you are the more beautiful, Natalie, dear. _Ma chère
+Nathalie!_
+
+NATO. _O mon chèr Alexandre!_ How you frightened me!
+
+ALEXANDER [_putting his arm around her_]. Let me kiss you again, and
+your fright will pass away. [_Kisses her_.] Give me a kiss just once!
+
+NATO [_kissing him_]. There, you have one.
+
+ALEXANDER. Well, I ought to allow you to kiss me. Am I not worth more
+than that piece of paper?
+                    [_Takes her by the hand; they sit down on sofa at the
+                         right_.
+
+NATO. They have come to congratulate us.
+
+ALEXANDER. Yes, your grandmother, your aunts, and your cousins. Nato,
+shall you give evening parties like this?
+
+NATO [_smiling_]. Ha! ha! ha! No such _soirées_ as this, my dear
+Alexander. Two evenings every month we will give little dances, either
+on Tuesdays or Thursdays. Which is better? Do you not think, Alexander,
+that Thursday will be best?
+
+ALEXANDER [_with a grimace_]. As you wish, _chère Nathalie_. If you
+like, you can give a _soirée_ every week.
+
+NATO. No, twice a month is better. Sophie, who is now Madame Jarinskaja,
+gives only two _soirées_ in a month.
+
+ALEXANDER. Very well, Nato dear.
+
+NATO. That is agreed, then. And every Thursday we will dance at the
+Casino. [_Alexander makes another grimace_.] Mind, now! every Thursday.
+
+ALEXANDER. Do you like to visit the Casino?
+
+NATO [_laying her hand on his shoulder_]. Who doesn't like to visit it?
+Is there another place where one can amuse one's self better? The
+beautiful long _salon_! the _boudoir_! the beautiful music and the rich
+costumes! How beautiful they all are! [_Embracing Alexander_.] We will
+dance together, and when we are tired, we will go into the mirror-room
+and rest ourselves and talk and laugh.
+
+ALEXANDER. And then we will dance again and rest ourselves, and talk and
+laugh again.
+
+NATO. It will be splendid! [_Kisses him_.] I will dress beautifully _à
+la mode_, so that everyone will say, "Look! look! what a charming woman
+Madame Marmarow is!" And then, dear Alexander, we will subscribe for a
+box at the theatre for Fridays.
+
+ALEXANDER [_making another grimace aside_]. She's piling it on.
+
+NATO. And do you know where? In the upper tier at the left, near the
+foyer.
+
+ALEXANDER. Wouldn't it be better to subscribe for two evenings a week?
+
+NATO. Wouldn't it cost too much?
+
+ALEXANDER. What has that to do with it? Do you think I could deny you
+any pleasure? No! no! you shall have everything.
+
+NATO [_embracing him_]. _Chèr Alexandre_! do you really love me so
+much?
+
+ALEXANDER. I cannot tell you at all how much I love you. Right at our
+first meeting I fell in love with you!
+
+NATO. I don't believe it! I don't believe it! All young men talk so!
+
+ALEXANDER. Ha! ha! ha! Do you think I am like them? With them the
+tongues have nothing to do with the heart; but my tongue speaks what is
+here!
+                    [_Strikes himself on the breast_.
+
+NATO [_ironically_]. I know! I know! If I had no dowry you would not
+marry me.
+
+ALEXANDER. Nato dear, you wrong me! _ma chère_! As if the dowry made any
+difference! _Fi donc_!
+
+NATO. Then you really love me so much?
+
+ALEXANDER. Very, very much, Nato dear. You can put me to the test if you
+will.
+
+NATO. Do you know, my piano is not fit to use!
+
+ALEXANDER [_smoothing his hair_--_aside_]. Something new again.
+
+NATO. Buy me a new piano. To-day I saw one at a store; it cost 500
+rubles.
+
+ALEXANDER. Five hundred rubles! You cannot buy a decent piano for that!
+
+NATO. Dear Alexander!
+
+ALEXANDER. Be patient awhile, Nato dear. One of my friends brought a
+piano from abroad that cost 1,000; yes, even 1,500 rubles.
+
+NATO. My sweetheart; my dear sweetheart! [_Kissing him_.] I will come
+right back. [_Rises_.] I must go and prepare for our reception or mamma
+will be angry. Tra-la-la.
+                    [_Exit at left_.
+
+ALEXANDER [_alone, springing up_]. Ha! ha! ha! _soirées_, balls at the
+club, box at the theatre, dresses and ornaments after the latest
+fashion! Am I a millionaire? I would have nothing against it if I had
+the money to do it. She acts as though she was going to bring 50,000
+rubles dowry into the house. No, Natalie, that will all come later. In
+ten or twenty years, perhaps, I will set up a carriage; but it is not
+even to be thought of now. Indeed, I don't know, where it will lead to
+if she makes such demands on me every day. It will lead to quarrels and
+unpleasantness, and it will be all up with my economizing. No, indeed,
+Natalie, it will be no easy thing to satisfy you. Why did I not think of
+this sooner? Let her talk, and demand what she will. I will do what
+pleases me.
+
+NATO [_enter right; speaks to someone behind the scenes_]. I will come
+at once. I am coming. Come, Alexander, let us go into the garden. Mamma
+must go upstairs, and the guests will be all alone in the garden.
+
+ALEXANDER. I am waiting for your father, Nato dear, I have something
+important to discuss with him.
+
+NATO. Why, we will soon return, and by that time father will be home. Do
+you want to sit here alone?
+
+ALEXANDER. Well, we will go.
+
+NATO. Come! come! I want to introduce you to my coquettish aunt.
+                    [_Mimics her while making a courtesy, and makes
+                         faces. Alexander, shaking his head, goes out with
+                         Nato noisily through middle door_.
+
+
+
+
+SCENE II
+
+_Salome. Chacho_.
+
+
+CHACHO. No, indeed, Salome. She behaves too boldly. You must give her a
+warning. Such self-confidence I have I never before seen in a girl.
+
+SALOME. That is all a matter of fashion! What is to be done?
+                    [_Shuffling the cards_.
+
+CHACHO [_seating herself_]. When one thinks how the times have changed,
+one grows dizzy! When I was engaged, my love, I dared not open my mouth;
+it was as if they had put a lock on it. Indeed, I dared not look anyone
+in the face, even, and kept my eyes always cast down, as if glued fast
+to the floor.
+
+SALOME. How could anyone endure all that? The eyes are made to look
+with, I hope, and the tongue to speak! I wouldn't have borne it. It is
+well that those times are past. I should die of such a life.
+
+CHACHO. Oh, your present times are the true ones! Isn't this shameful,
+now, what goes on here? All the money that the husband can make in a
+week, the wife loses at play in a single evening. Is that widow, the
+stout one, going to play with you? She is surely more than fifty years
+old.
+
+SALOME. Of course! we wouldn't play at all without her.
+
+CHACHO. That is the best of all. Why, she has a married daughter as old
+as you are!
+
+SALOME. What of that? Whoever has money can always play. But what do you
+say to the wife of blind Gigoli? She hasn't enough to eat, but gives
+herself airs before us just the same.
+
+CHACHO. Don't talk to me about her! A few weeks ago she pawned a silver
+pitcher to one of our neighbors for five rubles without her husband's
+knowledge. God punished her for it, for that same evening she lost it
+all at cards. I should like to know how she is going to redeem the
+pitcher.
+
+SALOME [_arranging her dress before the mirror_]. Yes, yes; no one can
+take her measure better than I.
+                    [_Enter Ossep_.
+
+OSSEP [_angrily_]. And what have you gotten ready for again?
+
+SALOME. What was to be done? Look and see how many guests there are in
+the garden!
+
+OSSEP. It was very wrong of them to come here. Has no one invited them,
+then? They should have asked me first.
+
+SALOME. You are a singular being! We have betrothed our daughter and
+they were obliged to come and congratulate us.
+
+OSSEP. Congratulate! As though my joy went to their hearts! On the
+contrary, they would enjoy it if I had a misfortune; they could put
+their heads together and criticise and laugh at me.
+
+CHACHO. What are you so ill-humored about? For the last two days you
+have been intolerable.
+
+OSSEP. If I could unbosom myself to you and show you my heart, you would
+comprehend what the cause of it is.
+
+CHACHO. God protect you from all evil!
+
+OSSEP. Am I not right? Tell me yourself! This is not the time for
+card-playing. Why have they come, then? If they wished to congratulate
+us, they could come separately. How does it happen that they all
+thought of us at once? Perhaps each has sent word to the other that
+Salome has betrothed her daughter and they have all taken advantage of
+the opportunity to come. Of course only for the sake of those damned
+cards! This one or that one has probably been invited by her [_pointing
+to Salome_]. She sent word to them, "Come to us, I pray! X and Z are
+already here." [_To Salome_:] Say, isn't that so?
+
+SALOME. What nonsense he talks! Ought they not to know at your uncle's
+house that we have betrothed our daughter? I was obliged to give them
+some information about it, was I not?
+
+OSSEP. And to whom beside?
+
+SALOME. Whom else? Your cousins. And I have just sent for your
+sister-in-law.
+
+OSSEP [_anxiously_]. For what purpose? She could have come another time
+just as well.
+
+SALOME. How useless it is to talk so! You understand nothing at all
+about the matter. Your relatives would take offence in every possible
+way if I did not invite them. They would not speak to me for a year!
+
+OSSEP. Great heaven! I wish they were struck blind! [_Sits down and
+pulls at the end of the table-cloth_.] I would take pleasure in throwing
+them all out!
+
+SALOME. I have no time to dispute with you.
+                    [_Exit at left, angry_.
+
+OSSEP. Great heaven! have women been created only to bleed the men?
+
+CHACHO. Don't excite yourself so, dear Ossep. What you say is in every
+way pure facts. But you must overlook something now and then. It can't
+be helped now; they are all here; you cannot chase them out of the
+house. The whole city would be stirred up about it.
+
+OSSEP. And what will people say when to-morrow or the day after my
+creditors come and chase me out of my house?
+
+CHACHO. Oh, don't talk about such things!
+
+OSSEP [_sitting down at the card-table_]. That's easily said. But let me
+tell you, I feel as though the house was going to fall down on top of
+me.
+
+CHACHO. What has happened, Ossep?
+
+OSSEP. They say Barssegh Leproink has brought action against me.
+
+CHACHO. What? Brought action against you?
+
+OSSEP. I owe him money, and on that account he holds the knife at my
+throat.
+
+CHACHO. God bless me!
+
+OSSEP. The wicked fellow has my note, and another security beside, and
+yet he will not wait.
+
+CHACHO. His match for wickedness cannot be found in the whole world.
+
+OSSEP. No, not another such miserable scoundrel! I expect every moment
+to be notified, and have no idea where I can get the money. Everyone I
+have asked to help me has refused me. I can borrow no more on my note,
+and I cannot sell my goods at half price. That everyone must understand.
+They all show their claws as soon as they find out the position I am in.
+Salome is to blame for all this; the 7,000 rubles she promised is the
+cause of it all. I would like to know who will pay them to him now.
+
+CHACHO. You talk nonsense! You will make your daughter unhappy forever,
+Ossep.
+
+OSSEP. I am still more unhappy myself. But let us see what the coming
+day brings forth. I still have hope of one. Perhaps he will supply me
+with money.
+
+CHACHO. How could you trust the scamp so blindly? Is such want of
+thought consistent with reason?
+
+OSSEP. What is the use of reason in this? I have always said I could not
+stand the expense that now everybody assumes. If a man conducts his
+business honestly, he makes little profit; and as for a dishonest
+business, I am not fit for that! So I have suffered one reverse after
+another; and where I was most vulnerable I have been hit at last.
+
+CHACHO. Heavens! what do I hear? Why don't I sink into the earth?
+
+OSSEP. In our line of trade only a few persons carry on their business
+with their own money. Most of us have to borrow. When I sell goods to
+one, I pay my debt to the other. I sell goods to the third and pay to
+the fourth; and so it goes in a circle, like a wheel drawing water,
+until one falls in the hands of a man who draws the needle out of the
+knitting and everything falls in pieces. Who is in a position to fight
+against such conditions? One must pay the store rent and the clerk's
+salary, and beside that the interest on the working capital. Then there
+are the goods that are spoiled or stolen--and here at home! [_Striking
+the cards_.] All this rubbish and more beside! [_Striking the table
+again._] And the women are to blame for all this; if my wife had not
+promised 7,000 rubles, without my knowledge, the betrothal would not
+have taken place, and this bad luck would not have come to me. But where
+does one find among our women insight and forethought? For model women
+give me some foreign countries. There the women stand by the men in
+everything: the wife of a cook is a cook; the wife of a writer, a
+writer; the wife of a merchant is in every case a merchant. They earn
+jointly and spend jointly. With us the man is here only to make money
+for them, so that they [_striking the table_] may kill time with foolish
+things like this.
+
+CHACHO. Say, rather, that times are changed; for the men also sit at the
+club all day and play cards.
+
+OSSEP. Ho! ho! As though women did not play cards also! Formerly the
+cards were solely our diversion; but they have taken them away from us.
+Don't worry yourself; with God's help they will be learning to play
+billiards. Why do you dwell upon the fact that the men play cards? One
+in a thousand plays; while of a thousand women, nine hundred play. Men
+are always more moderate. They see that the times are hard, and have
+given up most of their earlier pleasures. Where are the banquets that
+used to be given, one after another? Where are the drinking-places where
+the music played? They have given them up; and the women are just like
+they were, only worse. To-day they arrange a picnic, to-morrow a little
+party, and so on. The men stand gaping at them, and the children are
+left to the servants. If I could take the law into my own hands, I'd
+soon set them right.
+                    [_Paces to and fro in anger_.
+
+CHACHO [_rising, aside_]. He is right. All that he says is pure truth.
+                    [_Exit left_
+
+
+
+
+SCENE III
+
+_Ossep. Then Alexander_.
+
+
+OSSEP. O dear! O dear!
+[_Stands near fireplace; rests head on hand and remains motionless_.
+
+ALEXANDER [_enter right_]. You have come, father? [_Silence--comes near
+Ossep_.] Father.
+
+OSSEP. Ah! Alexander [_offering his hand_]. Please sit down. Have you
+just come?
+
+ALEXANDER. No; I have been here a long time. I was in the garden.
+
+OSSEP. What is the news? [_Both sit down_.
+
+ALEXANDER. Nothing, except that I wish to have a wedding next week.
+
+OSSEP. So soon?
+
+ALEXANDER. Yes; my chief goes soon to Petersburg, and I want him to be
+at the wedding.
+
+OSSEP. And can't we wait till he comes back?
+
+ALEXANDER. That would be too long.
+
+OSSEP. Very well. As you wish.
+
+ALEXANDER [_stammering_]. But--my dear father--
+
+OSSEP. I understand; I understand. You want me to pay over the money at
+once?
+
+ALEXANDER. Yes, my dear father, if it is possible.
+
+OSSEP. I am sorry to confess that at the present moment I have no money
+at hand. You must wait a little. If you wish to marry without money,
+that is your affair.
+
+ALEXANDER. You amaze me!
+
+OSSEP. It is better for me to tell you this than to deceive you. You
+know the law to some extent. Tell me, if I owe someone money on a note,
+can my creditor bring action against me and put an execution on me
+without having me called before the court?
+
+ALEXANDER. Is the note attested by a notary?
+
+OSSEP. Yes.
+
+ALEXANDER. He has the right to come to your house and have everything
+put under seal.
+
+OSSEP. Without first bringing me into court?
+
+ALEXANDER. Yes, without court proceedings.
+
+OSSEP. But if he has received on account of this debt the note of a
+third person?
+
+ALEXANDER. That is another thing. Have you a receipt for it?
+
+OSSEP. No; but I can take my oath on it.
+
+ALEXANDER. According to law you must first pay the money and then
+produce proofs that you gave him the other document.
+
+OSSEP [_excited_]. Is that true?
+
+ALEXANDER. Yes, it is so.
+
+OSSEP [_wringing his hands and springing up_]. Then I am ruined. [_A
+silence. Nato's voice is heard outside_.] Alexander, they are calling
+you.
+
+ALEXANDER [_approaching Ossep_]. What is it? For God's sake tell me the
+truth.
+
+OSSEP. There, there. Go out first. They are calling you.
+
+ALEXANDER [_aside, taking his hat_]. So far as I see, I am ruined also.
+                    [_Exit._
+
+OSSEP [_alone_]. What do I not suffer! If they really come here I shall
+perish through shame. Where can I find so much money in such a hurry?
+One must have time for it, and that fellow may come to-day even--perhaps
+this minute. Then I am lost--who will trust me then? My creditors will
+tie a rope around my neck and prevent me from saying a word in my own
+behalf. "Pay us," they will cry; "pay us!" O Salome, Salome!
+
+_Enter Gewo_.
+
+OSSEP. There he is.
+
+GEWO. Good-evening, Ossep.
+
+OSSEP. You have come, too. You want your money, too? Yes, choke me;
+double my debt; say that I owe you, not 2,000 rubles, but 4,000. Speak!
+You are my creditor; speak! Have no pity on me. You want your money--why
+do you wait, then? Slay me; tear my heart out of my body; hack me in
+pieces and sell it piece by piece, so that your money shall not be lost.
+[_Gewo wipes his eyes_.] Weep, weep, for your money is lost. I am
+bankrupt--bankrupt!
+
+GEWO [_embracing Ossep_]. Dear Ossep, dear Ossep!
+
+OSSEP. You say "dear" to me? Yet you are my creditor.
+
+GEWO. Take courage; be a man!
+
+OSSEP. What kind of a man? I am a good-for-nothing; I have lost my good
+name [_weeping_]. My good name is gone. [_Wipes his eyes_.]
+
+GEWO. God is merciful, dear Ossep.
+
+OSSEP. God and heaven have taken their mercy from me. You see now where
+the marriage of my daughter has led me? If I could at least pay you
+everything I owe you--that I must do at any price.
+
+GEWO. What are you saying, Ossep? If I had the means I would go on your
+bond. Why should I be your friend otherwise?
+
+OSSEP. If you had money, dear Gewo, you would not be my friend, nor have
+such a good heart. Stay poor as you are, so that I shall not lose your
+friendship. Only your sympathy is left me in this world. I would not
+like to lose your friendship. In this one day I have suffered
+everything. No one has shown interest in me; no one has given proof of
+his sympathy--neither my uncle, nor my brother, nor my nephew. When they
+saw I was near my last breath, they all forsook me and shut the door in
+my face.
+
+GEWO. Come with me; perhaps we will find help somewhere.
+
+OSSEP. There can be no more talk of help.
+
+GEWO. Come, come; there is still a way out.
+
+OSSEP. What way out can there be?
+
+GEWO. Come, come; let us not delay.
+
+OSSEP. But tell me how is it to be managed?
+
+GEWO. Come, come! I will tell you on the way.
+
+OSSEP. What you say sounds very strange; tell me what it is. Speak, what
+has occurred? Don't fear! Don't spare me! Whatever happens cannot be
+worse than what has happened; they have already sent a bullet into my
+heart, and what worse can they do to me, except tear open my breast and
+take my heart out? Speak; what is it? Have they put seals on my store?
+
+GEWO. Come and you will see.
+
+OSSEP. They have put seals on it, then?
+
+GEWO. I tell--
+
+OSSEP. You are ruined, Ossep. [_Rushes to the table, seizes the box and
+scatters the cards; some fall on the floor_.] Now you may play; now you
+may play.      [_Exit_.
+
+GEWO. Too bad; too bad about him!      [_Follows him_.
+
+
+
+
+SCENE IV
+
+_Enter Salome, Martha, Nino, Pepel, and many well-dressed ladies,
+followed by two footmen carrying candelabra and lamps, which they put on
+the table_.
+
+
+SALOME. Take seats, please. The cards are already here.
+
+MARTHA. How pretty it is, isn't it? The cards are already dealt.
+                    [_The ladies converse smilingly with one another_.
+
+SALOME [_stepping forward and noticing the cards on the floor_].
+What is this? Who can have done it?
+
+MARTHA. Probably the cats ran over the table.
+
+SALOME. I cannot think how it could have happened! Please sit down.
+
+_Enter Nato and her friends_.
+
+SALOME [_collecting the cards_]. Who can have done it? Nato, did you do
+it?
+
+NATO. No, mamma, I did not touch them.
+
+SALOME [_to the guests_]. Sit down, I beg.
+
+[_All the guests sit down at the table, Nato and her friends sit on the
+other side of the stage. Salome, standing, deals the cards which the
+guests hand one to the other. Then they pay in the stakes to Salome,
+which she lays on the table in front of her_.
+
+_Enter Alexander_.
+
+NATO [_going to meet Alexander_]. Alexander, why were you so long?
+
+ALEXANDER. I was obliged to be [_leading Nato aside excitedly, and in a
+whisper_:] I have something to say to you.
+
+NATO [_in a whisper_]. What makes your hand tremble?
+
+ALEXANDER. They have brought action against your father in the courts.
+
+NATO. What! For what reason?
+
+ALEXANDER. Because of debts.
+
+NATO. Who told you so?
+
+ALEXANDER. Your father himself.
+
+NATO [_laughing aloud_]. Ha! ha! ha! [_Whispering_:] My father has no
+debts.
+
+ALEXANDER. Well, he told me so himself.
+
+NATO. He was joking. Don't believe him.
+                    [_Goes over to her friends, laughing_.
+
+ALEXANDER. Well, I can't make it out. I am not so stupid, however. Until
+I have the money in my hands I will not cross this threshold again.
+
+SALOME. Let us begin. [_Guests begin to play_.
+
+
+
+
+SCENE V
+
+_Enter Chacho_.
+
+
+CHACHO [_coming from left_]. Get this stuff out of the way.
+
+SALOME. What is the matter? What has happened?
+
+CHACHO. What was to happen? We are ruined. [_Behind the scenes are heard
+threatening voices_:] "Here! Yes! No." [_Then Ossep's voice_:] "Come in,
+come in."
+
+CHACHO [_to Salome_]. Do you not hear them?
+
+_Enter Barssegh through middle door_.
+
+BARSSEGH. This is really splendid! I work for my daily bread, and you
+illuminate your house on my money.
+
+CHACHO [_to Salome_]. Now you have it.
+
+SALOME [_rising_]. Are you mad? Show him out.
+
+BARSSEGH. I will show you pretty soon who is to be shown out.
+
+SALOME. Alexander, show this man out.
+
+ALEXANDER [_to Barssegh_]. What do you want, sir? How can you indulge in
+such insolence?
+
+BARSSEGH. That is not your affair, sir! I demand my money. Demand yours
+also if you can. You will be obliged to wait a long while for it.
+
+CHACHO [_to Barssegh_]. Have you no conscience?
+
+BARSSEGH. I want my money, and nothing more.
+
+_Enter Ossep, Gewo, a sheriff and his secretary, Dartscho, and several
+others_.
+
+OSSEP [_opening the door with both hands as he enters_]. Come in! come
+in! [_The others follow him_.] Play, play and laugh as much as you will
+over my misfortunes!
+
+CHACHO [_aside_]. Now it is all over with us!
+
+SALOME. Tell me, for God's sake, the meaning of this.
+
+OSSEP. God will judge you and me also. [_To sheriff and others:_] Come,
+make your inventory, put your seals on everything--the house, the
+furniture, and on the cards, too.
+
+BARSSEGH. Make an inventory of everything.
+                    [_The sheriff lists furniture in the background
+                         and puts a ticket on each piece. The guests
+                         assemble, frightened, on the left side of the
+                         table_.
+
+SALOME [_beating her head_]. Good heavens!
+
+MARTHA. This is a disgrace for us as well.
+
+CHACHO [_in a low voice to Martha_]. You at least should be silent.
+
+OSSEP [_pointing to Barssegh_]. He has stripped me of my honor. Now you
+will honor and esteem him. He will arrange for your parties. Yes, he,
+the man who takes the shirt from my back and possesses himself of all my
+property.
+
+ALEXANDER [_aside_]. I have my sister to thank for all this, who dragged
+me into this house.
+
+OSSEP [_ironically_]. Alexander, look for a dowry elsewhere, for I can
+no longer give my daughter one.
+
+ALEXANDER [_angry_]. What, you deride me as well! I don't belong to your
+class, sir!
+
+OSSEP. And has it come to this!
+
+ALEXANDER [_taking his hat_]. I have not acquired my present dignity to
+lose it through you.
+
+OSSEP. Ha! ha! ha! His dignity!
+
+ALEXANDER [_coming near Nato_]. I have loved you truly, Miss Nato, but I
+must give you up. I am not to blame for it. Farewell.
+                    [_Goes to the door_.
+
+                    [_Barssegh laughs for joy_.
+
+OSSEP [_approaching Salome, who stands dismayed, takes her by the arm
+and points to the departing Alexander_]. There goes your official!
+
+NATO [_standing at the left near the sofa_]. Alexander! Alexander!
+[_Exit Alexander_.] Dear Alexander.
+                    [_Sitting down on the sofa, begins to cry_.
+
+SALOME [_in a low tone, striking her brow with both hands_].
+Why doesn't the earth open and swallow me?
+
+OSSEP [_to Salome_]. Now you are punished, are you not? [_Turning to
+Barssegh_:] Take it all, now! Satisfy yourself! [_Takes off his coat_.]
+Take this also! [_Throws it to Barssegh_.] Yes, take it! [_Takes his cap
+from the table and throws it to Barssegh_.] Make off with this also; I
+need it no longer.
+                    [_Runs to and fro as if distracted_.
+
+BARSSEGH [_in a low voice_]. Keep on giving!
+                    [_Turns to sheriff and speaks softly to him_.
+
+OSSEP [_taking up different articles from card table and throwing them
+on the floor_]. Take these also! Take these also! [_Taking a lighted
+candelabra and smashing it on the floor_] Stick that also down your
+throat!
+
+SEVERAL OF THE GUESTS. The poor fellow is losing his wits.
+                    [_Nato crying; her friends comfort her. Salome faints_.
+
+CHACHO. Ossep! My dear Ossep!
+
+GEWO [_embracing Ossep_]. Be calm, dear Ossep. You behave like a madman.
+
+OSSEP [_after a pause_]. Gewo, I was mad when I settled in this city.
+This life is too much for me; it was not for me. I am ruined. I am a
+beggar. He is to be praised who comes off better than I.
+                    [_Exit._
+
+SALOME [_with her hand on her brow sinks down on the sofa, groaning
+loudly_]. Ah!
+
+GEWO. Poor Ossep!
+
+BARSSEGH [_turns from Dartscho, to whom he has been speaking, to the
+sheriff_]. What are you gazing around for, sir? Keep on with your
+writing.
+                    [_Sheriff looks at Barssegh in disgust, sits down by
+                         card table and writes_.
+
+MARTHA [_to the guests_]. We have nothing more to look for here.
+[_Aside:_] A charming set!
+                    [_Goes toward middle door; some ladies follow; others
+                         stand offended_.
+
+CHACHO [_raising her eyes_]. Would that I had died long ago, so that I
+had not lived to see this unfortunate day!
+
+
+CURTAIN.
+
+
+
+
+
+End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Armenian Literature, by Anonymous
+
+*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK ARMENIAN LITERATURE ***
+
+***** This file should be named 11461-8.txt or 11461-8.zip *****
+This and all associated files of various formats will be found in:
+        https://www.gutenberg.org/1/1/4/6/11461/
+
+Produced by Juliet Sutherland, Susan Skinner and the Online Distributed
+Proofreading Team.
+
+
+Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions
+will be renamed.
+
+Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no
+one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation
+(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without
+permission and without paying copyright royalties.  Special rules,
+set forth in the General Terms of Use part of this license, apply to
+copying and distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works to
+protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm concept and trademark.  Project
+Gutenberg is a registered trademark, and may not be used if you
+charge for the eBooks, unless you receive specific permission.  If you
+do not charge anything for copies of this eBook, complying with the
+rules is very easy.  You may use this eBook for nearly any purpose
+such as creation of derivative works, reports, performances and
+research.  They may be modified and printed and given away--you may do
+practically ANYTHING with public domain eBooks.  Redistribution is
+subject to the trademark license, especially commercial
+redistribution.
+
+
+
+*** START: FULL LICENSE ***
+
+THE FULL PROJECT GUTENBERG LICENSE
+PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE YOU DISTRIBUTE OR USE THIS WORK
+
+To protect the Project Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting the free
+distribution of electronic works, by using or distributing this work
+(or any other work associated in any way with the phrase "Project
+Gutenberg"), you agree to comply with all the terms of the Full Project
+Gutenberg-tm License (available with this file or online at
+https://gutenberg.org/license).
+
+
+Section 1.  General Terms of Use and Redistributing Project Gutenberg-tm
+electronic works
+
+1.A.  By reading or using any part of this Project Gutenberg-tm
+electronic work, you indicate that you have read, understand, agree to
+and accept all the terms of this license and intellectual property
+(trademark/copyright) agreement.  If you do not agree to abide by all
+the terms of this agreement, you must cease using and return or destroy
+all copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in your possession.
+If you paid a fee for obtaining a copy of or access to a Project
+Gutenberg-tm electronic work and you do not agree to be bound by the
+terms of this agreement, you may obtain a refund from the person or
+entity to whom you paid the fee as set forth in paragraph 1.E.8.
+
+1.B.  "Project Gutenberg" is a registered trademark.  It may only be
+used on or associated in any way with an electronic work by people who
+agree to be bound by the terms of this agreement.  There are a few
+things that you can do with most Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works
+even without complying with the full terms of this agreement.  See
+paragraph 1.C below.  There are a lot of things you can do with Project
+Gutenberg-tm electronic works if you follow the terms of this agreement
+and help preserve free future access to Project Gutenberg-tm electronic
+works.  See paragraph 1.E below.
+
+1.C.  The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation ("the Foundation"
+or PGLAF), owns a compilation copyright in the collection of Project
+Gutenberg-tm electronic works.  Nearly all the individual works in the
+collection are in the public domain in the United States.  If an
+individual work is in the public domain in the United States and you are
+located in the United States, we do not claim a right to prevent you from
+copying, distributing, performing, displaying or creating derivative
+works based on the work as long as all references to Project Gutenberg
+are removed.  Of course, we hope that you will support the Project
+Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting free access to electronic works by
+freely sharing Project Gutenberg-tm works in compliance with the terms of
+this agreement for keeping the Project Gutenberg-tm name associated with
+the work.  You can easily comply with the terms of this agreement by
+keeping this work in the same format with its attached full Project
+Gutenberg-tm License when you share it without charge with others.
+
+1.D.  The copyright laws of the place where you are located also govern
+what you can do with this work.  Copyright laws in most countries are in
+a constant state of change.  If you are outside the United States, check
+the laws of your country in addition to the terms of this agreement
+before downloading, copying, displaying, performing, distributing or
+creating derivative works based on this work or any other Project
+Gutenberg-tm work.  The Foundation makes no representations concerning
+the copyright status of any work in any country outside the United
+States.
+
+1.E.  Unless you have removed all references to Project Gutenberg:
+
+1.E.1.  The following sentence, with active links to, or other immediate
+access to, the full Project Gutenberg-tm License must appear prominently
+whenever any copy of a Project Gutenberg-tm work (any work on which the
+phrase "Project Gutenberg" appears, or with which the phrase "Project
+Gutenberg" is associated) is accessed, displayed, performed, viewed,
+copied or distributed:
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+1.E.2.  If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is derived
+from the public domain (does not contain a notice indicating that it is
+posted with permission of the copyright holder), the work can be copied
+and distributed to anyone in the United States without paying any fees
+or charges.  If you are redistributing or providing access to a work
+with the phrase "Project Gutenberg" associated with or appearing on the
+work, you must comply either with the requirements of paragraphs 1.E.1
+through 1.E.7 or obtain permission for the use of the work and the
+Project Gutenberg-tm trademark as set forth in paragraphs 1.E.8 or
+1.E.9.
+
+1.E.3.  If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is posted
+with the permission of the copyright holder, your use and distribution
+must comply with both paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 and any additional
+terms imposed by the copyright holder.  Additional terms will be linked
+to the Project Gutenberg-tm License for all works posted with the
+permission of the copyright holder found at the beginning of this work.
+
+1.E.4.  Do not unlink or detach or remove the full Project Gutenberg-tm
+License terms from this work, or any files containing a part of this
+work or any other work associated with Project Gutenberg-tm.
+
+1.E.5.  Do not copy, display, perform, distribute or redistribute this
+electronic work, or any part of this electronic work, without
+prominently displaying the sentence set forth in paragraph 1.E.1 with
+active links or immediate access to the full terms of the Project
+Gutenberg-tm License.
+
+1.E.6.  You may convert to and distribute this work in any binary,
+compressed, marked up, nonproprietary or proprietary form, including any
+word processing or hypertext form.  However, if you provide access to or
+distribute copies of a Project Gutenberg-tm work in a format other than
+"Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other format used in the official version
+posted on the official Project Gutenberg-tm web site (www.gutenberg.org),
+you must, at no additional cost, fee or expense to the user, provide a
+copy, a means of exporting a copy, or a means of obtaining a copy upon
+request, of the work in its original "Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other
+form.  Any alternate format must include the full Project Gutenberg-tm
+License as specified in paragraph 1.E.1.
+
+1.E.7.  Do not charge a fee for access to, viewing, displaying,
+performing, copying or distributing any Project Gutenberg-tm works
+unless you comply with paragraph 1.E.8 or 1.E.9.
+
+1.E.8.  You may charge a reasonable fee for copies of or providing
+access to or distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works provided
+that
+
+- You pay a royalty fee of 20% of the gross profits you derive from
+     the use of Project Gutenberg-tm works calculated using the method
+     you already use to calculate your applicable taxes.  The fee is
+     owed to the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark, but he
+     has agreed to donate royalties under this paragraph to the
+     Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation.  Royalty payments
+     must be paid within 60 days following each date on which you
+     prepare (or are legally required to prepare) your periodic tax
+     returns.  Royalty payments should be clearly marked as such and
+     sent to the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation at the
+     address specified in Section 4, "Information about donations to
+     the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation."
+
+- You provide a full refund of any money paid by a user who notifies
+     you in writing (or by e-mail) within 30 days of receipt that s/he
+     does not agree to the terms of the full Project Gutenberg-tm
+     License.  You must require such a user to return or
+     destroy all copies of the works possessed in a physical medium
+     and discontinue all use of and all access to other copies of
+     Project Gutenberg-tm works.
+
+- You provide, in accordance with paragraph 1.F.3, a full refund of any
+     money paid for a work or a replacement copy, if a defect in the
+     electronic work is discovered and reported to you within 90 days
+     of receipt of the work.
+
+- You comply with all other terms of this agreement for free
+     distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm works.
+
+1.E.9.  If you wish to charge a fee or distribute a Project Gutenberg-tm
+electronic work or group of works on different terms than are set
+forth in this agreement, you must obtain permission in writing from
+both the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation and Michael
+Hart, the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark.  Contact the
+Foundation as set forth in Section 3 below.
+
+1.F.
+
+1.F.1.  Project Gutenberg volunteers and employees expend considerable
+effort to identify, do copyright research on, transcribe and proofread
+public domain works in creating the Project Gutenberg-tm
+collection.  Despite these efforts, Project Gutenberg-tm electronic
+works, and the medium on which they may be stored, may contain
+"Defects," such as, but not limited to, incomplete, inaccurate or
+corrupt data, transcription errors, a copyright or other intellectual
+property infringement, a defective or damaged disk or other medium, a
+computer virus, or computer codes that damage or cannot be read by
+your equipment.
+
+1.F.2.  LIMITED WARRANTY, DISCLAIMER OF DAMAGES - Except for the "Right
+of Replacement or Refund" described in paragraph 1.F.3, the Project
+Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, the owner of the Project
+Gutenberg-tm trademark, and any other party distributing a Project
+Gutenberg-tm electronic work under this agreement, disclaim all
+liability to you for damages, costs and expenses, including legal
+fees.  YOU AGREE THAT YOU HAVE NO REMEDIES FOR NEGLIGENCE, STRICT
+LIABILITY, BREACH OF WARRANTY OR BREACH OF CONTRACT EXCEPT THOSE
+PROVIDED IN PARAGRAPH F3.  YOU AGREE THAT THE FOUNDATION, THE
+TRADEMARK OWNER, AND ANY DISTRIBUTOR UNDER THIS AGREEMENT WILL NOT BE
+LIABLE TO YOU FOR ACTUAL, DIRECT, INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE OR
+INCIDENTAL DAMAGES EVEN IF YOU GIVE NOTICE OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH
+DAMAGE.
+
+1.F.3.  LIMITED RIGHT OF REPLACEMENT OR REFUND - If you discover a
+defect in this electronic work within 90 days of receiving it, you can
+receive a refund of the money (if any) you paid for it by sending a
+written explanation to the person you received the work from.  If you
+received the work on a physical medium, you must return the medium with
+your written explanation.  The person or entity that provided you with
+the defective work may elect to provide a replacement copy in lieu of a
+refund.  If you received the work electronically, the person or entity
+providing it to you may choose to give you a second opportunity to
+receive the work electronically in lieu of a refund.  If the second copy
+is also defective, you may demand a refund in writing without further
+opportunities to fix the problem.
+
+1.F.4.  Except for the limited right of replacement or refund set forth
+in paragraph 1.F.3, this work is provided to you 'AS-IS' WITH NO OTHER
+WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO
+WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTIBILITY OR FITNESS FOR ANY PURPOSE.
+
+1.F.5.  Some states do not allow disclaimers of certain implied
+warranties or the exclusion or limitation of certain types of damages.
+If any disclaimer or limitation set forth in this agreement violates the
+law of the state applicable to this agreement, the agreement shall be
+interpreted to make the maximum disclaimer or limitation permitted by
+the applicable state law.  The invalidity or unenforceability of any
+provision of this agreement shall not void the remaining provisions.
+
+1.F.6.  INDEMNITY - You agree to indemnify and hold the Foundation, the
+trademark owner, any agent or employee of the Foundation, anyone
+providing copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in accordance
+with this agreement, and any volunteers associated with the production,
+promotion and distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works,
+harmless from all liability, costs and expenses, including legal fees,
+that arise directly or indirectly from any of the following which you do
+or cause to occur: (a) distribution of this or any Project Gutenberg-tm
+work, (b) alteration, modification, or additions or deletions to any
+Project Gutenberg-tm work, and (c) any Defect you cause.
+
+
+Section  2.  Information about the Mission of Project Gutenberg-tm
+
+Project Gutenberg-tm is synonymous with the free distribution of
+electronic works in formats readable by the widest variety of computers
+including obsolete, old, middle-aged and new computers.  It exists
+because of the efforts of hundreds of volunteers and donations from
+people in all walks of life.
+
+Volunteers and financial support to provide volunteers with the
+assistance they need, is critical to reaching Project Gutenberg-tm's
+goals and ensuring that the Project Gutenberg-tm collection will
+remain freely available for generations to come.  In 2001, the Project
+Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation was created to provide a secure
+and permanent future for Project Gutenberg-tm and future generations.
+To learn more about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation
+and how your efforts and donations can help, see Sections 3 and 4
+and the Foundation web page at https://www.pglaf.org.
+
+
+Section 3.  Information about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive
+Foundation
+
+The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation is a non profit
+501(c)(3) educational corporation organized under the laws of the
+state of Mississippi and granted tax exempt status by the Internal
+Revenue Service.  The Foundation's EIN or federal tax identification
+number is 64-6221541.  Its 501(c)(3) letter is posted at
+https://pglaf.org/fundraising.  Contributions to the Project Gutenberg
+Literary Archive Foundation are tax deductible to the full extent
+permitted by U.S. federal laws and your state's laws.
+
+The Foundation's principal office is located at 4557 Melan Dr. S.
+Fairbanks, AK, 99712., but its volunteers and employees are scattered
+throughout numerous locations.  Its business office is located at
+809 North 1500 West, Salt Lake City, UT 84116, (801) 596-1887, email
+business@pglaf.org.  Email contact links and up to date contact
+information can be found at the Foundation's web site and official
+page at https://pglaf.org
+
+For additional contact information:
+     Dr. Gregory B. Newby
+     Chief Executive and Director
+     gbnewby@pglaf.org
+
+Section 4.  Information about Donations to the Project Gutenberg
+Literary Archive Foundation
+
+Project Gutenberg-tm depends upon and cannot survive without wide
+spread public support and donations to carry out its mission of
+increasing the number of public domain and licensed works that can be
+freely distributed in machine readable form accessible by the widest
+array of equipment including outdated equipment.  Many small donations
+($1 to $5,000) are particularly important to maintaining tax exempt
+status with the IRS.
+
+The Foundation is committed to complying with the laws regulating
+charities and charitable donations in all 50 states of the United
+States.  Compliance requirements are not uniform and it takes a
+considerable effort, much paperwork and many fees to meet and keep up
+with these requirements.  We do not solicit donations in locations
+where we have not received written confirmation of compliance.  To
+SEND DONATIONS or determine the status of compliance for any
+particular state visit https://pglaf.org
+
+While we cannot and do not solicit contributions from states where we
+have not met the solicitation requirements, we know of no prohibition
+against accepting unsolicited donations from donors in such states who
+approach us with offers to donate.
+
+International donations are gratefully accepted, but we cannot make
+any statements concerning tax treatment of donations received from
+outside the United States.  U.S. laws alone swamp our small staff.
+
+Please check the Project Gutenberg Web pages for current donation
+methods and addresses.  Donations are accepted in a number of other
+ways including including checks, online payments and credit card
+donations.  To donate, please visit: https://pglaf.org/donate
+
+
+Section 5.  General Information About Project Gutenberg-tm electronic
+works.
+
+Professor Michael S. Hart was the originator of the Project Gutenberg-tm
+concept of a library of electronic works that could be freely shared
+with anyone.  For thirty years, he produced and distributed Project
+Gutenberg-tm eBooks with only a loose network of volunteer support.
+
+Project Gutenberg-tm eBooks are often created from several printed
+editions, all of which are confirmed as Public Domain in the U.S.
+unless a copyright notice is included.  Thus, we do not necessarily
+keep eBooks in compliance with any particular paper edition.
+
+Each eBook is in a subdirectory of the same number as the eBook's
+eBook number, often in several formats including plain vanilla ASCII,
+compressed (zipped), HTML and others.
+
+Corrected EDITIONS of our eBooks replace the old file and take over
+the old filename and etext number.  The replaced older file is renamed.
+VERSIONS based on separate sources are treated as new eBooks receiving
+new filenames and etext numbers.
+
+Most people start at our Web site which has the main PG search facility:
+
+     https://www.gutenberg.org
+
+This Web site includes information about Project Gutenberg-tm,
+including how to make donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary
+Archive Foundation, how to help produce our new eBooks, and how to
+subscribe to our email newsletter to hear about new eBooks.
+
+EBooks posted prior to November 2003, with eBook numbers BELOW #10000,
+are filed in directories based on their release date.  If you want to
+download any of these eBooks directly, rather than using the regular
+search system you may utilize the following addresses and just
+download by the etext year.
+
+     https://www.gutenberg.org/etext06
+
+    (Or /etext 05, 04, 03, 02, 01, 00, 99,
+     98, 97, 96, 95, 94, 93, 92, 92, 91 or 90)
+
+EBooks posted since November 2003, with etext numbers OVER #10000, are
+filed in a different way.  The year of a release date is no longer part
+of the directory path.  The path is based on the etext number (which is
+identical to the filename).  The path to the file is made up of single
+digits corresponding to all but the last digit in the filename.  For
+example an eBook of filename 10234 would be found at:
+
+     https://www.gutenberg.org/1/0/2/3/10234
+
+or filename 24689 would be found at:
+     https://www.gutenberg.org/2/4/6/8/24689
+
+An alternative method of locating eBooks:
+     https://www.gutenberg.org/GUTINDEX.ALL
+
+
diff --git a/old/11461-8.zip b/old/11461-8.zip
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..ae31f4f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/old/11461-8.zip
diff --git a/old/11461-h.zip b/old/11461-h.zip
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..4a42bad
--- /dev/null
+++ b/old/11461-h.zip
diff --git a/old/11461-h/11461-h.htm b/old/11461-h/11461-h.htm
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..be974b8
--- /dev/null
+++ b/old/11461-h/11461-h.htm
@@ -0,0 +1,6796 @@
+<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.01 Transitional//EN">
+<html>
+  <head>
+    <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content=
+    "text/html; charset=iso-8859-1">
+    <title>
+      The Project Gutenberg eBook of Armenian Literature.
+    </title>
+    <style type="text/css">
+    <!--
+    * {  font-family: Times;}
+    P {  text-indent: 1em;
+         margin-top: .75em;
+         text-align: justify;
+         margin-bottom: .75em; }
+    H1,H2,H3,H4,H5,H6 {     text-align: center; }
+    HR { width: 33%; }
+    BODY{margin-left: 5%;
+         margin-right: 10%;}
+    // -->
+    </style>
+   </head>
+<body>
+
+
+<pre>
+
+The Project Gutenberg EBook of Armenian Literature, by Anonymous
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+
+Title: Armenian Literature
+
+Author: Anonymous
+
+Release Date: March 5, 2004 [EBook #11461]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
+
+*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK ARMENIAN LITERATURE ***
+
+
+
+
+Produced by Juliet Sutherland, Susan Skinner and the Online Distributed
+Proofreading Team.
+
+
+
+
+
+
+</pre>
+
+<h1>Armenian Literature</h1>
+
+<h3>COMPRISING</h3>
+
+<h2>POETRY, DRAMA, FOLK-LORE, AND CLASSIC TRADITIONS</h2>
+<br>
+
+<h4>TRANSLATED INTO ENGLISH FOR THE FIRST TIME</h4>
+<br>
+<h4>WITH A SPECIAL INTRODUCTION BY</h4>
+
+<h2>ROBERT ARNOT, M.A.</h2>
+<br>
+
+<h3>REVISED EDITION</h3>
+
+<br><br><hr style="width: 65%;"><br><br>
+
+<h4>1904<br>
+</h4>
+
+<br><hr style="width: 65%;"><br><br>
+<a name="SPECIAL_INTRODUCTION"></a><h3>SPECIAL INTRODUCTION</h3>
+
+<p>The literature of ancient Armenia that is still extant is meagre in
+quantity and to a large extent ecclesiastical in tone. To realize its
+oriental color one must resort entirely to that portion which deals with
+the home life of the people, with their fasts and festivals, their
+emotions, manners, and traditions. The ecclesiastical character of much
+of the early Armenian literature is accounted for by the fact that
+Christianity was preached there in the first century after Christ, by
+the apostles Thaddeus and Bartholomew, and that the Armenian Church is
+the oldest national Christian Church in the world.</p>
+
+<p>It is no doubt owing to the conversion of the entire Armenian nation
+under the passionate preaching of Gregory the Illuminator that most of
+the literary products, of primitive Armenia&mdash;the mythological legends
+and chants of heroic deeds sung by bards&mdash;are lost. The Church would
+have none of them. Gregory not only destroyed the pagan temples, but he
+sought to stamp out the pagan literature&mdash;the poetry and recorded
+traditions that celebrated the deeds of gods and goddesses and of
+national heroes. He would have succeeded, too, had not the romantic
+spirit of the race clung fondly to their ballads and folk-lore.
+Ecclesiastical historiographers in referring to those times say quaintly
+enough, meaning to censure the people, that in spite of their great
+religious advantages the Armenians persisted in singing some of their
+heathen ballads as late as the twelfth century. Curiously enough, we owe
+the fragments we possess of early Armenian poetry to these same
+ecclesiastical critics. These fragments suggest a popular poesy,
+stirring and full of powerful imagery, employed mostly in celebrating
+royal marriages, religious feasts, and containing dirges for the dead,
+and ballads of customs&mdash;not a wide field, but one invaluable to the
+philologist and to ethnological students.</p>
+
+<p>The Christian chroniclers and critics, however, while preserving but
+little of the verse of early Armenia, have handed down to us many
+legends and traditions, though they relate them, unfortunately, with
+much carelessness and with a contempt for detail that is often
+exasperating to one seeking for instructive parallelisms between the
+heroic legends of different nations. Evidently the only object of the
+ecclesiastical chroniclers in preserving these legends was to invest
+their descriptions of the times with a local color. Even Moses of
+Chorene, who by royal command collected many of these legends, and in
+his sympathetic treatment of them evinces poetic genius and keen
+literary appreciation, fails to realize the importance of his task.
+After speaking of the old Armenian kings with enthusiasm, and even
+condoning their paganism for the sake of their virility, he leaves his
+collection in the utmost disorder and positively without a note or
+comment. In the face of such difficulties, therefore, it has been hard
+to present specimens of early Armenian folk-lore and legends that shall
+give the reader a rightful idea of the race and the time.</p>
+
+<p>As Armenia was the highroad between Asia and Europe, these old stories
+and folk-plays show the influence of migrating and invading people. The
+mythology of the Chaldeans and Persians mingles oddly with traditions
+purely Armenian. This is well shown in the story of David of Sassun,
+given in this volume. David was the local hero of the place where Moses
+of Chorene was born and probably spent his declining years, after years
+of literary labor and study in Athens and Alexandria. The name of the
+district was Mush, and close by the monastery in which Moses was buried
+lies the village of Sassun.</p>
+
+<p>David's history is rich in personal incident, and recalls to the reader
+the tales related of the Persian Izdubar, the Chaldeo-Babylonian Nimrod,
+and the Greek Heracles. He is as much the hero of the tale as is Joseph
+Andrews in Fielding's classic of that name. His marvellous strength is
+used as handily for a jest as for some prodigious victory over man or
+monster. He is drawn for us as a bold, reckless fellow, with a
+rollicking sense of humor, which, in truth, sits but awkwardly upon the
+intense devotion to the Cross and its demands with which Moses or some
+later redactor has seen fit to burden this purely pagan hero. David is
+very human in spite of his blood-stained club and combative instincts,
+and his kindliness and bonhomie awake in us a passing disappointment at
+his untimely demise.</p>
+
+<p>If we except some ecclesiastical writings, these fragments preserved by
+Moses of Chorene and others comprehend all that is left to us of the
+literature of Armenia antedating the Persian invasion. After the Persian
+flood of fire and sword had rolled over this Asiatic Poland, the
+stricken Christian Church revived. A monk named Mesrob set to work to
+revive the spirit of literature. His difficulties were great. It was not
+alone the resuscitating of a dead literary desire, but it entailed also
+the providing of a vehicle of expression, namely an alphabet, so deeply
+had the Persian domination imprinted itself upon the land. As might be
+expected, the primary results of the revival were didactic, speculative,
+or religious in character. Mysticism at that time flourished in the
+monasteries, and the national spirit&mdash;the customs, habits, joys, and
+emotions of the people&mdash;had not yet found re-expression in script. The
+Church became the dominant power in literature, and if it is true on the
+one hand that the Armenian people lost intellectual independence, it is
+also true on the other that they gained that religious zeal and strength
+which enabled them as an entity&mdash;a united race&mdash;to survive the fatal day
+of Avarair, where, under the shadow of hoary Ararat, the Armenian
+Marathon was fought and lost, and Vartan, their national hero, died. All
+sorts of traditions cluster still around the battlefield of Avarair. A
+species of red flower grows there that is nowhere else to be found, and
+it is commonly believed that this red blossom sprang originally from the
+blood of the slain Armenian warriors. On the plain of Avarair is also
+found a small antelope with a pouch upon its breast secreting musk&mdash;a
+peculiarity gained, they say, from feeding on grass soaked with the
+blood of Armenia's sons. And at Avarair, too, it is said that the lament
+of the nightingales is ever, &quot;Vartan, Vartan.&quot; The story of these times
+is preserved in fragments in the religious chronicles of Lazarus of
+Pharb and of Eliseus. When, during the Persian domination, Armenia
+became entirely shut off from the avenues of Greek culture, and was left
+unaided in her struggle for national existence, the light of literature
+again sank to a feeble gleam. There was, indeed, a faint revival in the
+tenth century, and again a second and a stronger renaissance in the
+twelfth under the impulse given by Nerses, and by his namesake, the
+Patriarch. But this revival, like the former, was not general in
+character. It was mostly a revival of religious mysticism in literature,
+not of the national spirit, though to this epoch belong the choicest
+hymnological productions of the Armenian Church.</p>
+
+<p>There are no chronicles extant that can be called purely Armenian. The
+oldest chronicles that we have of Armenia&mdash;and there are many&mdash;wander
+off into the histories of other people&mdash;of the Byzantines, for instance,
+and even of the Crusaders. The passages that deal with Armenia are
+devoted almost entirely to narrating the sufferings of the Armenians
+under the successive invasions of pagans and Mahometans, and the efforts
+made to keep the early Christian faith&mdash;forming almost a national book
+of martyrs, and setting forth a tragic romance of perpetual struggle.
+These records cannot be called Armenian literature in a real sense, for
+in many cases they were not written by Armenians, but they picture in
+vivid fashion the trials suffered by Armenians at the hands of invading
+nations, and the sacrifices made to preserve a national existence. They
+picture, in pages bristling with horrible detail, the sacrifices and
+sufferings of a desperate people, and in them we see Armenia as the
+prophet saw Judea, &quot;naked, lying by the wayside, trodden under foot by
+all nations.&quot; These chronicles have an interest all their own, but they
+lack literary beauty, and not being, in themselves, Armenian literature,
+have not been included in the selections made as being purely
+representative of the race and land.</p>
+
+<p>The examples of Armenian proverbs and folk-lore included in this volume
+show, as is usual, the ethnological relationship that is so easily
+traced between the fables of <i>Aesop</i>, of Bidpai, of Vartan, and of
+Loqman. It may be said with truth that in the folk-lore and fables of
+all nations can be traced kinship of imagination, with a variety of
+application that differs with the customs and climate of the people. But
+the Armenian is especially rich in a variety of elements. We meet
+enchantments, faculties, superstitions, and abstract ideas personified,
+which are supposed to attach miraculous meanings to the most ordinary
+events. Dreams, riddles, and the like&mdash;all are there. The one strange
+personification is the Dew. The Dew is a monster, half demon, half
+human; sometimes harmless, sometimes malevolent; mortal, indeed, but
+reaching a good or, shall we say, an evil old age. The Dew figures in
+nearly all Armenian fairy-tales.</p>
+
+<p>The Armenian proverbs exhibit the persistent capacity of the Armenians
+during a time of <i>Sturm und Drang</i> to embody, in pithy, wise, and
+sometimes cynical form, the wisdom drawn from their own experience and
+from that of the ages. It is possible that the cynical vein discernible
+in some of these proverbs is a result of the intense and continued
+national trials. Take, for instance, this proverb, &quot;If a brother were a
+good thing, God would have provided himself with one.&quot; Can anything be
+more cynical?</p>
+
+<p>The poems are of later origin. Since the twelfth century, when
+literature burst the bonds imposed upon it by ecclesiastical domination,
+the poetic spirit of the Armenians has found expression. It is rich in
+oriental passion and imagery, brilliant in expression, and intensely
+musical. But through all the poems we are reminded of the melancholy
+strain that pervaded the exiles of Jerusalem when &quot;by the waters of
+Babylon&quot; they &quot;sat down and wept.&quot; The apostrophe to Araxes reminds us
+of the trials of Armenia, of her exiled sons, of her wasted land, and of
+the perpetual fast she ever keeps in mourning for her children.</p>
+
+<p>The comedy of &quot;The Ruined Family&quot; and the pathetic story of &quot;The Vacant
+Yard&quot; are also of the post-monastic era. In the comedy we gain an
+insight into the jealousy and the pride of life that pervaded then as
+now the middle walks of life. Its Ibsenesque quality is very striking.
+The persistent and human struggle of the mother to gain a high position
+in life for her daughter through marriage, and the agonizing of the
+father to get together a suitable dower for his daughter, together with
+the worldly-wise comments and advice of the old aunt, are so true to
+modern life that one realizes anew the sameness of human nature in all
+climes and ages.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;The Vacant Yard&quot; gives us a charming picture of Armenian life. The
+people are depicted with an impartial pen, subject to the minor crosses
+and humors of fate, having their ups and downs just as we do to-day, but
+the intense local color that pervades the story holds one to the closing
+line.</p>
+
+<p>As a people the Armenians cannot boast of as vast a literature as the
+Persians, their one-time conquerors, but that which remains of purely
+Armenian prose, folk-lore, and poetry tells us of a poetic race, gifted
+with imaginative fire, sternness of will, and persistency of adherence
+to old ideas, a race that in proportion to their limited production in
+letters can challenge comparison with any people.</p>
+<br><br>
+<center><img src="images/signature.png" alt="Robert Arnot"></center>
+
+<br><br><hr style="width: 65%;"><br><br>
+<a name="CONTENTS"></a><h2>CONTENTS</h2>
+
+
+<p><a href="#PROVERBS_AND_FOLK-LORE">PROVERBS AND FOLK-LORE</a></p>
+
+<p><a href="#THE_VACANT_YARD">THE VACANT YARD</a></p>
+
+<p><a href="#ARMENIAN_POEMS">ARMENIAN POEMS</a></p>
+<p>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="#A_PLAINT">A Plaint</a></p>
+<p>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="#SPRING_IN_EXILE">Spring in Exile</a></p>
+<p>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="#FLY,_LAYS_OF_MINE!">Fly, Lays of Mine</a></p>
+<p>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="#THE_WOE_OF_ARAXES">The Woe of Araxes</a></p>
+<p>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="#THE_ARMENIAN_MAIDEN">The Armenian Maiden</a></p>
+<p>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="#ONE_OF_A_THOUSAND">One of a Thousand</a></p>
+<p>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="#LONGING">Longing</a></p>
+
+<p><a href="#DAVID_OF_SASSUN">DAVID OF SASSUN</a></p>
+
+<p><a href="#THE_RUINED_FAMILY">THE RUINED FAMILY</a></p>
+
+
+
+<br><br><hr style="width: 65%;"><br><br>
+<a name="PROVERBS_AND_FOLK-LORE"></a><h2>PROVERBS AND FOLK-LORE</h2>
+
+<h4>[<i>Translated by F.B. Collins, B.S.</i>]</h4>
+
+
+
+
+<br><br><hr style="width: 65%;"><br><br>
+<h2>PROVERBS AND FOLK-LORE</h2>
+<br>
+
+<p>I know many songs, but I cannot sing.</p>
+
+<p>When a man sees that the water does not follow him, he follows the
+water.</p>
+
+<p>When a tree falls there is plenty of kindling wood.</p>
+
+<p>He who falls into the water need have no fear of rain.</p>
+
+<p>A good swimmer finds death in the water.</p>
+
+<p>Strong vinegar bursts the cask.</p>
+
+<p>Dogs quarrel among themselves, but against the wolf they are united.</p>
+
+<p>God understands the dumb.</p>
+
+<p>Only he who can read is a man.</p>
+
+<p>The chick shows itself in the egg, the child in the cradle.</p>
+
+<p>What a man acquires in his youth serves as a crutch in his old age.</p>
+
+<p>One wit is good; two wits are better.</p>
+
+<p>Begin with small things, that you may achieve great.</p>
+
+<p>A devil with experience is better than an angel without.</p>
+
+<p>What the great say, the humble hear.</p>
+
+<p>He who steals an egg will steal a horse also.</p>
+
+<p>Turn the spit, so that neither meat nor roasting-iron shall burn.</p>
+
+<p>One can spoil the good name of a thousand.</p>
+
+<p>What manner of things thou speakest of, such shalt thou also hear.</p>
+
+<p>The grandfather ate unripe grapes, and the grandson's teeth were set on
+edge.</p>
+
+<p>One bad deed begets another.</p>
+
+<p>Go home when the table is set, and to church when it is almost over.</p>
+
+<p>A devil at home, a parson abroad.</p>
+
+<p>God created men and women: who, then, created monks?</p>
+
+<p>Poor and proud.</p>
+
+<p>In dreams the hungry see bread and the thirsty water.</p>
+
+<p>Ere the fat become lean, the lean are already dead.</p>
+
+<p>Wish for a cow for your neighbor, that God may give you two.</p>
+
+<p>What is play to the cat is death to the mouse.</p>
+
+<p>Unless the child cries, the mother will not suckle it.</p>
+
+<p>A fish in the water is worth nothing.</p>
+
+<p>Gold is small but of great worth.</p>
+
+<p>At home the dog is very brave.</p>
+
+<p>Observe the mother ere you take the daughter.</p>
+
+<p>If you lose half and then leave off, something is gained.</p>
+
+<p>The good mourn for what was taken away, the wolf for what was left
+behind.</p>
+
+<p>Only a bearded man can laugh at a beardless face.</p>
+
+<p>He descends from a horse and seats himself on an ass.</p>
+
+<p>No other day can equal the one that is past.</p>
+
+<p>When a man grows rich, he thinks his walls are awry.</p>
+
+<p>Make friends with a dog, but keep a stick in your hand.</p>
+
+<p>One should not feel hurt at the kick of an ass.</p>
+
+<p>The blind have no higher wish than to have two eyes.</p>
+
+<p>The thief wants only a dark night.</p>
+
+<p>A thief robbed another thief, and God marvelled at it in heaven.</p>
+
+<p>He who has money has no sense; and he who has sense, no money.</p>
+
+<p>He who begs is shameless, but still more shameless is he who lends not
+to him.</p>
+
+<p>Better lose one's eyes than one's calling.</p>
+
+<p>What the wind brings it will take away again.</p>
+
+<p>A bad dog neither eats himself nor gives to others.</p>
+
+<p>Running is also an art.</p>
+
+<p>Only in the bath can one tell black from white.</p>
+
+<p>Water is sure to find its way.</p>
+
+<p>What does the blind care if candles are dear?</p>
+
+<p>Speak little and you will hear much.</p>
+
+<p>No one is sure that his light will burn till morning.</p>
+
+<p>He who speaks the truth must have one foot in the stirrup.</p>
+
+<p>The more you stone a dog the more he barks.</p>
+
+<p>One blossom does not make a spring.</p>
+
+<p>One hand cannot clap alone.</p>
+
+<p>Strike the iron while it is hot.</p>
+
+<p>Take up a stick, and the thieving dog understands.</p>
+
+<p>Corruption illumines dark paths.</p>
+
+<p>When they laid down the law to the wolf, he said, &quot;Be quiet, or the
+sheep will run away.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>One hears Ali is dead; but one knows not which one.</p>
+
+<p>The scornful soon grow old.</p>
+
+<p>Who shall work? I and thou. Who shall eat? I and thou.</p>
+
+<p>Stay in the place where there is bread.</p>
+
+<p>If bread tastes good, it is all one to me whether a Jew or a Turk bakes
+it.</p>
+
+<p>One loves the rose, another the lilac.</p>
+
+<p>Before Susan had done prinking, church was over.</p>
+
+<p>The simpleton went to the wedding and said, &quot;Indeed, it is much better
+here than it is at home.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>He sleeps for himself and dreams for others.</p>
+
+<p>The flower falls under the bush.</p>
+
+<p>Not everything round is an apple.</p>
+
+<p>What does an ass know about almonds?</p>
+
+<p>A king must be worthy of a crown.</p>
+
+<p>When you are going in consider first how you are coming out.</p>
+
+<p>What thou canst do to-day leave not until to-morrow.</p>
+
+<p>The rose of winter-time is fire.</p>
+
+<p>The end of strife is repentance.</p>
+
+<p>From the same flower the serpent draws poison and the bees honey.</p>
+
+<p>My heart is no table-cover to be spread over everything.</p>
+
+<p>As long as the wagon is not upset the way is not mended.</p>
+
+<p>The water that drowns me is for me an ocean.</p>
+
+<p>The Armenian has his understanding in his head, the Georgian in his
+eyes.</p>
+
+<p>The ass knows seven ways of swimming, but when he sees the water he
+forgets them all.</p>
+
+<p>The wound of a dagger heals, but that of the tongue, never.</p>
+
+<p>A good ox is known in the yoke, a good woman at the cradle of her child.</p>
+
+<p>Love ever so well, there is also hate; hate ever so much, there is
+always love.</p>
+
+<p>A shrewd enemy is better than a stupid friend.</p>
+
+<p>To rise early is not everything; happy are they who have the help of
+God.</p>
+
+<p>A dress that is not worn wears itself out.</p>
+
+<p>I came from the ocean and was drowned in a spoonful of water.</p>
+
+<p>Because the cat could get no meat, he said, &quot;To-day is Friday.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>The house that a woman builds God will not destroy; but a woman is
+likely to destroy the house that God has built.</p>
+
+<p>The dowry a woman brings into the house is a bell. Whenever you come
+near, the clapper strikes in your face.</p>
+
+<p>By asking, one finds the way to Jerusalem.</p>
+
+<p>Which of the five fingers can you cut off without hurting yourself?</p>
+
+<p>The father's kingdom is the son's mite.</p>
+
+<p>Far from the eye, far from the heart.</p>
+
+<p>If a brother was really good for anything, God would have one.</p>
+
+<p>When God gives, He gives with both hands.</p>
+
+<p>A daughter is a treasure which belongs to another.</p>
+
+<p>The world is a pair of stairs: some go up and others go down.</p>
+
+<p>The poor understand the troubles of the poor.</p>
+
+<p>The childless have one trouble, but those who have children have a
+thousand.</p>
+
+<p>God turns away his face from a shameless man.</p>
+
+<p>The eyes would not disagree even if the nose were not between them.</p>
+
+<p>Until you see trouble you will never know joy.</p>
+
+<p>You never know a man until you have eaten a barrel of salt with him.</p>
+
+<p>Every man's own trouble is as large as a camel.</p>
+
+<p>The goat prefers one goat to a whole herd of sheep.</p>
+
+<p>The fox has destroyed the world, and the wolf has lost his calling.</p>
+
+<p>The fool throws himself into the stream, and forty wise men cannot pull
+him out.</p>
+
+<p>A near neighbor is better than a distant kinsman.</p>
+
+<p>When I have honey, the flies come even from Bagdad.</p>
+
+<p>A guest comes from God.</p>
+
+<p>The guest is the ass of the inn-keeper.</p>
+
+<p>When everything is cheap the customer has no conscience.</p>
+
+
+<br><hr style="width: 45%;"><br>
+<br>
+
+<a name="THE_SHEEP-BROTHER"></a><h3>THE SHEEP-BROTHER</h3>
+<br>
+
+<p>Once there was a widow and she had a daughter. The widow married a
+widower who had by his first wife two children, a boy and a girl. The
+wife was always coaxing her husband: &quot;Take the children, do, and lead
+them up into the mountains.&quot; Her husband could not refuse her, and, lo!
+one day he put some bread in his basket, took the children, and set off
+for the mountain.</p>
+
+<p>They went on and on and came to a strange place. Then the father said to
+the children, &quot;Rest here a little while,&quot; and the children sat down to
+rest. The father turned his face away and wept bitterly, very bitterly.
+Then he turned again to the children and said, &quot;Eat something,&quot; and they
+ate. Then the boy said, &quot;Father, dear, I want a drink.&quot; The father took
+his staff, stuck it into the ground, threw his coat over it, and said,
+&quot;Come here, my son, sit in the shadow of my coat, and I will get you
+some water.&quot; The brother and sister stayed and the father went away and
+forsook his children. Whether they waited a long time or a short time
+before they saw that their father was not coming back is not known. They
+wandered here and there looking for him, but saw no human being
+anywhere.</p>
+
+<p>At last they came back to the same spot, and, beginning to weep, they
+said:</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Alas! Alas! See, here is father's staff, and here is his coat, and he
+comes not, and he comes not.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Whether the brother and sister sat there a long time or a short time is
+not known. They rose after a while, and one took the staff and the other
+the coat, and they went away without knowing whither. They went on and
+on and on, until they saw tracks of horses' hoofs filled with
+rain-water.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I am going to drink, sister,&quot; said the brother.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Do not drink, little brother, or you will become a colt,&quot; said the
+sister.</p>
+
+<p>They passed on till they saw tracks of oxen's hoofs.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;O sister dear, how thirsty I am!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Do not drink, little brother, or you will be a calf,&quot; the sister said
+to him.</p>
+
+<p>They went on till they saw the tracks of buffalo hoofs.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;O sister dear, how thirsty I am!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Drink not, little brother, or you will be a buffalo calf.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>They passed on and saw the tracks of bears' paws.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Oh, I am so thirsty, sister dear.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Drink not, little brother, or you will become a little bear.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>They went on and saw the tracks of swine's trotters.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;O sister dear, I am going to drink.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Drink not, little brother, or you will become a little pig.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>They went on and on till they saw the tracks of the pads of wolves.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;O sister dear, how thirsty I am!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Do not drink, little brother, or you will become a little wolf.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>They walked on and on till they saw the tracks of sheep's trotters.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;O sister dear, I am almost dying with thirst.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;O little brother, you grieve me so! You will, indeed, be a sheep if you
+drink.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>He could stand it no longer. He drank and turned into a sheep. He began
+to bleat and ran after his sister. Long they wandered, and at last came
+home.</p>
+
+<p>Then the stepmother began to scheme against them. She edged up to her
+husband and said: &quot;Kill your sheep. I want to eat him.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>The sister got her sheep-brother away in the nick of time and drove him
+back into the mountains. Every day she drove him to the meadows and she
+spun linen. Once her distaff fell from her hand and rolled into a
+cavern. The sheep-brother stayed behind grazing while she went to get
+the distaff.</p>
+
+<p>She stepped into the cavern and saw lying in a corner a Dew, one
+thousand years old. She suddenly spied the girl and said: &quot;Neither the
+feathered birds nor the crawling serpent can make their way in here; how
+then hast thou, maiden, dared to enter?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>The girl spoke up in her fright. &quot;For love of you I came here, dear
+grandmother.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>The old Dew mother bade the girl come near and asked her this and that.
+The maiden pleased her very much. &quot;I will go and bring you a fish,&quot; she
+said, &quot;you are certainly hungry.&quot; But the fishes were snakes and
+dragons. The girl was sorely frightened and began to cry with terror.
+The old Dew said, &quot;Maiden, why do you weep?&quot; She answered, &quot;I have just
+thought of my mother, and for her sake I weep.&quot; Then she told the old
+mother everything that had happened to her. &quot;If that is so,&quot; said the
+Dew, &quot;sit down here and I will lay my head on your knee and go to
+sleep.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>She made up the fire, stuck the poker into the stove, and said:</p>
+
+<p>&quot;When the devil flies by do not waken me. If the rainbow-colored one
+passes near, take the glowing poker from the stove and lay it on my
+foot.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>The maiden's heart crept into her heels from fright. What was she to do?
+She sat down, the Dew laid her head on her knees and slept. Soon she saw
+a horrible black monster flying by. The maiden was silent. After a while
+there came flying by a rainbow-colored creature. She seized the glowing
+poker and threw it on the old Dew's foot. The old mother awoke and said,
+&quot;Phew, how the fleas bite.&quot; She rose and lifted up the maiden. The
+girl's hair and clothing were turned to gold from the splendor of the
+rainbow colors. She kissed the old Dew's hand and begged that she might
+go. She went away, and taking her sheep-brother with her started for
+home. The stepmother was not there, and the maiden secretly dug a hole,
+buried her golden dress, and sat down and put on an old one.</p>
+
+<p>The stepmother came home and saw that the maiden had golden hair.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;What have you done to your hair to make it like gold?&quot; she asked. The
+maiden told her all, how and when. The next day the stepmother sent her
+own daughter to the same mountain. The stepmother's daughter purposely
+let her distaff fall and it rolled into the hole. She went in to get it,
+but the old Dew mother turned her into a scarecrow and sent her home.</p>
+
+<p>About that time there was a wedding in the royal castle; the King was
+giving one of his sons in marriage, and the people came from all
+directions to look on and enjoy themselves.</p>
+
+<p>The stepmother threw on a kerchief and smartened up the head of her
+daughter and took her to see the wedding. The girl with the golden hair
+did not stay at home, but, putting on her golden dress so that she
+became from head to foot a gleaming houri, she went after them.</p>
+
+<p>But on the way home, she ran so fast to get there before her stepmother,
+that she dropped one of her golden shoes in the fountain. When they led
+the horses of the King's second son to drink, the horses caught sight of
+the golden shoe in the water and drew back and would not drink. The King
+caused the wise men to be called, and asked them to make known the
+reason why the horses would not drink, and they found only the golden
+shoe. The King sent out his herald to tell the people that he would
+marry his son to whomsoever this shoe fitted.</p>
+
+<p>He sent people throughout the whole city to try on the shoe, and they
+came to the house where the sheep-brother was. The stepmother pushed the
+maiden with the golden locks into the stove, and hid her, and showed
+only her own daughter.</p>
+
+<p>A cock came up to the threshold and crowed three times, &quot;Cock-a-doodle
+doo! The fairest of the fair is in the stove.&quot; The King's people brushed
+the stepmother aside and led the maiden with golden hair from the stove,
+tried on the shoe, which fitted as though moulded to the foot.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Now stand up,&quot; said they, &quot;and you shall be a royal bride.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>The maiden put on her golden dress, drove her sheep-brother before her,
+and went to the castle. She was married to the King's son, and seven
+days and seven nights they feasted.</p>
+
+<p>Again the stepmother took her daughter and went to the castle to visit
+her stepdaughter, who in spite of all treated her as her mother and
+invited her into the castle garden. From the garden they went to the
+seashore and sat down to rest. The stepmother said, &quot;Let us bathe in the
+sea.&quot; While they were bathing she pushed the wife of the King's son far
+out into the water, and a great fish came swimming by and swallowed her.</p>
+
+<p>Meanwhile the stepmother put the golden dress on her own daughter and
+led her to the royal castle and placed her in the seat where the young
+wife always sat, covering her face and her head so that no one would
+know her.</p>
+
+<p>The young wife sat in the fish and heard the voice of the bell-ringer.
+She called to him and pleaded: &quot;Bell-ringer, O bell-ringer, thou hast
+called the people to church; cross thyself seven times, and I entreat
+thee, in the name of heaven, go to the prince and say that they must not
+slaughter my sheep-brother.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Once, twice the bell-ringer heard this voice and told the King's son
+about it.</p>
+
+<p>The King's son took the bell-ringer with him and went at night to the
+seashore. The same voice spoke the same words. He knew that it was his
+dear wife that spoke, and drew his sword and ripped open the fish and
+helped his loved one out.</p>
+
+<p>They went home, and the prince had the stepmother brought to him, and
+said to her: &quot;Mother-in-law, tell me what kind of a present you would
+like: a horse fed with barley or a knife with a black handle?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>The stepmother answered: &quot;Let the knife with a black handle pierce the
+breast of thine enemy; but give me the horse fed with barley.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>The King's son commanded them to tie the stepmother and her daughter to
+the tail of a horse, and to hunt them over mountain and rock till
+nothing was left of them but their ears and a tuft of hair.</p>
+
+<p>After that the King's son lived happily with his wife and her
+sheep-brother. The others were punished and she rejoiced.</p>
+
+<p>And three apples fell down from heaven.</p>
+
+
+<br><hr style="width: 45%;"><br>
+<br>
+
+<a name="THE_YOUTH_WHO_WOULD_NOT_TELL_HIS_DREAM"></a><h3>THE YOUTH WHO WOULD NOT TELL HIS DREAM</h3>
+
+<p>There lived once upon a time a man and wife who had a son. The son arose
+from his sleep one morning and said to his mother: &quot;Mother dear, I had a
+dream, but what it was I will not tell you.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>The mother said, &quot;Why will you not tell me?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I will not, and that settles it,&quot; answered the youth, and his mother
+seized him and cudgelled him well.</p>
+
+<p>Then he went to his father and said to him: &quot;Father dear, I had a dream,
+but what it was I would not tell mother, nor will I tell you,&quot; and his
+father also gave him a good flogging. He began to sulk and ran away from
+home. He walked and walked the whole day long and, meeting a traveller,
+said after greeting him: &quot;I had a dream, but what it was I would tell
+neither father nor mother and I will not tell you,&quot; Then he went on his
+way till finally he came to the Emir's house and said to the Emir:
+&quot;Emir, I had a dream, but what it was I would tell neither father nor
+mother, nor yet the traveller, and I will not tell you.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>The Emir had him seized and thrown into the garret, where he began to
+cut through the floor with a knife he managed to get from some one of
+the Emir's people. He cut and cut until he made an opening over the
+chamber of the Emir's daughter, who had just filled a plate with food
+and gone away. The youth jumped down, emptied the plate, ate what he
+wanted, and crept back into the garret. The second, third, and fourth
+days he did this also, and the Emir's daughter could not think who had
+taken away her meal. The next day she hid herself under the table to
+watch and find out. Seeing the youth jump down and begin to eat from her
+plate, she rushed out and said to him, &quot;Who are you?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I had a dream, but what it was I would tell neither father nor mother,
+nor the traveller, nor yet the Emir. The Emir shut me up in the garret.
+Now everything depends on you; do with me what you will.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>The youth looked at the maiden, and they loved each other and saw each
+other every day.</p>
+
+<p>The King of the West came to the King of the East to court the daughter
+of the King of the East for his son. He sent an iron bar with both ends
+shaped alike and asked: &quot;Which is the top and which is the bottom? If
+you can guess that, good! If not, I will carry your daughter away with
+me.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>The King asked everybody, but nobody could tell. The King's daughter
+told her lover about it and he said: &quot;Go tell your father the Emir to
+throw the bar into a brook. The heavy end will sink. Make a hole in that
+end and send the bar back to the King of the West.&quot; And it happened that
+he was right, and the messengers returned to their King.</p>
+
+<p>The King of the West sent three horses of the same size and color and
+asked: &quot;Which is the one-year-old, which is the two-year-old, and which
+the mare? If you can guess that, good. If not, then I will carry off
+your daughter.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>The King of the East collected all the clever people, but no one could
+guess. He was helpless and knew not what to do. Then his daughter went
+to her lover and said, &quot;They are going to take me away,&quot; and she told
+him when and how.</p>
+
+<p>The youth said: &quot;Go and say to your father, 'Dip a bundle of hay in
+water, strew it with salt, and put it near the horses' stall. In the
+morning the mare will come first, the two-year-old second, the
+one-year-old last.'&quot;</p>
+
+<p>They did this and sent the King of the West his answer.</p>
+
+<p>He waited a little and sent a steel spear and a steel shield, and said:
+&quot;If you pierce the shield with the spear, I will give my daughter to
+your son. If not, send your daughter to my son.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Many people tried, and among them the King himself, but they could find
+no way of piercing the shield. The King's daughter told him of her
+beloved prisoner, and the King sent for him. The youth thrust the spear
+into the ground, and, striking the shield against it, pierced it
+through.</p>
+
+<p>As the King had no son, he sent the youth in place of a son to the King
+of the West to demand his daughter, according to agreement.</p>
+
+<p>He went on and on&mdash;how long it is not known&mdash;and saw someone with his
+ear to the ground listening.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Who are you?&quot; the youth asked.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I am he who hears everything that is said in the whole world.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;This is a brave fellow,&quot; said the youth. &quot;He knows everything that is
+said in the world.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I am no brave fellow. He who has pierced a steel shield with a steel
+spear is a brave fellow,&quot; was the answer.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I am he,&quot; said the youth. &quot;Let us be brothers.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>They journeyed on together and saw a man with a millstone on each foot,
+and one leg stepped toward Chisan and the other toward Stambul.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;That seems to me a brave fellow! One leg steps toward Chisan and the
+other toward Stambul.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I am no brave fellow. He who has pierced a steel shield with a steel
+spear is a brave fellow,&quot; said the man with the millstones.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I am he. Let us be brothers.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>They were three and they journeyed on together.</p>
+
+<p>They went on and on and saw a mill with seven millstones grinding corn.
+And one man ate all and was not satisfied, but grumbled and said, &quot;O
+little father, I die of hunger.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;That is a brave fellow,&quot; said the youth. &quot;Seven millstones grind for him
+and yet he has not enough, but cries, 'I die of hunger.'&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I am no brave fellow. He who pierced a steel shield with a steel spear
+is a brave fellow,&quot; said the hungry man.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I am he. Let us be brothers,&quot; said the youth and the four journeyed on
+together. They went on and on and saw a man who had loaded the whole
+world on his back and even wished to lift it up.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;That is a brave fellow. He has loaded himself with the whole world and
+wishes to lift it up,&quot; said the youth.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I am no brave fellow. He who has pierced a steel shield with a steel
+spear is a brave fellow,&quot; said the burdened man.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I am he. Let us be brothers.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>The five journeyed on together. They went on and on and saw a man lying
+in a brook and he sipped up all its waters and yet cried, &quot;O little
+father, I am parched with thirst.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;That is a brave fellow. He drinks up the whole brook and still says he
+is thirsty,&quot; said the youth.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I am no brave fellow. He who has pierced a steel shield with a steel
+spear is a brave fellow,&quot; said the thirsty man.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I am he. Let us be brothers.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>The six journeyed on together. They went on and on and saw a shepherd
+who was playing the pipes, and mountains and valleys, fields and
+forests, men and animals, danced to the music.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;That seems to me to be a brave fellow. He makes mountains and valleys
+dance,&quot; said the youth.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I am no brave fellow. He who has pierced a steel shield with a steel
+spear is a brave fellow,&quot; said the musical man.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I am he. Let us be brothers,&quot; said the youth.</p>
+
+<p>The seven journeyed on together.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Brother who hast pierced a steel shield with a steel spear, whither is
+God leading us?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;We are going to get the daughter of the King of the West,&quot; said the
+youth.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Only you can marry her,&quot; said they all.</p>
+
+<p>They went on till they came to the King's castle, but when they asked
+for the daughter the King would not let her go, but called his people
+together and said: &quot;They have come after the bride. They are not very
+hungry, perhaps they will eat only a bite or two. Let one-and-twenty
+ovens be filled with bread and make one-and-twenty kettles of soup. If
+they eat all this I will give them my daughter; otherwise, I will not.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>The seven brothers were in a distant room. He who listened with his ear
+to the ground heard what the King commanded, and said:</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Brother who hast pierced a steel shield with a steel spear, do you
+understand what the King said?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Rascal! how can I know what he says when I am not in the same room with
+him? What did he say?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;He has commanded them to bake bread in one-and-twenty ovens and to make
+one-and-twenty kettles of soup. If we eat it all, we can take his
+daughter; otherwise, not.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>The brother who devoured all the meal that seven millstones, ground
+said: &quot;Fear not, I will eat everything that comes to hand, and then cry,
+'Little father, I die of hunger.'&quot;</p>
+
+<p>When the King saw the hungry man eat he screamed: &quot;May he perish! I
+shall certainly meet defeat at his hands.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Again he called his people to him and said, &quot;Kindle a great fire, strew
+it with ashes and cover it with blankets. When they come in in the
+evening they will be consumed, all seven of them.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>The brother with the sharp ears said: &quot;Brother who hast pierced a steel
+shield with a steel spear, do you understand what the King said?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;No; how can I know what he said?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;He said, 'Kindle a fire, strew it with ashes, and cover it with
+blankets, and when they come in in the evening they will be consumed,
+all seven of them.'&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Then said the brother who drank up the brook: &quot;I will drink all I can
+and go in before you. I will spit it all out and turn the whole house
+into a sea.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>In the evening they begged the King to allow them to rest in the room
+set apart for them. The water-drinker filled the whole room with water,
+and they went into another.</p>
+
+<p>The King lost his wits and knew not what to do. He called his people
+together, and they said in one voice, &quot;Let what will happen, we will not
+let our princess go!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>The man with the sharp ears heard them, and said, &quot;Brother who hast
+pierced a steel shield with a steel spear, do you understand what the
+King said?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;How should I know what he said?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;He said, 'Let what will happen, I will not let my daughter go.'&quot;</p>
+
+<p>The brother who had loaded himself with the whole world said: &quot;Wait, I
+will take his castle and all his land on my back and carry it away.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>He took the castle on his back and started off. The shepherd played on
+his pipes, and mountains and valleys danced to the music. He who had
+fastened millstones to his feet led the march, and they all went
+joyously forward, making a great noise.</p>
+
+<p>The King began to weep, and begged them to leave him his castle. &quot;Take
+my daughter with you. You have earned her.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>They put the castle back in its place, the shepherd stopped playing, and
+mountain and valley stood still. They took the King's daughter and
+departed, and each hero returned to his dwelling-place, and he who had
+pierced the steel shield with the steel spear took the maiden and came
+again to the King of the East. And the King of the East gave him his own
+daughter, whom the youth had long loved, for his wife. So he had two
+wives&mdash;one was the daughter of the King of the East, the other the
+daughter of the King of the West.</p>
+
+<p>At night, when they lay down to sleep, he said: &quot;Now, I have one sun on
+one side and another sun on the other side, and a bright star plays on
+my breast.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>In the morning he sent for his parents and called also the King to him,
+and said, &quot;Now, I will tell my dream.&quot; &quot;What was it, then?&quot; they all
+said. He answered: &quot;I saw in my dream one sun on one side of me and
+another sun on the other, and a bright star played on my breast.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Had you such a dream?&quot; they asked.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I swear I had such a dream.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>And three apples fell from heaven: one for the story-teller, one for him
+who made him tell it, and one for the hearer.</p>
+
+
+<br><hr style="width: 45%;"><br>
+<br>
+
+<a name="THE_VACANT_YARD"></a><h3>THE VACANT YARD</h3>
+
+<h4>[<i>Translated by E.B. Collins, B.S.</i>]</h4>
+
+
+
+
+<br><br><hr style="width: 65%;"><br><br>
+<h3>THE VACANT YARD</h3>
+<br>
+
+<p>Several days ago I wished to visit an acquaintance, but it chanced he
+was not at home. I came therefore through the gate again out into the
+street, and stood looking to right and left and considering where I
+could go. In front of me lay a vacant yard, which was, I thought, not
+wholly like other vacant yards. On it was neither house nor barn nor
+stable: true, none of these was there, but it was very evident that this
+yard could not have been deserted long by its tenants. The house must,
+also, in my opinion, have been torn down, for of traces of fire, as, for
+example, charred beams, damaged stoves, and rubbish heaps, there was no
+sign.</p>
+
+<p>In a word, it could be plainly perceived that the house which once stood
+there had been pulled down, and its beams and timbers carried away. In
+the middle of the premises, near the line hedge, stood several high
+trees, acacias, fig, and plum-trees; scattered among them were
+gooseberry bushes, rose-trees, and blackthorns, while near the street,
+just in the place where the window of the house was probably set, stood
+a high, green fig-tree.</p>
+
+<p>I have seen many vacant lots, yet never before have I given a passing
+thought as to whom any one of them belonged, or who might have lived
+there, or indeed where its future possessor might be. But in a peculiar
+way the sight of this yard called up questions of this sort; and as I
+looked at it many different thoughts came into my mind. Perhaps, I
+thought to myself, a childless fellow, who spoiled old age with sighs
+and complaints, and as his life waned the walls mouldered. Finally, the
+house was without a master; the doors and windows stood open, and when
+the dark winter nights came on, the neighbors fell upon it and stripped
+off its boards, one after another. Yes, various thoughts came into my
+head. How hard it is to build a house, and how easy to tear it down!</p>
+
+<p>While I stood there lost in thought, an old woman, leaning on a staff,
+passed me. I did not immediately recognize her, but at a second glance I
+saw it was Hripsime. Nurse Hripsime was a woman of five-and-seventy,
+yet, from her steady gait, her lively speech, and her fiery eyes, she
+appeared to be scarcely fifty. She was vigorous and hearty, expressed
+her opinions like a man, and was abrupt in her speech. Had she not worn
+women's garments one could easily have taken her for a man. Indeed, in
+conversation she held her own with ten men.</p>
+
+<p>Once, I wot not for what reason, she was summoned to court. She went
+thither, placed herself before the judge, and spoke so bravely that
+everyone gaped and stared at her as at a prodigy. Another time thieves
+tried to get into her house at night, knowing that she was alone like an
+owl in the house. The thieves began to pry open the door with a crowbar,
+and when Nurse Hripsime heard it she sprang nimbly out of bed, seized
+her stick from its corner, and began to shout: &quot;Ho, there! Simon,
+Gabriel, Matthew, Stephan, Aswadur, get up quickly. Get your axes and
+sticks. Thieves are here; collar the rascals; bind them, skin them,
+strike them dead!&quot; The thieves probably did not know with whom they had
+to deal, and, when at the outcry of the old woman they conceived that a
+half-dozen stout-handed fellows might be in the house, they took
+themselves off. Just such a cunning, fearless woman was Aunt Hripsime.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Good-morning, nurse,&quot; said I.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;God greet thee,&quot; she replied.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Where have you been?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I have been with the sick,&quot; she rejoined.</p>
+
+<p>Oh, yes! I had wholly forgotten to say that Nurse Hripsime, though she
+could neither read nor write, was a skilful physician. She laid the sick
+person on the grass, administered a sherbet, cured hemorrhoids and
+epilepsy; and especially with sick women was she successful. Yes, to her
+skill I myself can bear witness. About four years ago my child was taken
+ill in the dog-days, and for three years my wife had had a fever, so
+that she was very feeble. The daughter of Arutin, the gold-worker, and
+the wife of Saak, the tile-maker, said to me: &quot;There is an excellent
+physician called Hripsime. Send for her, and you will not regret it.&quot;
+To speak candidly, I have never found much brains in our doctor. He
+turns round on his heels and scribbles out a great many prescriptions,
+but his skill is not worth a toadstool.</p>
+
+<p>I sent for Hripsime, and, sure enough, not three days had passed before
+my wife's fever had ceased and my children's pain was allayed. For three
+years, thank God, no sickness has visited my house. Whether it can be
+laid to her skill and the lightness of her hand or to the medicine I
+know not. I know well, however, that Nurse Hripsime is my family
+physician. And what do I pay her? Five rubles a year, no more and no
+less. When she comes to us it is a holiday for my children, so sweetly
+does she speak to them and so well does she know how to win their
+hearts. Indeed, if I were a sultan, she should be my vezir.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;How does the city stand in regard to sickness?&quot; I asked her.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Of that one would rather not speak,&quot; answered Hripsime. &quot;Ten more such
+years and our whole city will become a hospital. Heaven knows what kind
+of diseases they are! Moreover, they are of a very peculiar kind, and
+often the people die very suddenly. The bells fly in pieces almost from
+so much tolling, the grave-diggers' shovels are blunt, and from the
+great demand for coffins the price of wood is risen. What will become of
+us, I know not.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Is not, then, the cause of these diseases known to you?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Oh, that is clear enough,&quot; answered Hripsime. &quot;It is a punishment for
+our sins. What good deeds have we done that we should expect God's
+mercy? Thieves, counterfeiters, all these you find among us. They snatch
+the last shirt from the poor man's back, purloin trust moneys, church
+money: in a word, there is no shameless deed we will not undertake for
+profit. We need not wonder if God punishes us for it. Yes, God acts
+justly, praised be his holy name! Indeed, it would be marvellous if God
+let us go unpunished.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Hripsime was not a little excited, and that was just what I wished. When
+she once began she could no longer hold in: her words gushed forth as
+from a spring, and the more she spoke the smoother her speech.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Do you know?&quot; I began again, &quot;that I have been standing a long while
+before this deserted yard, and cannot recall whose house stood here, why
+they have pulled it down, and what has become of its inhabitants? You
+are an aged woman, and have peeped into every corner of our city: you
+must have something to tell about it. If you have nothing important on
+hand, be kind enough to tell me what you know of the former residents of
+the vanished house.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Nurse Hripsime turned her gaze to the vacant yard, and, shaking her
+head, said:</p>
+
+<p>&quot;My dear son, the history of that house is as long as one of our
+fairy-tales. One must tell for seven days and seven nights in order to
+reach the end.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;This yard was not always so desolate as you see it now,&quot; she went on.
+&quot;Once there stood here a house, not very large, but pretty and
+attractive, and made of wood. The wooden houses of former days pleased
+me much better than the present stone houses, which look like cheese
+mats outside and are prisons within. An old proverb says, 'In stone or
+brick houses life goes on sadly,'</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Here, on this spot, next to the fig-tree,&quot; she continued, &quot;stood
+formerly a house with a five-windowed front, green blinds, and a red
+roof. Farther back there by the acacias stood the stable, and between
+the house and the stable, the kitchen and the hen-house. Here to the
+right of the gate a spring.&quot; With these words Nurse Hripsime took a step
+forward, looked about, and said: &quot;What is this? the spring gone, too! I
+recollect as if to-day that there was a spring of sweet water on the
+very spot where I am standing. What can have happened to it! I know that
+everything can be lost&mdash;but a spring, how can that be lost?&quot; Hripsime
+stooped and began to scratch about with her stick. &quot;Look here,&quot; she said
+suddenly, &quot;bad boys have filled up the beautiful spring with earth and
+stones. Plague take it! Well, if one's head is cut off, he weeps not for
+his beard. For the spring I care not, but for poor Sarkis and his family
+I am very sorry.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Are you certain that the house of Sarkis, the grocer, stood here? I had
+wholly forgotten it. Now tell me, I pray, what has become of him? Does
+he still live, or is he dead? Where is his family? I remember now that
+he had a pretty daughter and also a son.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Nurse Hripsime gave no heed to my questions, but stood silently, poking
+about with her stick near the choked-up spring.</p>
+
+<p>The picture of Grocer Sarkis, as we called him, took form vividly in my
+memory, and with it awoke many experiences of my childhood. I remembered
+that when I was a child a dear old lady often visited us, who was
+continually telling us about Grocer Sarkis, and used to hold up his
+children as models. In summer, when the early fruit was ripe, she used
+to visit his house, gather fruit in his garden, and would always come to
+us with full pockets, bringing us egg-plums, saffron apples, fig-pears,
+and many other fruits. From that time we knew Sarkis, and when my mother
+wanted any little thing for the house I got it for her at his store. I
+loved him well, this Sarkis; he was a quiet, mild man, around whose
+mouth a smile hovered. &quot;What do you want, my child?&quot; he always asked
+when I entered his store.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;My mother sends you greeting,&quot; I would answer. &quot;She wants this or
+that.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Well, well, my child, you shall have it,&quot; he usually answered, and
+always gave me a stick of sugar candy, with the words, &quot;That is for you;
+it is good for the cough.&quot; It never happened that I went out of the
+store without receiving something from him. In winter-time he treated me
+to sugar candy, and in summer-time he always had in his store great
+baskets full of apricots, plums, pears, and apples, or whatever was in
+season in his garden. His garden at that time&mdash;some thirty or
+thirty-five years ago&mdash;was very famous. One time my mother sent me to
+Sarkis's store to procure, as I remember, saffron for the pillau. Sarkis
+gave me what I desired, and then noticing, probably, how longingly I
+looked toward the fruit-baskets, he said:</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Now, you shall go and have a good time in my garden. Do you know where
+my house is?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Yes, I know. Not far from the Church of Our Lady.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Right, my son, you have found it. It has green blinds, and a fig-tree
+stands in front of it. Now take this basket and carry it to Auntie, and
+say that I sent word that she was to let you go into the garden with my
+son Toros. There you two may eat what you will.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>He handed me a neat-looking basket. I peeped into it and saw a sheep's
+liver. I was as disgusted with this as though it were a dead dog, for at
+that time liver-eaters were abhorred not less than thieves and
+counterfeiters; they with their whole family were held in derision, and
+people generally refused to associate with them. In a moment I forgot
+entirely what a good man Sarkis was; I forgot his fruit-garden and his
+pretty daughter, of whom the good old lady had told me so many beautiful
+things. The liver had spoiled everything in a trice. Sarkis noticed
+this, and asked me smiling:</p>
+
+<p>&quot;What is the matter?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Have you a dog in your yard?&quot; I asked, without heeding his words.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;No,&quot; he said.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;For whom, then, is the liver?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;For none other than ourselves. We will eat it.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>I looked at Sarkis to see if he were jesting with me, but no sign of
+jesting was to be seen in his face.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;You will really eat the liver yourselves?&quot; I asked.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;What astonishes you, my boy? Is not liver to be eaten, then?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Dogs eat liver,&quot; I said, deeply wounded, and turned away, for Sarkis
+appeared to me at that moment like a ghoul.</p>
+
+<p>Just then there came into the store a pretty, pleasing boy. &quot;Mamma sent
+me to get what you have bought at the Bazaar, and the hearth-fire has
+been lit a long time.&quot; I concluded that this was Sarkis's son, Toros. I
+perceived immediately from his face that he was a good boy, and I was
+very much taken with him.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Here, little son, take that,&quot; Sarkis said, and handed him the basket
+which I had set down.</p>
+
+<p>Toros peeped in, and when he spied the liver he said, &quot;We will have a
+pie for dinner.&quot; Then he put on his cap and turned to go.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Toros,&quot; called his father to him, &quot;take Melkon with you to our house
+and play with him as a brother.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>I was exceedingly pleased with the invitation, and went out with Toros.
+When we arrived at Sarkis's house and entered the garden it seemed as
+though I were in an entirely new world. The yard was very pretty, no
+disorder was to be seen anywhere. Here and there pretty chickens,
+geese, and turkeys ran about with their chicks. On the roof sat doves of
+the best kinds. The yard was shaded in places by pretty green trees, the
+house had a pretty balcony, and under the eaves stood green-painted tubs
+for catching rain-water. In the windows different flowers were growing,
+and from the balcony hung cages of goldfinches, nightingales, and canary
+birds; in a word, everything I saw was pretty, homelike, and pleasant.</p>
+
+<p>In the kitchen cooking was going on, for thick smoke rose from the
+chimney. At the kitchen-door stood Sarkis's wife, a healthy,
+red-cheeked, and vigorous woman, apparently about thirty years old. From
+the fire that burned on the hearth her cheeks were still more reddened,
+so that it seemed, as they say, the redness sprang right out of her. On
+a little stool on the balcony sat a little girl, who wore, according to
+the prevailing fashion, a red satin fez on her head. This was Toros's
+sister. I have seen many beautiful girls in my time, but never a
+prettier one. Her name was Takusch.</p>
+
+<p>Getting the mother's consent, we entered the garden, where we helped
+ourselves freely to the good fruit and enjoyed the fragrance of many
+flowers. At noon, Sarkis came home from the store, and invited me to
+dinner. My gaze was continually directed toward the beautiful Takusch.
+Oh, well-remembered years! What a pity it is that they pass by so
+quickly! Two or three months later I journeyed to the Black Sea, where I
+was apprenticed to a merchant, and since that time I have not been in my
+native city&mdash;for some twenty-four years&mdash;and all that I have told was
+awakened in my memory in a trice by my meeting with Hripsime.</p>
+
+<p>The old woman was still standing on the site of the choked-up spring,
+scratching around on the ground with her stick.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Nurse Hripsime, where is Sarkis and his family now?&quot; I asked.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Did you know him, then?&quot; she asked, astonished.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Yes, a little,&quot; I replied.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Your parents were acquainted with him?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;No. I was only once in his house, and then as a boy.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Oh, then! That was his happiest time. What pleasant times we had in his
+garden! Formerly it was not as it is now&mdash;not a trace of their pleasant
+garden remains. The house has disappeared. Look again: yonder was the
+kitchen, there the hen-house, there the barn, and here the spring.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>As she spoke she pointed out with her stick each place, but of the
+buildings she named not a trace was to be seen.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Ah, my son,&quot; she went on, &quot;he who destroyed the happiness of these
+good, pious people, who tore down their house and scattered the whole
+family to the winds, may that man be judged by God! He fell like a wolf
+upon their goods and chattels. I wish no evil to him, but if there is a
+God in heaven may he find no peace in his house, may his children bring
+no joy to him, and may no happiness find its way within his four walls.
+As he ruined those four poor wretches and was guilty of their early
+death, so may he roam over the wide world without rest nor find in sleep
+any comfort! Yes, may his trouble and sorrow increase with the abundance
+of his wealth!</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I knew Sarkis when he was still a boy. When you knew him he must have
+been about forty years old. He was always just as you saw him: reserved,
+discreet, pious, beneficent to the poor, and hospitable. It never
+occurred that he spoke harshly to his wife or raised his hand against
+his children. He was ever satisfied with what he had; never complained
+that he had too little, or coveted the possessions of others. Yes, a
+pious man was Sarkis, and his wife had the same virtues. Early in
+childhood she lost her parents, and relatives of her mother adopted her,
+but treated her badly. Yes, bitter is the lot of the orphan, for even if
+they have means they are no better off than the poor! They said that
+when her father died he left her a store with goods worth about 3,000
+rubles, and beside that 2,000 ducats in cash; but he was hardly dead
+when the relations came and secured the stock and gold as guardians of
+the orphan. When she was fourteen years old, one after another wooed
+her, but when the go-betweens found out that there was nothing left of
+her property they went away and let the girl alone.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Happily for her, Sarkis appeared, and said: 'I want a wife; I seek no
+riches,' Of course, the relations gave her to him at once, and with her
+all sorts of trumpery, some half-ruined furniture, and a few gold
+pieces. 'That is all her father left,' they said, and demanded from him
+a receipt for the whole legacy from her father. That was the way they
+shook her off!</p>
+
+<p>&quot;At that time Sarkis himself had nothing, and was just as poor as his
+wife. He was clerk in a store, and received not more than 150 rubles in
+notes yearly, which were worth in current money scarcely one-third their
+face value. Yes, they were both poor, but God's mercy is great and no
+one can fathom his purposes! In the same year the merchant whom he
+served suddenly died after making over to Sarkis the whole store and all
+that was in it, on condition that a certain sum should be paid every
+year to the widow.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Sarkis took the business, and after three years he was sole owner of
+it. He increased it continually, and on the plot of ground he had
+inherited from his father he built a pretty house and moved into it. In
+the same year God gave him a daughter, whom he named Takusch, and four
+years later his son Toros came into the world.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;So these two orphans established a household and became somebodies;
+people who had laughed at them now sought their society, and began to
+vie with each other in praising Sarkis. But Sarkis remained the same
+God-fearing Sarkis. He spoke evil of no one, and even of his wife's
+relatives, who had robbed him, he said nothing. Indeed, when they had
+gone through that inheritance and were in want he even helped them out.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;As I have said, Sarkis refused no one his assistance, but his wife had
+also a good heart. The good things she did cannot be told. How often she
+baked cracknel, cakes, rolls, and sweet biscuit, and sent great plates
+full of them to those who could not have such things, for she said, 'May
+those who pass by and smell the fragrance of my cakes never desire them
+in vain.'</p>
+
+<p>&quot;About this time my husband died&mdash;may God bless him!&mdash;and I was living
+alone. Sarkis's wife came to me and said, 'Why will you live so lonely
+in your house? Rent it and come to us.' Of course, I did not hesitate
+long. I laid my things away in a large chest and moved over to their
+house, and soon we lived together like two sisters. Takusch was at that
+time four years old, and Toros was still a baby in arms. I lived ten
+years at their house, and heard not a single harsh word from them. Not
+once did they say to me, 'You eat our bread, you drink our water, you
+wear our clothing,' They never indulged in such talk: on the contrary,
+they placed me in the seat of honor. Yes, so they honored me. And, good
+heavens! what was I to them! Neither mother nor sister nor aunt, in no
+way related to them. I was a stranger taken from the streets.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Yes, such God-fearing people were Sarkis and his wife. The poor
+wretches believed that all mankind were as pure in heart as they were. I
+had even at that time a presentiment that they would not end well, and
+often remonstrated with them, begging them to be on their guard with
+people. But it was useless for me to talk, for they sang the old songs
+again.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Like a sweet dream my years with the good people passed. Surely pure
+mother's milk had nourished them! I knew neither pain nor grief, nor did
+I think of what I should eat to-morrow, nor of how I could clothe myself.
+As bounteous as the hand of God was their house to me. Twelve months in
+every year I sat peacefully at my spinning-wheel and carried on my own
+business.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Once during dog-days&mdash;Takusch was at that time fifteen years old and
+beginning her sixteenth year&mdash;toward evening, according to an old
+custom, we spread a carpet in the garden and placed a little table there
+for tea. Near us steamed and hissed the clean shining tea-urn, and
+around us roses and pinks shed their sweet odors. It was a beautiful
+evening, and it became more beautiful when the full moon rose in the
+heavens like a golden platter. I remember that evening as clearly as
+though it were yesterday. Takusch poured out the tea, and Auntie Mairam,
+Sarkis's wife, took a cup; but as she lifted it to her lips it fell out
+of her hand and the tea was spilled over her dress.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;My spirits fell when I saw this, for my heart told me that it meant
+something bad was coming. 'Keep away, evil; come, good,' I whispered,
+and crossed myself in silence. I glanced at Takusch and saw that the
+poor child had changed color. Then her innocent soul also felt that
+something evil was near! Sarkis and Mairam, however, remained in merry
+mood and thought of nothing of that sort. But if you believe not a
+thousand times that something is to come, it comes just the same!
+Mairam took her napkin and wiped off her dress and Takusch poured her a
+fresh cup. 'There will come a guest with a sweet tongue,' said Sarkis,
+smiling. 'Mairam, go and put another dress on. You will certainly be
+ashamed if anyone comes.'</p>
+
+<p>&quot;'Who can come to-day, so late?' said Mairam, smiling; 'and, beside, the
+dress will dry quickly.'</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Scarcely had she spoken when the garden door opened with a rush and a
+gentleman entered the enclosure. He had hardly stepped into the garden
+when he began to blab with his goat's voice like a windmill.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;'Good-evening. How are you? You are drinking tea? That is very fine for
+you. What magnificent air you have here! Good-evening, Mr. Sarkis.
+Good-evening, Mrs. Mairam, Good-evening, Hripsime. What are you doing? I
+like to drink tea in the open air. What a beautiful garden you have.
+Dare I taste these cherries? Well&mdash;they are not bad; no, indeed, they
+are splendid cherries. If you will give me a napkin full of these
+cherries I will carry them home to my wife. And what magnificent
+apricots! Mr. Sarkis, do you know what! Sell me your house. No, I will
+say something better to you. Come to my store&mdash;you know where it
+is&mdash;yonder in the new two-storied house. Yes, yes, come over there and
+we will sit down pleasantly by the desk and gossip about Moscow
+happenings.'</p>
+
+<p>&quot;We were as if turned to stone. There are in the world many kinds of
+madmen, chatterboxes, and braggarts, but such a creature as this I saw
+for the first time in my life, and do you know who it was? Hemorrhoid
+Jack.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Have you heard of him? Have you seen this hostage of God? Hripsime
+asked.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;No, I do not know him,&quot; I said.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;What! and you live in our city? Is there anyone who does not know the
+scoundrel? Go to the brokers, and they will tell you many he has thrown
+out of house and home by fraud and hunted out of the city. Have you ever
+seen how a bird-catcher lures the birds into his net&mdash;how he whistles to
+them? That's the way this John gets the people into his traps. To-day he
+will act as if altogether stupid. To-morrow he is suddenly shrewd, and
+understands the business well. Then he is simple again and a pure lamb.
+Now he is avaricious, now generous. And so he goes on. Yes, he slips
+around among the people like a fox with his tail wagging, and when he
+picks out his victim, he fastens his teeth in his neck and the poor
+beggar is lost. He gets him in his debt and never lets him get his
+breath between interest payments, or he robs him almost of his last
+shirt and lets him run. But see how I run away from my story!</p>
+
+<p>&quot;'Good-evening,' said Sarkis, as soon as he perceived Hemorrhoid Jack,
+and offered him his hand. 'What wind has blown you here? Mairam, a cup
+of tea for our honored Mr. John.'</p>
+
+<p>&quot;'Mr. Sarkis, do you know why I have come to you?' began Jack. 'The
+whole world is full of your praise; everywhere they are talking about
+you, and I thought to myself, &quot;I must go there and see what kind of a
+man this Sarkis is.&quot; And so here I am. Excuse my boldness. I cannot help
+it: I resemble in no way your stay-at-home.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;'I am somewhat after the European fashion, you know. Who pleases me, I
+visit him quite simply. Present myself and make his acquaintance. Then I
+invite him to my house, go again to his and bring my family with me.
+Yes, such a fellow am I, let them laugh at me who will,'</p>
+
+<p>&quot;'Oh,' I thought, 'poor Sarkis is already fallen into the net, and his
+family with him.'</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Meanwhile, Mairam had poured the tea, placed the cup on a tray, and
+Takusch had put it before Jack.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;'Where did you buy the tea?' he began, taking the cup. 'When you want
+tea, buy it of me, I pray. You know, I am sure, where my store is. I can
+give you every desirable brand, and at low price. The tea that cost two
+rubles I will give to you for one ruble ninety-five kopecks. Yes, I will
+sell it to you at a loss. Oh, what bad tea you drink!' At the same time
+he began to sip and in a moment emptied the cup. 'Be so good as to give
+me another cup,' he said. 'In the fresh air one gets an appetite. If I
+am to enjoy tea-drinking, let me hitch up my carriage and drive out to
+the Monastery Gardens. There, out-of-doors, I drink two or three glasses
+and settle for them. Yes, such European customs please me,'</p>
+
+<p>&quot;'May it benefit you!' said Sarkis.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;'Now, now, Mr. Sarkis, are you coming to my house to-morrow?' asked
+Hemorrhoid Jack.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;'I will see,' answered Sarkis.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;'What is there to see? If you want to come, come then. We will sit
+behind the counter, drink our glass of tea, and chat. Now and then, we
+will talk about European affairs, bookkeeping, news, and other things,'</p>
+
+<p>&quot;'All right, I shall surely come. I shall not forget.'</p>
+
+<p>&quot;'Good. And now it is time for me to be gone, for I must make two more
+visits to-day,' remarked Hemorrhoid Jack.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;'Do they pay visits at this hour?' responded Sarkis. 'It must be
+nearly ten o'clock. Takusch, get a light.'</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Takusch went into the room, and soon returned with a light. Sarkis took
+out his watch, and coming near the light said: 'Look, it is already a
+quarter to ten.'</p>
+
+<p>&quot;John looked, and at once cried out: 'Oh, Mr. Sarkis, what a magnificent
+watch you have! Where did you get it? It appears to me to be a costly
+one. Let me see it.'</p>
+
+<p>&quot;'This watch I received as a gift from our late Czar. You know that
+several years ago our late Czar visited Taganrog. On this occasion the
+people of Taganrog wished to give him a magnificent horse, but they
+could not find an appropriate saddle. It happened that I had one that
+would do, and when they heard of it, they came to me and told me for
+what they needed the saddle. Who would not be ready to make such a
+sacrifice for the Czar? Indeed, who would not only sacrifice a costly
+saddle (and this one was not worth much), but even his life, gladly, if
+need be? Therefore, I immediately hired a wagon, and taking this
+extraordinary saddle with me and then on to Taganrog to the governor's.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;'&quot;Your Highness seeks a saddle?&quot; I asked.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;'&quot;Yes, indeed,&quot; he answered.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;'&quot;Here it is,&quot; said I.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;'&quot;Thank you,&quot; he said, and pressed my hand. Then he led me into his own
+room. By George! it looked like one in a king's castle. He had me sit
+down, served me with tea, invited me to dine at his table: in a word, he
+treated me well. At my departure, he took out of a drawer a ring set
+with genuine brilliants, gave it to me, and said, &quot;Take this from me as
+a gift, and what I receive from the Czar I will give to you also.&quot; And
+he kept his word. The Czar really came, and they gave him the horse with
+my saddle. His Majesty thanked me for it and gave me this watch. Look,
+now, what a beautiful one it is!'</p>
+
+<p>&quot;'Yes, truly, it is a pretty thing. Show me it again. I wish to see what
+kind of a watch it is,' said Hemorrhoid Jack, examining the watch. 'And
+have you the ring by you? Can I see it? Oh, let me see what kind of a
+thing it is. I like to see such things, particularly if they come from
+persons of high rank.'</p>
+
+<p>&quot;'Is the ring not in the chest of drawers?' said Sarkis, looking around
+toward his wife.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;'Yes, I keep it there,' answered Mairam, faintly, for she might well
+foresee something evil. 'Who is it routs about in the chest of drawers
+in the night?'</p>
+
+<p>&quot;'Good Auntie Mairam,' began Jack, in a wheedling tone, 'I beg of you,
+bring the ring, that I may see it. Be so kind! When I see such a rare
+thing my heart leaps in my breast with delight. It is true joy for me to
+hold such things in my hand and look at them. Bring me the ring, I beg
+of you.'</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I looked at him at that moment, and he seemed to me like a veritable
+gypsy. Had I not been obliged to consider those present, I should
+certainly have spit in his face, so great was my aversion to this
+scoundrel. Yes, what the proverb says is true: 'If a rich man becomes
+poor, he is scented for years with his wealth; if a poor man grows rich
+he stinks of poverty for forty years!' That was the way with this
+Hemorrhoid Jack. Oh, if it had been in my power I would have seized the
+scoundrel by the collar and thrown him out of the gate. But Sarkis was
+not of my temperament; he had a gentle heart and was meek as a lamb. I
+went up to him, pushed his elbow, and whispered:</p>
+
+<p>&quot;'What are you doing, you good-natured fool? Why did you let him take
+the watch in his hand? And are you going to show the ring, too? You will
+see, he has bad intentions. I'll bet my head he will bring misfortune on
+yours. Do you not see his greedy eyes? He will ruin you altogether, you
+and house, and ground,' I said.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I had my trouble for my pains. Although a man of ripe years, Sarkis was
+nevertheless like a mere boy, believing all people as honest as
+himself. Heaven knows! perhaps such a fate was destined for him, and it
+was impossible for him to get out of the way of misfortune.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Mairam brought the ring, and as soon as the scoundrel saw it he grabbed
+it from her hand and put it on his finger.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;'What a pretty thing it is!' he said, smirking. 'How it glistens! What
+a precious ring! What wonderfully beautiful brilliants! What ought I to
+give you for such a ring? Tell me. It pleases me exceedingly. Yes,
+without joking, sell it to me. No, we will arrange it otherwise: I will
+give you all kinds of goods out of my store at a very low price, yes,
+very cheap. May the apoplexy strike me if I make anything out of you! I
+will sell you everything at cost price, and if you wish, will give you
+ten kopecks rebate on the ruble.'</p>
+
+<p>&quot;'No, my dear sir,' said Mairam, embarrassed. 'Can one sell a souvenir
+of the Czar, and one of such great value? We have no occasion to do it.
+We are no Jews, to sell off everything, to turn into money whatever
+comes into our hands. Are we such poor beggars that we cannot have
+something good and valuable in our chest? No, Mr. John, what you say
+seems to me to be very singular. You are rich, yet you say that you have
+never in your life seen a gold watch nor a ring set with brilliants. It
+seems to me a fine new custom that one must immediately have what one
+sees. No, dear sir, cast not your eyes upon our property; be content
+with what you have.'</p>
+
+<p>&quot;'Mrs. Mairam,' said the scoundrel, smirking, 'why are you so angry? May
+one not joke with you?'</p>
+
+<p>&quot;'A fine joke!' I said, putting in my oar. 'You looked at the trees, and
+you will at once tear them down. You fell on the fruit like a wolf. You
+saw the garden, and at once wanted to buy. Now you want the ring, and
+will exchange for it your wares. What sort of tomfoolery are you talking
+to us? You are either crazy yourself or will make others so. The apple
+falls not far from the stem&mdash;one sees that in you.'</p>
+
+<p>&quot;'Aunt Hripsime, why are you so cross? Dare one not jest?'</p>
+
+<p>&quot;'Enough, enough; I understand your joke very well,' I cried
+indignantly.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Yes, we women scolded him right well, but Sarkis said no earthly word.
+He sat there dumb and speechless as the stick in my hand. The Lord God
+gave him a tongue to speak with, but, dear heaven, he sat there like a
+clod and never uttered a syllable. I was like to burst with wrath.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Then that unscrupulous fellow repeated his speech. 'Don't you
+understand a joke? Have you, then, no sense of fun?' He would have
+struck us over the ear, and that the fellow called a joke! And how the
+creature looked! His face was like a drum-skin. It was as though someone
+had wiped off the holy oil from this grimacing mask with a butcher's
+sponge. Yes, here you see how people become rich; how they get hold of
+other people's property. Conscience hunts the scoundrel to the deuce: he
+lets his skin grow thick; feigns outwardly to be dull; if anyone spits
+in his face he regards it only as a May-shower; if anyone goes for him
+for his rascality, he takes it as a joke. And so the rascals become
+rich! One must be born to those things, that's the way I see it.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;If you knew all that we said to this scoundrel's face! We all but
+seized him by the collar and threw him out the gate. We belabored him
+well, but the fellow stood as if dumb, remained silent, and laughed in
+our faces as if we had been speaking to each other and not to him. He
+neither took the watch out of his pocket nor the ring from his finger.
+Finally, I thought to myself, 'I will wait a little and see what will
+happen.'</p>
+
+<p>&quot;And do you know what this bad fellow said to our Sarkis after a short
+silence? 'Your watch and ring please me well, old fellow. Let me take
+them for a month or two. I will send them to Moscow and have some like
+them made for myself. As soon as I get them back I will give them back
+to you unhurt.'</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Our stupid Sarkis dared not say no, and he had his way.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;'Take them,' said Sarkis, 'but take care that they do not go astray,
+for&mdash;'</p>
+
+<p>&quot;'But what are you thinking about?' answered the scoundrel. 'Am I
+then&mdash;. Where do you buy your calico?' the scoundrel began after a
+pause. 'How much do you pay an ell? Where do you buy your linen cloth?
+How high does it come by the ell? Where do you buy your silk and satin?'</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Heaven knows what all he prated about, and Sarkis answered him and told
+everything just as it really was.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;'We buy our manufactured goods of Yellow Pogos,' and told the prices
+of everything without reserve.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;'Have you lost your wits, man?' cried Hemorrhoid Jack. 'Can any man in
+his full senses buy anything of Yellow Pogos? Don't you know that he is
+a swindler? Why don't you buy your goods of me? I will give them to you
+cheaper by half,'</p>
+
+<p>&quot;To this Sarkis answered, 'When I need something again I will buy it of
+you.'</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I knew well enough that Sarkis needed nothing at the time, and that he
+said this only to get rid of the fellow. But Jack did not or would not
+understand, and began again.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;'No, do not put it that way,' he said. 'Come to-morrow and pick out
+what pleases you. Do not think for a minute that I wish to make money
+out of you. Let the goods lie in your closet, for, between ourselves,
+goods were very cheap in Moscow this year, and I cleverly threw out my
+line and bought everything at half price. This year is a lucky one for
+my customers. If one of them will let his goods lie a little while he
+will certainly double his money on them. Yes, buy, I tell you, but not
+by the ell. Buy by the piece and you will not regret it, I assure you. I
+will send you in the morning five or six different kinds of goods.'</p>
+
+<p>&quot;'But why such haste?' said Mairam. 'My chest of drawers is full of
+stuff for clothes, and what I am wearing is still quite new. If we need
+anything we will come to you.'</p>
+
+<p>&quot;'What are you talking about, Auntie Mairam?' answered Hemorrhoid Jack.
+'Do you not believe me? I tell you, you can get double for the goods,
+and if you cannot use everything yourself, give it to your neighbors.
+You will do good business. On my word of honor, I swear to you, you will
+make double on it. Would I lie for the sake of such a trifle? Whom do
+you think you have here? But that is a small matter: I have still
+something better to propose. You must take a shipment of tea from me. In
+the winter the price will rise, and you can make enormous profits out of
+it. To-morrow I will send you one chest&mdash;for the present. Well? Now,
+really, I will send it to you.'</p>
+
+<p>&quot;'My dear John,' exclaimed Sarkis, 'you must know how risky it is to
+begin a new business. I have never handled tea, and the thing appears
+to me somewhat daring. I know no customers for tea, and understand
+nothing about the goods. If it remains lying by me and spoils&mdash;'</p>
+
+<p>&quot;'What empty straw are you threshing now?' cried Hemorrhoid Jack. 'As
+soon as the people know that you have tea to sell they will of their own
+accord come running into your store. Do you think that you will have to
+look up customers? In a week or two not a trace of your tea will remain.
+I speak from practical experience. This year little tea has been brought
+from Siberia, and what they have brought has almost all fallen into my
+hands. Do not think that I seek a buyer in you! God forbid! When I
+learned what a good man you were, I thought to myself, &quot;I must give him
+a chance to make something. Yes, I want him to make a few kopecks.&quot; Do
+you think I am in need of purchasers? Now, Sarkis, to-morrow I will send
+you the goods. What?'</p>
+
+<p>&quot;'By heaven, I know not how I ought to answer you. Do you know, I am
+afraid,' said Sarkis.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;The poor fellow could say nothing farther, for he was such an honest,
+good-natured fellow that it was hard for him to refuse anybody anything.
+The word 'no' did not exist for him.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;'You are talking nonsense,' began Hemorrhoid Jack anew. 'Give up your
+grocery and set up a wholesale business. Manage it according to the
+European plan, and you shall see how thankful to me you will be in time.
+Do you believe that I am your enemy? Would I advise you badly? Now, the
+matter is settled. In the morning I will send you several chests of tea
+and put them in your store. You will find out that Hemorrhoid Jack
+wishes you no ill. Yes, I will say something even better. You know what
+machorka is?&mdash;a cheap tobacco that the poor folk smoke. What do you
+think of this stuff? Do you think that there is a class of goods more
+profitable than this? People make thousands from it, and build
+themselves fine houses. And what expenses have they with it? Put the
+tobacco in an empty stable or shed and it may lie there. A chest of it
+put on sale in your store and I tell you, if you do not make ruble for
+ruble out of it, then spit in my face.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;'Last spring most of this stuff was in the hands of a Cossack. The
+stupid fellow didn't know what he ought to expect for it, and he needed
+money&mdash;this gander! I brought him home with me; had brandy, bread, and
+ham set out; and, after a little talk back and forth, I bought 400
+chests at half price. Half I paid in cash, the rest in eighteen months.
+Now, wasn't that a good trade? If I don't make my 3,000 rubles out of
+it, I shall be a fool. If you like, I will send you some of these goods.
+Put it in your shop or in your shed and let it lie there; it eats and
+drinks nothing. Now, I tell you, if you do not make 100 per cent, out of
+it, spit in my face. Shall I send you a few chests of it?'</p>
+
+<p>&quot;'By heaven, I cannot go into it,' answered Sarkis. 'Do you know, I am
+afraid to undertake a new trade? If the stuff does not go off or spoils
+on my hands or the price falls, what shall I do? You know that our
+capital consists of only a few kopecks. We spend as we earn. If I run
+after the rubles and lose the kopecks thereby, who will give me
+something to eat?' concluded the poor wretch, as if he scented some
+evil.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;But could he free himself from that Satan of a Hemorrhoid Jack? Like a
+leech he had fastened himself on his neck and demanded that he should
+buy the goods.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;'Now, Sarkis,' he began again, 'the thing is settled. I am to send you
+in the morning manufactured goods, tea, and tobacco. Well?'</p>
+
+<p>&quot;'I will see; I must turn it over in my mind,' stammered Sarkis. He
+wanted to be rid of him, but he knew not how to begin.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;'What does that &quot;I will see!&quot; mean? Nothing,' the other continued. 'You
+may see a thousand times and you will not find again such good goods and
+such a favorable opportunity. I speak from experience. You must not let
+this chance slip by or you will throw gold out of the window with your
+own hands. I am talking about great gains, great profits; do you think
+it is a joke?'</p>
+
+<p>&quot;'We shall see,' said poor Sarkis. 'We have many days before us. Yes, we
+will surely do something.'</p>
+
+<p>&quot;'What you do now is not worth much,' cried Hemorrhoid Jack. 'I see that
+if I leave the thing to your decision, in five years you will not have
+reached one. Isn't that true? In the morning I will send you one load of
+goods and the rest later.'</p>
+
+<p>&quot;With these words he seized his cap, quickly made his adieus, and went
+away.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;It was nearly one o'clock; Mairam and Takusch were sitting there asleep
+and I also was very sleepy, but I fought against my sleepiness to watch
+that devil of a Hemorrhoid Jack. Mankind can be a priest to
+mankind&mdash;also a Satan!</p>
+
+<p>&quot;When he was in the street, Sarkis said to me: 'What a wonderful
+conversation we have had this evening. Of all this man has said, I
+understand nothing. His purposes are not exactly bad, but I don't know
+how it happens&mdash;my heart presages something of evil.'</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I was just going to answer him when suddenly I sneezed; but only once.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;'See now,' I said to Sarkis; 'I was right in saying he was going to
+trick you. Now it has proved itself.'</p>
+
+<p>&quot;'If one sneezes only once by day that is a bad sign, but at night it
+means something good,' he interrupted me.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;'Oh,' I said, 'do not, I pray, give me lessons; don't teach me what a
+sneeze is the sign of. Whether it is in the daytime or at night it is a
+bad sign, and if one just made up his mind to do anything, he should let
+it drop.'</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Sarkis would not give in that I was right, but began to chatter about a
+sneeze at night being a good thing. I said no and he said yes, and so it
+went on until I finally gave it up.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;'Oh, 'I said, 'have your own way, but when misfortune comes to you do
+not blame me for it.'</p>
+
+<p>&quot;'I have really begun nothing,' he observed. 'That was only a talk. We
+have only discussed something. I have really no desire to try my hand
+with the tea and tobacco.'</p>
+
+<p>&quot;That he said to me, but heaven only knows! perhaps in his thoughts he
+was already counting the thousands he hoped to earn. Money has such
+power that my blessed grandmother always said that the devil had
+invented it. He had racked his brains to find a way to lead mankind into
+wickedness and did not succeed until he invented money. Then he was
+master of our souls. How many men money has deprived of reason! Sarkis
+was not of so firm a mind that he would be able to stand out against
+such rosy hopes.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;The next day, early in the morning, the shop-boy came running into the
+house in a great hurry, and said that nine cart-loads of goods were
+standing at the gate. The man who was in charge of them was asking for
+Sarkis.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;'What kind of an invasion is this!' cried Sarkis. 'I must go and see
+who it is. Perhaps the loads are not for me at all. God knows for whom
+they are!'</p>
+
+<p>&quot;He went out, and we after him. Although I had not seen the loads of
+goods, I knew the whole story in a moment.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Before we had reached the gate a man met us and said:</p>
+
+<p>&quot;'My master sends you greeting and begs you to take these nine
+wagon-loads of goods and sign for them.'</p>
+
+<p>&quot;'Who is your master?' we asked, all together.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;'Hemorrhoid Jack. Don't you know him? He was at your house last
+evening.'</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I was ready to burst with anger.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;'You fellow,' I said, 'who told your master to send these goods here?
+Have we ordered anything? Turn at once and get out of the room.'</p>
+
+<p>&quot;'Is that so!' said the man. 'After a thing is settled you can't take
+back your word. Where shall I put the goods now?'</p>
+
+<p>&quot;'Where you brought them from, take them back there!'</p>
+
+<p>&quot;'The coach-house is closed.'</p>
+
+<p>&quot;'That does not concern us; that is your master's affair.'</p>
+
+<p>&quot;'If he were here I would tell him, but he is not here.'</p>
+
+<p>&quot;'Where is he then?' I asked.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;'He has gone to Taganrog.'</p>
+
+<p>&quot;'When did he start?'</p>
+
+<p>&quot;'About two hours ago. He will not be back for two months, for he has
+very important business in the courts.'</p>
+
+<p>&quot;It could not be doubted now that this villain of a John had already
+begun his tricks; but that innocent Sarkis did not see through his
+devilish purposes. Had I been in his place I would have run immediately
+to the City Hall and told every detail of the business, and the thing
+would have come out all right. But Sarkis was not the man for that.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;'Well, if that is the case drive into the yard and unload. The goods
+cannot stand in the street. When Jack comes back from Taganrog I will
+arrange things with him in some way.'</p>
+
+<p>&quot;The wagons came into the yard with a clatter and the driver unloaded
+the goods and piled them up in the coach-house. I stood as if turned to
+stone and silently watched this move in their game. 'What will come of
+it?' I thought to myself.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Ah, but I would rather have died than see what did come of it!</p>
+
+<p>&quot;When the goods were unloaded the clerk demanded a receipt, which Sarkis
+gave him without hesitation, whereupon the clerk went away satisfied.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Later we heard that Jack had not gone to Taganrog at all, and had only
+ordered the clerk to say so.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;That same day when we were sitting at dinner, Sarkis turned to me and
+said: 'See, Hripsime, your sneeze has cheated you. Did you not say that
+Jack was going to play a trick on me? You see something very different
+has happened. This forenoon four or five persons came into my shop who
+wished to buy tea and tobacco. I told them the matter was not yet
+settled; that we had not agreed on the price; as soon as the agreement
+was made I would begin business. Do you see? I have not advertised that
+I was going to handle the goods, yet everybody knows it and one customer
+after another comes into my store. How will it be when the goods are put
+on sale?&mdash;they will fight for them. It will give me a great deal to do;
+I must only go to John and settle on the terms. Yes, little mother, such
+a wholesale trade is not to be despised; the wholesaler can often make
+more money in a moment than the retailer makes in two years. Yes, my
+love, in business that is really so!'</p>
+
+<p>&quot;'God grant that it may be so!' I said, and nothing more was said about
+Jack.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Several months passed by and November came. One evening we were sitting
+together chatting comfortably when the door opened softly and an old
+woman entered. I knew immediately that she was a matchmaker. In three
+days Takusch was betrothed to a plain, middle-rate man. The wedding was
+to take place the next winter on her father's name-day. As a dowry her
+parents promised 3,000 rubles&mdash;1,500 in cash, and the rest in jewels.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Tagusch was at that time fifteen years old. Although I had lived in her
+parents' house I had never looked right attentively at her face,
+scarcely knew, in fact, whether she was beautiful or ugly; but when on
+her betrothal day she put on a silk dress and adorned herself as is
+customary at such a festive time; when she had put on her head a satin
+fez with gold tassels and a flower set with brilliants, I fairly gaped
+with admiration. I am almost eighty years old, but in all my life I have
+never seen a more beautiful girl.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I am no dwarf, but she was a few inches taller than I. She was slender
+as a sweet-pine tree. Her hands were delicate and soft, her fingers were
+like wax. Hair and eyebrows were black, and her face like snow. Her
+cheeks were tinged rose-red, and her glance! that I cannot forget even
+to this day. It was brighter than a genuine Holland diamond. Her
+eyelashes were so long that they cast shadows on her cheeks. No, such a
+charming creature I have never seen in dreams, let alone reality. She
+was&mdash;God forgive my sins&mdash;the pure image of the Mother of God in our
+church; yes, she was even more beautiful. When I looked at her I could
+not turn my eyes away again. I gazed at her and could not look enough.
+On the betrothal day I sat in the corner of the room with my eyes nailed
+on Takusch.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;'How sorry I am,' thought I, 'that you with that angel face are to be
+the wife of a commonplace man, to be the mother of a family and go into
+a dirty, smoky kitchen. Shall your tender hands become hard as leather
+with washing, ironing, kneading, and who knows what housework beside?
+Shall your angel cheeks fade from the heat of the oven and your eyes
+lose their diamond-shine from sewing?' Yes, so thought I, and my heart
+bled within me for this girl who ought to wear a queen's crown and live
+in a palace. Surely, if this rose maiden had lived in olden times she
+would certainly have married a king or a king's son. And the poor thing
+stood there like a lamb, for she did not understand what life was. She
+thought marriage would be nothing more than a change in her
+dwelling-place. Oh, but I was sorry that evening that she was going to
+marry only an ordinary, but still eligible, young man, and yet it would
+have been a great good fortune for her if this had come to pass. Had we
+thought at that time that great misfortunes were in store for the poor
+child! And that cursed Hemorrhoid Jack was the cause of them all!</p>
+
+<p>&quot;That betrothal day was the last happy day of the poor wretches. I
+never afterward saw smiles on their faces, for from that day their
+circumstances grew worse and worse and their business became very bad.
+They lost house and ground, moved about for several months from one
+rented house to another, until finally they disappeared from the city.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;The day after the betrothal Hemorrhoid Jack sent word to Sarkis by his
+clerk that Sarkis must pay 2,700 rubles for the tobacco and tea and 184
+rubles for the manufactured goods. I have forgotten to tell you that
+among the latter were old-fashioned dress-goods, taxed cloth, linen,
+satin, and some silk. The clerk also said that if Sarkis did not pay the
+184 rubles the ring and watch would be retained.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Poor Sarkis was completely dazed.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;'Have I bought the goods?' he asked.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;'Certainly you have bought them,' answered the unscrupulous clerk.
+'Otherwise you would not have sold a chest of tea and a bale of tobacco.
+Beside, the coat your boy is wearing was made from our cloth.'</p>
+
+<p>&quot;This was true. On the third day after receiving the goods, Sarkis had
+sold a bale of tobacco and a chest of tea, and had cut off several yards
+of cloth. It was very singular that in the course of three months Sarkis
+had not once caught sight of Hemorrhoid Jack to call him to account for
+the delivery of the goods. He had been several times to his house, where
+they said, 'He is at the store.' At the store they said Jack was at
+home. It was very evident that he wished to defraud Sarkis. After much
+talk back and forth the matter came into the courts, and since Sarkis
+had sold part of the goods and had given a receipt for them, he had to
+pay the sum demanded.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;For several months past business had been going very badly with the
+poor fellow and he could not raise the required sum, so he had to give
+up his property. First they drove the poor man out of his house and
+emptied his store and his storehouse. Then they sold the tobacco and the
+tea, for which no one would give more than fifty rubles, for both were
+half rotten. The store and all that was in it were then auctioned off
+for a few hundred rubles, and finally the house was offered for sale. No
+one would buy it, for among our people the praiseworthy custom rules
+that they never buy a house put up at auction till they convince
+themselves that the owner sells it of his own free-will. The household
+furniture was also sold, and Sarkis became almost a beggar, and was
+obliged, half naked, to leave his house, with his wife and children.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I proposed that they should occupy my house, but he would not have it.
+'From to-day the black earth is my dwelling-place,' he said, and rented
+a small house at the edge of the town near where the fields begin.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;When the neighbors found out the treachery of Hemorrhoid Jack, they
+were terribly angry, and one of them threw a note into his yard in which
+was written: that if he took possession of poor Sarkis's house they
+would tear or burn it down. That was just what John wished, and he
+immediately sent carpenters to tear down the house and stable and then
+he sold the wood.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;At this time I became very sick and lay two months in bed. When I got
+up again I thought to myself, 'I must go and visit the poor wretches!' I
+went to their little house, but found the door locked and the windows
+boarded up. I asked a boy, 'My child, do you know where the people of
+this house are?' 'Two weeks ago they got into a wagon and drove away,'
+answered the lad. 'Where are they gone?' I asked. 'That I don't know,'
+he said.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I would not have believed it, but an old woman came up to me on the
+street, of her own accord, and said:</p>
+
+<p>&quot;'They all got into a wagon and have moved away into a Russian village.'</p>
+
+<p>&quot;What the village was called she could not tell me, and so every trace
+of them was lost.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Many years later a gentleman came from Stavropol to our city, who gave
+me some news of the poor wretches. They had settled in a Cossack
+village&mdash;he told me the name, but I have forgotten&mdash;where at first they
+suffered great want; and just as things were going a little better with
+them, Mairam and Sarkis died of the cholera and Takusch and Toros were
+left alone. Soon after, a Russian officer saw Takusch and was greatly
+pleased with her. After a few months she married him. Toros carried on
+his father's business for a time, then gave it up and joined the army.
+So much I found out from the gentleman from Stavropol.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Some time later I met again one who knew Takusch. He told me that she
+was now a widow. Her husband had been a drunkard, spent his whole nights
+in inns, often struck his poor wife, and treated her very badly. Finally
+they brought him home dead. Toros's neck had been broken at a horse-race
+and he was dead. He said also that Takusch had almost forgotten the
+Armenian language and had changed her faith.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;'That is the history of the Vacant Yard.&quot;</p>
+
+
+<br><hr style="width: 45%;"><br>
+<br>
+
+<a name="ARMENIAN_POEMS"></a><h3>ARMENIAN POEMS</h3>
+
+<h4>[<i>Metrical Version, by Robert Arnot, M.A.</i>]</h4>
+
+
+<br><hr style="width: 45%;"><br>
+
+<h3>ARMENIAN POEMS</h3>
+<br>
+
+<a name="A_PLAINT"></a><h3>A PLAINT</h3>
+
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">Were I a springtime breeze,</span><br>
+A breeze in the time when the song-birds pair,<br>
+I'd tenderly smooth and caress your hair,<br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">And hide from your eyes in the budding trees.</span><br>
+<br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">Were I a June-time rose,</span><br>
+I'd glow in the ardor of summer's behest,<br>
+And die in my passion upon your breast,<br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">In the passion that only a lover knows.</span><br>
+<br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">Were I a lilting bird,</span><br>
+I'd fly with my song and my joy and my pain,<br>
+And beat at your lattice like summer-rain,<br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">Till I knew that your inmost heart was stirred.</span><br>
+<br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">Were I a winged dream,</span><br>
+I'd steal in the night to your slumbering side,<br>
+And the joys of hope in your bosom I'd hide,<br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">And pass on my way like a murmuring stream.</span><br>
+<br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">Tell me the truth, the truth,</span><br>
+Have I merited woe at your tapering hands,<br>
+Have you wilfully burst love's twining strands,<br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">And cast to the winds affection and ruth?</span><br>
+<br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">'Twas a fleeting vision of joy,</span><br>
+While you loved me you plumed your silvery wings,<br>
+And in fear of the pain that a man's love brings<br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">You fled to a bliss that has no alloy.</span><br>
+
+<p>MUGURDITCH BESHETTASHLAIN.</p>
+
+<br><hr style="width: 45%;"><br>
+
+<h3><a name="SPRING_IN_EXILE"></a>SPRING IN EXILE</h3>
+
+Wind of the morn, of the morn of the year,<br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">Violet-laden breath of spring,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">To the flowers and the lasses whispering</span><br>
+Things that a man's ear cannot hear,<br>
+In thy friendly grasp I would lay my hand,<br>
+But thou comest not from my native land.<br>
+<br>
+Birds of the morn, of the morn of the year,<br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">Chanting your lays in the bosky dell,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">Higher and fuller your round notes swell,</span><br>
+Till the Fauns and the Dryads peer forth to hear<br>
+The trilling lays of your feathery band:<br>
+Ye came not, alas, from my native land.<br>
+<br>
+Brook of the morn, of the morn of the year,<br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">Burbling joyfully on your way,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">Maiden and rose and woodland fay</span><br>
+Use as a mirror your waters clear:<br>
+But I mourn as upon your banks I stand,<br>
+That you come not, alas, from my native land.<br>
+<br>
+Breezes and birds and brooks of the Spring,<br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">Chanting your lays in the morn of the year,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">Though Armenia, my country, be wasted and sere,</span><br>
+And mourns for her maidens who never shall sing,<br>
+Yet a storm, did it come from that desolate land,<br>
+Would awaken a joy that ye cannot command.<br>
+
+<p>RAPHAEL PATKANIAN.</p>
+
+<br><hr style="width: 45%;"><br>
+
+<a name="FLY,_LAYS_OF_MINE!"></a><h3>FLY, LAYS OF MINE!</h3>
+
+Fly, lays of mine, but not to any clime<br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">Where happiness and light and love prevail,</span><br>
+But seek the spots where woe and ill and crime<br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">Leave as they pass a noisome serpent-trail</span><br>
+<br>
+Fly, lays of mine, but not to the ether blue,<br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">Where golden sparks illume the heavenly sphere,</span><br>
+But seek the depths where nothing that is true<br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">Relieves the eye or glads a listening ear.</span><br>
+<br>
+Fly, lays of mine, but not to fruitful plains<br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">Where spring the harvests by God's benison,</span><br>
+But seek the deserts where for needed rains<br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">Both prayers and curses rise in unison.</span><br>
+<br>
+Fly, lays of mine, but not to riotous halls,<br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">Where dancing sylphs supply voluptuous songs,</span><br>
+But seek the huts where pestilence appals,<br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">And death completes the round of human wrongs.</span><br>
+<br>
+Fly, lays of mine, but not to happy wives,<br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">Whose days are one unending flow of bliss,</span><br>
+But seek the maidens whose unfruitful lives<br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">Have known as yet no lover's passionate kiss.</span><br>
+<br>
+Fly, lays of mine, and like the nightingales,<br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">Whose liquid liltings charm away the night,</span><br>
+Reveal in song the sweets of summer's gales,<br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">Of lover's pleadings and of love's delight.</span><br>
+<br>
+And tell my lady, when your quests are o'er,<br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">That I, away from her, my heart's desire,</span><br>
+Yearn for the blissful hour when I shall pour<br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">Down at her feet a love surcharged with fire.</span><br>
+<br>
+MUGURDITCH BESHETTASHLAIN.<br>
+
+<br><hr style="width: 45%;"><br>
+
+<a name="THE_WOE_OF_ARAXES"></a><h3>THE WOE OF ARAXES</h3>
+
+Meditating by Araxes,<br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">Pacing slowly to and fro,</span><br>
+Sought I traces of the grandeur<br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">Hidden by her turgid flow.</span><br>
+<br>
+&quot;Turgid are thy waters, Mother,<br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">As they beat upon the shore.</span><br>
+Do they offer lamentations<br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">For Armenia evermore?</span><br>
+<br>
+&quot;Gay should be thy mood, O Mother,<br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.75em;">As the sturgeons leap in glee:</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.25em;">Ocean's merging still is distant,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.75em;">Shouldest thou be sad, like me?</span><br>
+<br>
+&quot;Are thy spume-drifts tears, O Mother,<br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.75em;">Tears for those that are no more?</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.25em;">Dost thou haste to pass by, weeping,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.75em;">This thine own beloved shore?&quot;</span><br>
+<br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.25em;">Then uprose on high Araxes,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.75em;">Flung in air her spumy wave,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.25em;">And from out her depths maternal</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.75em;">Sonorous her answer gave:</span><br>
+<br>
+&quot;Why disturb me now, presumptuous,<br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.75em;">All my slumbering woe to wake?</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.25em;">Why invade the eternal silence</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.75em;">For a foolish question's sake?</span><br>
+<br>
+&quot;Know'st thou not that I am widowed;<br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.75em;">Sons and daughters, consort, dead?</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.25em;">Wouldst thou have me go rejoicing,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.75em;">As a bride to nuptial bed?</span><br>
+<br>
+&quot;Wouldst thou have me decked in splendor,<br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.75em;">To rejoice a stranger's sight,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.25em;">While the aliens that haunt me</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.75em;">Bring me loathing, not delight?</span><br>
+<br>
+&quot;Traitress never I; Armenia<br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.75em;">Claims me ever as her own;</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.25em;">Since her mighty doom hath fallen</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.75em;">Never stranger have I known.</span><br>
+<br>
+&quot;Yet the glories of my nuptials<br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.75em;">Heavy lie upon my soul;</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.25em;">Once again I see the splendor</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.75em;">And I hear the music roll.</span><br>
+<br>
+&quot;Hear again the cries of children<br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.75em;">Ringing joyfully on my banks,</span><br>
+And the noise of marts and toilers,<br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">And the tread of serried ranks.</span><br>
+<br>
+&quot;But where, now, are all my people?<br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">Far in exile, homeless, lorn.</span><br>
+While in widow's weeds and hopeless,<br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">Weeping, sit I here and mourn.</span><br>
+<br>
+&quot;Hear now! while my sons are absent<br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">Age-long fast I still shall keep;</span><br>
+Till my children gain deliverance,<br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">Here I watch and pray and weep.&quot;</span><br>
+<br>
+Silent, then, the mighty Mother<br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">Let her swelling tides go free.</span><br>
+And in mournful meditation<br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">Slowly wandered to the sea.</span><br>
+
+<p>Raphael Patkanian.</p>
+
+<br><hr style="width: 45%;"><br>
+
+<a name="THE_ARMENIAN_MAIDEN"></a><h3>THE ARMENIAN MAIDEN</h3>
+
+In the hush of the spring night dreaming<br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">The crescent moon have you seen,</span><br>
+As it shimmers on apricots gleaming,<br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">Through velvety masses of green.</span><br>
+<br>
+Have you seen, in a June-tide nooning,<br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">A languorous full-blown rose</span><br>
+In the arms of the lilies swooning<br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">And yielding her sweets to her foes?</span><br>
+<br>
+Yet the moon in its course and the roses<br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">By Armenia's maiden pale,</span><br>
+When she coyly and slowly discloses<br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">The glories beneath her veil.</span><br>
+<br>
+And a lute from her mother receiving,<br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">With a blush that a miser would move,</span><br>
+She treads a soft measure, believing<br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">That music is sister to love.</span><br>
+<br>
+Like a sapling her form in its swaying,<br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">Full of slender and lissomy grace</span><br>
+As she bends to the time of her playing,<br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">Or glides with a fairy-light pace.</span><br>
+<br>
+The lads for her beauty are burning,<br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">The elders hold forth on old age,</span><br>
+But the maiden flies merrily spurning<br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">Youth, lover, and matron and sage.</span><br>
+<br>
+RAPHAEL PATKANIAN.<br>
+
+<br><hr style="width: 45%;"><br>
+
+<a name="ONE_OF_A_THOUSAND"></a><h3>ONE OF A THOUSAND</h3>
+
+Sweet lady, whence the sadness in your face?<br>
+What heart's desire is still unsatisfied?<br>
+Your face and form are fair and full of grace,<br>
+And silk and velvet lend you all their pride.<br>
+A nod, a glance, and straight your maidens fly<br>
+To execute your hest with loving zeal.<br>
+By night and day you have your minstrelsy,<br>
+Your feet soft carpets kiss and half conceal;<br>
+While fragrant blooms adorn your scented bower,<br>
+Fruits fresh and rare lie in abundance near.<br>
+The costly narghil&eacute; exerts its power<br>
+To soothe vain longing and dispel all fear:<br>
+Envy not angels; you have paradise.<br>
+No lowly consort you. A favored wife,<br>
+Whose mighty husband can her wants suffice;<br>
+Why mar with grieving such a fortunate life?<br>
+<br>
+So to Haripsime, the Armenian maid,<br>
+On whom the cruel fortune of her lot had laid<br>
+Rejection of her faith, spake with a sigh<br>
+The wrinkled, ugly, haggard slave near by.<br>
+<br>
+Haripsime replied not to the words,<br>
+But, silent, turned her face away. With scorn<br>
+And sorrow mingled were the swelling chords<br>
+Of passionate lament, and then forlorn,<br>
+Hopeless, she raised her tearful orbs to heaven.<br>
+<br>
+Silent her lips, her grief too deep for sound;<br>
+Her fixed gaze sought the heavy banks of cloud<br>
+Surcharged with lightning bolts that played around<br>
+The gloomy spires and minarets; then bowed<br>
+Her head upon her hands; the unwilling eyes<br>
+Shed tears as heavy as the thunder-shower<br>
+That trails the bolt to where destruction lies.<br>
+<br>
+There was a time when she, a happy girl,<br>
+Had home and parents and a numerous kin;<br>
+But on an Eastertide, amid a whirl<br>
+Of pillage, murder, and the savage din<br>
+Of plundering Kavasses, the Pacha saw<br>
+Her budding beauty, and his will was law.<br>
+<br>
+Her vengeful sire fell 'neath a sabre's stroke;<br>
+Her mother, broken-hearted, gave to God<br>
+The life in which no joys could now evoke<br>
+The wonted happiness. The harem of the Turk<br>
+Enfolds Haripsime's fresh maidenhood,<br>
+And there where danger and corruption lurk,<br>
+Where Shitan's nameless and befouling brood<br>
+Surround each Georgian and Armenian pearl,<br>
+She weeps and weeps, shunning the shallow joys<br>
+Of trinkets, robes, of music, or the whirl<br>
+Of joyous dance, of singing girls and boys,<br>
+And murmurs always in a sobbing prayer,<br>
+&quot;Shall never help be sent? Is this despair?&quot;<br>
+
+<p>RAPHAEL PATKANIAN.</p>
+
+<br><hr style="width: 45%;"><br>
+
+<a name="LONGING"></a><h3>LONGING</h3>
+
+Tell me, brother, where is rest<br>
+From the flame that racks my breast<br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 2em;">With its pain?</span><br>
+Fires unceasing sear my heart;<br>
+Ah, too long, too deep, the smart<br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 2em;">To heal again.</span><br>
+<br>
+When I'd pluck the roses sweet<br>
+Sharpest thorns my fingers greet;<br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1.75em;">Courage flies.</span><br>
+Since my love has humbled me,<br>
+Tyrant-like has troubled me,<br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1.75em;">'Spite my cries.</span><br>
+Health and joy have taken flight,<br>
+Prayer nor chant nor priestly rite<br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1.75em;">Do I prize.</span><br>
+<br>
+Girl, my girl, my peerless one,<br>
+Radiant as Armenia's sun,<br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1.75em;">Beautiful Sanan!</span><br>
+Earth has none as fair as thou,<br>
+Nor can ages gone bestow<br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1.75em;">One like my Sanan.</span><br>
+<br>
+Sixteen summers old is she,<br>
+Grace of slender pines has she,<br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1.75em;">Like the stars her eyes.</span><br>
+Lips, thrice blessed whom they kiss,<br>
+Brows as dark as hell's abyss,<br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1.75em;">And with sighs,</span><br>
+Her heart to win, her love alone,<br>
+What mighty prince from his high throne<br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1.75em;">Would not descend?</span><br>
+So I crave nor crown nor gold,<br>
+Longed-for One, I her would hold<br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1.75em;">Till time shall end.</span><br>
+
+<p>RAPHAEL PATKANIAN.</p>
+
+<br><hr style="width: 45%;"><br>
+
+<h3><a name="DAVID_OF_SASSUN"></a>DAVID OF SASSUN</h3>
+
+<h4>NATIONAL EPOS OF ARMENIA</h4>
+
+<h4>[<i>Translated by F.B. Collins, B.S.</i>]</h4>
+
+<br><hr style="width: 45%;"><br>
+
+<h3>DAVID OF SASSUN</h3>
+
+<p>Strong and mighty was the Caliph of Bagdad<a name="FNanchor1"></a><a href="#Footnote_1"><sup>[1]</sup></a>; he gathered together a
+host and marched against our Holy John the Baptist<a name="FNanchor2"></a><a href="#Footnote_2"><sup>[2]</sup></a>. Hard he oppressed
+our people, and led many into captivity. Among the captives was a
+beautiful maiden, and the caliph made her his wife. In time she bore two
+sons, Sanassar and Abamelik. The father of these children was a heathen,
+but their mother was a worshipper of the cross<a name="FNanchor3"></a><a href="#Footnote_3"><sup>[3]</sup></a>, for the caliph had
+taken her from our people.</p>
+
+<p>This same caliph again gathered together a host and fell upon our
+people. This time&mdash;I bow before thy holy miracle, O sainted John&mdash;this
+time our people pressed him sorely, and in his affliction he cried unto
+his idols: &quot;May the gods save me from these people; bring me to my city
+safe and well, and both my sons will I sacrifice unto them.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>In Bagdad the mother lay sleeping, and she had a dream. She dreamed she
+had in each hand a lamp, and when their flames seemed ready to go out
+they flashed up brightly again. When morning came she told this dream to
+her sons, and said: &quot;Last night holy St. John appeared to me in my
+dreams and said that your father was in great trouble and had vowed to
+sacrifice you. When he again comes home he will stab you: look to your
+safety.&quot;</p>
+
+
+
+<p>Both sons cried unto their gods, took food with them for their journey,
+put gold into their purses, and set out on their travels. Coming to a
+narrow valley they halted there. They saw a river, and in the distance a
+brook clove the river to mid-stream, then mingled with its waters and
+flowed onward with it.</p>
+
+<p>And Sanassar said to Abamelik: &quot;He who finds the source of this brook
+and builds him a dwelling there, his race shall also wax mighty.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>The brothers rose with one will and followed the brook upstream. They
+found its spring and saw its waters flowing as from a small pipe, and
+they ran down with the brook and increased till they mixed with waters
+of the great river. Here the brothers halted and laid the foundations of
+their dwelling.</p>
+
+<p>And Sanassar hunted while Abamelik worked on the house. Ten, yea, twenty
+days they worked on their dwelling. It happened that once Abamelik came
+upon Sanassar asleep, worn out with fatigue, his venison thrown away
+unroasted. Abamelik was much troubled at this, and said, &quot;Rise, brother,
+and we will depart from this place. How long shall we stay here and eat
+meat without salt? If it were God's will that we should have happiness,
+in our father's wooden palace we should have found it.&quot; And they mounted
+their horses and rode to the Lord of Arsrom.<a name="FNanchor4"></a><a href="#Footnote_4"><sup>[4]</sup></a> Both came thither,
+presented themselves to him, and bowed before him.</p>
+
+<p>Now both brothers were mighty men. They found favor with the Emir of
+Arsrom, and he asked them of their birth and of their tribe, and said,
+&quot;What manner of men are you?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Sanassar answered and said, &quot;We are the sons of the Caliph of Bagdad.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Hoho!&quot; said the Emir, while terror seized him. &quot;We feared you dead, and
+here we meet you living. We cannot take you in. Go whither ye will.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>And Sanassar said to Abamelik, &quot;Since we have run away from our father,
+why should we bear his name? From this day, when anyone asks us
+concerning ourselves, let us say we have neither father nor mother nor
+home nor country: then will people lodge us.&quot;</p>
+
+
+
+<p>Thence they rode to the Emir of Kars, who gave the lads the same
+answer. They turned and rode to the King of Kraput-Koch. The King of
+Kraput-Koch scrutinized the lads, and they found favor in his sight; and
+Abamelik presented himself to the King and bowed low before him. This
+pleased the King greatly, and he said: &quot;My children, whither came ye?
+What have you? and what do you lack?&quot;<a name="FNanchor5"></a><a href="#Footnote_5"><sup>[5]</sup></a></p>
+
+<p>&quot;We have neither father nor mother nor anyone beside,&quot; answered the
+brothers.</p>
+
+<p>And it came to pass that Sanassar became the King's <i>tschubuktschi</i><a name="FNanchor6"></a><a href="#Footnote_6"><sup>[6]</sup></a>
+and Abamelik his <i>haiwatschi,</i><a name="FNanchor7"></a><a href="#Footnote_7"><sup>[7]</sup></a> and they lived at the King's house a
+long time.</p>
+
+<p>But Sanassar said one day to Abamelik: &quot;We fatigued ourselves greatly
+with labor, yet was our house not finished. To-morrow make the King no
+coffee, nor will I hand him his pipe. Let us not appear before him
+to-morrow.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>When the King awoke, neither of them was near. He called the lads to him
+and said: &quot;I asked you once if you had anyone belonging to you, either
+father or mother; and you said you had no one. Why, then, are you so
+sad?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>And the brothers said: &quot;Live long, O King! In truth, we have neither
+father nor mother. Even if we hide it from you we cannot hide it from
+God. We worked a little on a dwelling, but left the work unfinished and
+came away.&quot; And they told the King everything as it was.</p>
+
+<p>The heart of the King was grieved, and he said: &quot;My children, if such is
+the case, to-morrow I will give you some court servants. Go and finish
+your house.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Then the King arose and gave them forty servants, skilful workers, and
+each had a mule and a bridle.</p>
+
+<p>Early in the morning they arose and loaded the beasts with their tools,
+and the two brothers led them to the dwelling. They travelled on and at
+last reached the spring and the threshold of their house.</p>
+
+<p>Now Sanassar said to Abamelik: &quot;Brother, shall we build the house first
+or the huts for the servants? These poor wretches cannot camp out in the
+sun.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>And they began first to make the huts. So strong was Abamelik that he
+built ten huts every day, while the others brought in wood for their
+building. In four days they finished forty huts, and then they set about
+building the house and finished it. They set up stone pillars in
+rows&mdash;so powerful were they&mdash;and laid a stone base under them, and the
+house was made ready.</p>
+
+<p>Abamelik rode to the King of Kraput-Koch and said: &quot;We are thy children.
+We have built our castle: it is finished, and we come to you and entreat
+you, 'Come and give our dwelling a name,'&quot; It pleased the King of
+Kraput-Koch that Abamelik had done this, and he said: &quot;I rejoice that
+you have not forgotten me.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>So the King gave Abamelik his daughter in marriage and made him his
+close friend. After the wedding the King and the young pair came
+together at the palace&mdash;and Uncle Toross<a name="FNanchor8"></a><a href="#Footnote_8"><sup>[8]</sup></a> was with them&mdash;and they
+mounted their horses and departed. Abamelik rode before them to point
+out the way. When they were approaching the castle the King suddenly
+turned his horse as if to ride back again, and said: &quot;You have given
+your castle a name and have purposely brought me here to try me.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Abamelik said: &quot;May your life be long, O master! Believe me, we have
+given the castle no name. We have but built it and made it ready.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Very well. It may be that you have given it no name, but as you have
+set up rows of stone pillars let us call it Sausun or Sassun.&quot;<a name="FNanchor9"></a><a href="#Footnote_9"><sup>[9]</sup></a></p>
+
+<p>Here they remained several days. Uncle Toross was also married and
+stayed at Sassun, but the King returned home.</p>
+
+<p>And Abamelik was strong and became a mighty man. From the environs of
+the Black Mountain and the Peak of Zetzinak, from Upper Musch as far as
+Sechanssar and the Plains of Tschapachtschur,<a name="FNanchor10"></a><a href="#Footnote_10"><sup>[10]</sup></a> he reigned, and built
+a wall around his dominions. He made four gates. Often he shut his
+doors, mounted his horse, and captured whatever came in his way, both
+demons and beasts of prey. Once he penetrated into M&ouml;sr and ravaged it,
+and he went in to the wife of the Lord of M&ouml;sr and lay with her. She
+bore a son, and the King of M&ouml;sr knew that the boy was Abamelik's and
+named him M&ouml;sramelik. But afterward Abamelik slew the King and took his
+wife and became King of M&ouml;sr.<a name="FNanchor11"></a><a href="#Footnote_11"><sup>[11]</sup></a></p>
+
+
+
+<br><hr style="width: 45%;"><br>
+
+<p>Now Sanassar dwelt at Sassun, but the gods of his fathers gave him no
+repose, so he travelled to Bagdad to the home of his father and mother.
+His father, sitting at his window, saw his son Sanassar come riding up,
+and recognized him, and the caliph said: &quot;My life to thee, great god!
+Thou hast brought back thy victim. Certainly in thy might thou wilt
+restore the second soon.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>The mother&mdash;she was a Christian&mdash;began to weep and shed tears over her
+children. The father took a sharp sword and went out to meet his son,
+saying: &quot;Come, my son, let us worship the great god in his temple. I
+must sacrifice to him.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>The son said, &quot;Dear father, your god is great and very wonderful. Truly
+in the night he permits us no rest. Certainly he will bring the second
+victim to you by force.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>And they went into the temple of the god, and the son said: &quot;Father
+dear, you know that we left your house when we were yet children, and we
+knew not the might of your god.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Yes, yes, my son, but kneel before him and pray.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>The son said: &quot;What a wonderful god your god is! When you bowed before
+your god, there was a darkness before my eyes and I did not see how you
+did it. Bow once more before him, that I may learn to worship him.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>When the father did the second time the son cried: &quot;Bread and wine, the
+Lord liveth!&quot; and seized his club and hurled the caliph full seven yards
+distant to the ground. And with his club he shattered all the images
+where they stood, put the silver in the skirts of his robe and carried
+it to his mother, saying: &quot;Take this, mother, and wear it for ornament!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>His mother fell full length and bowed herself and said: &quot;I thank thee,
+Creator of heaven and earth. It is well that thou hast rescued me from
+the hands of this cruel man.&quot;</p>
+
+
+
+<p>They found Sanassar a wife and placed him on the throne in his father's
+place, and he remained at Bagdad.<a name="FNanchor12"></a><a href="#Footnote_12"><sup>[12]</sup></a></p>
+
+<p>Now Abamelik, who reigned in M&ouml;sr, left his son M&ouml;sramelik to rule in
+his stead and went to Sassun. Many years passed and children were born
+to him. To one he gave the name Tschentschchapokrik. The eldest son he
+named Z&ouml;ra-wegi, the second Zenow-Owan; while the third son was called
+Chor-Hussan,<a name="FNanchor13"></a><a href="#Footnote_13"><sup>[13]</sup></a> and the youngest David.</p>
+
+<p>Of these, Tschentschchapokrik and Z&ouml;ranwegi proved to be ne'er-do-weels.
+Zenow-Owan had such a voice that he dried seven buffalo hides in the sun
+and wound them round his body so that it should not rend him. But the
+cleverest of all was David, and to his strength words cannot do justice.</p>
+
+<p>Abamelik's life was long, but old age came upon him. Once he sat sunk in
+thought and said to himself: &quot;Enemies are all about me. Who will care
+for my children after my death? M&ouml;sramelik alone can do this, for none
+beside him can cope with my enemies.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>He set out to visit M&ouml;sramelik,<a name="FNanchor14"></a><a href="#Footnote_14"><sup>[14]</sup></a> but he was very aged. &quot;M&ouml;sramelik, my
+son,&quot; he said, &quot;you are truly of my blood. If I die before you, I
+intrust my children to you. Take care of them. If you die first, confide
+yours to me and I will watch over them.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>He returned and lived in his castle. His time came and he died. Then
+M&ouml;sramelik came and took the children to his house, for he had not
+forgotten his father's command. Sassun mourned the death of Abamelik for
+seven years. Then the peasants feasted and drank again with Uncle
+Toross, for they said: &quot;Uncle Toross, our lads have grown old and our
+pretty girls are old women. If thou thinkest that by our seven years of
+weeping Abamelik will live again we would weep seven years longer.&quot;
+Uncle Toross gave the peasants their way, and said: &quot;Marry your lads and
+maidens. Weeping leads nowhere.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>And they sat down and feasted and drank wine. Uncle</p>
+
+<p>Toross took a cup in his hand and paused: he was thinking about
+something, and he neither drank nor set the cup down. His son cries from
+the street: &quot;Father, dear, there are the mad men of Sassun. Take care,
+they will be jeering at you. Let us go away.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Uncle Toross turned to his son and said: &quot;Oh, you dog of a son! Shall I
+sit here and feast? Did not M&ouml;sramelik come and take our children away?
+Abamelik's children in trouble, and I sitting at a banquet? Oh, what a
+shame it is! Bread and wine, God be praised! Truly, I will drink no wine
+till I have fetched the little ones.&quot; And Uncle Toross went out of
+Sassun and came to M&ouml;sr. He greeted M&ouml;sramelik, and they sat down
+together. Said Uncle Toross: &quot;Now, we are come for God's judgment. It is
+true that you made an agreement with Abamelik, but if a man sells a
+captive he should first wait on the lord.&quot;<a name="FNanchor15"></a><a href="#Footnote_15"><sup>[15]</sup></a></p>
+
+<p>They arose and went to the court,<a name="FNanchor16"></a><a href="#Footnote_16"><sup>[16]</sup></a> and Uncle Toross was given the
+children.</p>
+
+<p>But M&ouml;sramelik stood in fear of these children, and he said to Uncle
+Toross, &quot;Let these children first pass under my sword, and then take
+them with you.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Uncle Toross told the lads of this, and Z&ouml;ranwegi said, &quot;Let us pass
+under his sword and escape hence&quot;; and the other two said the same. But
+David said otherwise: &quot;If he wishes us dead he will not kill us to-day,
+for the people will say he has murdered the children. Under his sword I
+will not go. He does this so that I shall not lift my sword against him
+when I am a man.&quot; Uncle Toross got the boys together, that they might
+pass under the sword of M&ouml;sramelik, for he was very anxious. David was
+rebellious; he stood still and went not under it. Uncle Toross seized
+his collar and pushed him, but David would not go. He ran past it at one
+side and kicked with his great toe upon a flint until the sparks flew.
+And M&ouml;sramelik was frightened and said: &quot;This child is still so young
+and yet is terrible. What will happen when he is a man! If any evil
+comes to me it will be through him.&quot;</p>
+
+
+
+<p>Uncle Toross took the children and came to Sassun. Z&ouml;ranwegi he
+established in the castle in his father's place, but David, who was the
+youngest, was sent out to herd the calves.</p>
+
+<p>What a boy David was! If he struck out at the calves with his oaken
+stick, he would throw them all down, and forty others beside. Once he
+drove the calves to the top of the mountain. He found a herdsman there
+who was abusing his calves, and said: &quot;You fellow! What are you up to?
+Wait now, if I catch you, you will get something from my oaken stick
+that will make you cry Ow! ow!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>The fellow answered David: &quot;I am ready to give my life for your head if
+I am not a shepherd from your father's village. These calves, here,
+belong to the peasants.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>David said, &quot;If that is so, watch my calves also. I know not what time I
+should drive them home. When the time comes tell me, that I may drive
+them in.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Then David drove in the calves on time that day, and Uncle Toross was
+pleased and said: &quot;Always be punctual, my son; go out and come back
+every day at the right time.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Uncle Toross, it was not my wisdom that did this. I have hired a
+comrade who will watch over my calves and see that I am ready with
+them.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Once his comrade tarried, and David was greatly vexed. It appeared that
+a religious festival was held in the village, and on this account the
+young man was detained. Finally he arrived, and David said to him,
+&quot;To-day you get nothing from me.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>The young man said: &quot;David, I am willing to die for you. From fear of
+your anger, I waited not for the end of the service of God in the
+church, and not one spoonful of the holy soup<a name="FNanchor17"></a><a href="#Footnote_17"><sup>[17]</sup></a> has passed my lips. I
+drove out the calves and am here. Now you know why I tarried.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>David said: &quot;Wait here; I will bring you your dinner.&quot;</p>
+
+
+
+<p>He set off with his oaken stick over his shoulder. He came to the
+village, and found that all the people had brought corn to the priests,
+who blessed it. David stuck his oaken stick through the handle of the
+four-handled kettle, and, full as it was, lifted it to his shoulder and
+walked away. The priests and the peasants wondered at it, and one cried,
+&quot;Truly, he has carried off a kettle!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>A priest cried out, &quot;For God's sake, be silent! It is one of those mad
+men of Sassun. Take care or he will come back and break our ribs for us.
+May he take the thing and fall down with it!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>And David took the kettle of grits to his comrade, whom he found weeping
+on the mountain.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Ha, ha,&quot; said David, &quot;I know why you weep. I have brought the grits,
+but have forgotten butter and salt. That is why you weep. Eat the grits
+now, and have salt and butter this evening.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>But the youth said. &quot;David, I am ready to die for you, What need have I
+of salt and butter; forty thieving Dews have come and driven away our
+calves.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>David said, &quot;Stay here and watch these calves, and I will bring back all
+the others&quot;; and he went after the calves. He followed their tracks to
+the entrance of a cave and paused. He cried out with so loud a voice
+that the Dews were frightened, and were as full of fear as is the devil
+when Christ's voice is heard in hell.</p>
+
+<p>And when the leader of the Dews heard the voice he said: &quot;That is surely
+David, Abamelik's son. Go receive him with honor, else he will strike us
+dead.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>They went out, one by one, and David struck each as he passed with his
+oaken cudgel, so that their heads fell off and only dead bodies remained
+in the place. He cut off the ears of all the forty and buried them under
+a stone at the mouth of the cave.</p>
+
+<p>He laid down his club and entered the cave. There he saw a heap of gold
+and a heap of silver&mdash;indeed, all the treasures of the world. Since his
+father's death they had robbed and concealed their plunder in this
+cavern. He opened a door, and saw a steed standing fastened to a ring.
+David was sunk in thought, and said to himself: &quot;Uncle dear, this
+property belongs to you, but this beast to me. If you give it to
+me&mdash;good. If not, you travel after those other fellows.&quot; Then he
+answered for Uncle Toross: &quot;My child, the treasure and the beast should
+belong to you. What shall I do with them?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>He looked around and saw upon a pyre a copper kettle with four handles,
+and in it were his forty calves. He stuck his oaken stick through the
+handles and raised the kettle, poured off the water, pushed the calves'
+feet back into the kettle, lifted it to his shoulder, and went back to
+his comrade.</p>
+
+<p>The two drove the rest of the herd into the village, and David called
+the owners to him and said: &quot;If you deceive my brother a hair's breadth
+in the reckoning it will go badly with you. Sell this kettle. May it
+repay you for your calves.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>He separated his own calves from the peasants', and went home. It was
+then midday. He said to Uncle Toross: &quot;Take quickly twenty asses and we
+will go out and bring back treasure that shall suffice you and your
+children till the seventh generation.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>And they took the asses and set forth. When they reached the cavern,
+Uncle Toross saw the bodies of the Dews stretched near the entrance, and
+they were swelled up like hills. In great fright Uncle Toross loosed his
+ass from the others and fell back.</p>
+
+<p>David said: &quot;You destroyer! I fled not before them living, but you fear
+them dead! If you believe me not, turn back and raise this stone. I
+concealed all their ears there.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Uncle Toross came back and took the asses, and they went into the cave.
+They made a pack of all the treasure and carried it away with them.
+David said: &quot;All this treasure belongs to you, but the steed is mine. If
+you will not give it to me, you shall follow after them.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>He answered: &quot;My child, the horse and the treasure too are yours. What
+should I do with it?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Uncle Toross let David mount the steed. He gave him the spurs and he
+bucked to right and left. This was no ordinary steed&mdash;the difficulties
+of managing him cannot be described.</p>
+
+<p>They returned to Sassun with the treasure. David procured a beautiful
+falcon and rode off to hunt. The calves he had long ago given over.</p>
+
+<p>Once, as he hunted, he rode across the soil of a poor man, whose family
+numbered seven heads, and the man had seven beds of millet. Four beds he
+laid waste, and three remained. Someone ran with the news to the old
+graybeard and said: &quot;You are ruined. Go at once to your field, for
+before night he will destroy the other three beds.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>The graybeard rose early and went out and saw his field was laid waste.
+He glanced about and saw David coming with a falcon on his hand. The
+graybeard cursed David and said: &quot;Dost thou not fear God? Dost thou test
+thy strength on my grain-field? I have seven mouths to fill, and seven
+millet beds. Four thou hast destroyed, and three remain! If you are
+brave, go and get back your inheritance that extends from the summit of
+Mount Z&ouml;zmak as far as Sechanssar. M&ouml;sramelik has taken it from you and
+draws wealth from it Go and get it back. Why try your strength on me?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>But David answered: &quot;Old man, curse me not. Here is a handful of
+gold&mdash;use it.&quot; And as he said it he killed his falcon.</p>
+
+<p>David returned home and said: &quot;Uncle Toross, go and bring me my father's
+staff and bow. I am going to make war, for others consume my inheritance
+and none of you have said anything about it to me.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Uncle Toross arose and demanded of Z&ouml;ranwegi in David's name the staff
+and bow of Abamelik, but Z&ouml;ranwegi refused it. David sent a second time,
+saying: &quot;If you give it to me, good. If not, I will see to it that your
+head flies off and only your body remains.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Z&ouml;ranwegi was frightened, and surrendered the bow and baton, and Uncle
+Toross brought them to David. And David fell asleep and dreamed. The
+next day he took forty calves and went to holy Maratuk,<a name="FNanchor18"></a><a href="#Footnote_18"><sup>[18]</sup></a> where he
+slaughtered the forty calves and bathed in their blood. Then he fell on
+his face and prayed and wept until God sent from heaven a sacred sign
+and a token. Even now the holy sign is to be found in Hawar at the house
+of Sork. David kissed the holy sign and put it under the right shoulder,
+and the token under the left.</p>
+
+<p>M&ouml;sramelik knew that David, Abamelik's son, was come into manhood, and
+he gathered together a host to march against him. And he appointed a
+<i>holbaschi</i>,<a name="FNanchor19"></a><a href="#Footnote_19"><sup>[19]</sup></a> who prepared his army and attacked David at Maratuk. He
+met on the march seven women, and said to them, &quot;Sing and dance until I
+return,&quot; and they answered: &quot;Why shall we dance and sing? We know not
+what we should say.&quot;</p>
+
+
+
+<p>And Holbaschi sang for them:</p>
+
+&quot;May the little women busy themselves grinding corn;<br>
+May the stout women help with the camel-loading;<br>
+For Holbaschi carries grim war to Sassun.<br>
+Strong yoke-oxen and red milch-cows he'll bring back<br>
+In the springtime; butter and Tochorton<br>
+Will be plentiful in the Land of M&ouml;sr.&quot;<br>
+
+<p>Holbaschi saw the women begin dancing and singing, and started his host
+again and went to Maratuk and entered its gates. The daughter of the
+priest of Maratuk had often glanced slyly at David, and he was not
+indifferent to her. The priest's daughter went to David and said:
+&quot;David, I am ready to die for you! Arise and see how many warriors are
+congregated in the courtyard.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>When she had spoken she went out and closed all the gates from without.
+David stretched himself and cried: &quot;Bread and wine, the Lord liveth!&quot;
+and began to knock off the heads of the men of war. He beheaded them so
+that the bodies flew over the walls and the heads remained lying in the
+court. And he laid hold of Holbaschi, and tore out his teeth and drove
+them into his brow like nails. And he bent his lance till it curved like
+a dog's collar and put it around his neck. &quot;Now,&quot; he said, &quot;take
+yourself off and tell all to M&ouml;sramelik. If people still remain in his
+country let him herd them together before I come.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Holbaschi met the women a second time, and they were singing and
+dancing. And one of them sang:</p>
+
+&quot;Holbaschi, dear Holbaschi, went hence like a cruel wolf,<br>
+Why come you back to us like a hunting dog?<br>
+Your lance lies on your neck like a dog's collar,<br>
+Thy mouth gapes like an open window,<br>
+And slime flows out like curdled milk from a skin;<a name="FNanchor20"></a><a href="#Footnote_20"><sup>[20]</sup></a><br>
+And whole caravans of flies buzz round it.&quot;<br>
+
+<p>And Holbaschi sang:</p>
+
+&quot;Oh, you shameless, worthless hussies,<br>
+I thought that Sassun was a free field.<br>
+Think not that only rocks and clefts opposed me.<br>
+There new-born children are fierce devils,<br>
+Their arrows like beams of the oil-mill;<br>
+And like windows they tear out the mouths of their enemies.<br>
+All the brave lads who went with me<br>
+Are fallen in Charaman.<a name="FNanchor21"></a><a href="#Footnote_21"><sup>[21]</sup></a><br>
+In the spring its waters will bring you booty,<br>
+Then your butter and cheese can be made.&quot;<br>
+
+<p>Now David armed himself and marched against M&ouml;sramelik. He found a great
+host assembled and encamped near Sechanssar.<a name="FNanchor22"></a><a href="#Footnote_22"><sup>[22]</sup></a></p>
+
+<p>David said: &quot;I promise thee not to give battle till I have eaten rice
+pillau in the green and red tent,&quot; and he urged his horse forward and
+appeared suddenly from the west in front of the tent. Great fright
+possessed the army when they perceived this rider, and Melik said, &quot;What
+manner of man art thou?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I am the son of a western king, and I have come to help you.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Melik pitched a tent for him, and they ate together seven days. On the
+eighth day David mounted his horse, rode twice before M&ouml;sramelik's tent,
+and said: &quot;Now, come out, I want to fight you. How long, M&ouml;sramelik, are
+you going to encroach upon my inheritance?&quot; And David cried: &quot;Bread and
+wine, God lives!&quot; and fighting began on all sides.</p>
+
+<p>Uncle Toross heard of the combat. He tore up a poplar by its roots,
+threw it across his shoulder, and set out. He halted at the upper end of
+the valley in which the fight was going on. If anyone crept away David
+shouted: &quot;Dear Uncle Toross, chase him back into the valley and I will
+be ready for him!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>At last the army began to murmur: &quot;Let them struggle hand to hand. He
+who overpowers the other has conquered.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Then said one of them. &quot;Sit down, that I may slay you with my club,&quot; and
+the other said: &quot;No, you sit down.&quot; At last they agreed that David,
+being the youngest, should sit, So he put his shield over his head, laid
+under it the holy cross, and sat down. M&ouml;sramelik made an onset from
+three leagues, burst upon him, and assailed him with a club, saying,
+&quot;Earth thou art, be earth again!&quot;</p>
+
+
+
+<p>David said: &quot;I believe in the high and holy cross of Maratuk. It is to
+me as if I were still eating rice pillau under the red and green tent.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>M&ouml;sramelik sprung upon him three times, struck him with his club, and
+said: &quot;Earth thou art, be earth again!&quot; and David replied only, &quot;I
+believe in the high and holy cross of Maratuk.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Then came M&ouml;sramelik's turn to sit down, and he was stubborn and would
+not. But the army reproached him and put his shield over his head, and
+he sat down. Then came M&ouml;sramelik's mother, and began to ask mercy,
+saying: &quot;David, I am ready to die for you! Is he not thy brother? Slay
+him not; have pity on him!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;O shameless woman! When he struck me, thou saidst not, 'Is he not thy
+brother!' But, may your wish be granted! One blow I will give up for
+God's sake, the second for your sake, but the third belongs to me, and
+when I strike either he dies or lives!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>David rode back and forward again, and seizing his club hurled
+M&ouml;sramelik seven yards deep into the earth. Then he ravaged M&ouml;sr and
+ascended the throne.</p>
+
+<br><hr style="width: 45%;"><br>
+
+<p>The Emir<a name="FNanchor23"></a><a href="#Footnote_23"><sup>[23]</sup></a> of Kachiswan had a daughter, and her name was
+Chandud-Chanum.<a name="FNanchor24"></a><a href="#Footnote_24"><sup>[24]</sup></a> Chandud-Chanum heard of David's valor, and gave gifts
+to a bard and said to him: &quot;Go, sing to David of my beauty, that he may
+come hither and we may love each other.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>The bard went to Sassun, for he thought David was there. He came to
+Sassun and entered Z&ouml;ranwegi's castle, thinking David lived in it, and
+sat down and began to sing to Z&ouml;ranwegi. Z&ouml;ranwegi cried: &quot;Go. Club him
+and hunt him forth. He thinks to bring David hither by cunning!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>They set upon the singer, dragged him to the valley, and threw him into
+the road. In the evening the shepherds returned on their oxen to the
+village. An ox became wild, and the herdsman fell off, and seeking the
+cause he found the bard, who wept and lamented and asked the herdsman:</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Which of the brothers lives in that castle?&quot;</p>
+
+
+<p>The shepherd answered: &quot;Here lives Z&ouml;ranwegi; yonder, in M&ouml;sr, David.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>And the bard gave a piece of gold to the shepherds, and they gathered up
+the pieces of his broken tambur<a name="FNanchor25"></a><a href="#Footnote_25"><sup>[25]</sup></a> and pointed out his way to him. He
+went and sang of Chandud-Chanum's beauty before David. David rewarded
+him richly, and said, &quot;Go before, I will come,&quot; and the singer went and
+told all to Chandud-Chanum.<a name="FNanchor26"></a><a href="#Footnote_26"><sup>[26]</sup></a></p>
+
+<p>David departed straightway and went by way of Sassun and the Heights of
+Z&ouml;zmak. He found a plough<a name="FNanchor27"></a><a href="#Footnote_27"><sup>[27]</sup></a> standing in his way. He freed the oxen,
+seized the plough-chain, mounted his horse, and dragged the plough down.
+And it fell from the summit of the Black Mountain plump into the
+aqueduct of the village of Marnik.</p>
+
+<p>He drew on and perceived that a buffalo had got loose and run along the
+road and left its dung there. David looked at the dung and said: &quot;If
+evil befalls me he is guilty of it who left the dung there; if not, it
+is also his work that it befalls me not.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>From a side-path appeared a buffalo, and David had never seen the like
+before. He lifted his club to slay him when from the opposite side a
+shepherd came and began to scold the buffalo. David thought the shepherd
+was scolding him and said, &quot;Fellow, what have I done to you that you
+rail at me?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>The shepherd answered: &quot;Who are you? Ah, you are a Sassun brawler who
+has seen nothing of the world! I spoke to my buffalo.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Don't be angry, youngster! It is a shame, indeed, that in my country I
+have never seen the like. Are there many such creatures in these parts?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>The shepherd said, &quot;Come, and I will show you.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>And they went to the field of Ausut, where the peasants hitched their
+buffaloes and drove them. David found the buffaloes with tongues lolling
+from the heat as they drew the plough. David felt pity for them; he
+unhitched them and drove them to the pond.</p>
+
+<p>The ploughman began to curse him, and he said: &quot;Ploughman, curse me not;
+only give me the chain into my hand.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>He seized the chain and began to draw; the ploughman guided the plough
+and David ploughed nine furrows. Then the shepherd said to David: &quot;That
+is not thy strength. Leave thy horse and then draw. We shall see whether
+it is thine or thy horse's strength.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>David left his horse and ploughed nine furrows alone.</p>
+
+<p>The shepherd then said to David: &quot;It is already noon. Come now and eat,
+then thou canst go on thy way!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>David answered: &quot;No, I will ride on. Thy children want to eat, and if I
+come nothing will remain for them.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>However, they sat down and when the dinner was set out David crumbled
+all the bread and the vessels all at once, and the shepherd said: &quot;Here,
+hide yourselves or he will devour us also.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>David said: &quot;Surely, brother, he who drags the plough must eat bread.
+How could it be otherwise?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>And he went his way to the city where Chandud-Chanum dwelt.</p>
+
+<br><hr style="width: 45%;"><br>
+
+<p>David came to the gates of the castle where Chandud-Chanum lived&mdash;to the
+place where all her suitors came to woo. He saw a youth standing near
+the door with a club in his hand, David said: &quot;Ha, my lad, what do they
+call you?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;My name is Gorgis.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Gorgis!&quot; said David. &quot;When I marry Chandud-Chanum you shall be
+godfather! Now, Godfather Gorgis, who is in the house?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Matchmakers from the giants&mdash;Schibikan of Chorassan and Hamsa of Lori.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>David said, &quot;Take my horse and fasten him.&quot; And he took his horse and
+tied him.</p>
+
+<p>Then David asked: &quot;What kind of a club have you? Show it me.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>David took the club and threw it into the air with such force that it
+is whirring till this very day. Then he said, &quot;Godfather Gorgis, let us
+go in and eat and drink.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>They went in, and David sat down, for he was tired and hungry, and every
+matchmaker, one after the other, handed David a cup of wine. David lost
+patience and seized the wine-pitcher and emptied it in one draught,
+saying, &quot;Now say only what is well for you!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>The wine made David drunk, and when he let his head fall the matchmakers
+drew their swords to strike him, but when he raised his head they
+concealed their swords. They began this again when Godfather Gorgis
+called out: &quot;Think not that you are in Georgia! No, this is a dangerous
+country.&quot; And when David heard him he said, &quot;Now stand bravely at the
+door!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>The matchmakers sprang up and as they ran each gave Gorgis a box on the
+ear and escaped. David then turned to Gorgis and said: &quot;Where can I see
+Chandud-Chanum?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;In the garden of the King,&quot; Gorgis answered. &quot;To-day is Friday and she
+will be there. Before her walk twenty slaves, and twenty walk behind
+her. We will go to-day and see her there.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>So Gorgis and David went thither and concealed themselves behind the
+garden wall and waited. The slaves passed by one after another, and,
+when Chandud-Chanum came, David put his arm around her neck and kissed
+her three times. Chandud-Chanum said not a word. He kissed her again.
+Chandud-Chanum seized him by the collar and threw him against the wall
+so that the blood gushed from his nose.</p>
+
+<p>David was angry and was going to mount his horse. &quot;Godfather Gorgis,&quot; he
+said, &quot;lead out my horse. I will destroy the city and depart.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Gorgis began to plead: &quot;I pray you, put it off till morning. It is dark
+now. At daybreak arise and destroy the city and depart.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>David lay in bed and could not sleep from anger. &quot;Would it were dawn
+that I might rise and destroy the city and get away from here,&quot; he
+thought to himself.</p>
+
+<p>Chandud-Chanum was still walking in the garden. A lame slave came to her
+and said: &quot;Thy walk will end sadly. Take care, David is going to destroy
+the city and depart.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>She took the cloth in which her evening meal had been brought, and
+wrapped her head in it. She turned and went straightway into the castle
+where David was and knocked at his door.</p>
+
+<p>David said: &quot;What insolent people live here! They will not wait till
+morning, but say, 'Arise, destroy the city and be off!'&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Gorgis arose and looked out of the window and said, &quot;These are women,
+not men,&quot; and they opened the door.</p>
+
+<p>Chandud-Chanum came to David and said: &quot;You kissed me first for the
+fatigue of your journey, a second time for yourself, and a third time
+for God's sake. Why did you kiss me a fourth time? You are the son of
+your father and I am the daughter of mine. It has been said: Take to
+yourself a wife that you may have a son who is like his uncle. Do you
+think you have brought me the heads of the giants Hamsa of Lori and
+Schibikan of Chorassan, that you kiss me a fourth time?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>David's heart softened and he said: &quot;If that is so I will go out at
+daybreak and bring you their heads.&quot; Then he added: &quot;Very well, I go; if
+they are stronger than I they will kill me. For God's sake come and seek
+my body. On the right hand I have a birth-mark&mdash;a cross&mdash;by that you
+shall know me. Bring my body back and bury it.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>So David set out. The giants perceived a rider coming, for the dust from
+his horse's hoofs rose to heaven: &quot;This rider comes to fight with us.
+Perhaps he is of the race of Sergo.&quot;<a name="FNanchor28"></a><a href="#Footnote_28"><sup>[28]</sup></a></p>
+
+<p>They called to him, saying: &quot;Ho, fellow! who are you, and whence come
+you? Do you know Chandud-Chanum? Will you take this ring to her?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>David said: &quot;Certainly I know her, but I have come to take your heads to
+the Princess Chandud. I know nothing about your rings!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>The eyebrows of Schibikan of Chorassan hung down over his breast and he
+fastened them across his back. Hamsa of Lori had an underlip so long
+that it reached the ground and swept it.</p>
+
+<p>David and the giants began to hack and hew each other and they fought
+with clubs and bows until night. David cried: &quot;I believe in the high and
+holy cross of Maratuk,&quot; and took his sword and cut both their heads off.
+He bound their hair together and hung them across his horse like saddle
+bags and their tongues furrowed the ground like a plough.</p>
+
+<p>David rode away with their heads and had already traversed half the way
+when he saw approaching him, riding between heaven and earth, a rider,
+who called out to him! &quot;Do you think you have conquered the giants
+Schibikan and Hamsa?&quot; The rider sprang behind David and struck at him
+with a club. He crawled under the saddle and the club struck the stirrup
+and tore it loose, and it fell to the ground. David sprang out from
+under the saddle and cried: &quot;Bread and wine, as the Lord liveth!&quot; and
+swung his club over his enemy. The enemy dodged the blow, but his hair
+fell away from his face. David looked and recognized Chandud-Chanum; she
+had disguised herself and had come to meet him.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;O shameless woman!&quot; David said. &quot;You would disgrace me a second time.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>They rode together into Chandud-Chanum's city. They arrived and
+dismounted and called Chandud-Chanum's father. David said to him: &quot;Will
+you give me your daughter for a wife?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Her father said: &quot;I will not give her to you. If you will marry her and
+live here, I will give her to you. If you must take her away, I will not
+give her. How can I do otherwise? I have enemies all around me; they
+will destroy my city.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>And David said: &quot;I will marry her and stay here. I will not take her
+away.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>So they were married and celebrated the wedding, feasting seven days and
+seven nights.</p>
+
+<p>The time passed by unheeded, and when nine months, nine days and nine
+hours had passed, God sent them a son.</p>
+
+<p>And David said to Chandud-Chanum: &quot;If this child is mine, he must have a
+mark&mdash;he will show great strength.&quot; They put the child in
+swaddling-clothes, but instead of bands they bound him with
+plough-chains. He began to cry and stir in his cradle and the chain
+snapped into pieces.</p>
+
+<p>They sent word to David: &quot;The youngster is a stout fellow. He has
+broken the chains. But one of his hands seems hurt. He clenches his
+fist, and no one can open it.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>David came and sat down, looked at the hand and opened it. In the hand
+he found a little lump of clotted blood. &quot;The whole world is to him as a
+drop of blood, and he will hold it in his hand. If he lives he will do
+wonderful deeds.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Then they christened the boy and gave him the name of Mcher.</p>
+
+<p>Time passed and the boy grew fast, and David left him in Kachiswan with
+his grandparents, and took Chandud-Chanum with him to Sassun. The men of
+Chlat<a name="FNanchor29"></a><a href="#Footnote_29"><sup>[29]</sup></a> heard David's coming and they assembled an army, built a
+rampart, formed their wagons into a fortress, and began to give battle.
+When Chandud-Chanum sent her lance against the wall she shattered it and
+the wagons flew seven leagues away. Then David went forward and drove
+the fighters away, saying to them: &quot;Ye men of Chlat! what shameless
+people ye be! Ye wage war on women! Let me but take my wife to Sassun
+and I will come back, and we will fight it out.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>But the men of Chlat believed him not. &quot;Swear to us by the holy cross
+you carry; then we will believe you,&quot; said they.</p>
+
+<p>David touched the token with his hand as he thought, but the cross was
+there and he knew it not, and the power of the cross was that no one
+could swear by it.</p>
+
+<p>He took Chandud-Chanum to Sassun. Here he first knew that he had sworn
+on the cross, for he found the cross lying at his left shoulder where
+the token had been.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Now it will go badly with me,&quot; said David. &quot;Whether I go or whether I
+stay, it will go badly with me. And I must go.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>He advanced, therefore, to give battle, and the men of Chlat pressed him
+sorely. His horse was caught in the reedy marsh of Tschechur.<a name="FNanchor30"></a><a href="#Footnote_30"><sup>[30]</sup></a> With
+difficulty he crawled out of the bog and reached the waters of the
+Lochur.<a name="FNanchor31"></a><a href="#Footnote_31"><sup>[31]</sup></a></p>
+
+
+
+<p>Once Abamelik had lingered at the house of Ibraham Aga, and forcibly
+entered the sleeping-room of his wife. Her name was Schemschen-Chanum.
+She had borne a daughter to Abamelik, who was now an ardent Mahometan.
+This daughter took up her bow and arrows and concealed herself on the
+sloping river-bank. When David bathed in the waters of Locher she shot
+him, assassin-like, with an arrow in the back. David arose and made a
+great outcry and his voice sounded even up to Sassun. Z&ouml;now-Owan,
+Chorassan, Uncle Toross, Tsch&ouml;ntschchapokrik, and Z&ouml;ranwegi came
+together, for they heard the voice of David. And Z&ouml;now-Owan called to
+him from Sassun, &quot;We are coming.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>And they went forth to help David, who heard in the water the voice of
+his kinsmen. They came to the river and found David, who said:
+&quot;Z&ouml;now-Owan, she seemed frightened at our calling. Go and find her.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>And they sought and found the blue-eyed maiden. David seized her by one
+foot, trod on the other, tore her in pieces, and threw her into the
+village at the foot of the mountain. From this deed he named the village
+Tschiwtis-Tschapkis.<a name="FNanchor32"></a><a href="#Footnote_32"><sup>[32]</sup></a> The village lies at the mouth of the Tschechur
+and is called Tschapkis to this day.</p>
+
+<p>The brothers took David with them and moved on to Sassun. And after four
+days David died, and his brothers mourned for him. They went to
+Chandud-Chanum to console her and wish her long life; but Chandud-Chanum
+said, &quot;Ah, me, after David's death I am but the subject of your scorn.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>And Tsch&ouml;ntschchapokrik said: &quot;Chandud-Chanum, weep not, weep not. David
+is dead, but my head is still whole.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Chandud-Chanum climbed the tower and threw herself down. Her head struck
+a stone and made a hole in it, and into this hole the men of Sassun pour
+millet and grind as the people of M&ouml;sr do; and every traveller from M&ouml;sr
+stops there before the castle to see the stone.</p>
+
+<p>The brothers came to see the body of Chandud-Chanum, and they pressed on
+her breasts and milk flowed therefrom. They said: &quot;Surely she has a
+child! If there is a child it must be in Kachiswan.&quot;<a name="FNanchor33"></a><a href="#Footnote_33"><sup>[33]</sup></a> And they set out
+for Kachiswan and said to the governor: &quot;A child of our brother and
+sister-in-law lives here. Where is it?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;It is not here.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;We have a sign. In the breast of our sister-in-law was milk.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Then the governor said: &quot;She had a daughter, but it is dead.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;We have a test for that also&mdash;for our dead. The grave of one dead one
+year is one step long, of one dead two years, two steps long, and so
+on.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>They went to the church-yard and found not a single grave which stood
+their test.</p>
+
+<p>Z&ouml;now-Owan said: &quot;Bind leather bands about me. I will cry out.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>The truth was, they had dug a cellar for Mcher underground, and hid him
+there and watched over him.</p>
+
+<p>The brothers bound Z&ouml;now-Owan about the body and he cried out. Mcher
+knew his voice and would have gone to him, but his grandmother said to
+him: &quot;That is not the voice of thy kinsman. It is the noise of children
+and the beating of drums.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>When Mcher heard the voice for the third time he beat down the door and
+went out. One door destroyed the other. By a blow of his fist he sent
+the first door against the second, the second against the third, and so
+all seven doors were shattered.</p>
+
+<p>Mcher saw his uncles from afar, but his father was not there. He asked,
+and his uncle told him the men of Chlat had slain his father. He fell
+upon his face and wept, and as he lay there his uncles wished to lift
+him, but exert themselves as they would they could not move him.</p>
+
+<p>The tears of Mcher furrowed the earth and flowed like a river. After
+three days he arose, mounted his father's horse, and rode to Chlat. He
+circled the town and destroyed it&mdash;as it is even to this day. Then he
+ascended the mountain Memrut<a name="FNanchor34"></a><a href="#Footnote_34"><sup>[34]</sup></a> and saw the smoke of the ruins grow ever
+denser. Only one old woman remained alive. He seized her, and, bending
+two trees down, bound her feet to the trees and let them loose. And thus
+he killed her. Since then no smoke ascends from Chlat.</p>
+
+<p>Mcher permitted his uncles to return to their own dwelling-places and
+himself rode toward Tosp.</p>
+
+<p>Men say he is still there, and they show his house, and even now water
+flows from the rocks for his horse.</p>
+
+<p>On Ascension-night the door of Mcher's rock opens. But it is decreed
+that he shall not go out: the floor holds him not, his feet sink into
+the earth.</p>
+
+<p>Once on Ascension-night a shepherd saw Mcher's door open, and the
+shepherd entered. Mcher asked him: &quot;By what occupation do you live?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;By brains,&quot; said the shepherd.</p>
+
+<p>Then Mcher said: &quot;We shall see what kind of brains you have! Take the
+nose-bag of my horse and hang it around his neck.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>The shepherd tried with all his might, but could not lift the bag. He
+led the horse to the bag, opened it, and put the straps around the
+horse's neck. The horse raised his head and lifted the bag. The shepherd
+led him back to his place and said, &quot;That is the sort of brains by which
+we live in the world.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Then the shepherd said, &quot;Mcher, when will you leave this place?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Mcher answered: &quot;When plum-trees bear wheat and wild-rose bushes barley,
+it is appointed I shall leave this place.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>And three apples fell down from heaven&mdash;one for the story-teller, one
+for the hearer, and the other for the whole world.</p>
+
+<br><hr style="width: 45%;"><br>
+
+<h3><a name="THE_RUINED_FAMILY"></a>THE RUINED FAMILY</h3>
+
+<h3>BY<br>
+<br>
+GABRIEL SUNDUKIANZ</h3>
+
+<h4>[<i>Translated by F.B. Collins, B.S.</i>]</h4>
+
+<br><hr style="width: 65%;"><br><br>
+<h3>DRAMATIS PERSONAE</h3>
+
+OSSEP GULABIANZ, a merchant.<br>
+SALOME, his wife.<br>
+NATO, his daughter.<br>
+CHACHO, Ossep's aunt.<br>
+GEWO, a merchant, Ossep's friend.<br>
+ALEXANDER MARMAROW, a young official.<br>
+BARSSEGH LEPROINK, a merchant.<br>
+KHALI, his wife.<br>
+MOSI, Leproink's relative.<br>
+MICHO, shop-boy at Leproink's.<br>
+DARTSCHO, clerk at Leproink's.<br>
+MARTHA, Salome's friend.<br>
+<br>
+Guests, an executor, his secretary, creditors, witnesses, and several
+servants.<br>
+<br>
+<center>The scene is Tiflis. The first and third acts take place in Ossep's
+house, the second in Barssegh's.</center>
+<br>
+<br><hr style="width: 65%;"><br><br>
+
+<h3>THE RUINED FAMILY</h3>
+
+<h4>ACT I<br></h4>
+<br>
+<i>Well-furnished room with open door in centre and ante-room behind. To
+the left in foreground a window looking out upon a garden. To the right
+a sofa, in front of which is a table. To the left a tachta<a name="FNanchor35"></a><a href="#Footnote_35"><sup>[35]</sup></a> with a
+ketscha<a name="FNanchor36"></a><a href="#Footnote_36"><sup>[36]</sup></a> and several mutakas.<a name="FNanchor37"></a><a href="#Footnote_37"><sup>[37]</sup></a> A side door.</i>
+<br>
+<br>
+<h4><b>Scene I</b><br>
+<br>
+<i>Salome. Chacho</i>.</h4>
+
+SALOME [<i>from back of stage</i>]. You're welcome. Come, come, I beg of you.
+Dear aunt, how can I thank you for taking the trouble to come here!<br>
+<br>
+CHACHO [<i>covered by a tschadra<a name="FNanchor38"></a><a href="#Footnote_38"><sup>[38]</sup></a> enters from the right of the
+ante-chamber</i>]. Good-morning! [<i>Taking off the tschadra.</i>] Why did you
+send for me in such haste?<br>
+<span style="float:right">[<i>Gives one end of the tschadra to Salome</i>.</span><br>
+<br>
+SALOME [<i>taking hold of one end of the tschadra</i>]. Dear aunt, I am in
+such a desperate mood that if someone were to pierce my heart not a drop
+of blood would flow.<br>
+<span style="float:right">[<i>While she is speaking they fold the tschadra</i>.</span><br>
+<br>
+CHACHO. So it seems that it cannot be managed?<br>
+<br>
+SALOME. How could it be managed, dear aunt? They insist upon having
+8,000 rubles. Ossep will not give so much. You know what a miser he is!<br>
+<br>
+CHACHO. Yes, he is really odd.<br>
+<br>
+SALOME. But, dear aunt, God would surely not allow an affair like this
+to come to nothing for the sake of 2,000 rubles. What, am I to let a man
+of such social position and such brilliancy escape me?<br>
+<br>
+CHACHO. Great heaven, how can anyone be so obstinate!<br>
+<br>
+SALOME. That is just why I begged you to come to us. Speak to Ossep
+about it, and perhaps your words will soften him.<br>
+<br>
+CHACHO. I will talk with him; yes, indeed, I will talk to him. We cannot
+neglect a matter of such importance, my child. [<i>Lays the tschadra under
+the tachta covering the ketscha and sits down on it</i>.] Great heaven, how
+sore the pavement has made my feet!<br>
+<br>
+SALOME [<i>seating herself on a chair</i>]. May God reward you, dear aunt!
+May the Holy Mother be a protectress for your children as you are now
+for my Nato.<br>
+<br>
+CHACHO. Is not Nato my child also? Is she a stranger to me? I am
+altogether charmed with her beautiful form. But where is the child? Is
+she not at home?<br>
+<br>
+SALOME. Yes, certainly; she is dressing. You understand, dear aunt, how
+you are to talk to him? Perhaps you will succeed with him. They expect
+the final answer to-day; this morning the young man's sister was here,
+and she may be here again any minute.<br>
+<br>
+CHACHO. Don't be afraid, dear child. Calm yourself. Where is Ossep? What
+does he think about it?<br>
+<br>
+SALOME. He is busy, but he will be here directly. He says, and insists
+upon it, that he will allow our daughter to marry no one but a business
+man.<br>
+<br>
+CHACHO. He is right, my child; a good business man is worth much. Yes;
+is not one who has money in his pockets the best?<br>
+<br>
+SALOME. Oh, how you talk! What business man is to be compared with
+Alexander Marmarow! Is there any business man worthy to untie his
+shoe-strings? His politeness alone is worth more than ten business men.
+Lately he honored us with a visit, and I was so fascinated with his
+manners! and beside he is still young; is handsome; is educated; has a
+good position and a good salary and will advance every day&mdash;everybody
+says so. Perhaps some day he will be governor.<br>
+<br>
+CHACHO. That is all very well, dear Salome; but if the thing cannot be
+done, what then? One must submit, to some extent, to the head of the
+family. A good business man never suffers from hunger, and lives without
+wanting anything. I don't know what has gotten into your heads.
+Officials! always officials!<br>
+<br>
+SALOME. You speak well, dear aunt, but Nato would not marry a business
+man at any price. I would thank God if she would. Would I be so stupid
+as not to be glad of it? The deuce take these times! This comes of too
+much study: the girls now mind neither father nor mother!<br>
+<br>
+CHACHO. Yes; how the world has changed! The streams and the hills are
+the same, but the people are different! But, by the way, Salome, do you
+know what I have heard? They say that Leproink is trying for him also;
+is that true?<br>
+<br>
+SALOME. Yes, yes, dear aunt, a lot of go-betweens go to his house. But
+God will surely not let a man like that become his son-in-law while my
+daughter is left to become the wife of a shopkeeper.<br>
+<br>
+CHACHO. Who would have believed that this Barssegh would have worked
+himself up like that! Yet God be praised! Perhaps it is the times that
+bring it about. Yesterday or the day before he was a shop-boy at
+Basaschoma,<a name="FNanchor39"></a><a href="#Footnote_39"><sup>[39]</sup></a> and now! I can picture him as he was then! He wore a
+<i>tschocha</i><a name="FNanchor40"></a><a href="#Footnote_40"><sup>[40]</sup></a> of green camelot with a narrow purple belt. The wadding
+stuck out at his elbows and his boots were mended in four places. Great
+piles of goods were loaded on the poor devil's shoulders. Many a time,
+with the yardstick in one hand, he came to our houses with whole pieces
+of calico and got a few pennies from us for his trouble. And now he is a
+man of some importance! Many's the time we gave him a cuff and sent him
+back and forth with his goods. And, Salome, do you know that he lied?
+God save us from such lies! But what could he do? One would die of
+hunger, to be sure, if one always told the truth.<br>
+<br>
+SALOME. Yes, yes, dear aunt, it is the same Barssegh&mdash;whom they all call
+&quot;Wassil Matwejitsch&quot; now.<br>
+<br>
+CHACHO. What! have they turned Mathus, his father, into Matjewitsch? Who
+is good enough for them now? Many a time has the cobbler, Mathus, mended
+my shoes. His workshop was in the Norasch quarter. O good heavens, the
+world is upside down!<br>
+<br>
+<br>
+<h4><b>Scene II</b></h4>
+<br>
+NATO [<i>entering at right</i>]. Mamma! O aunt, are you here, too?<br>
+<span style="float:right">[<i>Hugs her and kisses her</i>.</span><br>
+<br>
+CHACHO. O my only treasure! [<i>Kisses her</i>.] How fresh and pretty you
+are! Where are you going? Are you going out when I have just come?<br>
+<br>
+NATO. What are you saying, dear aunt? I will come back again
+immediately. I am only going to make a few purchases at the bazaar.
+[<i>Turning to Salome</i>] Dear mamma&mdash;&mdash;<br>
+<span style="float:right">[<i>They begin to speak together in a low tone</i>.</span><br>
+<br>
+CHACHO [<i>aside</i>]. Yes, yes, her father is right! [<i>Aloud.</i>] I will go
+and see what the children are doing [<i>trying to rise</i>]. Come here, you
+pretty rogue, and give me your hand. I feel exhausted.<br>
+<span style="float:right">[<i>Nato helps her</i>.</span><br>
+<br>
+SALOME [<i>offering her hand</i>]. Let me help you, too.<br>
+<br>
+CHACHO. May God give you health and a life as long as mine! [<i>To Nato:</i>]
+O my heart's angel&mdash;if only I have my wish and see you wear the bridal
+wreath!<br>
+<br>
+SALOME. God grant it, dear aunt!<br>
+<br>
+CHACHO. He will, he will, my child! [<i>Going toward the entrance.</i>] Good
+heaven! how old I have grown!<br>
+<span style="float:right">[<i>Goes out at the left.</i></span><br>
+<br>
+<br>
+<br>
+<h4><b>Scene III</b></h4>
+<br>
+<br>
+NATO. Don't keep me waiting, mamma.<br>
+<br>
+SALOME. And won't a little less satisfy you? Why do you want so much all
+of a sudden?<br>
+<br>
+NATO. But, dear mamma, please; I want it so much!<br>
+<br>
+SALOME [<i>putting her hand in her pocket</i>]. I can never get away from
+you.<br>
+<span style="float:right">[<i>Takes out her purse and looks for something in it.</i></span><br>
+<br>
+NATO [<i>holding out her hand</i>]. You have it there, mamma.<br>
+<br>
+SALOME. Have a little patience. [<i>Takes out some money and gives it to
+her</i>.] Take it! take it! though I know your father will scold about it.<br>
+<br>
+NATO. But what can I do, when I need it so badly?<br>
+<br>
+SALOME. Need it&mdash;nonsense! There is no end of your needs. [<i>Pulling at
+Nato's hat.</i>] How have you put your hat on again? And the flowers are
+all pulled apart.<br>
+<span style="float:right">[<i>Arranges it.</i></span><br>
+<br>
+NATO. Bah! what difference does that make?<br>
+<br>
+SALOME. You're crazy! [<i>Removes her veil.</i>] How have you put on your
+veil? I must ever and eternally fix something on you!<br>
+<br>
+NATO. You will make me too beautiful, mamma.<br>
+<br>
+SALOME. Whether I make you beautiful or not, it will make no difference.
+You will be only the wife of a merchant.<br>
+<br>
+NATO. Yes, yes, I have been expecting that!<br>
+<br>
+SALOME. And you really think that your father will ask you?<br>
+<br>
+NATO. And whom should he ask?<br>
+<br>
+SALOME. Think what you will; he will not let his decision be altered by
+you. He says, &quot;I will give her only to a business man.&quot;<br>
+<br>
+NATO. Yes, yes, surely.<br>
+<br>
+SALOME. By heaven!<br>
+<br>
+NATO. Mamma, is what you say true?<br>
+<br>
+SALOME. As true as the sun shines above you. He spoke of it again
+to-day.<br>
+<br>
+NATO. It is decided, then?<br>
+<br>
+SALOME. What am I to do if there is no other way out? You know we have
+not any too much money.<br>
+<br>
+NATO. And you are going to make a shopkeeper's wife of me, so that
+everyone will laugh at me [<i>ready to cry</i>]; so that I shall be an object
+of scorn for all. And why have you had me so well educated? Have I
+learned Russian and French and piano-playing for a man of that sort?
+What does a shopkeeper want of a piano? Pickle-jars and butter-tubs are
+useful to him, but not my French! I am curious as to how he would speak
+to me: <i>Moi aller, vous joli tu voir</i>.<br>
+<br>
+SALOME. Enough! enough! you wild girl!<br>
+<br>
+NATO [<i>crying</i>]. It is out of the question, mamma. No, not for the
+world could I marry a business man! I will not have one! I would rather
+jump into the water than marry one! [<i>Crying, she gives the money
+back</i>.] Take it back! What do I need it for now? Why should I go out and
+make purchases? For whom, then?<br>
+<span style="float:right">[<i>Takes off her mantle, flings her parasol aside, sits down on the sofa
+and begins to cry</i>.</span><br>
+<br>
+SALOME. O great heaven! is this not torture? I get it on both sides.
+[<i>Turning to Nato</i>:] Be still, you stupid girl!<br>
+<br>
+NATO. For this I have learned so much; for this you have brought me up
+so grandly and given yourself so much trouble and care! [<i>Weeping</i>.] Is
+he, also, to take me walking on the boulevard? Is he to accompany me to
+the club and to the theatre?<br>
+<span style="float:right">[<i>Sobbing</i>.</span><br>
+
+SALOME. Be quiet! Enough! Give yourself no unnecessary heartache.<br>
+<br>
+NATO [<i>jumps up and embraces Salome</i>]. Dear, dear mamma! dearest mamma,
+save me!<br>
+<br>
+SALOME. Oh, rather would your mother be dead than to see this day!<br>
+<br>
+NATO. Dear mamma, save me! save me, or I shall go into consumption! God
+is my witness!<br>
+<br>
+SALOME [<i>weeping</i>]. The deuce take everything!<br>
+<span style="float:right">[<i>Wipes away her tears</i>.</span><br>
+<br>
+NATO. Mamma, if you please, I would rather not marry at all. I will
+serve you here at home like a housemaid. Only make them stop this
+affair!<br>
+<br>
+SALOME. That has already happened, my child.<br>
+<br>
+NATO. Dear mamma, please do it.<br>
+<br>
+SALOME. But I tell you, truly.<br>
+<br>
+NATO. Is it really true?<br>
+<br>
+SALOME. As true as the sun shines.<br>
+<br>
+NATO [<i>kissing Salome</i>]. O my dear, dear mamma!<br>
+<br>
+SALOME. At last I am rid of you. Your eyes are real tear-fountains. It
+would not have taken much more to make me cry, too.<br>
+<br>
+NATO [<i>laughing</i>]. Ha! ha! ha!<br>
+<br>
+SALOME. You can laugh now.<br>
+<br>
+NATO. Ha! ha! ha! you gave me such a fright!<br>
+<br>
+SALOME. You are terribly flighty. [<i>Presses the money into her hand</i>.]
+Here, take it; and do not be too long.<br>
+<span style="float:right">[<i>Smoothes Nato's hair</i>.</span><br>
+<br>
+NATO [<i>pulling herself away from her mother</i>]. Very well, mamma.<br>
+<span style="float:right">[<i>Taking her parasol and mantle</i>.</span><br>
+<br>
+SALOME. Wipe your eyes, I pray, or they will laugh at you!<br>
+<br>
+NATO. They are quite dry; and what does anybody care about my eyes?<br>
+<span style="float:right">[<i>Going.</i></span><br>
+<br>
+SALOME. Come back soon; don't allow yourself to be delayed.<br>
+<br>
+NATO. I will come back right away, dear mamma.<br>
+<span style="float:right">[<i>Goes toward the right into the ante-room.</i></span><br>
+<br>
+<br>
+<br>
+<br>
+<h4><b>Scene IV</b></h4>
+<br>
+<br>
+SALOME [<i>alone</i>]. No, there is no other way out. Cost what it will, I
+shall accomplish what I want. Yes, I must, if I am ruined by it. Mother
+of God, plead for my Nato!<br>
+<br>
+OSSEP [<i>enters, right</i>]. Where has Nato gone?<br>
+<br>
+SALOME. Just across the way, to the store. She needed some music.<br>
+<br>
+OSSEP. These are fine times for me! And a girl like this is to become a
+good citizen's wife!<br>
+<span style="float:right">[<i>Sits down on the sofa</i>.</span><br>
+<br>
+SALOME [<i>coming near</i>]. That is what I say, too, dear Ossep. [<i>Lays hand
+on his shoulder</i>.] Are you not sorry? Is it not too bad about her?<br>
+<br>
+OSSEP. I am still more to be pitied; but who pities me? SALOME. Shall we
+really give her to a business man for a wife?<br>
+<br>
+OSSEP. And what else? Is a merchant such a bad fellow? To judge by your
+words, I also am good for nothing; I who, day and night, worry myself to
+get you bread.<br>
+<br>
+SALOME [<i>embracing him</i>]. How can you say such a thing, dear Ossep?
+Listen to me; are you not sorry for Nato? It would be quite different if
+she had been educated as I was.<br>
+<br>
+OSSEP [<i>smiling</i>]. Hm! Then she would be the right sort.<br>
+<br>
+SALOME [<i>draws back her hand</i>]. You are very polite, really! You laugh
+at poor me! Well, talk as you like, but finish this affair with Nato.<br>
+<br>
+OSSEP. I have already finished it. What will you have of me?<br>
+<br>
+SALOME. How, then? You will not give as much as they demand.<br>
+<br>
+OSSEP. How can I give it when I have not so much?<br>
+<br>
+SALOME [<i>embracing him</i>]. Dear Ossep, please do it.<br>
+<br>
+OSSEP. But I cannot do it.<br>
+<br>
+SALOME [<i>still pleading</i>]. If you love me only a little bit, you will do
+me this favor.<br>
+<br>
+OSSEP. O woman! Can you not understand at all what yes and no mean? I
+tell you short and plain that I cannot afford to do it. My back is too
+weak to lift such a burden. A man can stretch out his feet in bed only
+as far as the covers reach. Isn't that true? Am I stingy? And would I be
+stingy toward my own child?<br>
+<br>
+SALOME. But in this case no one asks whether we have it or not. Would it
+not be stupid to have such a lover for your daughter and not sacrifice
+everything for him? Others, indeed, have no great wealth, and yet give
+and are not called crazy.<br>
+<br>
+OSSEP. Perhaps they have stolen money, since it is so easy for them to
+give it up. However, what is the use of so much talk? Take the cotton
+out of your ears and listen, for, I tell you, I have no money; and I
+repeat, I have no money. To-day or to-morrow I expect the conclusion of
+important business. If it is not completed, I am lost, body and soul.
+And you stand before me and torture me by asking me to do what is
+impossible!<br>
+<br>
+SALOME. But why do you seem so angry? One cannot even open one's mouth
+before you.<br>
+<span style="float:right">[<i>Seats herself sulking on the tachta</i>.</span><br>
+<br>
+OSSEP. Yes, I am angry. You women would exasperate an angel, let alone a
+man!<br>
+<br>
+SALOME [<i>reproachfully</i>]. Just heaven! with my heart bleeding, I speak
+to you of our daughter and you are angry! You, then, are her father? Let
+us suppose I was dead: would it not be your sacred duty to provide for
+her future?<br>
+<br>
+OSSEP. Am I not providing for her, you wicked woman? Have I not
+presented three or four young persons to you as sons-in-law? For that
+matter, they would still be very glad to take her. They are young,
+clever, and industrious, and, moreover, persons of our condition in
+life. But who can be reasonable and speak to you? You have got it into
+your head that Nato's husband shall be an official, and there you stick.
+It is not your daughter's future that makes your heart bleed, but your
+own ambition.<br>
+<br>
+SALOME. What more can I say to you? Are they, then, your equals? Who are
+they, properly speaking? Who are their parents?<br>
+<br>
+OSSEP [<i>springing up</i>]. And who are you, then? Whose daughter, whose
+wife are you? Perhaps you are descended from King Heraclius; or perhaps
+you are the wife of a prince!<br>
+<br>
+SALOME. How the man talks! Were your parents of better rank than mine?
+What? Say!<br>
+<br>
+<br>
+<br>
+<br>
+<h4><b>Scene V</b></h4>
+<h4>
+<i>Chacho</i>.</h4>
+<br>
+CHACHO [<i>enters, left</i>]. What's all this noise about?<br>
+<br>
+OSSEP. O aunt, you are here?<br>
+<br>
+CHACHO. Yes, it is I, as I love and live. How are you, my son?<br>
+<br>
+OSSEP. Pretty well, thank God. And how are you, aunt?<br>
+<br>
+CHACHO. My dear son, I am very feeble. But what is going on here? They
+must have heard your voices in the street.<br>
+<br>
+SALOME. Do you not know that married people often have little quarrels?<br>
+<br>
+CHACHO. That I know a hundred times better than you. And only a
+blockhead takes a dispute between man and wife seriously. That is true;
+but that you two have already had time to get used to each other is also
+true.<br>
+<br>
+OSSEP. Sit down, dear aunt. Tell me, rather, whether a wagon can be
+moved when one ox pulls to the right and the other to the left.<br>
+<br>
+CHACHO. It will not stir from its place any more than I will now.
+[<i>Sits down with legs planted firmly</i>.] What can move me away from here?<br>
+<br>
+OSSEP. Now, is it not true? One must help the other, for one alone
+cannot accomplish much, be he ever so strong and ready to work.<br>
+<br>
+SALOME. Oh, yes! and you are the one ready to work and I am the lazy
+one, I suppose.<br>
+<br>
+OSSEP. For heaven's sake, do not fly into a passion like that!<br>
+<br>
+CHACHO [<i>to Salome</i>]. That was nothing more than a figure of speech. Who
+is accusing you of laziness?<br>
+<br>
+OSSEP [<i>sitting down</i>]. Tell me, can we count ourselves among those
+persons who can give their daughter 10,000 rubles for a dowry? Are we
+able to do that?<br>
+<br>
+SALOME. Eight thousand is surely not 10,000.<br>
+<br>
+OSSEP. Both are too much for me.<br>
+<br>
+SALOME. Oh, it is all the same to me; it is not for myself; it is for
+your daughter.<br>
+<span style="float:right">[<i>Sits down, ready to cry, upon the sofa</i>.</span><br>
+<br>
+OSSEP. It is a beautiful thing, the way you look out for your daughter;
+but everything has its time and place. We have, remember, two other
+daughters to provide for.<br>
+<br>
+CHACHO. Dear Ossep, why are you so obstinate?<br>
+<br>
+OSSEP. I am not obstinate; but you two are. Yes, you are obstinate, and
+will pay no attention at all to what I say.<br>
+<br>
+CHACHO. Since when have you become such a niggard? You should have
+economized when you gave the sasandars<a name="FNanchor41"></a><a href="#Footnote_41"><sup>[41]</sup></a> something like ten rubles for
+a fee.<br>
+<br>
+OSSEP. Those times have passed and won't come back again, dear aunt. At
+that time I was able to do it; but not now. Trade is dull and my
+business is going badly.<br>
+<br>
+CHACHO. Possibly with your enemies, dear son; but there is nothing the
+matter with your business.<br>
+<br>
+OSSEP [<i>aside</i>]. There you have it! They insist that I let them inspect
+my books. [<i>Aloud</i>.] Do you know, what, aunt? What I say I first
+consider, for I do not like to speak to no purpose. If that young man
+pleases you and my daughter, and you will have him at all hazards, I
+have nothing against it. So therefore go to him; and if you can settle
+the affair with 6,000 rubles, do it. I will gladly make the best of it;
+but mind, this is my last word, and if you hang me up by the feet, I
+will not add a single shilling.<br>
+<br>
+CHACHO. What has come over you, Ossep? If you are willing to give 6,000
+rubles, you will surely not let the whole thing go to pieces for the
+sake of 500 or 1,000 more?<br>
+<br>
+OSSEP. Do you know what, aunt? Even if a voice from heaven were to
+demand it of me, that is my last word. Even if you flayed me alive, I
+would not give another shilling.<br>
+<br>
+CHACHO. Do not excite yourself, dear son. Let us first see. Perhaps it
+can be settled with 6,000 rubles.<br>
+<br>
+OSSEP. Yes, to that even I say yes.<br>
+<br>
+SALOME. If a man can give 6,000, he can surely give 1,000 or 2,000 more.
+Why do you fret yourself unnecessarily?<br>
+<br>
+OSSEP [<i>aroused</i>]. God deliver me from the hands of these women! They
+say that one woman can get the best of two men; and here I am alone and
+fallen into the hands of two of you. Where, then, have you discovered
+this confounded fellow of a son-in-law? That comes of his visits. What
+has he to do with us? We are entirely different kind of people. [<i>To
+Salome</i>:] He is neither your brother nor your cousin; why, then, does he
+come running into our house? I believe he has been here as many as three
+times. I decline once and for all his visits. May his foot never cross
+my threshold!<br>
+<br>
+CHACHO. Do not get excited, my son. Do not be vexed.<br>
+<br>
+OSSEP. Now, aunt, you come so seldom to our house, and just to-day you
+happen in: how does that come?<br>
+<br>
+CHACHO. If you are so vexed about my visit, go down in the cellar and
+cool yourself off a little.<br>
+<br>
+OSSEP. I am a man; do you understand me? If I tell you that I can give
+no more, you should believe me.<br>
+<br>
+CHACHO. We believe it, truly; we believe it, but we must say to you,
+nevertheless, that the dowry that a man gives his daughter means a great
+deal. It does not mean buying a house, when it is laudable to be
+economical. No; where the dowry is concerned, a man must think neither
+of his pocket nor of his money-box. You were acquainted with Jegor? Did
+he not sell his last house and afterward lived like a beggar to give
+his daughter a proper dowry? When he died, was there not money for his
+burial? That you know yourself very well. Are you any poorer than he,
+that you grumble like a bear about 2,000 rubles?<br>
+<br>
+OSSEP. O great Heavens! they will bring me to despair yet. Isn't this a
+punishment of Providence, to bring up a daughter, spend a lot of money
+on her education, and when you have done everything, then hang a bag of
+gold around her neck, so that she may find someone who is kind enough to
+take her home with him? A pretty custom!<br>
+<br>
+SALOME. Against the manners and customs of the world you can do nothing,
+however.<br>
+<br>
+OSSEP. The devil take your manners and customs! If you hold so fast to
+old ways, then stick to all of them. Is it an old custom to wear,
+instead of Georgian shoes, little boots&mdash;and with men's heels, too? And
+that a girl should be ashamed to go with her own people and should walk
+around on the arm of a strange young man: is that also one of the good
+old customs? Where can we find anything of the good old manners and
+customs of our fathers, in the living or eating or housekeeping, or in
+the clothing, or in balls and society? What! was it so in old times? Do
+you still talk about old manners and customs? If once we begin to live
+after the new fashion, let us follow it in all things. Why do we still
+need to have bedclothes for twenty-four beds for guests? Why do we use
+the old cupboard and cake-oven and sofa-cover? Why does one not visit a
+mother with a young baby and stay whole months with them? Why does one
+invite 100 persons to a wedding and give funeral feasts and let eighty
+women mourners come and howl like so many dervishes? And what is that
+yonder [<i>points to the furniture</i>]? That one is old-fashioned and the
+others new-fashioned. If we can have one kind, why do we use the
+other?<br>
+<span style="float:right">[<i>Silent awhile</i>.</span><br>
+<br>
+SALOME. Well, well! don't be angry! So you will give 6,000 rubles&mdash;you
+have promised it. What is lacking I will procure.<br>
+<br>
+OSSEP. You will procure it? Where, then, will you get it? Not some of
+your own dowry, I hope.<br>
+<br>
+SALOME. I had no dowry. Why do you tease me with that? No, everything I
+have I will sell or pawn. The pearls, my gold ornaments, I will take off
+of my <i>katiba</i>. The gold buttons can be melted. My brooch and my
+necklace, with twelve strings of pearls, I will also sell; and, if it is
+necessary, even the gold pins from my velvet cap must go. Let it all go!
+I will sacrifice everything for my Nato. I would give my head to keep
+the young man from slipping through my hands.<br>
+<br>
+<span style="float:right">[<i>Exit hastily at left</i>.</span><br>
+<br>
+<br>
+<br>
+<h4><b>Scene VI</b></h4>
+<h4><i>Ossep. Chacho</i>.</h4>
+<br>
+OSSEP. Have you ever seen anything like it, aunt? I ask you, aunt, does
+that seem right?<br>
+<br>
+CHACHO. My son, who takes a thing like that to heart?<br>
+<br>
+OSSEP. She is obstinate as a mule. Say, does she not deserve to be
+soundly beaten, now?<br>
+<br>
+CHACHO. It only needed this&mdash;that you should say such a thing! As many
+years as you have lived together you have never harmed a hair of her
+head; then all of a sudden you begin to talk like this. Is that
+generous?<br>
+<br>
+OSSEP. O aunt! I have had enough of it all. Were another man in my
+place, he would have had a separation long ago. [<i>Sits down</i>.] If she
+sees on anyone a new dress that pleases her, I must buy one like it for
+her; if a thing pleases her anywhere in a house, she wants one in her
+house; and if I don't get it for her she loses her senses. It is, for
+all the world, as though she belonged to the monkey tribe. Can a man
+endure it any longer?<br>
+<br>
+CHACHO. The women are all so, my son. Why do you fret yourself so much
+on that account?<br>
+<br>
+OSSEP. Yes, yes; you have the habit of making out that all women are
+alike&mdash;all! all! If other people break their heads against a stone,
+shall I do the same? No; I do what pleases myself, and not what pleases
+others.
+<br>
+CHACHO. Ossep, what nonsense are you talking? As I was coming here,
+even, I saw a laborer's wife so dressed up that a princess could hardly
+be compared with her. She had on a lilac silk dress and a splendid shawl
+on her head, fine, well-fitting gloves, and in her hand she held a satin
+parasol. I stood staring, open-mouthed, as she passed. Moreover, she
+trailed behind her a train three yards long. I tell you my heart was sad
+when I saw how she swept the street with that beautiful dress and
+dragged along all sorts of rubbish with it. I really do not see why they
+still have street-sweepers. It was a long time before I could turn my
+eyes from her, and thought to myself, Lord, one can't tell the high from
+the low nowadays! And what can one say to the others if a laborer's wife
+puts on so much style?<br>
+<br>
+OSSEP. I said that very thing. I have just spoken of it. A new public
+official has just arrived. She sees that others want to marry their
+daughters to him, and she runs, head first, against the wall to get
+ahead of them.<br>
+<br>
+CHACHO. You are really peculiar. You have, you say, not enough money to
+provide a dowry for your daughter, and yet you brought her up and
+educated her in the fashion. For what has she learned to play the piano,
+then? Consider everything carefully.<br>
+<br>
+OSSEP. Devil take this education! Of what good is this education if it
+ruins me? Is that sort of an education for the like of us? Ought we not
+to live as our fathers lived and stay in our own sphere, so that we
+could eat our bread with a good appetite? What kind of a life is that of
+the present day? Where is the appetizing bread of earlier times?
+Everything that one eats is smeared with gall! For what do I need a
+<i>salon</i> and a parlor, a cook and a footman? If a man stretches himself
+too much in his coat the seams must burst!<br>
+<br>
+CHACHO. If you don't want to have all those things can't you manage the
+house another way? Who is to blame for it?<br>
+<br>
+OSSEPO Have I managed it so? I wish he may break his neck who brought it
+all to pass! I haven't done it; it came of itself, and how it happened I
+don't know Oftentimes when I look back over my early days I see that
+things were very different twenty years ago. It seems to me I have to
+live like an ambassador! [<i>Stands up</i>.] We are all the same, yes, we all
+go the same pace. Wherever you go you find the same conditions, and no
+one questions whether his means permit it. If a man who has 10,000
+rubles lives so, I say nothing; but if one with an income of 1,000
+rubles imitates him, then my good-nature stops. What are the poorer
+people to learn from us if we give them such an example? Weren't the old
+times much better? In a single <i>darbas</i><a name="FNanchor42"></a><a href="#Footnote_42"><sup>[42]</sup></a> we all lived together; three
+or four brothers and their families. We saved in light and heat, and the
+blessing of God was with us. Now in that respect it is wholly different.
+If one brother spends fifty rubles, the other spends double the sum, so
+as not to be behind him. And what kind of brothers are there now, as a
+rule? And what kind of sisters and fathers and mothers? If you were to
+chain them together you could not hold them together a week at a time.
+If it is not a punishment from God, I don't know what is.<br>
+
+<br>
+CHACHO. My dear Ossep, why do you revive those old memories? It gives me
+the heartache to recall those old times. I remember very well how it
+was. In the room stood a long broad sofa that was covered with a carpet.
+When evening came there would be a fire-pan lighted in the middle of the
+room and we children would sit around it That was our chandelier. Then a
+blue table-cloth was spread on the sofa and something to eat, and
+everything that tasted good in those days was placed on it. Then we sat
+around it, happy as could be: grandfather, father, uncle, aunt,
+brothers, and sisters. The wine pitcher poured out sparkling wine into
+the glasses, and it wandered from one end of the table to the other.
+Many times there were twenty of us. Now if for any reason five persons
+come together in a room one is likely to be suffocated. [<i>Points to the
+ceiling</i>.] With us there was an opening for smoke in the ceiling that
+was worth twenty windows. When it became bright in the morning the
+daylight pressed in on us, and when it grew dark the twilight came in
+there, and the stars glimmered through. Then we spread our bed-things
+out, and we went to sleep together with play and frolic. We had a kettle
+and a roasting-spit in the house, and also a pot-ladle and strainer, and
+the men brought in the stock of provisions in bags. Of the things they
+brought, one thing was as appetizing as the other. Now, it seems the
+cooks and servants eat all the best bits. God preserve me from them! Our
+homes are ruined by the new ways!<br>
+<br>
+OSSEP. Do you know what, aunt? I wager it will not be long before the
+whole city is bankrupt. On one side extravagance and the new mode of
+life will be to blame, and on the other our stupidity. Can we go on
+living so? It is God's punishment, and nothing more. You will scarcely
+believe it when I tell you that I pay out ten rubles every month for
+pastry for the children alone.<br>
+<br>
+CHACHO. No! Reduce your expenses a little, my son. Retrench!<br>
+<br>
+OSSEP. That is easily said. Retrench, is it? Well, come over here and do
+it. I would like to see once how you would begin. Listen, now! Lately I
+bought a pair of children's shoes at the bazaar for three abaces.<a name="FNanchor43"></a><a href="#Footnote_43"><sup>[43]</sup></a> The
+lad threw them to the ceiling. &quot;I want boots at two and a half rubles,&quot;
+said the six-year-old rascal. He was ready to burst out crying. What
+could I do but buy new ones? If others would do the same I could let the
+youngster run in cheap boots. How can one retrench here? Twenty years,
+already, I have struggled and see no way out. To-day or to-morrow my
+head will burst, or I may beat it to pieces against a stone wall. Isn't
+it an effort at retrenchment when I say that I cannot afford it? but
+with whom am I to speak here? Does anyone understand me? Yes, reduce
+your expenses!<br>
+<span style="float:right">[<i>Goes toward the ante-room to the right and meets Nato with four sheets
+of music in her hand</i>.</span><br>
+<br><br>
+<h4>Scene VII<br></h4>
+<h4><i>Nato, Ossep, Chacho</i>.<br></h4>
+<br>
+OSSEP. Yes, yes, reduce your expenses!<br>
+<br>
+CHACHO. Little girl, how quickly you have come back!<br>
+<br>
+NATO. I did not go far, aunt.<br>
+<br>
+CHACHO. What have you in your hand, sweetheart?<br>
+<br>
+NATO. I have bought some new music.<br>
+<br>
+OSSEP [<i>stepping up to them</i>]. Yes, yes, retrench! [<i>Taking a sheet of
+music out of her hand</i>.] What did you pay for this?<br>
+<br>
+NATO. Four abaces.<br>
+<br>
+OSSEP. And for this [<i>taking another</i>]?<br>
+<br>
+NATO [<i>looking at it</i>]. Six abaces.<br>
+<br>
+OSSEP [<i>taking a third</i>]. And for this?<br>
+<br>
+NATO [<i>fretfully</i>]. One ruble and a half.<br>
+<br>
+OSSEP [<i>taking the last</i>]. And certainly as much for this?<br>
+<br>
+NATO. No, papa; I paid two rubles and a half for that.<br>
+<br>
+OSSEP [<i>angrily</i>]. And one is to economize! Am I to blame for this? What
+have you bought four pieces for? Was not one or two enough?<br>
+<br>
+NATO [<i>frightened</i>]. I need them.<br>
+<br>
+OSSEP [<i>still more angrily</i>]. Tell me one thing&mdash;is this to be endured?
+If she could play properly at least, but she only drums two or three
+pieces and says she can play. I cannot play myself, but I have heard
+persons who played well. They could use these things, but not we. I wish
+the devil had the man who introduced this! [<i>Throws the music on the
+floor</i>.] I'll cut off my hand if she can play properly.<br>
+<br>
+CHACHO. There, there, stop, now!<br>
+<br>
+OSSEP. Whatever she tries to do is only half done: music, languages&mdash;she
+has only half learned. Tell me, what can she do? Is she able to sew
+anything? or to cut out a dress for herself? Yes, that one seems like a
+European girl! Ha! ha! Five times I have been in Leipsic, and the
+daughter of the merest pauper there can do more than she can. What have
+I not seen in the way of needlework! I gaped with admiration. And she
+cannot even speak Armenian properly, and that is her mother tongue! Can
+she write a page without mistakes? Can she pronounce ten French words
+fluently? Yes, tell me, what can she do? What does she understand? She
+will make a fine housekeeper for you! The man who takes her for his wife
+is to be pitied. She be able to share with him the troubles of life!
+Some day or other she will be a mother and must bring up children. Ha,
+ha! they will have a fine bringing-up! She is here to make a show; but
+for nothing beside! She is an adept at spending money. Yes, give her
+money, money, so that she can rig herself out and go to balls and
+parties! [<i>Nato cries.</i>] Can I stand this any longer? Can I go on with
+these doings? Retrench, you say. What is this [<i>taking a corner of
+Nato's tunic in his hand</i>]? How is this for a twelve-story building?
+Does it warm the back? How am I to reduce expenses here? And if I do it,
+will others do it also? I'd like to see the man who could do it!<br>
+<span style="float:right">[<i>Nato still crying.</i></span><br>
+<br>
+CHACHO.<br>
+Do all these things you have said in my presence amount to anything? You
+yourself said that you troubled yourself little about what others did.
+What do you want, then? Why should you poison the heart of this innocent
+girl?<br>
+<span style="float:right">[<i>All are silent awhile.</i></span><br>
+<br>
+OSSEP [<i>lays his hand on his forehead and recovers himself.</i>] O just
+heaven, what am I doing? I am beside myself. [<i>Goes up to Nato.</i>] Not to
+you, not to you, my Nato, should I say all this! [<i>Embraces her.</i>] No,
+you do not deserve it; you are innocent. We are to blame for all. I am
+to blame, I! because I imitated the others and brought you up as others
+brought up their daughters. Don't cry! I did not wish to hurt you. I was
+in bad humor, for everything has vexed me to-day, and unfortunately you
+came in at the wrong moment. [<i>Picks up the music and gives it to her.</i>]
+Here, take the music, my child. [<i>Embraces her again.</i>] Go and buy some
+more. Do what you wish everywhere, and be behind no one. Until to-day
+you have wanted nothing, and, with God's help, you shall want nothing in
+the future.<br>
+<span style="float:right">[<i>Kisses her and turns to go.</i></span><br>
+<br>
+CHACHO. Now, Ossep, think it over; come to some decision in the matter.<br>
+<br>
+OSSEP. I should like to, indeed; but what I cannot do I cannot do.<br>
+<span style="float:right">[<i>Goes off at the right.</i></span><br>
+<br>
+<br>
+<h4><b>Scene VIII</b></h4>
+<h4><i>Nato, Chacho, then Salome</i>.<br></h4>
+<br>
+<br>
+NATO [<i>falling sobbing in Chacho's arms</i>]. O dear, dear aunt.<br>
+<br>
+CHACHO. Stop; don't cry, my dear, my precious child. It is indeed your
+father. Stop; stop, Salome.<br>
+<br>
+SALOME [<i>coming in smiling</i>]. Dear aunt, I have arranged everything.
+[<i>Stops.</i>] What is this now? Why are you crying?<br>
+<span style="float:right">[<i>Nato wipes away her tears and goes toward the divan</i>.</span><br>
+<br>
+CHACHO. You know her father, don't you? He has been scolding her, and
+has made her cry.<br>
+<br>
+SALOME. If her father has been troubling her, then I will make her happy
+again. Nato, dear, I have betrothed you. [<i>Nato looks at her in
+wonderment.</i>] Yes, my love, be happy&mdash;what have you to say about it? Mr.
+Alexander Marmarow is now your betrothed.<br>
+<br>
+NATO. Is it really true, mamma dear?<br>
+<br>
+CHACHO [<i>at the same time</i>]. Is it true?<br>
+<br>
+SALOME. It is true, be assured.<br>
+<br>
+NATO [<i>embracing Salome</i>]. O my dear, dear mother.<br>
+<br>
+SALOME [<i>seizing her daughter and kissing her</i>]. Now I am rid of my
+worries about you. I hope it will bring you joy. Go and put on another
+dress, for your betrothed is coming.<br>
+<br>
+NATO. Now?<br>
+<br>
+SALOME. Certainly, at once. You know, I presume, that you must make
+yourself pretty.<br>
+<br>
+NATO [<i>happy and speaking quickly</i>]. Certainly. I will wear the white
+bar&egrave;ge with blue ribbons, the little cross on black velvet ribbon, and a
+blue ribbon in my hair. [<i>Hugs Chacho</i>.] O my precious auntie!<br>
+<br>
+CHACHO [<i>embracing and kissing her</i>]. May this hour bring you
+good-fortune! I wish it for you with all my heart.<br>
+<br>
+NATO [<i>hugging and kissing Salome again</i>]. O you dear, you dearest
+mamma.<br>
+<span style="float:right">[<i>Runs out of the room</i>.</span><br>
+<br>
+<br>
+<h4><b>Scene IX</b></h4>
+<h4>
+<i>Salome. Chacho</i>.</h4>
+<br>
+CHACHO. What does all this mean? Am I dreaming or am I still awake?<br>
+<br>
+SALOME. What are you saying about dreams? His sister Champera was here,
+and about five minutes later he himself came. They live very near here.<br>
+<br>
+CHACHO. If it was arranged so easily, why have you wrangled and
+quarrelled so much?<br>
+<br>
+SALOME [<i>in a whisper</i>]. But what do you think, aunt? I have arranged
+the affair for 7,000 rubles, and I have had to promise his sister 200
+rubles beside.<br>
+<br>
+CHACHO. May I be struck blind! And you have done this without Ossep's
+knowing it?<br>
+<br>
+SALOME [<i>whispering</i>]. He will not kill me for it, and let him talk as
+much as he will. It could not go through otherwise. Get up and let us go
+into that room where Ossep will not hear us.<br>
+<span style="float:right">[<i>Helps her to rise</i>.</span><br>
+<br>
+CHACHO. O just heaven! What women we have in these days!<br>
+<br>
+<br>
+<h4><b>Scene X</b></h4>
+
+
+OSSEP [<i>alone, buckling his belt and holding his cap in his hand, comes
+in through the right-hand door, stands awhile in deep thought while he
+wrings his hands several times</i>]. Give me money! Give me money! I would
+like to know where I am to get it. It is hard for me to give what I have
+promised. And what if it cannot be arranged for that sum? Am I, then, to
+make a mess of this!&mdash;I who have always been willing to make any
+sacrifice for my children? It must, indeed, lie in this&mdash;that the suitor
+does not please; for I could not find 2,000 to add to the 6,000 that I
+have promised. Yes, that's it! The man is not the one I want for her. If
+he were an ordinary fellow, he would not treat with me. At any rate,
+what he is after will show itself now; yes, we shall soon see what kind
+of man he is! Up to this day I have always kept my word, and the best
+thing I can do is to keep it now.<br>
+<br>
+<i>Enter Gewo</i>.<br>
+<br>
+OSSEP [<i>meeting him as he enters from the right</i>]. Oh, it is you, dear
+Gewo! What brings you to our house? [<i>Offering him his hand</i>.] I love
+you; come again, and often!<br>
+<br>
+GEWO. You know well that if I had not need of you, I would not come.<br>
+<br>
+OSSEP. How can I serve you? Pray, sit down.<br>
+<br>
+GEWO [<i>seating himself</i>]. What are you saying about serving? Do you
+think that this confounded Santurian has&mdash;<br>
+<br>
+OSSEP [<i>interrupting him anxiously</i>]. What has happened?<br>
+<br>
+GEWO. The dear God knows what has happened to the fellow!<br>
+<br>
+OSSEP. But go on, what has happened?<br>
+<br>
+GEWO. What could happen? The fellow has cleared out everything.<br>
+<br>
+OSSEP [<i>disturbed and speaking softly</i>]. What did you say, Gewo? Then I
+am lost, body and soul; then I am ruined!<br>
+<br>
+GEWO. I hope he will go to the bottom. How is one to trust any human
+being nowadays? Everyone who saw his way of living must have taken him
+for an honest man.<br>
+<br>
+OSSEP [<i>softly</i>]. You kill me, man!<br>
+<br>
+GEWO. God in heaven should have destroyed him long ago, so that this
+could not have happened. But who could have foreseen it? When one went
+into his store everything was always in the best order. He kept his
+word, paid promptly when the money was due; but what lay behind that, no
+one knew.<br>
+<br>
+OSSEP. I have depended on him so much. What do you say, Gewo? He owes me
+10,000 rubles! I was going to satisfy my creditors with this sum.
+To-morrow his payment was due, and the next day mine. How can I satisfy
+them now? Can I say that I cannot pay them because Santurian has given
+me nothing? Am I to be a bankrupt as well as he? May the earth swallow
+me rather!<br>
+<br>
+GEWO. I wish the earth would swallow him, or rather that he had never
+come into the world! I have just 2,000 rubles on hand; if you wish I
+will give them to you to-morrow.<br>
+<br>
+OSSEP. Good; I will be very thankful for them. But what do you say to
+that shameless fellow? Have you seen him? Have you spoken with him?<br>
+<br>
+GEWO. Of course. I have just come from him.<br>
+<br>
+OSSEP. What did he say? Will he really give nothing?<br>
+<br>
+GEWO. If he does not lie, he will settle with you alone. Let the others
+kick, he said. Go to him right off, dear Ossep. Before the thing becomes
+known perhaps you can still get something out of him.<br>
+<br>
+OSSEP. Come with me, Gewo. Yes, we must do something, or else I am lost.<br>
+<br>
+GEWO. The devil take the scoundrel!<br>
+<br>
+<br>
+<h4><b>Scene XI</b></h4>
+
+SALOME [<i>coming in from the left</i>]. May I lose my sight if he is not
+coming already. He is already on the walk. [<i>Looking out of the window
+and then walking toward the entry</i>.] How my heart beats!<br>
+<span style="float:right">[<i>Goes into the ante-room. Alexander appears at the window and then at
+the door of the ante-room</i>.]</span><br>
+<br>
+<i>Alexander enters</i>.<br>
+<br>
+SALOME [<i>at the door</i>]. Come; pray come in. [<i>Offers her hand</i>.] May
+your coming into our house bring blessings!<br>
+<br>
+ALEXANDER [<i>making a bow</i>]. Madame Salome [<i>kisses her hand</i>], I am
+happy that from now on I dare call myself your son.<br>
+<br>
+SALOME [<i>kissing him on the brow</i>]. May God make you as happy as your
+mother wishes. Please, please sit down! Nato will be here immediately.<br>
+<span style="float:right">[<i>They sit down</i>.</span><br>
+<br>
+ALEXANDER. How are you, Madame Salome? What is Miss Natalie doing? Since
+that evening I have not had the pleasure of seeing her.<br>
+<br>
+SALOME. Thank you, she is very well. The concert that evening pleased me
+exceedingly. Thank heaven that so good a fashion has found entrance
+among us. In this way we have a perfect bazaar for the marriageable
+girls, for had not this concert taken place where would you two have
+found an opportunity to make each other's acquaintance? Where else
+could you have caught sight of each other?<br>
+<br>
+ALEXANDER. Dear lady, Miss Natalie must please everybody without
+concerts, and awaken love in them. Oh, how I bless my fate that it is my
+happy lot to win her love!<br>
+<br>
+SALOME. And my Nato pleases you, dear son-in-law?<br>
+<br>
+ALEXANDER. Oh, I love her with all my heart, dear madame!<br>
+<br>
+SALOME. If you love her so much, dear son, why did you exact so much
+money? For the sake of 1,000 rubles this affair almost went to pieces.
+Your sister Champera swore to me that if we did not give 1,000 rubles
+more you would this very day betroth yourself to the daughter of
+Barssegh Leproink.<br>
+<br>
+ALEXANDER. I wonder, Madame Salome, that you should credit such things.
+I marry Leproink's daughter! I refuse Miss Natalie on her account!
+forget her beautiful black eyes and her good heart, and run after money!
+Would not that be shameful in me! I must confess to you freely, dear
+madame, that my sister's way of doing things is hateful to me. <i>Fi
+mauvais genre!</i> But let us say no more about it. If only God will help
+us to a good ending!<br>
+<br>
+SALOME. God grant that neither of you may have anything to
+regret!&mdash;[<i>rising</i>] I will come back immediately, dear son-in-law; I am
+only going to see what is keeping Nato. [<i>Alexander also rises</i>.] Keep
+your seat, I beg of you. How ceremonious you are! I will come right
+back.<br>
+<span style="float:right">[<i>Exit right</i>.</span><br>
+<br>
+<br>
+<h4><b>Scene XII</b></h4>
+ALEXANDER [<i>alone.</i>] At last my burning wish is fulfilled! Now I have
+both a pretty wife and money. Without money a man is not of the least
+importance. Let him give himself what trouble he may, if he has no
+money, no one will pay any attention to him. I have made only one
+mistake in the business. I have been in too much of a hurry. If I had
+held out a little longer they would have given me 8,000 rubles; now I
+must be satisfied with 7,000. Still, what was to be done? It would not
+have gone through otherwise; and for that matter, I may, perhaps,
+somehow make up for it in other ways. In any case, I stand here on a fat
+pasture-land where they seem to be pretty rich. The principal thing is
+that I should make myself popular among them, then I shall have
+succeeded in getting my fill out of them. Ha, ha, ha! How they worry
+themselves! Yes, the whole office will be in an uproar to-morrow. [<i>With
+affected voice</i>:] &quot;Have you heard the news? Marmarow is engaged, and has
+received 7,000 rubles dowry. And such a beautiful girl! Such a lovely
+creature!&quot; [<i>Clucking with his tongue and changing his voice</i>:] &quot;Is it
+possible!&quot; [<i>In his own voice</i>:] Charming, charming, Marmarow! [<i>Looking
+at his clothing:</i>] Chic! A true gentleman am I! Yes, I am getting on. I
+must now think only of to-morrow and the next day, and how to get on
+further. The principal thing is for a man to know the value of money,
+for without money nothing can be undertaken. First, I shall have the
+interest on my capital; then my salary, and last some hundred rubles
+beside. That makes 3,000 or 4,000 rubles a year. If I lay aside 1,000
+rubles every year, I have in seven or eight years 10,000; in fifteen
+years double that, and so on. Yes, Monsieur Marmarow, you understand it!
+Be happy, therefore, and let the others burst with envy.<br>
+<br>
+<center><i>Salome and Nato enter at the right, Salome holding Nato's hand</i>.<br></center>
+<br>
+ALEXANDER. Miss Natalie, the whole night long I thought only of you!
+[<i>Kisses her hand</i>.]<br>
+<br>
+SALOME. Kiss her on the cheek and give her the engagement ring.<br>
+<br>
+ALEXANDER. Oh, you are the sun of my existence! [<i>Draws a ring from his
+finger and gives it to Natalie</i>.] From now on you are mine. Please!
+[<i>Kisses her</i>.]<br>
+<br>
+SALOME. Be happy and may you reach old age together. [<i>Kisses Alexander;
+then Nato</i>.] God bless you, my children. Sit down, I pray you, Alexander
+[<i>pointing to the sofa on which Alexander and Nato sit down</i>]. Your
+father will soon be here. [<i>Walks to and fro in joyful excitement</i>.]<br>
+<br>
+ALEXANDER [<i>looking at Nato</i>]. Dear Natalie, why are you so silent? Let
+me hear your sweet voice, I beg of you.<br>
+<br>
+NATO. I am speechless, Monsieur Marmarow.<br>
+<br>
+ALEXANDER. Monsieur!<br>
+<br>
+NATO. Dear Alexander.<br>
+<br>
+ALEXANDER [<i>seizing her hand</i>]. So! That sounds much sweeter! [<i>Kisses
+her hand</i>.]<br>
+<br>
+<i>Enter Chacho</i>.<br>
+<br>
+SALOME. Come in, dear aunt.<br>
+<br>
+CHACHO. Such a thing has never happened to me before! Could you not wait
+till the man of the house arrived?<br>
+<br>
+SALOME. Oh, it is all the same; he will be here soon enough. Give them
+your blessing, I beg of you.<br>
+<br>
+CHACHO. May God bestow all good things upon you. May heaven grant the
+prayer of me, a sinner. [<i>Alexander and Nato stand up</i>.] May you have
+nothing to regret. May you flourish and prosper and grow old together on
+the same pillow. [<i>Ossep comes to the door and stands astonished</i>.]<br>
+<br>
+CHACHO [<i>continuing</i>]. God grant that your first may be a boy! Love and
+respect each other! May the eye of the Czar look down on you with mercy!
+[<i>Sees Ossep</i>.] Let the father now offer you his good wishes.<br>
+<br>
+SALOME. Dear Ossep, congratulate your daughter.<br>
+<br>
+NATO. Dear papa!<br>
+<span style="float:right">[<i>Goes up to Ossep and kisses his hand. Ossep stands motionless</i>.</span><br>
+<br>
+ALEXANDER [<i>seizing Ossep's hand</i>]. From now on, dear father, count me
+among your children. [<i>Turning to Nato offended</i>:] What is this?<br>
+<br>
+SALOME. Don't be impolite, Ossep.<br>
+<br>
+CHACHO. What has happened to you, Ossep?<br>
+<br>
+ALEXANDER [<i>to Salome</i>]. I understand nothing of this. [<i>To Ossep</i>:] My
+father, you seem dissatisfied.<br>
+<br>
+OSSEP [<i>recovering himself</i>]. I dissatisfied! No&mdash;yes&mdash;I am dizzy.<br>
+<br>
+ALEXANDER [<i>offering him a chair</i>]. Sit down, I pray, my father.<br>
+<br>
+OSSEP [<i>to Alexander</i>]. Do not trouble yourself. It is already passed.<br>
+<br>
+SALOME. Can one meet his son-in-law like that? And such a son-in-law,
+beside! Say something, do.<br>
+<br>
+OSSEP. What shall I say, then? You have consummated the betrothal. God
+grant that all will end well. [<i>To Alexander</i>:] Please be seated.<br>
+<br>
+ALEXANDER. My father, when do you wish the betrothal to be celebrated?<br>
+<br>
+OSSEP. That depends upon you. Do as you wish.<br>
+<br>
+ALEXANDER. I will invite twenty persons and bring them with me. My
+superiors I must invite also; it would not do to omit them.<br>
+<br>
+OSSEP. Do as you see fit.<br>
+<br>
+ALEXANDER [<i>to Salome</i>]. Perhaps he is angry with me. If there is any
+reason for it, pray tell me now.<br>
+<br>
+SALOME. What are you saying? That cannot be!<br>
+<span style="float:right">[<i>They move away a little
+and speak softly together</i>.</span><br>
+<br>
+OSSEP [<i>on the other side of the stage to Chacho</i>]. You Godforsaken!
+Could you not wait a moment?<br>
+<br>
+CHACHO. What is the matter now?<br>
+<br>
+OSSEP. Only God in heaven knows how I stand! Think of it! Santurian has
+failed.<br>
+<br>
+CHACHO. Great heaven!<br>
+<br>
+ALEXANDER [<i>offering Nato his arm</i>]. Something must have happened!
+<span style="float:right">[<i>They go off at the left, Salome following</i>.</span><br>
+<br>
+OSSEP. Righteous God, why dost thou punish me thus?<br>
+<br>
+SALOME [<i>returning to Ossep</i>]. Do with me as you will, but it could not
+have been helped. I have promised him 7,000 rubles as dowry, [<i>Turning
+to Chacho as she leaves the room</i>:] Pray come with me, aunt. You come,
+too, Ossep.<br>
+<span style="float:right">[<i>Exit Salome</i>.</span><br>
+<br>
+<br>
+<h4><b>Scene XIII</b></h4>
+
+OSSEP [<i>much excited</i>]. What do I hear? Has she spoken the truth? Do you
+hear? Why do you not answer me? Why are you silent? [<i>Still more
+excited</i>.] It is true, then! Yes, yes, I see that it is true! O God, let
+lightning strike this unlucky house that we may all die together. I
+have just lost an important sum and come home to prevent further
+negotiations. And see there!<br>
+<br>
+CHACHO. I am to blame for it. Do not get excited. I will add 1,000
+rubles to it, if need be, from the money I have laid by for my burial.<br>
+<br>
+OSSEP. From your burial money? Have I already fallen so low that I must
+ask alms? Keep your money for yourself! I do not want it. Drop that
+complaint also, for I am still rich, very rich. How can it injure me
+that Santurian has failed? I stand here firm and unshakable, and have
+inexhaustible money resources. [<i>Tearing his hair</i>.] O God! O God!
+[<i>Walks to and fro excitedly</i>.] Now I will go and wish my son-in-law
+joy. Yes, I must go so that I shall not make myself ridiculous to him.
+The man is a government official!<br>
+<span style="float:right">[<i>Exit right, laughing bitterly</i>.</span><br>
+<br>
+CHACHO. Gracious heaven, be thou our saviour and deliverer.<br>
+<br>
+<br>
+
+<h4>CURTAIN.</h4>
+
+<br><br><hr style="width: 65%;"><br><br>
+
+<h4>ACT SECOND<br>
+<br>
+<b>Scene I</b></h4>
+<br>
+<center><i>A richly furnished sales-room in Barssegh's house</i>.</center>
+<br>
+<br>
+MICHO. Two, three, four, five, six and this little piece. It does not
+measure so much!<br>
+<br>
+BARSSEGH [<i>standing up and giving Micho a rap on the nose</i>]. You have
+what is lacking there. Measure again. Now you've got what is lacking. I
+will tear your soul out of your body if you measure so that in seven
+arschin<a name="FNanchor44"></a><a href="#Footnote_44"><sup>[44]</sup></a> it comes out one werschok short.<br>
+<br>
+MICHO [<i>measuring again</i>]. O dear, O dear!<br>
+<br>
+BARSSEGH. Look out, or I will take that &quot;O dear&quot; out of your ear. Be up
+and at it now!<br>
+<br>
+MICHO. Oh, Mr. Barssegh! [<i>Measuring.</i>] One, two, three&mdash;<br>
+<br>
+BARSSEGH. Stretch it, you blockhead.<br>
+<br>
+MICHO [<i>stretching the cotton</i>]. Three, four. [<i>Wipes the perspiration
+from his brow</i>.]<br>
+<br>
+BARSSEGH. What is the matter with you? You sweat as though you had a
+mule-pack on your back.<br>
+<br>
+MICHO. Five.<br>
+<br>
+BARSSEGH. Pull it out more.<br>
+<br>
+MICHO. Six and this little piece. It lacks three werschok again.<br>
+<br>
+BARSSEGH [<i>pulling his ears</i>]. It lacks three werschok? There they are!<br>
+<br>
+MICHO. Oh my, oh my!<br>
+<br>
+BARSSEGH. You calf; will you ever develop into a man?<br>
+<br>
+MICHO. O dear mother!<br>
+<br>
+BARSSEGH [<i>pulling him again by the ear</i>]. Doesn't it grow longer?<br>
+<br>
+MICHO [<i>crying</i>]. Dear Mr. Barssegh, dear sir, let me go.<br>
+<br>
+BARSSEGH. I want to teach you how to measure.<br>
+<br>
+MICHO. It reaches, I say; it reaches, indeed; it reaches. Let me
+measure again.<br>
+<br>
+BARSSEGH. Now take care that you make it seven arschin.<br>
+<br>
+MICHO [<i>aside</i>]. Holy Karapet, help me. [<i>Measuring</i>.] One, two&mdash;<br>
+<br>
+BARSSEGH. O you blockhead!<br>
+<br>
+MICHO. Three.<br>
+<br>
+BARSSEGH Wake up!<br>
+<br>
+MICHO. Four.<br>
+<br>
+BARSSEGH. Haven't you seen how Dartscho measures?<br>
+<br>
+MICHO. Five.<br>
+<br>
+BARSSEGH. Will you ever learn how to do it?<br>
+<br>
+MICHO. Five.<br>
+<br>
+BARSSEGH. If you keep on being so stupid my business will be ruined.<br>
+<br>
+MICHO. Five&mdash;five.<br>
+<br>
+BARSSEGH. I give you my word that I will give you the sack.<br>
+<br>
+MICHO. Five&mdash;five.<br>
+<br>
+BARSSEGH. Measure further.<br>
+<br>
+MICHO. Five&mdash;[<i>aside</i>:]; Holy George, help me! [<i>Aloud</i>:] Six. I cannot
+stretch it any more or I shall tear it.<br>
+<br>
+BARSSEGH. Measure, now.<br>
+<br>
+MICHO. O dear; I believe it is already torn.<br>
+<br>
+BARSSEGH [<i>looking at the cloth</i>]. I see nothing. God forbid!<br>
+<br>
+MICHO [<i>looking at the measure</i>]. It is short a half werschok of seven
+arschin every time.<br>
+<br>
+<center><i>The madman, Mosi, comes in at the middle door and stands in the
+background</i></center>.<br>
+<br>
+<br>
+<h4><b>Scene II</b></h4>
+
+<h4><i>Mosi</i>.</h4>
+<br>
+<br>
+BARSSEGH [<i>hitting Micho on the head</i>]. What are you good for? Can't you
+get that half werschok out of it?<br>
+<br>
+MICHO [<i>howling</i>.] What am I to do when the cloth is too short?<br>
+<br>
+BARSSEGH [<i>pulling his hair</i>]. Are you sure you're not lying?<br>
+<br>
+MICHO [<i>yelling</i>.] How can you say that? Measure it yourself and we
+shall see whether there are seven arschin here.<br>
+<br>
+BARSSEGH [<i>angry; taking measure and calico</i>]. You say there are not
+seven here? Wait, I will show you [<i>measuring.</i>] One, two, three, four,
+five, six, seven, and a quarter left over for a present to you. What do
+you say about it now? You must learn to measure if you burst doing it.
+But you think only of your week's pay. Now, hurry up; be lively there!<br>
+<br>
+MICHO. O heaven! How shall I begin? One, two&mdash;<br>
+<br>
+BARSSEGH. Be careful and don't tear it.<br>
+<br>
+MICHO [<i>crying.</i>] What do you want of me? If I pull on the stuff I tear
+it; and if I don't stretch it, no seven arschin will come out of it.<br>
+<br>
+MOSI [<i>coming near</i>]. Ha! ha! ha! Who is the toper? Who? 'Tis I; the mad
+Mosi. Ha! ha! ha!<br>
+<br>
+BARSSEGH [<i>aside.</i>] How comes this crazy fellow here?<br>
+<br>
+MOSI [<i>seizing the measure and calico</i>]. Give it to me, you booby! There
+are not only seven arschin here, but twenty-seven [<i>measuring quickly</i>].
+One, two, four, six, eight, ten, twelve, and here are thirteen and
+fourteen. Do you want me to make still more out of it? You must shove
+the stick back in measuring. Can't you understand that? [<i>Throws the
+stick and calico upon Micho</i>.] Here, take it and be a man at last. You
+the shop-boy of such a great merchant and not find out a little thing
+like that. Haven't you learned yet how to steal half a werschok? Ha, ha,
+ha!<br>
+<span style="float:right">[<i>Micho tries to free himself but becomes more entangled in the cloth</i>.</span><br>
+<br>
+BARSSEGH [<i>to Mosi</i>], I forbid such impudent talk in my presence! Be
+silent, or I'll show you.<br>
+<br>
+MOSI. That's the way with all mankind. They never appreciate good
+intentions. [<i>Pointing to Micho</i>.] I only wanted to make something of
+him. Go, go, my son, be a man! Learn from your master! You surely see
+how much money he has scraped together! [<i>To Barssegh</i>:] How is it about
+eating? It's time for dinner! Have the table set; I have come as a
+guest. What have you to-day? Coal-soup, perhaps, or water-soup? Yes,
+yes; you will entertain me finely! Ha, ha!<br>
+<br>
+BARSSEGH [<i>aside</i>]. This confounded fellow is drunk again! [<i>To Micho</i>:]
+Get out of the room!<br>
+<span style="float:right">[<i>Exit Micho middle door.</i></span><br>
+<br>
+<h4><b>Scene III</b></h4>
+
+MOSI. From this stuff you can make a shroud for yourself. To-day or
+to-morrow you must die, that's sure.<br>
+<br>
+BARSSEGH. You'd better be still!<br>
+<span style="float:right">[<i>Enter Khali at left</i>.</span><br>
+<br>
+KHALI. Do you know the latest?<br>
+<br>
+BARSSEGH. What has happened?<br>
+<br>
+KHALI. What has happened? Marmarow was betrothed yesterday.<br>
+<br>
+BARSSEGH. No!<br>
+<br>
+KHALI. By heaven!<br>
+<br>
+BARSSEGH. To whom?<br>
+<br>
+KHALI. To the daughter of Ossep Gulabianz.<br>
+<br>
+BARSSEGH. Is that really true?<br>
+<br>
+KHALI. Do you think I am lying? They promised him 10,000 rubles dowry. I
+always said you should have saved something. Now you have it! They have
+snatched him away from you. And such a man, too! They puff themselves up
+entirely too much. Where did they get the money, I would like to know?<br>
+<span style="float:right">[<i>Micho appears at the middle door</i>.</span><br>
+<br>
+BARSSEGH. Run right off down to the Tapitach.<a name="FNanchor45"></a><a href="#Footnote_45"><sup>[45]</sup></a> You know where Ossep
+Gulabianz's store is?<br>
+<br>
+MICHO. Gulabianz? The one who brought money to-day?<br>
+<br>
+BARSSEGH. Yes, that one. Go and look for him wherever he is likely to
+be. Tell him he must bring the rest of the money at once. Now, run
+quickly. What else do I want to say? Oh, yes [<i>pointing to the calico</i>];
+take that winding-sheet with you.<br>
+<br>
+MOSI. Ha, ha, ha! Listen to him!<br>
+<br>
+BARSSEGH. By heaven! What am I chattering about? I am crazed! [<i>Angrily,
+to Micho</i>:] What are you gaping at? Do you hear? Take this calico. Go to
+the store and tell Dartscho to come here. Lively, now!<br>
+<span style="float:right">[<i>Exit Micho with goods</i>.</span><br>
+<br>
+BARSSEGH [<i>going on</i>]. I would like to see how he is going to give
+10,000 rubles dowry. I would like to know whose money it is?<br>
+<br>
+KHALI. That stuck-up Salome has gotten my son-in-law away from me.<br>
+<br>
+BARSSEGH. Never mind. I will soon put them into a hole.<br>
+<br>
+MOSI. Oh, don't brag about things you can't perform. What has Ossep done
+to you that you want revenge? How can Ossep help it if your daughter is
+as dumb as straw and has a mouth three ells long? And what have Micho's
+ears to do with it? You should simply have given what the man asked.<br>
+<br>
+BARSSEGH [<i>rising</i>]. O you wretch, you!<br>
+<br>
+MOSI. Yes, you should certainly have paid it. Why didn't you? For whom
+are you saving? To-morrow or the day after you will have to die and
+leave it here.<br>
+<br>
+BARSSEGH. Stop, or&mdash;<br>
+<br>
+KHALI [<i>to Mosi</i>]. Why do you anger him? Haven't we trouble and anxiety
+enough?<br>
+<br>
+MOSI. Well, I will be still. But I swear that this young man may call
+himself lucky that he has freed himself from you and closed with Ossep.
+Both of you together are not worth Ossep's finger-tips.<br>
+<br>
+BARSSEGH. Leave me in peace or I will shake off all my anger on to you.<br>
+<br>
+MOSI. What can you do to me? You cannot put my store under the hammer.
+What a man you are, indeed!<br>
+<br>
+BARSSEGH. A better man than you any day.<br>
+<br>
+MOSI. In what are you better?<br>
+<br>
+BARSSEGH. In the first place, I am master of my five senses, and you are
+cracked.<br>
+<br>
+MOSI [<i>laughs</i>]. Ha, ha, ha! If you were rational you would not have
+said that. Am I crazy because I show up your villanies? You are wise,
+you say? Perhaps you are as wise as Solomon!<br>
+<br>
+BARSSEGH. I am wealthy.<br>
+<br>
+MOSI. Take your money and&mdash;[<i>Whispers something in his ear.</i>] You have
+stolen it here and there. You have swindled me out of something, too. Me
+and this one and that one, and so you became rich! You have provided
+yourself with a carriage, and go riding in it and make yourself
+important. Yes, that is the way with your money. Did your father Matus
+come riding to his store in a carriage, eh? You say you are rich? True,
+there is scarcely anyone richer than you; but if we reckon together all
+the money you have gained honorably, we shall see which of us two has
+most. [<i>Drawing his purse from his pocket and slapping it</i>.] See! I have
+earned all this by the sweat of my brow. Oh, no, like you I collected it
+for the church and put it in my own pocket. Are you going to fail again
+soon?<br>
+<br>
+BARSSEGH. Heaven preserve me from it!<br>
+<br>
+MOSI. It would not be the first time. When you are dead they will shake
+whole sacks full of money in your grave for you.<br>
+<br>
+BARSSEGH. Will you never stop?<br>
+<br>
+KHALI. Are you not ashamed to make such speeches?<br>
+<br>
+MOSI. Till you die I will not let you rest. As long as you live I will
+gnaw at you like a worm, for you deserve it for your villany. What!
+Haven't you committed every crime? You robbed your brother of his
+inheritance; you cheated your partner; you have repudiated debts, and
+held others to false debts. Haven't you set your neighbors' stores on
+fire? If people knew everything they would hang you. But the world is
+stone-blind, and so you walk God's earth in peace. Good-by! I would like
+to go to Ossep and warn him against you; for if he falls into your
+clutches he is lost.<br>
+<br>
+<br>
+<h4><b>Scene IV</b></h4>
+BARSSEGH. Yes, yes; go and never come back.<br>
+<br>
+KHALI. I wish water lay in front of him and a drawn sword behind.<br>
+<br>
+BARSSEGH. This fellow is a veritable curse!<br>
+<br>
+KHALI. Yes, he is, indeed.<br>
+<br>
+BARSSEGH. The devil take him! If he is going to utter such slanders, I
+hope he will always do it here, and not do me harm with outsiders.<br>
+<br>
+KHALI. You are to blame for it yourself. Why do you have anything to do
+with the good-for-nothing fellow?<br>
+<br>
+BARSSEGH. There you go! Do I have anything to do with him? He is always
+at my heels, like my own shadow.<br>
+<br>
+KHALI. Can't you forbid him to enter your doors?<br>
+<br>
+BARSSEGH. So that he will not let me pass by in the streets? Do you
+want him to make me the talk of the town?<br>
+<br>
+KHALI. Then don't speak to him any more.<br>
+<br>
+BARSSEGH. As if I took pleasure in it! It is all the same to him whether
+one speaks to him or not.<br>
+<br>
+KHALI. What are we to do with him, then?<br>
+<br>
+BARSSEGH [<i>angrily</i>]. Why do you fasten yourself on to me like a gadfly?
+Have I not trouble enough already? [<i>Beating his hands together</i>.] How
+could you let him escape? You are good for nothing!<br>
+<br>
+KHALI. What could I do, then, if you were stingy about the money? If you
+had promised the 10,000 rubles, you would have seen how easily and
+quickly everything would have been arranged.<br>
+<br>
+BARSSEGH. If he insists upon so much he may go to the devil. For 10,000
+rubles I will find a better man for my daughter.<br>
+<br>
+KHALI. I know whom you mean. Give me the money and I will arrange the
+thing to-day.<br>
+<br>
+BARSSEGH [<i>derisively</i>]. Give it! How easily you can say it! Is that a
+mulberry-tree, then, that one has only to shake and thousands will fall
+from it? Don't hold my rubles so cheaply; for every one of them I have
+sold my soul twenty times.<br>
+<br>
+KHALI. If I can only get sight of that insolent Salome, I'll shake a<br>
+cart-load of dirt over her head. Only let her meet me!<br>
+<span style="float:right">[<i>Exit, left</i>.</span><br>
+<br>
+<br>
+<h4><b>Scene V</b></h4>
+
+BARSSEGH [<i>alone</i>]. And you shall see what I will do! Only wait, my dear
+Ossep! I am getting a day of joy ready for you and you will shed tears
+as thick as my thumb. I have been looking for the chance a long time,
+and now fate has delivered you into my hands. You braggart, you shall
+see how you will lie at my feet. I am the son of the cobbler Matus.
+There are certain simpletons who shake their heads over those who had
+nothing and suddenly amount to something. But I tell you that this world
+is nothing more than a great honey-cask. He who carries away the best
+part for himself, without letting the others come near it, he is the
+man to whom praise and honor are due. But a man who stands aside, like
+Ossep, and waits till his turn comes is an ass.<br>
+<br>
+<center><i>Enter Dartscho</i></center>.<br>
+
+BARSSEGH. Ah, Dartscho! How quickly you have come!<br>
+<br>
+DARTSCHO. I met Micho just now, and he told me that you had sent for me.<br>
+<br>
+BARSSEGH. I have something important to speak with you about. [<i>He sits
+down</i>.] Where were you just now?<br>
+<br>
+DARTSCHO. At George's, the coal man. He owed us some money, and I have
+been to see him seven times this week on that account.<br>
+<br>
+BARSSEGH. He is very unpunctual. But how does it stand? Has he paid?<br>
+<br>
+DARTSCHO. Of course! What do you take me for? I stayed in the store as
+if nailed there, and when a new customer came in I repeated my demand.
+There was nothing left for him to do but to pay me, for shame's sake.<br>
+<br>
+BARSSEGH. That pleases me in you, my son. Go on like that and you will
+get on in the world. Look at me! There was a time when they beat me over
+the head and called me by my given name. Then they called me Barssegh,
+and finally &quot;Mr.&quot; Barssegh. When I was as old as you are I was nothing,
+and now I am a man who stands for something. If my father, Matus, were
+still alive he would be proud of me. I tell you all this so that you
+will spare no pains to make yourself a master and make people forget
+that you are the son of a driver. A son can raise up the name of his
+father; he can also drag it down into the dust.<br>
+<br>
+DARTSCHO. You see best of all what trouble I take, Mr. Barssegh. When I
+open the store in the morning, I never wait until Micho comes, but I
+take the broom in my hand and sweep out the store. And how I behave with
+the customers, you yourself see.<br>
+<br>
+BARSSEGH. Yes, I see it; I see it, my son, and it is on that account I
+am so good to you. Only wait till next year and you shall be my partner.
+I will supply the money and you the labor.<br>
+<br>
+DARTSCHO. May God give you a long life for that! I seem to myself like
+a tree which you have planted. I hope I will still bear fruit and you
+will have your joy in me. Do you know that I have gotten rid of those
+damaged goods?<br>
+<br>
+BARSSEGH. Is it possible?<br>
+<br>
+DARTSCHO. It's a fact.<br>
+<br>
+BARSSEGH. To whom have you sold them?<br>
+<br>
+DARTSCHO. To a man from Signach. I laid two good pieces on top so that
+he did not notice it. Let him groan now.<br>
+<br>
+BARSSEGH. And how? On credit?<br>
+<br>
+DARTSCHO. Am I then crazy? Have I ever sold damaged goods on credit,
+that you make such a supposition? Of course I took something off for it,
+but made believe I only did it to please him. He paid me the full sum at
+once; and if he is now boasting how cheap he bought the goods, I hope he
+will sing my praises also.<br>
+<br>
+BARSSEGH. Do you know, dear Dartscho, you are a fine fellow? Yes, I have
+always said that you would amount to something.<br>
+<br>
+DARTSCHO. God grant it! What commands have you, Mr. Barssegh? There is
+no one in the store.<br>
+<br>
+BARSSEGH. Oh, right! I had almost forgotten. If Ossep Gulabianz comes to
+borrow money, give him nothing.<br>
+<br>
+DARTSCHO. What has happened?<br>
+<br>
+BARSSEGH. I am terribly angry at him.<br>
+<br>
+DARTSCHO. And I have even more reason to be angry at him; he is
+altogether too stuck-up. But what has occurred?<br>
+<br>
+BARSSEGH. I will show him now who I am. His whole business is just like
+a hayrick; a match is enough to set the whole thing ablaze.<br>
+<br>
+DARTSCHO. I would not be sorry for ten matches! Tell me what I can do
+about it? The rest I know already.<br>
+<br>
+BARSSEGH. Think of it! The fellow has snatched away a fine fat morsel
+from my very mouth. I had found an excellent husband for my daughter.
+For a whole week we carried on negotiations with him and everything was
+near final settlement when this Ossep came in and bid over us. On the
+very same day he betrothed his daughter to the man.<br>
+<br>
+DARTSCHO. The devil take him for it!<br>
+<br>
+BARSSEGH. And do you know, also, whose money he is going to use? It is
+my money he is going to give him.<br>
+<br>
+DARTSCHO. That is just it! That is it!<br>
+<br>
+BARSSEGH. Things look bad for his pocket. Now he is going to marry off
+his daughter and put himself in a tight place. Go, therefore, and get
+out an execution against him; otherwise nothing can be squeezed out of
+him.<br>
+<br>
+DARTSCHO. We shall see. I will go at once and demand our money.<br>
+<br>
+BARSSEGH. I have already sent Micho, but I hardly believe he will give
+it up so easily. On that account I sent for you to find out someone who
+can help us.<br>
+<br>
+DARTSCHO. I know a lawyer who can manage so that in three hours they
+will put an attachment on his store.<br>
+<br>
+BARSSEGH. Go on so forever, dear Dartscho! Yes, I have long known that
+you were going to be the right sort of fellow!<br>
+<br>
+DARTSCHO. The apprentice of a right good master always gets on in the
+world.<br>
+<br>
+BARSSEGH. Go quickly then; lose no time.<br>
+<br>
+DARTSCHO. I will not waste an hour.<br>
+<br>
+BARSSEGH. Go! May you succeed!<br>
+<span style="float:right">[<i>Exit Dartscho, middle door</i>.</span><br>
+<br>
+BARSSEGH [<i>alone</i>]. Yes, yes, friend Ossep, now show what you can do! I
+would burn ten candles to have you in my power.<br>
+<span style="float:right">[<i>Exit, right, taking the account book</i>.</span><br>
+<br>
+<br>
+
+<h4><b>Scene VI</b><br>
+<br>
+<i>Khali. Salome</i>.</h4>
+
+KHALI [<i>entering from the left</i>]. Such a bold creature I never saw
+before in my life! [<i>Calling through the window</i>:] Come in! come in! I
+pray! Do you hear, Salome? I am calling you. Come in here a moment
+[<i>coming back from the window</i>]. She is coming. Wait, you insolent
+thing! I will give you a setting-out such as no one has ever given you
+before!<br>
+<br>
+SALOME [<i>dressed in the latest fashion, with a parasol in her hand;
+enters at middle door</i>]. Why did you call me? Good-morning! How are you?<br>
+<span style="float:right">[<i>They shake hands</i></span>.<br>
+<br>
+KHALI. Thank you. Pray sit down. [<i>They both sit down</i>.] So you have
+betrothed your daughter?<br>
+<br>
+SALOME. Yes, dear Khali. God grant that we soon hear of your Nino's like
+good-fortune! I betrothed her last evening. I found a good husband for
+her. He is as handsome as a god. I can scarcely stand for joy!<br>
+<br>
+KHALI. Yes, make yourself important about it!<br>
+<br>
+SALOME [<i>offended</i>]. What is this? What does it mean?<br>
+<br>
+KHALI. You owed us a favor, and you have done it for us.<br>
+<br>
+SALOME. What have I done to you?<br>
+<br>
+KHALI. You could not do more, indeed. You have cheated me out of a
+son-in-law. Is not that enough?<br>
+<br>
+SALOME. But, my dear Khali, what kind of things are you saying to me?
+What do you mean by it?<br>
+<br>
+KHALI. Be still! be still! I know well enough how it was.<br>
+<br>
+SALOME. May I go blind if I know what you are talking about!<br>
+<br>
+KHALI. Didn't you know very well that I wished to give my daughter to
+him?<br>
+<br>
+SALOME. I don't understand you! You said no earthly word to me about it.<br>
+<br>
+KHALI. Even if I have not said anything about it, someone has certainly
+told you of it.<br>
+<br>
+SALOME. No one has said a word about it.<br>
+<br>
+KHALI. She lies about it, beside! Isn't that shameful?<br>
+<br>
+SALOME. Satan lies. What are you accusing me of?<br>
+<br>
+KHALI. And you really did not know that I wished to give him my
+daughter?<br>
+<br>
+SALOME. And if I had known it? When a man wants to marry, they always
+speak of ten, and yet he marries only one.<br>
+<br>
+KHALI. So you knew it very well? Why did you lie, then?<br>
+<br>
+SALOME. You are out of your head! How was I to find it out? Did you send
+word by anyone that you were going to give your daughter to the man? In
+what way am I to blame for it? You knew as much as I did. You treated
+with him just as I did and sent marriage brokers to him.<br>
+<br>
+KHALI. I approached him first.<br>
+<br>
+SALOME. O my dear, the flowers in the meadow belong not to those who
+see them first, but to those who pluck them.<br>
+<br>
+KHALI. You did not wait. Perhaps I would have plucked them.<br>
+<br>
+SALOME. And why didn't you pluck them?<br>
+<br>
+KHALI. You wouldn't let me. Do you think I do not know that you promised
+him more than we did?<br>
+<br>
+SALOME. May I go blind! Khali, how can you say that? How much did you
+promise him?<br>
+<br>
+KHALI. How much did we promise him? Ha! ha! as though you did not know
+it! Eight thousand rubles.<br>
+<br>
+SALOME. Then you promised more than we did, for we can give him only
+7,000.<br>
+<br>
+KHALI. You surely do not think me so stupid as to believe that!<br>
+<br>
+SALOME. As sure as I wish my Nato all good fortune, what I say is true.<br>
+<br>
+KHALI. And you think that I believe you?<br>
+<br>
+SALOME. What? What do you say? Would I swear falsely about my daughter?<br>
+<br>
+KHALI. Of course it is so! Would he let my 8,000 go to take your 7,000?<br>
+<br>
+SALOME. I am not to blame for that. Probably your daughter did not
+please him, since he did not want her.<br>
+<br>
+KHALI. What fault have you to find with my daughter? As though yours
+were prettier, you insolent woman, you!<br>
+<br>
+SALOME [<i>standing up</i>]. You are insolent! Is it for this you called me
+in? Can your daughter be compared to my Nato? Is it my fault that your
+daughter has a wide mouth?<br>
+<br>
+KHALI. You have a wide mouth yourself; and your forward daughter is not
+a bit prettier than mine!<br>
+<br>
+SALOME. What! you say she is forward? Everyone knows her as a modest and
+well-behaved girl, while everybody calls yours stupid. Yes, that is
+true; and if you want to know the truth, I can tell it to you&mdash;it is
+just on that account that he would not have her.<br>
+<br>
+KHALI. Oh, you witch, you! You have caught the poor young man in your
+nets and deceived him. I would like to know where you are going to get
+the 7,000 rubles.<br>
+<br>
+SALOME. That is our affair. I would rather have broken my leg than to
+have come in here.<br>
+<br>
+KHALI. He is up to the ears in debt and is going to give such a dowry!<br>
+<br>
+SALOME [<i>coming back</i>]. Even if we are in debt, we have robbed nobody,<br>
+as you have.<br>
+<br>
+KHALI [<i>springing up</i>]. 'Tis you who steal; you! You are a thief! Look
+out for yourself that I do not tear the veil off your head, you wicked
+witch, you!<br>
+<br>
+SALOME [<i>holding her veil toward her</i>]. Try it once. I would like to see
+how you begin it. You have altogether too long a tongue, and are only
+the daughter-in-law of the cobbler Matus.<br>
+<br>
+KHALI. And what better are you? You are a gardener's daughter, you
+insolent thing!<br>
+<br>
+SALOME. You are insolent, yourself! Do not think so much of
+yourself&mdash;everyone knows that you have robbed the whole world, and only
+in that way have gotten up in the world.<br>
+<br>
+KHALI. Oh, you good-for-nothing!<br>
+<span style="float:right">[<i>Throws herself on Salome and tears her veil off</i>.</span><br>
+<br>
+SALOME. Oh! oh!<br>
+<span style="float:right">[<i>Gets hold of Khali's hair</i>.</span><br>
+<br>
+KHALI. Oh! oh!<br>
+<br>
+SALOME. I'll pull all your hair out!<br>
+<span style="float:right">[<i>Astonished, she holds a lock in her hand</i>.</span><br>
+<br>
+<center><i>Enter Ossep.</i></center>
+<br>
+OSSEP. What do I see?<br>
+<br>
+KHALI [<i>tearing the lock from Salome's hand</i>]. May I be blind!<br>
+<span style="float:right">[<i>Exit embarrassed</i>.</span><br>
+<br>
+SALOME [<i>arranging her veil</i>]. Oh, you monkey, you!<br>
+<br>
+OSSEP. What is the meaning of this?<br>
+<br>
+SALOME. God only knows how it came to this. I was walking quietly in the
+street and she called me in and tore the veil from my head because I, as
+she said, took her daughter's suitor away from her.<br>
+<br>
+OSSEP. It serves you right! That comes from your having secrets from me
+and promising him 7,000 rubles instead of 6,000.<br>
+<br>
+SALOME. I would rather have broken a leg than come into this horrid
+house. I did it only out of politeness. I wish these people might lose
+everything they have got [<i>pinning her veil</i>]. At any rate, I punished
+her for it by pulling off her false hair. If she tells on herself now,
+she may also tell about me. She got out of the room quickly, so that no
+one would find out that her hair was as false as everything else.<br>
+<br>
+OSSEP. It would be best for us if the earth opened and swallowed us up.<br>
+<br>
+SALOME [<i>crying</i>]. Am I, then, so much to blame here?<br>
+<br>
+OSSEP. Really, you look splendid! Go! go! that no one sees you here. It
+is not the first time that you have put me in a dilemma. Go! and pray
+God to change noon into midnight and make the streets dark, so that no
+one sees that you have a torn veil on your head.<br>
+<br>
+SALOME [<i>wiping away her tears</i>]. God only knows everything I have to
+suffer from you!<br>
+<br>
+OSSEP [<i>alone</i>]. Great heaven! how this world is arranged! When one
+trouble comes to a man a second comes along, too, and waits at his door.
+When I am just about ready to cope with the first, in comes the second
+and caps the climax. I don't know which way to turn with all my debts;
+and now this women's quarrel will be laid at my door.<br>
+<br>
+<br>
+<h4><b>Scene VII</b></h4>
+
+BARSSEGH [<i>coming in, angry</i>]. I will show him that I am a man!<br>
+<br>
+OSSEP. Good-morning!<br>
+<br>
+BARSSEGH. I want neither &quot;good-morning&quot; nor any other wish from you. You
+have, I suppose, come to help your wife. Give me a blow, too, so the
+measure will be full. This is surely the interest on the money you owe
+me.<br>
+<br>
+OSSEP. Calm yourself. What, indeed, do you want?<br>
+<br>
+BARSSEGH. Do you, then, believe that I will overlook my wife's hair
+being pulled out? That I will not pardon.<br>
+<br>
+OSSEP. What is there to pardon? Your wife tore my wife's veil from her
+head.<br>
+<br>
+BARSSEGH. A veil is not hair.<br>
+<br>
+OSSEP. For heaven's sake, stop! Is a women's spat our affair?<br>
+<br>
+BARSSEGH. Say what you wish, but I will do what pleases me.<br>
+<br>
+OSSEP. Calm yourself; calm yourself.<br>
+<br>
+BARSSEGH. Yes, yes; I will calm you, too.<br>
+<br>
+OSSEP. Believe me; it is unworthy of you.<br>
+<br>
+BARSSEGH. She has torn her veil, he says. What is a veil, then? A thing
+that one can buy, and at most costs two rubles.<br>
+<br>
+OSSEP. The hair was also not her own. Why do you worry yourself about
+it? For a two-ruble veil she tore a two-kopeck band. The band is there,
+and she can fasten the hair on again.<br>
+<br>
+BARSSEGH. No, you can't get out of it that way. I will not pardon her
+for this insolence.<br>
+<br>
+OSSEP [<i>aside</i>]. Great heaven!<br>
+<br>
+BARSSEGH. You'll see! you'll see!<br>
+<br>
+OSSEP. Do what you will! I did not come to you on that account. You sent
+for me by Micho?<br>
+<br>
+BARSSEGH. Yes, you are right. Have you brought me my money? Give it to
+me, quick!<br>
+<br>
+OSSEP. How you speak to me! Am I your servant, that you speak so
+roughly? You surely do not know whom you have before you. Look out, for
+if I go for you, you will sing another tune.<br>
+<br>
+BARSSEGH. That has not happened to me yet! He owes me money, and even
+here he makes himself important!<br>
+<br>
+OSSEP. Do you think because I owe you money I shall stand your insults?
+I speak politely to you, and I demand the same from you.<br>
+<br>
+BARSSEGH. Enough of that! Tell me whether you have brought the money or
+not.<br>
+<br>
+OSSEP. Have I ever kept back from you any of your money? Why should I do
+it to-day?<br>
+<br>
+BARSSEGH. Then give it to me now.<br>
+<br>
+OSSEP. You said at that time&mdash;<br>
+<br>
+BARSSEGH. I know nothing of that time.<br>
+<br>
+OSSEP. What is the matter with you? You speak as if in a dream.<br>
+<br>
+BARSSEGH. Whether I speak as in a dream or not, give me the money, and
+have done with it.<br>
+<br>
+OSSEP [<i>takes a chair and sits down</i>]. You are mistaken, my dear Mr.
+Barssegh; you are mistaken. Sit down, pray.<br>
+<br>
+BARSSEGH [<i>ironically</i>]. Thank you very much.<br>
+<br>
+OSSEP. You will surely not take back your word?<br>
+<br>
+BARSSEGH. Hand over the money.<br>
+<br>
+OSSEP. What has happened to you? You speak like a madman.<br>
+<br>
+BARSSEGH. It is all the same to me however I speak.<br>
+<br>
+OSSEP. When I gave you the 5,000 rubles that time, did not you say that
+I was to pay the rest in a month?<br>
+<br>
+BARSSEGH [<i>sitting down</i>]. And if I did say so, what does it amount to?
+I need it now.<br>
+<br>
+OSSEP. You should have said so at the time and I would not have paid out
+my money in other ways. How comes it that you demand it so suddenly? I
+am no wizard, I am sure, to procure it from the stars for you.<br>
+<br>
+BARSSEGH. You may get it wherever you want to. I need it, and that
+settles it.<br>
+<br>
+OSSEP. Just heaven! Why did you give me a month's grace and reckon on an
+additional twelve per cent. for it?<br>
+<br>
+HARSSEGH. What kind of grace? Have you anything to show for it?<br>
+<br>
+OSSEP. Isn't your word enough? Why do we need a paper in addition?<br>
+<br>
+BARSSEGH. I didn't give you my word.<br>
+<br>
+OSSEP. What? You did not give it? You admitted it just a few minutes<br>
+ago.<br>
+<br>
+BARSSEGH. No, I said nothing about it.<br>
+<br>
+OSSEP [<i>standing</i>]. My God! what do I see and hear? You are a merchant
+and tread your word under foot. Shame on you! [<i>Takes him by the arm and
+leads him to the mirror</i>.] Look! look at your face! Why do you turn
+pale?<br>
+<br>
+BARSSEGH. Let me go!<br>
+<br>
+OSSEP [<i>holding him fast by the sleeve</i>]. How can you be so
+unscrupulous? Look! How pale your lips are!<br>
+<br>
+BARSSEGH. Let me go! [<i>Freeing himself</i>.] You act exactly as though you
+were the creditor.<br>
+<br>
+OSSEP. No, you are the creditor. I would rather be swallowed up alive
+by the earth than be such a creditor as you are. What do you think you
+will be in my eyes after this?<br>
+<br>
+BARSSEGH. I tell you, hand out my money or I will lay your note before
+the court immediately! I would only like to know where you are going to
+get the dowry for your daughter. You will pay over my money to your
+son-in-law, will you, and give me the go-by?<br>
+<br>
+OSSEP. Give yourself no trouble! Even if you should beg me now, I would
+not keep your money. To-morrow at this time you shall have it, and then
+may the faces turn black of those who still look at you.<br>
+<br>
+BARSSEGH. I want it at once.<br>
+<br>
+OSSEP. Then come with me. You shall have it. The sooner a man is rid of
+a bad thing, the better it is. Give me the note! No, don't give it to
+me, for you don't trust me. You are not worthy of trusting me. Take it
+yourself and come with me. We will go at once to the bazaar, sell it,
+then you can have your money. I may lose something by it. It makes no
+difference. It is easier to bear this misfortune than to talk to you. Do
+you hear? Shall we go?<br>
+<br>
+BARSSEGH. What do you mean?<br>
+<br>
+OSSEP. Get the note, I tell you! Don't you hear?<br>
+<br>
+BARSSEGH. What kind of a note?<br>
+<br>
+OSSEP. Rostom's note.<br>
+<br>
+BARSSEGH. Rostom's' note? What is this note to you?<br>
+<br>
+OSSEP. What is it to me? It is no word, indeed, that you can deny. It is
+a document.<br>
+<br>
+BARSSEGH. What is it to you that I have this document in my hands? That
+is mine and Rostom's business.<br>
+<br>
+OSSEP. Yours and Rostom's business! [<i>Pauses</i>.] It is, I see, not yet
+enough that you lie. You are a thief and a robber beside. What people
+say of you is really true; namely, that you have robbed everybody, and
+by this means have acquired your wealth. Yes, it is true that you have
+ruined twenty-five families; that you have put out their candle and
+lighted yours by it. Now I see, for the first time, that everything that
+people say about you is true. Now I believe, indeed, that these chairs,
+this sofa, this mirror, your coat, your cane&mdash;in a word, every article
+that you call yours&mdash;represents some person you have robbed. Take my
+bones and add to them. Make the measure full. You have made your
+conscience a stone and will hear nothing; but I tell you, one day it
+will awake, and every object that lies or stands here will begin to
+speak and hold up to you your villanies. Then you can go and justify
+yourself before your Maker. Shame upon him who still calls you a human
+being!<br>
+<span style="float:right">[<i>Exit by the middle door</i>.</span><br>
+<br>
+BARSSEGH. Ha! ha! ha!<br>
+<span style="float:right">[<i>Exit at the right</i>.</span><br>
+<br>
+<br>
+
+<h4>CURTAIN.<br></h4>
+<br><br><hr style="width: 65%;"><br><br>
+<h4>ACT THIRD</h4>
+<h4>
+<b>Scene I&mdash;Ossep's House</b></h4>
+
+NATO [<i>stands before the mirror elegantly dressed, and, while she
+prinks, hums a European melody. Then she draws out of her pocket a
+little photograph and speaks to herself while looking in the mirror</i>]. O
+my treasure! my treasure! [<i>Presses the photo to her breast and kisses
+it.</i>] <i>Mon ch&egrave;r!</i> Come; we will dance. [<i>Dances around the table</i>.]
+Tra-la-la, Tra-la-la. [<i>Sits down at the right</i>.] Alexander; my
+Alexander; dear Alexander! Yes, you are really an angel. Why are you so
+handsome? You have black eyes and I also have black. Then arched
+eyebrows just like me. [<i>Touches her eyebrows</i>.] A pretty little
+mustache, which I lack. Which of us is more beautiful, I or you? You are
+handsomest; no, I am handsomest [<i>springing up</i>]. We will see at once.<br>
+<span style="float:right">[<i>Looks at herself in the mirror and then at the photograph. Enter
+Alexander at the middle door</i>.</span><br>
+<br>
+NATO [<i>without noticing Alexander</i>]. No, you are the more beautiful!<br>
+<span style="float:right">[<i>Kisses the photograph</i>.</span><br>
+<span style="float:right">[<i>Alexander approaches softly and kisses Nato</i>.</span><br>
+<br>
+NATO [<i>frightened</i>]. Oh!<br>
+<br>
+ALEXANDER. No, you are the more beautiful, Natalie, dear. <i>Ma ch&egrave;re
+Nathalie!</i><br>
+<br>
+NATO. <i>O mon ch&egrave;r Alexandre!</i> How you frightened me!<br>
+<br>
+ALEXANDER [<i>putting his arm around her</i>]. Let me kiss you again, and
+your fright will pass away. [<i>Kisses her</i>.] Give me a kiss just once!<br>
+<br>
+NATO [<i>kissing him</i>]. There, you have one.<br>
+<br>
+ALEXANDER. Well, I ought to allow you to kiss me. Am I not worth more
+than that piece of paper?<br>
+<span style="float:right">[<i>Takes her by the hand; they sit down on sofa at the right</i>.</span><br>
+<br>
+NATO. They have come to congratulate us.<br>
+<br>
+ALEXANDER. Yes, your grandmother, your aunts, and your cousins. Nato,
+shall you give evening parties like this?<br>
+<br>
+NATO [<i>smiling</i>]. Ha! ha! ha! No such <i>soir&eacute;es</i> as this, my dear
+Alexander. Two evenings every month we will give little dances, either
+on Tuesdays or Thursdays. Which is better? Do you not think, Alexander,
+that Thursday will be best?<br>
+<br>
+ALEXANDER [<i>with a grimace</i>]. As you wish, <i>ch&egrave;re Nathalie</i>. If you
+like, you can give a <i>soir&eacute;e</i> every week.<br>
+<br>
+NATO. No, twice a month is better. Sophie, who is now Madame Jarinskaja,
+gives only two <i>soir&eacute;es</i> in a month.<br>
+<br>
+ALEXANDER. Very well, Nato dear.<br>
+<br>
+NATO. That is agreed, then. And every Thursday we will dance at the
+Casino. [<i>Alexander makes another grimace</i>.] Mind, now! every Thursday.<br>
+<br>
+ALEXANDER. Do you like to visit the Casino?<br>
+<br>
+NATO [<i>laying her hand on his shoulder</i>]. Who doesn't like to visit it?
+Is there another place where one can amuse one's self better? The
+beautiful long <i>salon</i>! the <i>boudoir</i>! the beautiful music and the rich
+costumes! How beautiful they all are! [<i>Embracing Alexander</i>.] We will
+dance together, and when we are tired, we will go into the mirror-room
+and rest ourselves and talk and laugh.<br>
+<br>
+ALEXANDER. And then we will dance again and rest ourselves, and talk and
+laugh again.<br>
+<br>
+NATO. It will be splendid! [<i>Kisses him</i>.] I will dress beautifully <i>&agrave;
+la mode</i>, so that everyone will say, &quot;Look! look! what a charming woman
+Madame Marmarow is!&quot; And then, dear Alexander, we will subscribe for a
+box at the theatre for Fridays.<br>
+<br>
+ALEXANDER [<i>making another grimace aside</i>]. She's piling it on.<br>
+<br>
+NATO. And do you know where? In the upper tier at the left, near the
+foyer.<br>
+<br>
+ALEXANDER. Wouldn't it be better to subscribe for two evenings a week?<br>
+<br>
+NATO. Wouldn't it cost too much?<br>
+<br>
+ALEXANDER. What has that to do with it? Do you think I could deny you
+any pleasure? No! no! you shall have everything.<br>
+<br>
+NATO [<i>embracing him</i>]. <i>Ch&egrave;r Alexandre</i>! do you really love me so
+much?<br>
+<br>
+ALEXANDER. I cannot tell you at all how much I love you. Right at our
+first meeting I fell in love with you!<br>
+<br>
+NATO. I don't believe it! I don't believe it! All young men talk so!<br>
+<br>
+ALEXANDER. Ha! ha! ha! Do you think I am like them? With them the
+tongues have nothing to do with the heart; but my tongue speaks what is
+here!<br>
+<span style="float:right">[<i>Strikes himself on the breast</i>.</span><br>
+<br>
+NATO [<i>ironically</i>]. I know! I know! If I had no dowry you would not
+marry me.<br>
+<br>
+ALEXANDER. Nato dear, you wrong me! <i>ma ch&egrave;re</i>! As if the dowry made any
+difference! <i>Fi donc</i>!<br>
+<br>
+NATO. Then you really love me so much?<br>
+<br>
+ALEXANDER. Very, very much, Nato dear. You can put me to the test if you
+will.<br>
+<br>
+NATO. Do you know, my piano is not fit to use!<br>
+<br>
+ALEXANDER [<i>smoothing his hair</i>&mdash;<i>aside</i>]. Something new again.<br>
+<br>
+NATO. Buy me a new piano. To-day I saw one at a store; it cost 500
+rubles.<br>
+<br>
+ALEXANDER. Five hundred rubles! You cannot buy a decent piano for that!<br>
+<br>
+NATO. Dear Alexander!<br>
+<br>
+ALEXANDER. Be patient awhile, Nato dear. One of my friends brought a
+piano from abroad that cost 1,000; yes, even 1,500 rubles.<br>
+<br>
+NATO. My sweetheart; my dear sweetheart! [<i>Kissing him</i>.] I will come
+right back. [<i>Rises</i>.] I must go and prepare for our reception or mamma
+will be angry. Tra-la-la.<br>
+<span style="float:right">[<i>Exit at left</i>.</span><br>
+<br>
+ALEXANDER [<i>alone, springing up</i>]. Ha! ha! ha! <i>soir&eacute;es</i>, balls at the
+club, box at the theatre, dresses and ornaments after the latest
+fashion! Am I a millionaire? I would have nothing against it if I had
+the money to do it. She acts as though she was going to bring 50,000
+rubles dowry into the house. No, Natalie, that will all come later. In
+ten or twenty years, perhaps, I will set up a carriage; but it is not
+even to be thought of now. Indeed, I don't know, where it will lead to
+if she makes such demands on me every day. It will lead to quarrels and
+unpleasantness, and it will be all up with my economizing. No, indeed,
+Natalie, it will be no easy thing to satisfy you. Why did I not think of
+this sooner? Let her talk, and demand what she will. I will do what
+pleases me.<br>
+<br>
+NATO [<i>enter right; speaks to someone behind the scenes</i>]. I will come
+at once. I am coming. Come, Alexander, let us go into the garden. Mamma
+must go upstairs, and the guests will be all alone in the garden.<br>
+<br>
+ALEXANDER. I am waiting for your father, Nato dear, I have something
+important to discuss with him.<br>
+<br>
+NATO. Why, we will soon return, and by that time father will be home. Do
+you want to sit here alone?<br>
+<br>
+ALEXANDER. Well, we will go.<br>
+<br>
+NATO. Come! come! I want to introduce you to my coquettish aunt.<br>
+<span style="float:right">[<i>Mimics her while making a courtesy, and makes faces. Alexander,
+shaking his head, goes out with Nato noisily through middle door</i>.</span><br>
+<br>
+<h4><b>Scene II</b></h4>
+
+<h4><i>Salome. Chacho</i>.</h4>
+
+CHACHO. No, indeed, Salome. She behaves too boldly. You must give her a
+warning. Such self-confidence I have I never before seen in a girl.<br>
+<br>
+SALOME. That is all a matter of fashion! What is to be done?<br>
+<span style="float:right">[<i>Shuffling the cards</i>.</span><br>
+<br>
+CHACHO [<i>seating herself</i>]. When one thinks how the times have changed,
+one grows dizzy! When I was engaged, my love, I dared not open my mouth;
+it was as if they had put a lock on it. Indeed, I dared not look anyone
+in the face, even, and kept my eyes always cast down, as if glued fast
+to the floor.<br>
+<br>
+SALOME. How could anyone endure all that? The eyes are made to look
+with, I hope, and the tongue to speak! I wouldn't have borne it. It is
+well that those times are past. I should die of such a life.<br>
+<br>
+CHACHO. Oh, your present times are the true ones! Isn't this shameful,
+now, what goes on here? All the money that the husband can make in a
+week, the wife loses at play in a single evening. Is that widow, the
+stout one, going to play with you? She is surely more than fifty years
+old.<br>
+<br>
+SALOME. Of course! we wouldn't play at all without her.<br>
+<br>
+CHACHO. That is the best of all. Why, she has a married daughter as old
+as you are!<br>
+<br>
+SALOME. What of that? Whoever has money can always play. But what do you
+say to the wife of blind Gigoli? She hasn't enough to eat, but gives
+herself airs before us just the same.<br>
+<br>
+CHACHO. Don't talk to me about her! A few weeks ago she pawned a silver
+pitcher to one of our neighbors for five rubles without her husband's
+knowledge. God punished her for it, for that same evening she lost it
+all at cards. I should like to know how she is going to redeem the
+pitcher.<br>
+<br>
+SALOME [<i>arranging her dress before the mirror</i>]. Yes, yes; no one can
+take her measure better than I.<br>
+<span style="float:right">[<i>Enter Ossep</i>.</span><br>
+<br>
+OSSEP [<i>angrily</i>]. And what have you gotten ready for again?<br>
+<br>
+SALOME. What was to be done? Look and see how many guests there are in
+the garden!<br>
+<br>
+OSSEP. It was very wrong of them to come here. Has no one invited them,
+then? They should have asked me first.<br>
+<br>
+SALOME. You are a singular being! We have betrothed our daughter and
+they were obliged to come and congratulate us.<br>
+<br>
+OSSEP. Congratulate! As though my joy went to their hearts! On the
+contrary, they would enjoy it if I had a misfortune; they could put
+their heads together and criticise and laugh at me.<br>
+<br>
+CHACHO. What are you so ill-humored about? For the last two days you
+have been intolerable.<br>
+<br>
+OSSEP. If I could unbosom myself to you and show you my heart, you would
+comprehend what the cause of it is.<br>
+<br>
+CHACHO. God protect you from all evil!<br>
+<br>
+OSSEP. Am I not right? Tell me yourself! This is not the time for
+card-playing. Why have they come, then? If they wished to congratulate
+us, they could come separately. How does it happen that they all
+thought of us at once? Perhaps each has sent word to the other that
+Salome has betrothed her daughter and they have all taken advantage of
+the opportunity to come. Of course only for the sake of those damned
+cards! This one or that one has probably been invited by her [<i>pointing
+to Salome</i>]. She sent word to them, &quot;Come to us, I pray! X and Z are
+already here.&quot; [<i>To Salome</i>:] Say, isn't that so?<br>
+<br>
+SALOME. What nonsense he talks! Ought they not to know at your uncle's
+house that we have betrothed our daughter? I was obliged to give them
+some information about it, was I not?<br>
+<br>
+OSSEP. And to whom beside?<br>
+<br>
+SALOME. Whom else? Your cousins. And I have just sent for your
+sister-in-law.<br>
+<br>
+OSSEP [<i>anxiously</i>]. For what purpose? She could have come another time
+just as well.<br>
+<br>
+SALOME. How useless it is to talk so! You understand nothing at all
+about the matter. Your relatives would take offence in every possible
+way if I did not invite them. They would not speak to me for a year!<br>
+<br>
+OSSEP. Great heaven! I wish they were struck blind! [<i>Sits down and
+pulls at the end of the table-cloth</i>.] I would take pleasure in throwing
+them all out!<br>
+<br>
+SALOME. I have no time to dispute with you.<br>
+<span style="float:right">[<i>Exit at left, angry</i>.</span><br>
+<br>
+OSSEP. Great heaven! have women been created only to bleed the men?<br>
+<br>
+CHACHO. Don't excite yourself so, dear Ossep. What you say is in every
+way pure facts. But you must overlook something now and then. It can't
+be helped now; they are all here; you cannot chase them out of the
+house. The whole city would be stirred up about it.<br>
+<br>
+OSSEP. And what will people say when to-morrow or the day after my
+creditors come and chase me out of my house?<br>
+<br>
+CHACHO. Oh, don't talk about such things!<br>
+<br>
+OSSEP [<i>sitting down at the card-table</i>]. That's easily said. But let me
+tell you, I feel as though the house was going to fall down on top of
+me.<br>
+<br>
+CHACHO. What has happened, Ossep?<br>
+<br>
+OSSEP. They say Barssegh Leproink has brought action against me.<br>
+<br>
+CHACHO. What? Brought action against you?<br>
+<br>
+OSSEP. I owe him money, and on that account he holds the knife at my
+throat.<br>
+<br>
+CHACHO. God bless me!<br>
+<br>
+OSSEP. The wicked fellow has my note, and another security beside, and
+yet he will not wait.<br>
+<br>
+CHACHO. His match for wickedness cannot be found in the whole world.<br>
+<br>
+OSSEP. No, not another such miserable scoundrel! I expect every moment
+to be notified, and have no idea where I can get the money. Everyone I
+have asked to help me has refused me. I can borrow no more on my note,
+and I cannot sell my goods at half price. That everyone must understand.
+They all show their claws as soon as they find out the position I am in.
+Salome is to blame for all this; the 7,000 rubles she promised is the
+cause of it all. I would like to know who will pay them to him now.<br>
+<br>
+CHACHO. You talk nonsense! You will make your daughter unhappy forever,<br>
+Ossep.<br>
+<br>
+OSSEP. I am still more unhappy myself. But let us see what the coming
+day brings forth. I still have hope of one. Perhaps he will supply me
+with money.<br>
+<br>
+CHACHO. How could you trust the scamp so blindly? Is such want of
+thought consistent with reason?<br>
+<br>
+OSSEP. What is the use of reason in this? I have always said I could not
+stand the expense that now everybody assumes. If a man conducts his
+business honestly, he makes little profit; and as for a dishonest
+business, I am not fit for that! So I have suffered one reverse after
+another; and where I was most vulnerable I have been hit at last.<br>
+<br>
+CHACHO. Heavens! what do I hear? Why don't I sink into the earth?<br>
+<br>
+OSSEP. In our line of trade only a few persons carry on their business
+with their own money. Most of us have to borrow. When I sell goods to
+one, I pay my debt to the other. I sell goods to the third and pay to
+the fourth; and so it goes in a circle, like a wheel drawing water,
+until one falls in the hands of a man who draws the needle out of the
+knitting and everything falls in pieces. Who is in a position to fight
+against such conditions? One must pay the store rent and the clerk's
+salary, and beside that the interest on the working capital. Then there
+are the goods that are spoiled or stolen&mdash;and here at home! [<i>Striking
+the cards</i>.] All this rubbish and more beside! [<i>Striking the table
+again.</i>] And the women are to blame for all this; if my wife had not
+promised 7,000 rubles, without my knowledge, the betrothal would not
+have taken place, and this bad luck would not have come to me. But where
+does one find among our women insight and forethought? For model women
+give me some foreign countries. There the women stand by the men in
+everything: the wife of a cook is a cook; the wife of a writer, a
+writer; the wife of a merchant is in every case a merchant. They earn
+jointly and spend jointly. With us the man is here only to make money
+for them, so that they [<i>striking the table</i>] may kill time with foolish
+things like this.<br>
+<br>
+CHACHO. Say, rather, that times are changed; for the men also sit at the
+club all day and play cards.<br>
+<br>
+OSSEP. Ho! ho! As though women did not play cards also! Formerly the
+cards were solely our diversion; but they have taken them away from us.
+Don't worry yourself; with God's help they will be learning to play
+billiards. Why do you dwell upon the fact that the men play cards? One
+in a thousand plays; while of a thousand women, nine hundred play. Men
+are always more moderate. They see that the times are hard, and have
+given up most of their earlier pleasures. Where are the banquets that
+used to be given, one after another? Where are the drinking-places where
+the music played? They have given them up; and the women are just like
+they were, only worse. To-day they arrange a picnic, to-morrow a little
+party, and so on. The men stand gaping at them, and the children are
+left to the servants. If I could take the law into my own hands, I'd
+soon set them right.<br>
+<span style="float:right">[<i>Paces to and fro in anger</i>.</span><br>
+<br>
+CHACHO [<i>rising, aside</i>]. He is right. All that he says is pure truth.<br>
+<span style="float:right">[<i>Exit left</i></span><br>
+<br>
+<br>
+
+<h4><b>Scene III</b><br>
+<br>
+<i>Ossep. Then Alexander</i>.</h4>
+
+OSSEP. O dear! O dear!<br>
+<span style="float:right">[<i>Stands near fireplace; rests head on hand and remains motionless</i>.</span><br>
+<br>
+ALEXANDER [<i>enter right</i>]. You have come, father?
+[<i>Silence&mdash;comes near
+Ossep</i>.] Father.<br>
+<br>
+OSSEP. Ah! Alexander [<i>offering his hand</i>]. Please sit down. Have you
+just come?<br>
+<br>
+ALEXANDER. No; I have been here a long time. I was in the garden.<br>
+<br>
+OSSEP. What is the news?<br>
+<span style="float:right">[<i>Both sit down</i>.</span><br>
+<br>
+ALEXANDER. Nothing, except that I wish to have a wedding next week.<br>
+<br>
+OSSEP. So soon?<br>
+<br>
+ALEXANDER. Yes; my chief goes soon to Petersburg, and I want him to be
+at the wedding.<br>
+<br>
+OSSEP. And can't we wait till he comes back?<br>
+<br>
+ALEXANDER. That would be too long.<br>
+<br>
+OSSEP. Very well. As you wish.<br>
+<br>
+ALEXANDER [<i>stammering</i>]. But&mdash;my dear father&mdash;<br>
+<br>
+OSSEP. I understand; I understand. You want me to pay over the money at
+once?<br>
+<br>
+ALEXANDER. Yes, my dear father, if it is possible.<br>
+<br>
+OSSEP. I am sorry to confess that at the present moment I have no money
+at hand. You must wait a little. If you wish to marry without money,
+that is your affair.<br>
+<br>
+ALEXANDER. You amaze me!<br>
+<br>
+OSSEP. It is better for me to tell you this than to deceive you. You
+know the law to some extent. Tell me, if I owe someone money on a note,
+can my creditor bring action against me and put an execution on me
+without having me called before the court?<br>
+<br>
+ALEXANDER. Is the note attested by a notary?<br>
+<br>
+OSSEP. Yes.<br>
+<br>
+ALEXANDER. He has the right to come to your house and have everything
+put under seal.<br>
+<br>
+OSSEP. Without first bringing me into court?<br>
+<br>
+ALEXANDER. Yes, without court proceedings.<br>
+<br>
+OSSEP. But if he has received on account of this debt the note of a
+third person?<br>
+<br>
+ALEXANDER. That is another thing. Have you a receipt for it?<br>
+<br>
+OSSEP. No; but I can take my oath on it.<br>
+<br>
+ALEXANDER. According to law you must first pay the money and then
+produce proofs that you gave him the other document.<br>
+<br>
+OSSEP [<i>excited</i>]. Is that true?<br>
+<br>
+ALEXANDER. Yes, it is so.<br>
+<br>
+OSSEP [<i>wringing his hands and springing up</i>]. Then I am ruined. [<i>A
+silence. Nato's voice is heard outside</i>.] Alexander, they are calling
+you.<br>
+<br>
+ALEXANDER [<i>approaching Ossep</i>]. What is it? For God's sake tell me the
+truth.<br>
+<br>
+OSSEP. There, there. Go out first. They are calling you.<br>
+<br>
+ALEXANDER [<i>aside, taking his hat</i>]. So far as I see, I am ruined also.<br>
+<span style="float:right">[<i>Exit.</i></span><br>
+<br>
+OSSEP [<i>alone</i>]. What do I not suffer! If they really come here I shall
+perish through shame. Where can I find so much money in such a hurry?
+One must have time for it, and that fellow may come to-day even&mdash;perhaps
+this minute. Then I am lost&mdash;who will trust me then? My creditors will
+tie a rope around my neck and prevent me from saying a word in my own
+behalf. &quot;Pay us,&quot; they will cry; &quot;pay us!&quot; O Salome, Salome!<br>
+<br>
+<center><i>Enter Gewo</i></center>.
+<br>
+OSSEP. There he is.<br>
+<br>
+GEWO. Good-evening, Ossep.<br>
+<br>
+OSSEP. You have come, too. You want your money, too? Yes, choke me;
+double my debt; say that I owe you, not 2,000 rubles, but 4,000. Speak!
+You are my creditor; speak! Have no pity on me. You want your money&mdash;why
+do you wait, then? Slay me; tear my heart out of my body; hack me in
+pieces and sell it piece by piece, so that your money shall not be lost.
+[<i>Gewo wipes his eyes</i>.] Weep, weep, for your money is lost. I am
+bankrupt&mdash;bankrupt!<br>
+<br>
+GEWO [<i>embracing Ossep</i>]. Dear Ossep, dear Ossep!<br>
+<br>
+OSSEP. You say &quot;dear&quot; to me? Yet you are my creditor.<br>
+<br>
+GEWO. Take courage; be a man!<br>
+<br>
+OSSEP. What kind of a man? I am a good-for-nothing; I have lost my good
+name [<i>weeping</i>]. My good name is gone. [<i>Wipes his eyes</i>.]<br>
+<br>
+GEWO. God is merciful, dear Ossep.<br>
+<br>
+OSSEP. God and heaven have taken their mercy from me. You see now where
+the marriage of my daughter has led me? If I could at least pay you
+everything I owe you&mdash;that I must do at any price.<br>
+<br>
+GEWO. What are you saying, Ossep? If I had the means I would go on your
+bond. Why should I be your friend otherwise?<br>
+<br>
+OSSEP. If you had money, dear Gewo, you would not be my friend, nor have
+such a good heart. Stay poor as you are, so that I shall not lose your
+friendship. Only your sympathy is left me in this world. I would not
+like to lose your friendship. In this one day I have suffered
+everything. No one has shown interest in me; no one has given proof of
+his sympathy&mdash;neither my uncle, nor my brother, nor my nephew. When they
+saw I was near my last breath, they all forsook me and shut the door in
+my face.<br>
+<br>
+GEWO. Come with me; perhaps we will find help somewhere.<br>
+<br>
+OSSEP. There can be no more talk of help.<br>
+<br>
+GEWO. Come, come; there is still a way out.<br>
+<br>
+OSSEP. What way out can there be?<br>
+<br>
+GEWO. Come, come; let us not delay.<br>
+<br>
+OSSEP. But tell me how is it to be managed?<br>
+<br>
+GEWO. Come, come! I will tell you on the way.<br>
+<br>
+OSSEP. What you say sounds very strange; tell me what it is. Speak, what
+has occurred? Don't fear! Don't spare me! Whatever happens cannot be
+worse than what has happened; they have already sent a bullet into my
+heart, and what worse can they do to me, except tear open my breast and
+take my heart out? Speak; what is it? Have they put seals on my store?<br>
+<br>
+GEWO. Come and you will see.<br>
+<br>
+OSSEP. They have put seals on it, then?<br>
+<br>
+GEWO. I tell&mdash;<br>
+<br>
+OSSEP. You are ruined, Ossep. [<i>Rushes to the table, seizes the box and
+scatters the cards; some fall on the floor</i>.] Now you may play; now you
+may play.<br>
+<span style="float:right">[<i>Exit</i>.</span><br>
+<br>
+GEWO. Too bad; too bad about him!<br>
+<span style="float:right">[<i>Follows him</i>.</span>
+<br>
+<br>
+
+<h4><b>Scene IV</b></h4>
+<br>
+<center><i>Enter Salome, Martha, Nino, Pepel, and many well-dressed ladies,
+followed by two footmen carrying candelabra and lamps, which they put on
+the table</i>.</center>
+<br>
+SALOME. Take seats, please. The cards are already here.<br>
+<br>
+MARTHA. How pretty it is, isn't it? The cards are already dealt.<br>
+<span style="float:right">[<i>The ladies converse smilingly with one another</i>.</span><br>
+<br>
+SALOME [<i>stepping forward and noticing the cards on the floor</i>].
+What is this? Who can have done it?<br>
+<br>
+MARTHA. Probably the cats ran over the table.<br>
+<br>
+SALOME. I cannot think how it could have happened! Please sit down.<br>
+<br>
+<center><i>Enter Nato and her friends</i></center>.
+<br>
+SALOME [<i>collecting the cards</i>]. Who can have done it? Nato, did you do
+it?<br>
+<br>
+NATO. No, mamma, I did not touch them.<br>
+<br>
+SALOME [<i>to the guests</i>]. Sit down, I beg.<br>
+<span style="float:right">[<i>All the guests sit down at the table, Nato and her friends sit on the
+other side of the stage. Salome, standing, deals the cards which the
+guests hand one to the other. Then they pay in the stakes to Salome,
+which she lays on the table in front of her</i>.</span><br>
+<br><br>
+<center><i>Enter Alexander</i></center>.
+<br>
+NATO [<i>going to meet Alexander</i>]. Alexander, why were you so long?<br>
+<br>
+ALEXANDER. I was obliged to be [<i>leading Nato aside excitedly, and in a
+whisper</i>:] I have something to say to you.<br>
+<br>
+NATO [<i>in a whisper</i>]. What makes your hand tremble?<br>
+<br>
+ALEXANDER. They have brought action against your father in the courts.<br>
+<br>
+NATO. What! For what reason?<br>
+<br>
+ALEXANDER. Because of debts.<br>
+<br>
+NATO. Who told you so?<br>
+<br>
+ALEXANDER. Your father himself.<br>
+<br>
+NATO [<i>laughing aloud</i>]. Ha! ha! ha! [<i>Whispering</i>:] My father has no
+debts.<br>
+<br>
+ALEXANDER. Well, he told me so himself.<br>
+<br>
+NATO. He was joking. Don't believe him.<br>
+<span style="float:right">[<i>Goes over to her friends, laughing</i>.</span><br>
+<br>
+ALEXANDER. Well, I can't make it out. I am not so stupid, however. Until
+I have the money in my hands I will not cross this threshold again.<br>
+<br>
+SALOME. Let us begin.<br>
+<span style="float:right">[<i>Guests begin to play</i>.</span><br>
+<br>
+<br>
+<h4><b>Scene V</b><br>
+<br>
+<i>Enter Chacho</i>.</h4>
+
+CHACHO [<i>coming from left</i>]. Get this stuff out of the way.<br>
+<br>
+SALOME. What is the matter? What has happened?<br>
+<br>
+CHACHO. What was to happen? We are ruined. [<i>Behind the scenes are heard
+threatening voices</i>:] &quot;Here! Yes! No.&quot; [<i>Then Ossep's voice</i>:] &quot;Come in,
+come in.&quot;<br>
+<br>
+CHACHO [<i>to Salome</i>]. Do you not hear them?<br>
+<br>
+<center><i>Enter Barssegh through middle door</i></center>.
+<br>
+BARSSEGH. This is really splendid! I work for my daily bread, and you
+illuminate your house on my money.<br>
+<br>
+CHACHO [<i>to Salome</i>]. Now you have it.<br>
+<br>
+SALOME [<i>rising</i>]. Are you mad? Show him out.<br>
+<br>
+BARSSEGH. I will show you pretty soon who is to be shown out.<br>
+<br>
+SALOME. Alexander, show this man out.<br>
+<br>
+ALEXANDER [<i>to Barssegh</i>]. What do you want, sir? How can you indulge in
+such insolence?<br>
+<br>
+BARSSEGH. That is not your affair, sir! I demand my money. Demand yours
+also if you can. You will be obliged to wait a long while for it.<br>
+<br>
+CHACHO [<i>to Barssegh</i>]. Have you no conscience?<br>
+<br>
+BARSSEGH. I want my money, and nothing more.<br>
+<br>
+<center><i>Enter Ossep, Gewo, a sheriff and his secretary, Dartscho, and several
+others</i>.</center>
+<br>
+OSSEP [<i>opening the door with both hands as he enters</i>]. Come in! come
+in! [<i>The others follow him</i>.] Play, play and laugh as much as you will
+over my misfortunes!<br>
+<br>
+CHACHO [<i>aside</i>]. Now it is all over with us!<br>
+<br>
+SALOME. Tell me, for God's sake, the meaning of this.<br>
+<br>
+OSSEP. God will judge you and me also. [<i>To sheriff and others:</i>] Come,
+make your inventory, put your seals on everything&mdash;the house, the
+furniture, and on the cards, too.<br>
+<br>
+BARSSEGH. Make an inventory of everything.<br>
+<span style="float:right">[<i>The sheriff lists furniture in the background and puts a ticket on
+each piece. The guests assemble, frightened, on the left side of the
+table</i>.</span><br><br>
+<br>
+SALOME [<i>beating her head</i>]. Good heavens!<br>
+<br>
+MARTHA. This is a disgrace for us as well.<br>
+<br>
+CHACHO [<i>in a low voice to Martha</i>]. You at least should be silent.<br>
+<br>
+OSSEP [<i>pointing to Barssegh</i>]. He has stripped me of my honor. Now you
+will honor and esteem him. He will arrange for your parties. Yes, he,
+the man who takes the shirt from my back and possesses himself of all my
+property.<br>
+<br>
+ALEXANDER [<i>aside</i>]. I have my sister to thank for all this, who dragged
+me into this house.<br>
+<br>
+OSSEP [<i>ironically</i>]. Alexander, look for a dowry elsewhere, for I can
+no longer give my daughter one.<br>
+<br>
+ALEXANDER [<i>angry</i>]. What, you deride me as well! I don't belong to your
+class, sir!<br>
+<br>
+OSSEP. And has it come to this!<br>
+<br>
+ALEXANDER [<i>taking his hat</i>]. I have not acquired my present dignity to
+lose it through you.<br>
+<br>
+OSSEP. Ha! ha! ha! His dignity!<br>
+<br>
+ALEXANDER [<i>coming near Nato</i>]. I have loved you truly, Miss Nato, but I
+must give you up. I am not to blame for it. Farewell.<br>
+<span style="float:right">[<i>Goes to the door</i>.</span><br>
+<span style="float:right">[<i>Barssegh laughs for joy</i>.</span><br>
+<br>
+OSSEP [<i>approaching Salome, who stands dismayed, takes her by the arm
+and points to the departing Alexander</i>]. There goes your official!<br>
+<br>
+NATO [<i>standing at the left near the sofa</i>]. Alexander! Alexander!
+[<i>Exit Alexander</i>.] Dear Alexander.<br>
+<span style="float:right">[<i>Sitting down on the sofa, begins to cry</i>.</span><br>
+<br>
+SALOME [<i>in a low tone, striking her brow with both hands</i>].
+Why doesn't the earth open and swallow me?<br>
+<br>
+OSSEP [<i>to Salome</i>]. Now you are punished, are you not? [<i>Turning to
+Barssegh</i>:] Take it all, now! Satisfy yourself! [<i>Takes off his coat</i>.]
+Take this also! [<i>Throws it to Barssegh</i>.] Yes, take it! [<i>Takes his cap
+from the table and throws it to Barssegh</i>.] Make off with this also; I
+need it no longer.<br>
+<span style="float:right">[<i>Runs to and fro as if distracted</i>.</span><br>
+<br>
+BARSSEGH [<i>in a low voice</i>]. Keep on giving!<br>
+<span style="float:right">[<i>Turns to sheriff and speaks softly to him</i>.</span><br>
+<br>
+OSSEP [<i>taking up different articles from card table and throwing them
+on the floor</i>]. Take these also! Take these also! [<i>Taking a lighted
+candelabra and smashing it on the floor</i>] Stick that also down your
+throat!<br>
+<br>
+SEVERAL OF THE GUESTS. The poor fellow is losing his wits.<br>
+<span style="float:right">[<i>Nato crying; her friends comfort her. Salome faints</i>.</span><br>
+<br>
+CHACHO. Ossep! My dear Ossep!<br>
+<br>
+GEWO [<i>embracing Ossep</i>]. Be calm, dear Ossep. You behave like a madman.<br>
+<br>
+OSSEP [<i>after a pause</i>]. Gewo, I was mad when I settled in this city.
+This life is too much for me; it was not for me. I am ruined. I am a
+beggar. He is to be praised who comes off better than I.<br>
+<span style="float:right">[<i>Exit.</i></span><br>
+<br>
+SALOME [<i>with her hand on her brow sinks down on the sofa, groaning
+loudly</i>]. Ah!<br>
+<br>
+GEWO. Poor Ossep!<br>
+<br>
+BARSSEGH [<i>turns from Dartscho, to whom he has been speaking, to the
+sheriff</i>]. What are you gazing around for, sir? Keep on with your
+writing.<br>
+<span style="float:right">[<i>Sheriff looks at Barssegh in disgust, sits down by card table and
+writes</i>.</span><br>
+<br>
+MARTHA [<i>to the guests</i>]. We have nothing more to look for here.
+[<i>Aside:</i>] A charming set!<br>
+<span style="float:right">[<i>Goes toward middle door; some ladies follow; others stand offended</i>.</span><br>
+<br>
+CHACHO [<i>raising her eyes</i>]. Would that I had died long ago, so that I
+had not lived to see this unfortunate day!<br>
+<br>
+<br>
+
+<h4>CURTAIN.</h4>
+
+<br><br><hr style="width: 65%;"><br><br>
+
+<h3>FOOTNOTES</h3>
+
+<a name="Footnote_1"></a><a href="#FNanchor1">[1]</a><blockquote> From the sense and according to the time in which the
+action takes place, Nineveh must be understood here; and instead of an
+Arabian caliph, the Assyrian king Sennacherib. There is an anachronism
+here, as the reader will see, for a king living 800 years before Christ
+is called an Arabian caliph, though the caliphs first took up their
+residence in Bagdad in the year 755.</blockquote>
+
+<a name="Footnote_2"></a><a href="#FNanchor2">[2]</a><blockquote> The reference here is to the famous monastery of St. John
+the Baptist, which was built by Gregory the Illuminator during the
+fourth century, on the mountain of Kark, near the Euphrates, on a spot
+where heathen altars had previously stood. On certain days pious
+Armenians made annual pilgrimages to the place. Among them many poets
+and champions, who, with long fasts and many prayers, begged from the
+saint the gifts of song, strength, and courage. John the Baptist was
+regarded by the Armenians generally as the protector of the arts.</blockquote>
+
+<a name="Footnote_3"></a><a href="#FNanchor3">[3]</a><blockquote> So the Armenians called Christians.</blockquote>
+
+<a name="Footnote_4"></a><a href="#FNanchor4">[4]</a><blockquote> The original name of this city is Theodosiopol. It was
+founded by the Greek commander Anato in the year 412 A.D. and named in
+honor of Emperor Theodosius II. Later it was captured by the Sultan of
+Ikonika, Who named it Arsi-Rom, &quot;Land of the Greeks.&quot; The Armenians call
+it Karin, after the old Armenian province in which it lies.</blockquote>
+
+<a name="Footnote_5"></a><a href="#FNanchor5">[5]</a><blockquote> Southwest from the Sea of Wan lies a high mountain called
+Kraput-Koch (&quot;Blue Ridge,&quot; from its blue color). Probably there was a
+dukedom or kingdom of Kraput-Koch which served as a city of refuge for
+the wandering Assyrian princes. Perhaps the legend has preserved in the
+person of the King of Kraput-Koch the memory of the Armenian prince
+Skajordi.</blockquote>
+
+<a name="Footnote_6"></a><a href="#FNanchor6">[6]</a><blockquote> Pipe-bearer.</blockquote>
+
+<a name="Footnote_7"></a><a href="#FNanchor7">[7]</a><blockquote> The servant who prepares the coffee.</blockquote>
+
+<a name="Footnote_8"></a><a href="#FNanchor8">[8]</a><blockquote> Probably the King's brother.</blockquote>
+
+<a name="Footnote_9"></a><a href="#FNanchor9">[9]</a><blockquote> &quot;Sassun&quot; signifies &quot;pillar upon pillar.&quot; This explains the
+origin of the name of Sassun, a district of the old Armenian province
+Achznik, south of the city of Musch. The residents of this district up
+to the present day owe their independence to their inaccessible
+dwelling-place.</blockquote>
+
+<a name="Footnote_10"></a><a href="#FNanchor10">[10]</a><blockquote> The names cited here exist to the present day. The places
+lie in the old districts of the Turuberan and Achznik in the present
+district Musch.</blockquote>
+
+<a name="Footnote_11"></a><a href="#FNanchor11">[11]</a><blockquote> The Armenians now call Egypt M&ouml;sr. This probably refers to
+Mossul.</blockquote>
+
+<a name="Footnote_12"></a><a href="#FNanchor12">[12]</a><blockquote> Here the story of Sanassar breaks off and he is not
+mentioned again in the tale.</blockquote>
+
+<a name="Footnote_13"></a><a href="#FNanchor13">[13]</a><blockquote> All these names are poetic and refer to certain
+characteristics of their bearers. &quot;Zenow-Owan&quot; means
+&quot;melodiously-speaking John&quot;; &quot;Chor-Hussan&quot; means &quot;good singer&quot;;
+&quot;Tchentschchapokrik&quot; means &quot;sparrow&quot;; and &quot;Z&ouml;ranwegi,&quot; &quot;cowardly Wegi.&quot;</blockquote>
+
+<a name="Footnote_14"></a><a href="#FNanchor14">[14]</a><blockquote> To Mossul.</blockquote>
+
+<a name="Footnote_15"></a><a href="#FNanchor15">[15]</a><blockquote> This means that if a captive is to be sold his kinsmen have
+a right before all others to redeem him.</blockquote>
+
+<a name="Footnote_16"></a><a href="#FNanchor16">[16]</a><blockquote> Schariat, the name of the Turkish court of justice, stands
+in the original.</blockquote>
+
+<a name="Footnote_17"></a><a href="#FNanchor17">[17]</a><blockquote> Although me Armenians became Christians in the fourth
+century, they still retain many heathen customs which have lost all
+their original significance. They still sacrifice sheep and cows which
+have on the previous evening been given some salt consecrated by the
+priests. The meat is cooked in immense kettles and carried around to the
+houses. The shepherd speaks of soup of this kind.</blockquote>
+
+<a name="Footnote_18"></a><a href="#FNanchor18">[18]</a><blockquote> Maratuk is a monastery built on a mountain of the same
+name.</blockquote>
+
+<a name="Footnote_19"></a><a href="#FNanchor19">[19]</a><blockquote> This Turkish title shows that the legend has been altered
+at a late date.</blockquote>
+
+<a name="Footnote_20"></a><a href="#FNanchor20">[20]</a><blockquote> In Armenia, as is usual in the East, they make butter out
+of curdled milk; and for this reason the vessel is always covered with
+scum.</blockquote>
+
+<a name="Footnote_21"></a><a href="#FNanchor21">[21]</a><blockquote> A valley near Musch.</blockquote>
+
+<a name="Footnote_22"></a><a href="#FNanchor22">[22]</a><blockquote> Literally, a table-like mountain.</blockquote>
+
+<a name="Footnote_23"></a><a href="#FNanchor23">[23]</a><blockquote> &quot;Emir,&quot; in the eyes of the orientals, is almost the same as
+&quot;king.&quot;</blockquote>
+
+<a name="Footnote_24"></a><a href="#FNanchor24">[24]</a><blockquote> &quot;Chandud&quot; is a woman's name. &quot;Chanum&quot; means &quot;lady.&quot;</blockquote>
+
+<a name="Footnote_25"></a><a href="#FNanchor25">[25]</a><blockquote> An instrument like a guitar.</blockquote>
+
+<a name="Footnote_26"></a><a href="#FNanchor26">[26]</a><blockquote> The song in which the bard praises the beauty of
+Chandud-Chanum is wanting. A certain carelessness is seen generally in
+the rest of the narrative.</blockquote>
+
+<a name="Footnote_27"></a><a href="#FNanchor27">[27]</a><blockquote> The Armenians use, in ploughing, a kind of plough which is
+drawn by from five to ten pairs of buffaloes or oxen.</blockquote>
+
+<a name="Footnote_28"></a><a href="#FNanchor28">[28]</a><blockquote> Sergo-Sarkus (Sergius) so the Kurds called the Christians,
+regarding them as descendants of St. Sergius, who is very popular among
+the Armenians of Wan and Musch.</blockquote>
+
+<a name="Footnote_29"></a><a href="#FNanchor29">[29]</a><blockquote> The city of Chlat (Turkish &quot;Achlat&quot;) lies northwest of the
+Sea of Wan. In olden times it was famous for its splendor, its high
+walls, and its citadel. The inhabitants had been injured by David's
+father and wished to avenge themselves.</blockquote>
+
+<a name="Footnote_30"></a><a href="#FNanchor30">[30]</a><blockquote> A marsh at the outlet of the Kara-Su, a tributary of the
+Euphrates.</blockquote>
+
+<a name="Footnote_31"></a><a href="#FNanchor31">[31]</a><blockquote> A small river which empties into the Sea of Wan not far
+from Chlat.</blockquote>
+
+<a name="Footnote_32"></a><a href="#FNanchor32">[32]</a><blockquote> Literally, &quot;I will tear in pieces and scatter.&quot;</blockquote>
+
+<a name="Footnote_33"></a><a href="#FNanchor33">[33]</a><blockquote> The small city of Kagisman, not far from Kars.</blockquote>
+
+<a name="Footnote_34"></a><a href="#FNanchor34">[34]</a><blockquote> A high mountain not far from Chlat northwest of the Sea of
+Wan. Many interesting legends about it exist. Haik, the ancestor of the
+Armenian Nimrod, is said to be buried here.</blockquote>
+
+<a name="Footnote_35"></a><a href="#FNanchor35">[35]</a><blockquote> Broad, low sofa.</blockquote><br>
+<br>
+<a name="Footnote_36"></a><a href="#FNanchor36">[36]</a><blockquote> Carpet.</blockquote><br>
+<br>
+<a name="Footnote_37"></a><a href="#FNanchor37">[37]</a><blockquote> Long, round pillows.</blockquote><br>
+<br>
+<a name="Footnote_38"></a><a href="#FNanchor38">[38]</a><blockquote> A long veil, covering the head and upper part of the body.</blockquote><br>
+<br>
+<a name="Footnote_39"></a><a href="#FNanchor39">[39]</a><blockquote> A bazaar in Tiflis.</blockquote><br>
+<br>
+<a name="Footnote_40"></a><a href="#FNanchor40">[40]</a><blockquote> A long overcoat.</blockquote><br>
+<br>
+<a name="Footnote_41"></a><a href="#FNanchor41">[41]</a><blockquote> Musicians.</blockquote><br>
+<br>
+<a name="Footnote_42"></a><a href="#FNanchor42">[42]</a><blockquote> Hall.</blockquote><br>
+<br>
+<a name="Footnote_43"></a><a href="#FNanchor43">[43]</a><blockquote> Abace&mdash;20 kopecks.</blockquote><br>
+<br>
+<a name="Footnote_44"></a><a href="#FNanchor44">[44]</a><blockquote> Russian measure of length.</blockquote><br>
+<br>
+<a name="Footnote_45"></a><a href="#FNanchor45">[45]</a><blockquote> A district of Tiflis.</blockquote><br>
+<br>
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+<pre>
+
+
+
+
+
+End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Armenian Literature, by Anonymous
+
+*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK ARMENIAN LITERATURE ***
+
+***** This file should be named 11461-h.htm or 11461-h.zip *****
+This and all associated files of various formats will be found in:
+        https://www.gutenberg.org/1/1/4/6/11461/
+
+Produced by Juliet Sutherland, Susan Skinner and the Online Distributed
+Proofreading Team.
+
+
+Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions
+will be renamed.
+
+Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no
+one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation
+(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without
+permission and without paying copyright royalties.  Special rules,
+set forth in the General Terms of Use part of this license, apply to
+copying and distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works to
+protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm concept and trademark.  Project
+Gutenberg is a registered trademark, and may not be used if you
+charge for the eBooks, unless you receive specific permission.  If you
+do not charge anything for copies of this eBook, complying with the
+rules is very easy.  You may use this eBook for nearly any purpose
+such as creation of derivative works, reports, performances and
+research.  They may be modified and printed and given away--you may do
+practically ANYTHING with public domain eBooks.  Redistribution is
+subject to the trademark license, especially commercial
+redistribution.
+
+
+
+*** START: FULL LICENSE ***
+
+THE FULL PROJECT GUTENBERG LICENSE
+PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE YOU DISTRIBUTE OR USE THIS WORK
+
+To protect the Project Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting the free
+distribution of electronic works, by using or distributing this work
+(or any other work associated in any way with the phrase "Project
+Gutenberg"), you agree to comply with all the terms of the Full Project
+Gutenberg-tm License (available with this file or online at
+https://gutenberg.org/license).
+
+
+Section 1.  General Terms of Use and Redistributing Project Gutenberg-tm
+electronic works
+
+1.A.  By reading or using any part of this Project Gutenberg-tm
+electronic work, you indicate that you have read, understand, agree to
+and accept all the terms of this license and intellectual property
+(trademark/copyright) agreement.  If you do not agree to abide by all
+the terms of this agreement, you must cease using and return or destroy
+all copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in your possession.
+If you paid a fee for obtaining a copy of or access to a Project
+Gutenberg-tm electronic work and you do not agree to be bound by the
+terms of this agreement, you may obtain a refund from the person or
+entity to whom you paid the fee as set forth in paragraph 1.E.8.
+
+1.B.  "Project Gutenberg" is a registered trademark.  It may only be
+used on or associated in any way with an electronic work by people who
+agree to be bound by the terms of this agreement.  There are a few
+things that you can do with most Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works
+even without complying with the full terms of this agreement.  See
+paragraph 1.C below.  There are a lot of things you can do with Project
+Gutenberg-tm electronic works if you follow the terms of this agreement
+and help preserve free future access to Project Gutenberg-tm electronic
+works.  See paragraph 1.E below.
+
+1.C.  The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation ("the Foundation"
+or PGLAF), owns a compilation copyright in the collection of Project
+Gutenberg-tm electronic works.  Nearly all the individual works in the
+collection are in the public domain in the United States.  If an
+individual work is in the public domain in the United States and you are
+located in the United States, we do not claim a right to prevent you from
+copying, distributing, performing, displaying or creating derivative
+works based on the work as long as all references to Project Gutenberg
+are removed.  Of course, we hope that you will support the Project
+Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting free access to electronic works by
+freely sharing Project Gutenberg-tm works in compliance with the terms of
+this agreement for keeping the Project Gutenberg-tm name associated with
+the work.  You can easily comply with the terms of this agreement by
+keeping this work in the same format with its attached full Project
+Gutenberg-tm License when you share it without charge with others.
+
+1.D.  The copyright laws of the place where you are located also govern
+what you can do with this work.  Copyright laws in most countries are in
+a constant state of change.  If you are outside the United States, check
+the laws of your country in addition to the terms of this agreement
+before downloading, copying, displaying, performing, distributing or
+creating derivative works based on this work or any other Project
+Gutenberg-tm work.  The Foundation makes no representations concerning
+the copyright status of any work in any country outside the United
+States.
+
+1.E.  Unless you have removed all references to Project Gutenberg:
+
+1.E.1.  The following sentence, with active links to, or other immediate
+access to, the full Project Gutenberg-tm License must appear prominently
+whenever any copy of a Project Gutenberg-tm work (any work on which the
+phrase "Project Gutenberg" appears, or with which the phrase "Project
+Gutenberg" is associated) is accessed, displayed, performed, viewed,
+copied or distributed:
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+1.E.2.  If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is derived
+from the public domain (does not contain a notice indicating that it is
+posted with permission of the copyright holder), the work can be copied
+and distributed to anyone in the United States without paying any fees
+or charges.  If you are redistributing or providing access to a work
+with the phrase "Project Gutenberg" associated with or appearing on the
+work, you must comply either with the requirements of paragraphs 1.E.1
+through 1.E.7 or obtain permission for the use of the work and the
+Project Gutenberg-tm trademark as set forth in paragraphs 1.E.8 or
+1.E.9.
+
+1.E.3.  If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is posted
+with the permission of the copyright holder, your use and distribution
+must comply with both paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 and any additional
+terms imposed by the copyright holder.  Additional terms will be linked
+to the Project Gutenberg-tm License for all works posted with the
+permission of the copyright holder found at the beginning of this work.
+
+1.E.4.  Do not unlink or detach or remove the full Project Gutenberg-tm
+License terms from this work, or any files containing a part of this
+work or any other work associated with Project Gutenberg-tm.
+
+1.E.5.  Do not copy, display, perform, distribute or redistribute this
+electronic work, or any part of this electronic work, without
+prominently displaying the sentence set forth in paragraph 1.E.1 with
+active links or immediate access to the full terms of the Project
+Gutenberg-tm License.
+
+1.E.6.  You may convert to and distribute this work in any binary,
+compressed, marked up, nonproprietary or proprietary form, including any
+word processing or hypertext form.  However, if you provide access to or
+distribute copies of a Project Gutenberg-tm work in a format other than
+"Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other format used in the official version
+posted on the official Project Gutenberg-tm web site (www.gutenberg.org),
+you must, at no additional cost, fee or expense to the user, provide a
+copy, a means of exporting a copy, or a means of obtaining a copy upon
+request, of the work in its original "Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other
+form.  Any alternate format must include the full Project Gutenberg-tm
+License as specified in paragraph 1.E.1.
+
+1.E.7.  Do not charge a fee for access to, viewing, displaying,
+performing, copying or distributing any Project Gutenberg-tm works
+unless you comply with paragraph 1.E.8 or 1.E.9.
+
+1.E.8.  You may charge a reasonable fee for copies of or providing
+access to or distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works provided
+that
+
+- You pay a royalty fee of 20% of the gross profits you derive from
+     the use of Project Gutenberg-tm works calculated using the method
+     you already use to calculate your applicable taxes.  The fee is
+     owed to the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark, but he
+     has agreed to donate royalties under this paragraph to the
+     Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation.  Royalty payments
+     must be paid within 60 days following each date on which you
+     prepare (or are legally required to prepare) your periodic tax
+     returns.  Royalty payments should be clearly marked as such and
+     sent to the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation at the
+     address specified in Section 4, "Information about donations to
+     the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation."
+
+- You provide a full refund of any money paid by a user who notifies
+     you in writing (or by e-mail) within 30 days of receipt that s/he
+     does not agree to the terms of the full Project Gutenberg-tm
+     License.  You must require such a user to return or
+     destroy all copies of the works possessed in a physical medium
+     and discontinue all use of and all access to other copies of
+     Project Gutenberg-tm works.
+
+- You provide, in accordance with paragraph 1.F.3, a full refund of any
+     money paid for a work or a replacement copy, if a defect in the
+     electronic work is discovered and reported to you within 90 days
+     of receipt of the work.
+
+- You comply with all other terms of this agreement for free
+     distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm works.
+
+1.E.9.  If you wish to charge a fee or distribute a Project Gutenberg-tm
+electronic work or group of works on different terms than are set
+forth in this agreement, you must obtain permission in writing from
+both the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation and Michael
+Hart, the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark.  Contact the
+Foundation as set forth in Section 3 below.
+
+1.F.
+
+1.F.1.  Project Gutenberg volunteers and employees expend considerable
+effort to identify, do copyright research on, transcribe and proofread
+public domain works in creating the Project Gutenberg-tm
+collection.  Despite these efforts, Project Gutenberg-tm electronic
+works, and the medium on which they may be stored, may contain
+"Defects," such as, but not limited to, incomplete, inaccurate or
+corrupt data, transcription errors, a copyright or other intellectual
+property infringement, a defective or damaged disk or other medium, a
+computer virus, or computer codes that damage or cannot be read by
+your equipment.
+
+1.F.2.  LIMITED WARRANTY, DISCLAIMER OF DAMAGES - Except for the "Right
+of Replacement or Refund" described in paragraph 1.F.3, the Project
+Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, the owner of the Project
+Gutenberg-tm trademark, and any other party distributing a Project
+Gutenberg-tm electronic work under this agreement, disclaim all
+liability to you for damages, costs and expenses, including legal
+fees.  YOU AGREE THAT YOU HAVE NO REMEDIES FOR NEGLIGENCE, STRICT
+LIABILITY, BREACH OF WARRANTY OR BREACH OF CONTRACT EXCEPT THOSE
+PROVIDED IN PARAGRAPH F3.  YOU AGREE THAT THE FOUNDATION, THE
+TRADEMARK OWNER, AND ANY DISTRIBUTOR UNDER THIS AGREEMENT WILL NOT BE
+LIABLE TO YOU FOR ACTUAL, DIRECT, INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE OR
+INCIDENTAL DAMAGES EVEN IF YOU GIVE NOTICE OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH
+DAMAGE.
+
+1.F.3.  LIMITED RIGHT OF REPLACEMENT OR REFUND - If you discover a
+defect in this electronic work within 90 days of receiving it, you can
+receive a refund of the money (if any) you paid for it by sending a
+written explanation to the person you received the work from.  If you
+received the work on a physical medium, you must return the medium with
+your written explanation.  The person or entity that provided you with
+the defective work may elect to provide a replacement copy in lieu of a
+refund.  If you received the work electronically, the person or entity
+providing it to you may choose to give you a second opportunity to
+receive the work electronically in lieu of a refund.  If the second copy
+is also defective, you may demand a refund in writing without further
+opportunities to fix the problem.
+
+1.F.4.  Except for the limited right of replacement or refund set forth
+in paragraph 1.F.3, this work is provided to you 'AS-IS' WITH NO OTHER
+WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO
+WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTIBILITY OR FITNESS FOR ANY PURPOSE.
+
+1.F.5.  Some states do not allow disclaimers of certain implied
+warranties or the exclusion or limitation of certain types of damages.
+If any disclaimer or limitation set forth in this agreement violates the
+law of the state applicable to this agreement, the agreement shall be
+interpreted to make the maximum disclaimer or limitation permitted by
+the applicable state law.  The invalidity or unenforceability of any
+provision of this agreement shall not void the remaining provisions.
+
+1.F.6.  INDEMNITY - You agree to indemnify and hold the Foundation, the
+trademark owner, any agent or employee of the Foundation, anyone
+providing copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in accordance
+with this agreement, and any volunteers associated with the production,
+promotion and distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works,
+harmless from all liability, costs and expenses, including legal fees,
+that arise directly or indirectly from any of the following which you do
+or cause to occur: (a) distribution of this or any Project Gutenberg-tm
+work, (b) alteration, modification, or additions or deletions to any
+Project Gutenberg-tm work, and (c) any Defect you cause.
+
+
+Section  2.  Information about the Mission of Project Gutenberg-tm
+
+Project Gutenberg-tm is synonymous with the free distribution of
+electronic works in formats readable by the widest variety of computers
+including obsolete, old, middle-aged and new computers.  It exists
+because of the efforts of hundreds of volunteers and donations from
+people in all walks of life.
+
+Volunteers and financial support to provide volunteers with the
+assistance they need, is critical to reaching Project Gutenberg-tm's
+goals and ensuring that the Project Gutenberg-tm collection will
+remain freely available for generations to come.  In 2001, the Project
+Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation was created to provide a secure
+and permanent future for Project Gutenberg-tm and future generations.
+To learn more about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation
+and how your efforts and donations can help, see Sections 3 and 4
+and the Foundation web page at https://www.pglaf.org.
+
+
+Section 3.  Information about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive
+Foundation
+
+The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation is a non profit
+501(c)(3) educational corporation organized under the laws of the
+state of Mississippi and granted tax exempt status by the Internal
+Revenue Service.  The Foundation's EIN or federal tax identification
+number is 64-6221541.  Its 501(c)(3) letter is posted at
+https://pglaf.org/fundraising.  Contributions to the Project Gutenberg
+Literary Archive Foundation are tax deductible to the full extent
+permitted by U.S. federal laws and your state's laws.
+
+The Foundation's principal office is located at 4557 Melan Dr. S.
+Fairbanks, AK, 99712., but its volunteers and employees are scattered
+throughout numerous locations.  Its business office is located at
+809 North 1500 West, Salt Lake City, UT 84116, (801) 596-1887, email
+business@pglaf.org.  Email contact links and up to date contact
+information can be found at the Foundation's web site and official
+page at https://pglaf.org
+
+For additional contact information:
+     Dr. Gregory B. Newby
+     Chief Executive and Director
+     gbnewby@pglaf.org
+
+Section 4.  Information about Donations to the Project Gutenberg
+Literary Archive Foundation
+
+Project Gutenberg-tm depends upon and cannot survive without wide
+spread public support and donations to carry out its mission of
+increasing the number of public domain and licensed works that can be
+freely distributed in machine readable form accessible by the widest
+array of equipment including outdated equipment.  Many small donations
+($1 to $5,000) are particularly important to maintaining tax exempt
+status with the IRS.
+
+The Foundation is committed to complying with the laws regulating
+charities and charitable donations in all 50 states of the United
+States.  Compliance requirements are not uniform and it takes a
+considerable effort, much paperwork and many fees to meet and keep up
+with these requirements.  We do not solicit donations in locations
+where we have not received written confirmation of compliance.  To
+SEND DONATIONS or determine the status of compliance for any
+particular state visit https://pglaf.org
+
+While we cannot and do not solicit contributions from states where we
+have not met the solicitation requirements, we know of no prohibition
+against accepting unsolicited donations from donors in such states who
+approach us with offers to donate.
+
+International donations are gratefully accepted, but we cannot make
+any statements concerning tax treatment of donations received from
+outside the United States.  U.S. laws alone swamp our small staff.
+
+Please check the Project Gutenberg Web pages for current donation
+methods and addresses.  Donations are accepted in a number of other
+ways including including checks, online payments and credit card
+donations.  To donate, please visit: https://pglaf.org/donate
+
+
+Section 5.  General Information About Project Gutenberg-tm electronic
+works.
+
+Professor Michael S. Hart was the originator of the Project Gutenberg-tm
+concept of a library of electronic works that could be freely shared
+with anyone.  For thirty years, he produced and distributed Project
+Gutenberg-tm eBooks with only a loose network of volunteer support.
+
+Project Gutenberg-tm eBooks are often created from several printed
+editions, all of which are confirmed as Public Domain in the U.S.
+unless a copyright notice is included.  Thus, we do not necessarily
+keep eBooks in compliance with any particular paper edition.
+
+Each eBook is in a subdirectory of the same number as the eBook's
+eBook number, often in several formats including plain vanilla ASCII,
+compressed (zipped), HTML and others.
+
+Corrected EDITIONS of our eBooks replace the old file and take over
+the old filename and etext number.  The replaced older file is renamed.
+VERSIONS based on separate sources are treated as new eBooks receiving
+new filenames and etext numbers.
+
+Most people start at our Web site which has the main PG search facility:
+
+     https://www.gutenberg.org
+
+This Web site includes information about Project Gutenberg-tm,
+including how to make donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary
+Archive Foundation, how to help produce our new eBooks, and how to
+subscribe to our email newsletter to hear about new eBooks.
+
+EBooks posted prior to November 2003, with eBook numbers BELOW #10000,
+are filed in directories based on their release date.  If you want to
+download any of these eBooks directly, rather than using the regular
+search system you may utilize the following addresses and just
+download by the etext year.
+
+     https://www.gutenberg.org/etext06
+
+    (Or /etext 05, 04, 03, 02, 01, 00, 99,
+     98, 97, 96, 95, 94, 93, 92, 92, 91 or 90)
+
+EBooks posted since November 2003, with etext numbers OVER #10000, are
+filed in a different way.  The year of a release date is no longer part
+of the directory path.  The path is based on the etext number (which is
+identical to the filename).  The path to the file is made up of single
+digits corresponding to all but the last digit in the filename.  For
+example an eBook of filename 10234 would be found at:
+
+     https://www.gutenberg.org/1/0/2/3/10234
+
+or filename 24689 would be found at:
+     https://www.gutenberg.org/2/4/6/8/24689
+
+An alternative method of locating eBooks:
+     https://www.gutenberg.org/GUTINDEX.ALL
+
+
+
+
+</pre>
+
+</body>
+</html>
+
+
diff --git a/old/11461-h/images/signature.png b/old/11461-h/images/signature.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..72dc2b3
--- /dev/null
+++ b/old/11461-h/images/signature.png
diff --git a/old/11461.txt b/old/11461.txt
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..911d74c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/old/11461.txt
@@ -0,0 +1,6805 @@
+The Project Gutenberg EBook of Armenian Literature, by Anonymous
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+
+Title: Armenian Literature
+
+Author: Anonymous
+
+Release Date: March 5, 2004 [EBook #11461]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: ASCII
+
+*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK ARMENIAN LITERATURE ***
+
+
+
+
+Produced by Juliet Sutherland, Susan Skinner and the Online Distributed
+Proofreading Team.
+
+
+
+
+
+ARMENIAN LITERATURE
+
+COMPRISING
+
+POETRY, DRAMA, FOLK-LORE, AND CLASSIC TRADITIONS
+
+
+TRANSLATED INTO ENGLISH FOR THE FIRST TIME
+
+WITH A SPECIAL INTRODUCTION BY
+
+ROBERT ARNOT, M.A.
+
+
+REVISED EDITION
+
+
+1904
+
+
+
+
+
+SPECIAL INTRODUCTION
+
+The literature of ancient Armenia that is still extant is meagre in
+quantity and to a large extent ecclesiastical in tone. To realize its
+oriental color one must resort entirely to that portion which deals with
+the home life of the people, with their fasts and festivals, their
+emotions, manners, and traditions. The ecclesiastical character of much
+of the early Armenian literature is accounted for by the fact that
+Christianity was preached there in the first century after Christ, by
+the apostles Thaddeus and Bartholomew, and that the Armenian Church is
+the oldest national Christian Church in the world.
+
+It is no doubt owing to the conversion of the entire Armenian nation
+under the passionate preaching of Gregory the Illuminator that most of
+the literary products, of primitive Armenia--the mythological legends
+and chants of heroic deeds sung by bards--are lost. The Church would
+have none of them. Gregory not only destroyed the pagan temples, but he
+sought to stamp out the pagan literature--the poetry and recorded
+traditions that celebrated the deeds of gods and goddesses and of
+national heroes. He would have succeeded, too, had not the romantic
+spirit of the race clung fondly to their ballads and folk-lore.
+Ecclesiastical historiographers in referring to those times say quaintly
+enough, meaning to censure the people, that in spite of their great
+religious advantages the Armenians persisted in singing some of their
+heathen ballads as late as the twelfth century. Curiously enough, we owe
+the fragments we possess of early Armenian poetry to these same
+ecclesiastical critics. These fragments suggest a popular poesy,
+stirring and full of powerful imagery, employed mostly in celebrating
+royal marriages, religious feasts, and containing dirges for the dead,
+and ballads of customs--not a wide field, but one invaluable to the
+philologist and to ethnological students.
+
+The Christian chroniclers and critics, however, while preserving but
+little of the verse of early Armenia, have handed down to us many
+legends and traditions, though they relate them, unfortunately, with
+much carelessness and with a contempt for detail that is often
+exasperating to one seeking for instructive parallelisms between the
+heroic legends of different nations. Evidently the only object of the
+ecclesiastical chroniclers in preserving these legends was to invest
+their descriptions of the times with a local color. Even Moses of
+Chorene, who by royal command collected many of these legends, and in
+his sympathetic treatment of them evinces poetic genius and keen
+literary appreciation, fails to realize the importance of his task.
+After speaking of the old Armenian kings with enthusiasm, and even
+condoning their paganism for the sake of their virility, he leaves his
+collection in the utmost disorder and positively without a note or
+comment. In the face of such difficulties, therefore, it has been hard
+to present specimens of early Armenian folk-lore and legends that shall
+give the reader a rightful idea of the race and the time.
+
+As Armenia was the highroad between Asia and Europe, these old stories
+and folk-plays show the influence of migrating and invading people. The
+mythology of the Chaldeans and Persians mingles oddly with traditions
+purely Armenian. This is well shown in the story of David of Sassun,
+given in this volume. David was the local hero of the place where Moses
+of Chorene was born and probably spent his declining years, after years
+of literary labor and study in Athens and Alexandria. The name of the
+district was Mush, and close by the monastery in which Moses was buried
+lies the village of Sassun.
+
+David's history is rich in personal incident, and recalls to the reader
+the tales related of the Persian Izdubar, the Chaldeo-Babylonian Nimrod,
+and the Greek Heracles. He is as much the hero of the tale as is Joseph
+Andrews in Fielding's classic of that name. His marvellous strength is
+used as handily for a jest as for some prodigious victory over man or
+monster. He is drawn for us as a bold, reckless fellow, with a
+rollicking sense of humor, which, in truth, sits but awkwardly upon the
+intense devotion to the Cross and its demands with which Moses or some
+later redactor has seen fit to burden this purely pagan hero. David is
+very human in spite of his blood-stained club and combative instincts,
+and his kindliness and bonhomie awake in us a passing disappointment at
+his untimely demise.
+
+If we except some ecclesiastical writings, these fragments preserved by
+Moses of Chorene and others comprehend all that is left to us of the
+literature of Armenia antedating the Persian invasion. After the Persian
+flood of fire and sword had rolled over this Asiatic Poland, the
+stricken Christian Church revived. A monk named Mesrob set to work to
+revive the spirit of literature. His difficulties were great. It was not
+alone the resuscitating of a dead literary desire, but it entailed also
+the providing of a vehicle of expression, namely an alphabet, so deeply
+had the Persian domination imprinted itself upon the land. As might be
+expected, the primary results of the revival were didactic, speculative,
+or religious in character. Mysticism at that time flourished in the
+monasteries, and the national spirit--the customs, habits, joys, and
+emotions of the people--had not yet found re-expression in script. The
+Church became the dominant power in literature, and if it is true on the
+one hand that the Armenian people lost intellectual independence, it is
+also true on the other that they gained that religious zeal and strength
+which enabled them as an entity--a united race--to survive the fatal day
+of Avarair, where, under the shadow of hoary Ararat, the Armenian
+Marathon was fought and lost, and Vartan, their national hero, died. All
+sorts of traditions cluster still around the battlefield of Avarair. A
+species of red flower grows there that is nowhere else to be found, and
+it is commonly believed that this red blossom sprang originally from the
+blood of the slain Armenian warriors. On the plain of Avarair is also
+found a small antelope with a pouch upon its breast secreting musk--a
+peculiarity gained, they say, from feeding on grass soaked with the
+blood of Armenia's sons. And at Avarair, too, it is said that the lament
+of the nightingales is ever, "Vartan, Vartan." The story of these times
+is preserved in fragments in the religious chronicles of Lazarus of
+Pharb and of Eliseus. When, during the Persian domination, Armenia
+became entirely shut off from the avenues of Greek culture, and was left
+unaided in her struggle for national existence, the light of literature
+again sank to a feeble gleam. There was, indeed, a faint revival in the
+tenth century, and again a second and a stronger renaissance in the
+twelfth under the impulse given by Nerses, and by his namesake, the
+Patriarch. But this revival, like the former, was not general in
+character. It was mostly a revival of religious mysticism in literature,
+not of the national spirit, though to this epoch belong the choicest
+hymnological productions of the Armenian Church.
+
+There are no chronicles extant that can be called purely Armenian. The
+oldest chronicles that we have of Armenia--and there are many--wander
+off into the histories of other people--of the Byzantines, for instance,
+and even of the Crusaders. The passages that deal with Armenia are
+devoted almost entirely to narrating the sufferings of the Armenians
+under the successive invasions of pagans and Mahometans, and the efforts
+made to keep the early Christian faith--forming almost a national book
+of martyrs, and setting forth a tragic romance of perpetual struggle.
+These records cannot be called Armenian literature in a real sense, for
+in many cases they were not written by Armenians, but they picture in
+vivid fashion the trials suffered by Armenians at the hands of invading
+nations, and the sacrifices made to preserve a national existence. They
+picture, in pages bristling with horrible detail, the sacrifices and
+sufferings of a desperate people, and in them we see Armenia as the
+prophet saw Judea, "naked, lying by the wayside, trodden under foot by
+all nations." These chronicles have an interest all their own, but they
+lack literary beauty, and not being, in themselves, Armenian literature,
+have not been included in the selections made as being purely
+representative of the race and land.
+
+The examples of Armenian proverbs and folk-lore included in this volume
+show, as is usual, the ethnological relationship that is so easily
+traced between the fables of _Aesop_, of Bidpai, of Vartan, and of
+Loqman. It may be said with truth that in the folk-lore and fables of
+all nations can be traced kinship of imagination, with a variety of
+application that differs with the customs and climate of the people. But
+the Armenian is especially rich in a variety of elements. We meet
+enchantments, faculties, superstitions, and abstract ideas personified,
+which are supposed to attach miraculous meanings to the most ordinary
+events. Dreams, riddles, and the like--all are there. The one strange
+personification is the Dew. The Dew is a monster, half demon, half
+human; sometimes harmless, sometimes malevolent; mortal, indeed, but
+reaching a good or, shall we say, an evil old age. The Dew figures in
+nearly all Armenian fairy-tales.
+
+The Armenian proverbs exhibit the persistent capacity of the Armenians
+during a time of _Sturm und Drang_ to embody, in pithy, wise, and
+sometimes cynical form, the wisdom drawn from their own experience and
+from that of the ages. It is possible that the cynical vein discernible
+in some of these proverbs is a result of the intense and continued
+national trials. Take, for instance, this proverb, "If a brother were a
+good thing, God would have provided himself with one." Can anything be
+more cynical?
+
+The poems are of later origin. Since the twelfth century, when
+literature burst the bonds imposed upon it by ecclesiastical domination,
+the poetic spirit of the Armenians has found expression. It is rich in
+oriental passion and imagery, brilliant in expression, and intensely
+musical. But through all the poems we are reminded of the melancholy
+strain that pervaded the exiles of Jerusalem when "by the waters of
+Babylon" they "sat down and wept." The apostrophe to Araxes reminds us
+of the trials of Armenia, of her exiled sons, of her wasted land, and of
+the perpetual fast she ever keeps in mourning for her children.
+
+The comedy of "The Ruined Family" and the pathetic story of "The Vacant
+Yard" are also of the post-monastic era. In the comedy we gain an
+insight into the jealousy and the pride of life that pervaded then as
+now the middle walks of life. Its Ibsenesque quality is very striking.
+The persistent and human struggle of the mother to gain a high position
+in life for her daughter through marriage, and the agonizing of the
+father to get together a suitable dower for his daughter, together with
+the worldly-wise comments and advice of the old aunt, are so true to
+modern life that one realizes anew the sameness of human nature in all
+climes and ages.
+
+"The Vacant Yard" gives us a charming picture of Armenian life. The
+people are depicted with an impartial pen, subject to the minor crosses
+and humors of fate, having their ups and downs just as we do to-day, but
+the intense local color that pervades the story holds one to the closing
+line.
+
+As a people the Armenians cannot boast of as vast a literature as the
+Persians, their one-time conquerors, but that which remains of purely
+Armenian prose, folk-lore, and poetry tells us of a poetic race, gifted
+with imaginative fire, sternness of will, and persistency of adherence
+to old ideas, a race that in proportion to their limited production in
+letters can challenge comparison with any people.
+
+[Signature: Robert Arnot]
+
+
+
+CONTENTS
+
+
+PROVERBS AND FOLK-LORE
+
+THE VACANT YARD
+
+ARMENIAN POEMS
+  A Plaint
+  Spring in Exile
+  Fly, Lays of Mine
+  The Woe of Araxes
+  The Armenian Maiden
+  One of a Thousand
+  Longing
+
+DAVID OF SASSUN
+
+THE RUINED FAMILY
+
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+
+PROVERBS AND FOLK-LORE
+
+[_Translated by F.B. Collins, B.S._]
+
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+
+PROVERBS AND FOLK-LORE
+
+
+I know many songs, but I cannot sing.
+
+When a man sees that the water does not follow him, he follows the
+water.
+
+When a tree falls there is plenty of kindling wood.
+
+He who falls into the water need have no fear of rain.
+
+A good swimmer finds death in the water.
+
+Strong vinegar bursts the cask.
+
+Dogs quarrel among themselves, but against the wolf they are united.
+
+God understands the dumb.
+
+Only he who can read is a man.
+
+The chick shows itself in the egg, the child in the cradle.
+
+What a man acquires in his youth serves as a crutch in his old age.
+
+One wit is good; two wits are better.
+
+Begin with small things, that you may achieve great.
+
+A devil with experience is better than an angel without.
+
+What the great say, the humble hear.
+
+He who steals an egg will steal a horse also.
+
+Turn the spit, so that neither meat nor roasting-iron shall burn.
+
+One can spoil the good name of a thousand.
+
+What manner of things thou speakest of, such shalt thou also hear.
+
+The grandfather ate unripe grapes, and the grandson's teeth were set on
+edge.
+
+One bad deed begets another.
+
+Go home when the table is set, and to church when it is almost over.
+
+A devil at home, a parson abroad.
+
+God created men and women: who, then, created monks?
+
+Poor and proud.
+
+In dreams the hungry see bread and the thirsty water.
+
+Ere the fat become lean, the lean are already dead.
+
+Wish for a cow for your neighbor, that God may give you two.
+
+What is play to the cat is death to the mouse.
+
+Unless the child cries, the mother will not suckle it.
+
+A fish in the water is worth nothing.
+
+Gold is small but of great worth.
+
+At home the dog is very brave.
+
+Observe the mother ere you take the daughter.
+
+If you lose half and then leave off, something is gained.
+
+The good mourn for what was taken away, the wolf for what was left
+behind.
+
+Only a bearded man can laugh at a beardless face.
+
+He descends from a horse and seats himself on an ass.
+
+No other day can equal the one that is past.
+
+When a man grows rich, he thinks his walls are awry.
+
+Make friends with a dog, but keep a stick in your hand.
+
+One should not feel hurt at the kick of an ass.
+
+The blind have no higher wish than to have two eyes.
+
+The thief wants only a dark night.
+
+A thief robbed another thief, and God marvelled at it in heaven.
+
+He who has money has no sense; and he who has sense, no money.
+
+He who begs is shameless, but still more shameless is he who lends not
+to him.
+
+Better lose one's eyes than one's calling.
+
+What the wind brings it will take away again.
+
+A bad dog neither eats himself nor gives to others.
+
+Running is also an art.
+
+Only in the bath can one tell black from white.
+
+Water is sure to find its way.
+
+What does the blind care if candles are dear?
+
+Speak little and you will hear much.
+
+No one is sure that his light will burn till morning.
+
+He who speaks the truth must have one foot in the stirrup.
+
+The more you stone a dog the more he barks.
+
+One blossom does not make a spring.
+
+One hand cannot clap alone.
+
+Strike the iron while it is hot.
+
+Take up a stick, and the thieving dog understands.
+
+Corruption illumines dark paths.
+
+When they laid down the law to the wolf, he said, "Be quiet, or the
+sheep will run away."
+
+One hears Ali is dead; but one knows not which one.
+
+The scornful soon grow old.
+
+Who shall work? I and thou. Who shall eat? I and thou.
+
+Stay in the place where there is bread.
+
+If bread tastes good, it is all one to me whether a Jew or a Turk bakes
+it.
+
+One loves the rose, another the lilac.
+
+Before Susan had done prinking, church was over.
+
+The simpleton went to the wedding and said, "Indeed, it is much better
+here than it is at home."
+
+He sleeps for himself and dreams for others.
+
+The flower falls under the bush.
+
+Not everything round is an apple.
+
+What does an ass know about almonds?
+
+A king must be worthy of a crown.
+
+When you are going in consider first how you are coming out.
+
+What thou canst do to-day leave not until to-morrow.
+
+The rose of winter-time is fire.
+
+The end of strife is repentance.
+
+From the same flower the serpent draws poison and the bees honey.
+
+My heart is no table-cover to be spread over everything.
+
+As long as the wagon is not upset the way is not mended.
+
+The water that drowns me is for me an ocean.
+
+The Armenian has his understanding in his head, the Georgian in his
+eyes.
+
+The ass knows seven ways of swimming, but when he sees the water he
+forgets them all.
+
+The wound of a dagger heals, but that of the tongue, never.
+
+A good ox is known in the yoke, a good woman at the cradle of her child.
+
+Love ever so well, there is also hate; hate ever so much, there is
+always love.
+
+A shrewd enemy is better than a stupid friend.
+
+To rise early is not everything; happy are they who have the help of
+God.
+
+A dress that is not worn wears itself out.
+
+I came from the ocean and was drowned in a spoonful of water.
+
+Because the cat could get no meat, he said, "To-day is Friday."
+
+The house that a woman builds God will not destroy; but a woman is
+likely to destroy the house that God has built.
+
+The dowry a woman brings into the house is a bell. Whenever you come
+near, the clapper strikes in your face.
+
+By asking, one finds the way to Jerusalem.
+
+Which of the five fingers can you cut off without hurting yourself?
+
+The father's kingdom is the son's mite.
+
+Far from the eye, far from the heart.
+
+If a brother was really good for anything, God would have one.
+
+When God gives, He gives with both hands.
+
+A daughter is a treasure which belongs to another.
+
+The world is a pair of stairs: some go up and others go down.
+
+The poor understand the troubles of the poor.
+
+The childless have one trouble, but those who have children have a
+thousand.
+
+God turns away his face from a shameless man.
+
+The eyes would not disagree even if the nose were not between them.
+
+Until you see trouble you will never know joy.
+
+You never know a man until you have eaten a barrel of salt with him.
+
+Every man's own trouble is as large as a camel.
+
+The goat prefers one goat to a whole herd of sheep.
+
+The fox has destroyed the world, and the wolf has lost his calling.
+
+The fool throws himself into the stream, and forty wise men cannot pull
+him out.
+
+A near neighbor is better than a distant kinsman.
+
+When I have honey, the flies come even from Bagdad.
+
+A guest comes from God.
+
+The guest is the ass of the inn-keeper.
+
+When everything is cheap the customer has no conscience.
+
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+
+THE SHEEP-BROTHER
+
+
+Once there was a widow and she had a daughter. The widow married a
+widower who had by his first wife two children, a boy and a girl. The
+wife was always coaxing her husband: "Take the children, do, and lead
+them up into the mountains." Her husband could not refuse her, and, lo!
+one day he put some bread in his basket, took the children, and set off
+for the mountain.
+
+They went on and on and came to a strange place. Then the father said to
+the children, "Rest here a little while," and the children sat down to
+rest. The father turned his face away and wept bitterly, very bitterly.
+Then he turned again to the children and said, "Eat something," and they
+ate. Then the boy said, "Father, dear, I want a drink." The father took
+his staff, stuck it into the ground, threw his coat over it, and said,
+"Come here, my son, sit in the shadow of my coat, and I will get you
+some water." The brother and sister stayed and the father went away and
+forsook his children. Whether they waited a long time or a short time
+before they saw that their father was not coming back is not known. They
+wandered here and there looking for him, but saw no human being
+anywhere.
+
+At last they came back to the same spot, and, beginning to weep, they
+said:
+
+"Alas! Alas! See, here is father's staff, and here is his coat, and he
+comes not, and he comes not."
+
+Whether the brother and sister sat there a long time or a short time is
+not known. They rose after a while, and one took the staff and the other
+the coat, and they went away without knowing whither. They went on and
+on and on, until they saw tracks of horses' hoofs filled with
+rain-water.
+
+"I am going to drink, sister," said the brother.
+
+"Do not drink, little brother, or you will become a colt," said the
+sister.
+
+They passed on till they saw tracks of oxen's hoofs.
+
+"O sister dear, how thirsty I am!"
+
+"Do not drink, little brother, or you will be a calf," the sister said
+to him.
+
+They went on till they saw the tracks of buffalo hoofs.
+
+"O sister dear, how thirsty I am!"
+
+"Drink not, little brother, or you will be a buffalo calf."
+
+They passed on and saw the tracks of bears' paws.
+
+"Oh, I am so thirsty, sister dear."
+
+"Drink not, little brother, or you will become a little bear."
+
+They went on and saw the tracks of swine's trotters.
+
+"O sister dear, I am going to drink."
+
+"Drink not, little brother, or you will become a little pig."
+
+They went on and on till they saw the tracks of the pads of wolves.
+
+"O sister dear, how thirsty I am!"
+
+"Do not drink, little brother, or you will become a little wolf."
+
+They walked on and on till they saw the tracks of sheep's trotters.
+
+"O sister dear, I am almost dying with thirst."
+
+"O little brother, you grieve me so! You will, indeed, be a sheep if you
+drink."
+
+He could stand it no longer. He drank and turned into a sheep. He began
+to bleat and ran after his sister. Long they wandered, and at last came
+home.
+
+Then the stepmother began to scheme against them. She edged up to her
+husband and said: "Kill your sheep. I want to eat him."
+
+The sister got her sheep-brother away in the nick of time and drove him
+back into the mountains. Every day she drove him to the meadows and she
+spun linen. Once her distaff fell from her hand and rolled into a
+cavern. The sheep-brother stayed behind grazing while she went to get
+the distaff.
+
+She stepped into the cavern and saw lying in a corner a Dew, one
+thousand years old. She suddenly spied the girl and said: "Neither the
+feathered birds nor the crawling serpent can make their way in here; how
+then hast thou, maiden, dared to enter?"
+
+The girl spoke up in her fright. "For love of you I came here, dear
+grandmother."
+
+The old Dew mother bade the girl come near and asked her this and that.
+The maiden pleased her very much. "I will go and bring you a fish," she
+said, "you are certainly hungry." But the fishes were snakes and
+dragons. The girl was sorely frightened and began to cry with terror.
+The old Dew said, "Maiden, why do you weep?" She answered, "I have just
+thought of my mother, and for her sake I weep." Then she told the old
+mother everything that had happened to her. "If that is so," said the
+Dew, "sit down here and I will lay my head on your knee and go to
+sleep."
+
+She made up the fire, stuck the poker into the stove, and said:
+
+"When the devil flies by do not waken me. If the rainbow-colored one
+passes near, take the glowing poker from the stove and lay it on my
+foot."
+
+The maiden's heart crept into her heels from fright. What was she to do?
+She sat down, the Dew laid her head on her knees and slept. Soon she saw
+a horrible black monster flying by. The maiden was silent. After a while
+there came flying by a rainbow-colored creature. She seized the glowing
+poker and threw it on the old Dew's foot. The old mother awoke and said,
+"Phew, how the fleas bite." She rose and lifted up the maiden. The
+girl's hair and clothing were turned to gold from the splendor of the
+rainbow colors. She kissed the old Dew's hand and begged that she might
+go. She went away, and taking her sheep-brother with her started for
+home. The stepmother was not there, and the maiden secretly dug a hole,
+buried her golden dress, and sat down and put on an old one.
+
+The stepmother came home and saw that the maiden had golden hair.
+
+"What have you done to your hair to make it like gold?" she asked. The
+maiden told her all, how and when. The next day the stepmother sent her
+own daughter to the same mountain. The stepmother's daughter purposely
+let her distaff fall and it rolled into the hole. She went in to get it,
+but the old Dew mother turned her into a scarecrow and sent her home.
+
+About that time there was a wedding in the royal castle; the King was
+giving one of his sons in marriage, and the people came from all
+directions to look on and enjoy themselves.
+
+The stepmother threw on a kerchief and smartened up the head of her
+daughter and took her to see the wedding. The girl with the golden hair
+did not stay at home, but, putting on her golden dress so that she
+became from head to foot a gleaming houri, she went after them.
+
+But on the way home, she ran so fast to get there before her stepmother,
+that she dropped one of her golden shoes in the fountain. When they led
+the horses of the King's second son to drink, the horses caught sight of
+the golden shoe in the water and drew back and would not drink. The King
+caused the wise men to be called, and asked them to make known the
+reason why the horses would not drink, and they found only the golden
+shoe. The King sent out his herald to tell the people that he would
+marry his son to whomsoever this shoe fitted.
+
+He sent people throughout the whole city to try on the shoe, and they
+came to the house where the sheep-brother was. The stepmother pushed the
+maiden with the golden locks into the stove, and hid her, and showed
+only her own daughter.
+
+A cock came up to the threshold and crowed three times, "Cock-a-doodle
+doo! The fairest of the fair is in the stove." The King's people brushed
+the stepmother aside and led the maiden with golden hair from the stove,
+tried on the shoe, which fitted as though moulded to the foot.
+
+"Now stand up," said they, "and you shall be a royal bride."
+
+The maiden put on her golden dress, drove her sheep-brother before her,
+and went to the castle. She was married to the King's son, and seven
+days and seven nights they feasted.
+
+Again the stepmother took her daughter and went to the castle to visit
+her stepdaughter, who in spite of all treated her as her mother and
+invited her into the castle garden. From the garden they went to the
+seashore and sat down to rest. The stepmother said, "Let us bathe in the
+sea." While they were bathing she pushed the wife of the King's son far
+out into the water, and a great fish came swimming by and swallowed her.
+
+Meanwhile the stepmother put the golden dress on her own daughter and
+led her to the royal castle and placed her in the seat where the young
+wife always sat, covering her face and her head so that no one would
+know her.
+
+The young wife sat in the fish and heard the voice of the bell-ringer.
+She called to him and pleaded: "Bell-ringer, O bell-ringer, thou hast
+called the people to church; cross thyself seven times, and I entreat
+thee, in the name of heaven, go to the prince and say that they must not
+slaughter my sheep-brother."
+
+Once, twice the bell-ringer heard this voice and told the King's son
+about it.
+
+The King's son took the bell-ringer with him and went at night to the
+seashore. The same voice spoke the same words. He knew that it was his
+dear wife that spoke, and drew his sword and ripped open the fish and
+helped his loved one out.
+
+They went home, and the prince had the stepmother brought to him, and
+said to her: "Mother-in-law, tell me what kind of a present you would
+like: a horse fed with barley or a knife with a black handle?"
+
+The stepmother answered: "Let the knife with a black handle pierce the
+breast of thine enemy; but give me the horse fed with barley."
+
+The King's son commanded them to tie the stepmother and her daughter to
+the tail of a horse, and to hunt them over mountain and rock till
+nothing was left of them but their ears and a tuft of hair.
+
+After that the King's son lived happily with his wife and her
+sheep-brother. The others were punished and she rejoiced.
+
+And three apples fell down from heaven.
+
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+
+THE YOUTH WHO WOULD NOT TELL HIS DREAM
+
+There lived once upon a time a man and wife who had a son. The son arose
+from his sleep one morning and said to his mother: "Mother dear, I had a
+dream, but what it was I will not tell you."
+
+The mother said, "Why will you not tell me?"
+
+"I will not, and that settles it," answered the youth, and his mother
+seized him and cudgelled him well.
+
+Then he went to his father and said to him: "Father dear, I had a dream,
+but what it was I would not tell mother, nor will I tell you," and his
+father also gave him a good flogging. He began to sulk and ran away from
+home. He walked and walked the whole day long and, meeting a traveller,
+said after greeting him: "I had a dream, but what it was I would tell
+neither father nor mother and I will not tell you," Then he went on his
+way till finally he came to the Emir's house and said to the Emir:
+"Emir, I had a dream, but what it was I would tell neither father nor
+mother, nor yet the traveller, and I will not tell you."
+
+The Emir had him seized and thrown into the garret, where he began to
+cut through the floor with a knife he managed to get from some one of
+the Emir's people. He cut and cut until he made an opening over the
+chamber of the Emir's daughter, who had just filled a plate with food
+and gone away. The youth jumped down, emptied the plate, ate what he
+wanted, and crept back into the garret. The second, third, and fourth
+days he did this also, and the Emir's daughter could not think who had
+taken away her meal. The next day she hid herself under the table to
+watch and find out. Seeing the youth jump down and begin to eat from her
+plate, she rushed out and said to him, "Who are you?"
+
+"I had a dream, but what it was I would tell neither father nor mother,
+nor the traveller, nor yet the Emir. The Emir shut me up in the garret.
+Now everything depends on you; do with me what you will."
+
+The youth looked at the maiden, and they loved each other and saw each
+other every day.
+
+The King of the West came to the King of the East to court the daughter
+of the King of the East for his son. He sent an iron bar with both ends
+shaped alike and asked: "Which is the top and which is the bottom? If
+you can guess that, good! If not, I will carry your daughter away with
+me."
+
+The King asked everybody, but nobody could tell. The King's daughter
+told her lover about it and he said: "Go tell your father the Emir to
+throw the bar into a brook. The heavy end will sink. Make a hole in that
+end and send the bar back to the King of the West." And it happened that
+he was right, and the messengers returned to their King.
+
+The King of the West sent three horses of the same size and color and
+asked: "Which is the one-year-old, which is the two-year-old, and which
+the mare? If you can guess that, good. If not, then I will carry off
+your daughter."
+
+The King of the East collected all the clever people, but no one could
+guess. He was helpless and knew not what to do. Then his daughter went
+to her lover and said, "They are going to take me away," and she told
+him when and how.
+
+The youth said: "Go and say to your father, 'Dip a bundle of hay in
+water, strew it with salt, and put it near the horses' stall. In the
+morning the mare will come first, the two-year-old second, the
+one-year-old last.'"
+
+They did this and sent the King of the West his answer.
+
+He waited a little and sent a steel spear and a steel shield, and said:
+"If you pierce the shield with the spear, I will give my daughter to
+your son. If not, send your daughter to my son."
+
+Many people tried, and among them the King himself, but they could find
+no way of piercing the shield. The King's daughter told him of her
+beloved prisoner, and the King sent for him. The youth thrust the spear
+into the ground, and, striking the shield against it, pierced it
+through.
+
+As the King had no son, he sent the youth in place of a son to the King
+of the West to demand his daughter, according to agreement.
+
+He went on and on--how long it is not known--and saw someone with his
+ear to the ground listening.
+
+"Who are you?" the youth asked.
+
+"I am he who hears everything that is said in the whole world."
+
+"This is a brave fellow," said the youth. "He knows everything that is
+said in the world."
+
+"I am no brave fellow. He who has pierced a steel shield with a steel
+spear is a brave fellow," was the answer.
+
+"I am he," said the youth. "Let us be brothers."
+
+They journeyed on together and saw a man with a millstone on each foot,
+and one leg stepped toward Chisan and the other toward Stambul.
+
+"That seems to me a brave fellow! One leg steps toward Chisan and the
+other toward Stambul."
+
+"I am no brave fellow. He who has pierced a steel shield with a steel
+spear is a brave fellow," said the man with the millstones.
+
+"I am he. Let us be brothers."
+
+They were three and they journeyed on together.
+
+They went on and on and saw a mill with seven millstones grinding corn.
+And one man ate all and was not satisfied, but grumbled and said, "O
+little father, I die of hunger."
+
+"That is a brave fellow," said the youth. "Seven millstones grind for him
+and yet he has not enough, but cries, 'I die of hunger.'"
+
+"I am no brave fellow. He who pierced a steel shield with a steel spear
+is a brave fellow," said the hungry man.
+
+"I am he. Let us be brothers," said the youth and the four journeyed on
+together. They went on and on and saw a man who had loaded the whole
+world on his back and even wished to lift it up.
+
+"That is a brave fellow. He has loaded himself with the whole world and
+wishes to lift it up," said the youth.
+
+"I am no brave fellow. He who has pierced a steel shield with a steel
+spear is a brave fellow," said the burdened man.
+
+"I am he. Let us be brothers."
+
+The five journeyed on together. They went on and on and saw a man lying
+in a brook and he sipped up all its waters and yet cried, "O little
+father, I am parched with thirst."
+
+"That is a brave fellow. He drinks up the whole brook and still says he
+is thirsty," said the youth.
+
+"I am no brave fellow. He who has pierced a steel shield with a steel
+spear is a brave fellow," said the thirsty man.
+
+"I am he. Let us be brothers."
+
+The six journeyed on together. They went on and on and saw a shepherd
+who was playing the pipes, and mountains and valleys, fields and
+forests, men and animals, danced to the music.
+
+"That seems to me to be a brave fellow. He makes mountains and valleys
+dance," said the youth.
+
+"I am no brave fellow. He who has pierced a steel shield with a steel
+spear is a brave fellow," said the musical man.
+
+"I am he. Let us be brothers," said the youth.
+
+The seven journeyed on together.
+
+"Brother who hast pierced a steel shield with a steel spear, whither is
+God leading us?"
+
+"We are going to get the daughter of the King of the West," said the
+youth.
+
+"Only you can marry her," said they all.
+
+They went on till they came to the King's castle, but when they asked
+for the daughter the King would not let her go, but called his people
+together and said: "They have come after the bride. They are not very
+hungry, perhaps they will eat only a bite or two. Let one-and-twenty
+ovens be filled with bread and make one-and-twenty kettles of soup. If
+they eat all this I will give them my daughter; otherwise, I will not."
+
+The seven brothers were in a distant room. He who listened with his ear
+to the ground heard what the King commanded, and said:
+
+"Brother who hast pierced a steel shield with a steel spear, do you
+understand what the King said?"
+
+"Rascal! how can I know what he says when I am not in the same room with
+him? What did he say?"
+
+"He has commanded them to bake bread in one-and-twenty ovens and to make
+one-and-twenty kettles of soup. If we eat it all, we can take his
+daughter; otherwise, not."
+
+The brother who devoured all the meal that seven millstones, ground
+said: "Fear not, I will eat everything that comes to hand, and then cry,
+'Little father, I die of hunger.'"
+
+When the King saw the hungry man eat he screamed: "May he perish! I
+shall certainly meet defeat at his hands."
+
+Again he called his people to him and said, "Kindle a great fire, strew
+it with ashes and cover it with blankets. When they come in in the
+evening they will be consumed, all seven of them."
+
+The brother with the sharp ears said: "Brother who hast pierced a steel
+shield with a steel spear, do you understand what the King said?"
+
+"No; how can I know what he said?"
+
+"He said, 'Kindle a fire, strew it with ashes, and cover it with
+blankets, and when they come in in the evening they will be consumed,
+all seven of them.'"
+
+Then said the brother who drank up the brook: "I will drink all I can
+and go in before you. I will spit it all out and turn the whole house
+into a sea."
+
+In the evening they begged the King to allow them to rest in the room
+set apart for them. The water-drinker filled the whole room with water,
+and they went into another.
+
+The King lost his wits and knew not what to do. He called his people
+together, and they said in one voice, "Let what will happen, we will not
+let our princess go!"
+
+The man with the sharp ears heard them, and said, "Brother who hast
+pierced a steel shield with a steel spear, do you understand what the
+King said?"
+
+"How should I know what he said?"
+
+"He said, 'Let what will happen, I will not let my daughter go.'"
+
+The brother who had loaded himself with the whole world said: "Wait, I
+will take his castle and all his land on my back and carry it away."
+
+He took the castle on his back and started off. The shepherd played on
+his pipes, and mountains and valleys danced to the music. He who had
+fastened millstones to his feet led the march, and they all went
+joyously forward, making a great noise.
+
+The King began to weep, and begged them to leave him his castle. "Take
+my daughter with you. You have earned her."
+
+They put the castle back in its place, the shepherd stopped playing, and
+mountain and valley stood still. They took the King's daughter and
+departed, and each hero returned to his dwelling-place, and he who had
+pierced the steel shield with the steel spear took the maiden and came
+again to the King of the East. And the King of the East gave him his own
+daughter, whom the youth had long loved, for his wife. So he had two
+wives--one was the daughter of the King of the East, the other the
+daughter of the King of the West.
+
+At night, when they lay down to sleep, he said: "Now, I have one sun on
+one side and another sun on the other side, and a bright star plays on
+my breast."
+
+In the morning he sent for his parents and called also the King to him,
+and said, "Now, I will tell my dream." "What was it, then?" they all
+said. He answered: "I saw in my dream one sun on one side of me and
+another sun on the other, and a bright star played on my breast."
+
+"Had you such a dream?" they asked.
+
+"I swear I had such a dream."
+
+And three apples fell from heaven: one for the story-teller, one for him
+who made him tell it, and one for the hearer.
+
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+
+THE VACANT YARD
+
+[_Translated by E.B. Collins, B.S._]
+
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+
+THE VACANT YARD
+
+
+Several days ago I wished to visit an acquaintance, but it chanced he
+was not at home. I came therefore through the gate again out into the
+street, and stood looking to right and left and considering where I
+could go. In front of me lay a vacant yard, which was, I thought, not
+wholly like other vacant yards. On it was neither house nor barn nor
+stable: true, none of these was there, but it was very evident that this
+yard could not have been deserted long by its tenants. The house must,
+also, in my opinion, have been torn down, for of traces of fire, as, for
+example, charred beams, damaged stoves, and rubbish heaps, there was no
+sign.
+
+In a word, it could be plainly perceived that the house which once stood
+there had been pulled down, and its beams and timbers carried away. In
+the middle of the premises, near the line hedge, stood several high
+trees, acacias, fig, and plum-trees; scattered among them were
+gooseberry bushes, rose-trees, and blackthorns, while near the street,
+just in the place where the window of the house was probably set, stood
+a high, green fig-tree.
+
+I have seen many vacant lots, yet never before have I given a passing
+thought as to whom any one of them belonged, or who might have lived
+there, or indeed where its future possessor might be. But in a peculiar
+way the sight of this yard called up questions of this sort; and as I
+looked at it many different thoughts came into my mind. Perhaps, I
+thought to myself, a childless fellow, who spoiled old age with sighs
+and complaints, and as his life waned the walls mouldered. Finally, the
+house was without a master; the doors and windows stood open, and when
+the dark winter nights came on, the neighbors fell upon it and stripped
+off its boards, one after another. Yes, various thoughts came into my
+head. How hard it is to build a house, and how easy to tear it down!
+
+While I stood there lost in thought, an old woman, leaning on a staff,
+passed me. I did not immediately recognize her, but at a second glance I
+saw it was Hripsime. Nurse Hripsime was a woman of five-and-seventy,
+yet, from her steady gait, her lively speech, and her fiery eyes, she
+appeared to be scarcely fifty. She was vigorous and hearty, expressed
+her opinions like a man, and was abrupt in her speech. Had she not worn
+women's garments one could easily have taken her for a man. Indeed, in
+conversation she held her own with ten men.
+
+Once, I wot not for what reason, she was summoned to court. She went
+thither, placed herself before the judge, and spoke so bravely that
+everyone gaped and stared at her as at a prodigy. Another time thieves
+tried to get into her house at night, knowing that she was alone like an
+owl in the house. The thieves began to pry open the door with a crowbar,
+and when Nurse Hripsime heard it she sprang nimbly out of bed, seized
+her stick from its corner, and began to shout: "Ho, there! Simon,
+Gabriel, Matthew, Stephan, Aswadur, get up quickly. Get your axes and
+sticks. Thieves are here; collar the rascals; bind them, skin them,
+strike them dead!" The thieves probably did not know with whom they had
+to deal, and, when at the outcry of the old woman they conceived that a
+half-dozen stout-handed fellows might be in the house, they took
+themselves off. Just such a cunning, fearless woman was Aunt Hripsime.
+
+"Good-morning, nurse," said I.
+
+"God greet thee," she replied.
+
+"Where have you been?"
+
+"I have been with the sick," she rejoined.
+
+Oh, yes! I had wholly forgotten to say that Nurse Hripsime, though she
+could neither read nor write, was a skilful physician. She laid the sick
+person on the grass, administered a sherbet, cured hemorrhoids and
+epilepsy; and especially with sick women was she successful. Yes, to her
+skill I myself can bear witness. About four years ago my child was taken
+ill in the dog-days, and for three years my wife had had a fever, so
+that she was very feeble. The daughter of Arutin, the gold-worker, and
+the wife of Saak, the tile-maker, said to me: "There is an excellent
+physician called Hripsime. Send for her, and you will not regret it."
+To speak candidly, I have never found much brains in our doctor. He
+turns round on his heels and scribbles out a great many prescriptions,
+but his skill is not worth a toadstool.
+
+I sent for Hripsime, and, sure enough, not three days had passed before
+my wife's fever had ceased and my children's pain was allayed. For three
+years, thank God, no sickness has visited my house. Whether it can be
+laid to her skill and the lightness of her hand or to the medicine I
+know not. I know well, however, that Nurse Hripsime is my family
+physician. And what do I pay her? Five rubles a year, no more and no
+less. When she comes to us it is a holiday for my children, so sweetly
+does she speak to them and so well does she know how to win their
+hearts. Indeed, if I were a sultan, she should be my vezir.
+
+"How does the city stand in regard to sickness?" I asked her.
+
+"Of that one would rather not speak," answered Hripsime. "Ten more such
+years and our whole city will become a hospital. Heaven knows what kind
+of diseases they are! Moreover, they are of a very peculiar kind, and
+often the people die very suddenly. The bells fly in pieces almost from
+so much tolling, the grave-diggers' shovels are blunt, and from the
+great demand for coffins the price of wood is risen. What will become of
+us, I know not."
+
+"Is not, then, the cause of these diseases known to you?"
+
+"Oh, that is clear enough," answered Hripsime. "It is a punishment for
+our sins. What good deeds have we done that we should expect God's
+mercy? Thieves, counterfeiters, all these you find among us. They snatch
+the last shirt from the poor man's back, purloin trust moneys, church
+money: in a word, there is no shameless deed we will not undertake for
+profit. We need not wonder if God punishes us for it. Yes, God acts
+justly, praised be his holy name! Indeed, it would be marvellous if God
+let us go unpunished."
+
+Hripsime was not a little excited, and that was just what I wished. When
+she once began she could no longer hold in: her words gushed forth as
+from a spring, and the more she spoke the smoother her speech.
+
+"Do you know?" I began again, "that I have been standing a long while
+before this deserted yard, and cannot recall whose house stood here, why
+they have pulled it down, and what has become of its inhabitants? You
+are an aged woman, and have peeped into every corner of our city: you
+must have something to tell about it. If you have nothing important on
+hand, be kind enough to tell me what you know of the former residents of
+the vanished house."
+
+Nurse Hripsime turned her gaze to the vacant yard, and, shaking her
+head, said:
+
+"My dear son, the history of that house is as long as one of our
+fairy-tales. One must tell for seven days and seven nights in order to
+reach the end.
+
+"This yard was not always so desolate as you see it now," she went on.
+"Once there stood here a house, not very large, but pretty and
+attractive, and made of wood. The wooden houses of former days pleased
+me much better than the present stone houses, which look like cheese
+mats outside and are prisons within. An old proverb says, 'In stone or
+brick houses life goes on sadly,'
+
+"Here, on this spot, next to the fig-tree," she continued, "stood
+formerly a house with a five-windowed front, green blinds, and a red
+roof. Farther back there by the acacias stood the stable, and between
+the house and the stable, the kitchen and the hen-house. Here to the
+right of the gate a spring." With these words Nurse Hripsime took a step
+forward, looked about, and said: "What is this? the spring gone, too! I
+recollect as if to-day that there was a spring of sweet water on the
+very spot where I am standing. What can have happened to it! I know that
+everything can be lost--but a spring, how can that be lost?" Hripsime
+stooped and began to scratch about with her stick. "Look here," she said
+suddenly, "bad boys have filled up the beautiful spring with earth and
+stones. Plague take it! Well, if one's head is cut off, he weeps not for
+his beard. For the spring I care not, but for poor Sarkis and his family
+I am very sorry."
+
+"Are you certain that the house of Sarkis, the grocer, stood here? I had
+wholly forgotten it. Now tell me, I pray, what has become of him? Does
+he still live, or is he dead? Where is his family? I remember now that
+he had a pretty daughter and also a son."
+
+Nurse Hripsime gave no heed to my questions, but stood silently, poking
+about with her stick near the choked-up spring.
+
+The picture of Grocer Sarkis, as we called him, took form vividly in my
+memory, and with it awoke many experiences of my childhood. I remembered
+that when I was a child a dear old lady often visited us, who was
+continually telling us about Grocer Sarkis, and used to hold up his
+children as models. In summer, when the early fruit was ripe, she used
+to visit his house, gather fruit in his garden, and would always come to
+us with full pockets, bringing us egg-plums, saffron apples, fig-pears,
+and many other fruits. From that time we knew Sarkis, and when my mother
+wanted any little thing for the house I got it for her at his store. I
+loved him well, this Sarkis; he was a quiet, mild man, around whose
+mouth a smile hovered. "What do you want, my child?" he always asked
+when I entered his store.
+
+"My mother sends you greeting," I would answer. "She wants this or
+that."
+
+"Well, well, my child, you shall have it," he usually answered, and
+always gave me a stick of sugar candy, with the words, "That is for you;
+it is good for the cough." It never happened that I went out of the
+store without receiving something from him. In winter-time he treated me
+to sugar candy, and in summer-time he always had in his store great
+baskets full of apricots, plums, pears, and apples, or whatever was in
+season in his garden. His garden at that time--some thirty or
+thirty-five years ago--was very famous. One time my mother sent me to
+Sarkis's store to procure, as I remember, saffron for the pillau. Sarkis
+gave me what I desired, and then noticing, probably, how longingly I
+looked toward the fruit-baskets, he said:
+
+"Now, you shall go and have a good time in my garden. Do you know where
+my house is?"
+
+"Yes, I know. Not far from the Church of Our Lady."
+
+"Right, my son, you have found it. It has green blinds, and a fig-tree
+stands in front of it. Now take this basket and carry it to Auntie, and
+say that I sent word that she was to let you go into the garden with my
+son Toros. There you two may eat what you will."
+
+He handed me a neat-looking basket. I peeped into it and saw a sheep's
+liver. I was as disgusted with this as though it were a dead dog, for at
+that time liver-eaters were abhorred not less than thieves and
+counterfeiters; they with their whole family were held in derision, and
+people generally refused to associate with them. In a moment I forgot
+entirely what a good man Sarkis was; I forgot his fruit-garden and his
+pretty daughter, of whom the good old lady had told me so many beautiful
+things. The liver had spoiled everything in a trice. Sarkis noticed
+this, and asked me smiling:
+
+"What is the matter?"
+
+"Have you a dog in your yard?" I asked, without heeding his words.
+
+"No," he said.
+
+"For whom, then, is the liver?"
+
+"For none other than ourselves. We will eat it."
+
+I looked at Sarkis to see if he were jesting with me, but no sign of
+jesting was to be seen in his face.
+
+"You will really eat the liver yourselves?" I asked.
+
+"What astonishes you, my boy? Is not liver to be eaten, then?"
+
+"Dogs eat liver," I said, deeply wounded, and turned away, for Sarkis
+appeared to me at that moment like a ghoul.
+
+Just then there came into the store a pretty, pleasing boy. "Mamma sent
+me to get what you have bought at the Bazaar, and the hearth-fire has
+been lit a long time." I concluded that this was Sarkis's son, Toros. I
+perceived immediately from his face that he was a good boy, and I was
+very much taken with him.
+
+"Here, little son, take that," Sarkis said, and handed him the basket
+which I had set down.
+
+Toros peeped in, and when he spied the liver he said, "We will have a
+pie for dinner." Then he put on his cap and turned to go.
+
+"Toros," called his father to him, "take Melkon with you to our house
+and play with him as a brother."
+
+I was exceedingly pleased with the invitation, and went out with Toros.
+When we arrived at Sarkis's house and entered the garden it seemed as
+though I were in an entirely new world. The yard was very pretty, no
+disorder was to be seen anywhere. Here and there pretty chickens,
+geese, and turkeys ran about with their chicks. On the roof sat doves of
+the best kinds. The yard was shaded in places by pretty green trees, the
+house had a pretty balcony, and under the eaves stood green-painted tubs
+for catching rain-water. In the windows different flowers were growing,
+and from the balcony hung cages of goldfinches, nightingales, and canary
+birds; in a word, everything I saw was pretty, homelike, and pleasant.
+
+In the kitchen cooking was going on, for thick smoke rose from the
+chimney. At the kitchen-door stood Sarkis's wife, a healthy,
+red-cheeked, and vigorous woman, apparently about thirty years old. From
+the fire that burned on the hearth her cheeks were still more reddened,
+so that it seemed, as they say, the redness sprang right out of her. On
+a little stool on the balcony sat a little girl, who wore, according to
+the prevailing fashion, a red satin fez on her head. This was Toros's
+sister. I have seen many beautiful girls in my time, but never a
+prettier one. Her name was Takusch.
+
+Getting the mother's consent, we entered the garden, where we helped
+ourselves freely to the good fruit and enjoyed the fragrance of many
+flowers. At noon, Sarkis came home from the store, and invited me to
+dinner. My gaze was continually directed toward the beautiful Takusch.
+Oh, well-remembered years! What a pity it is that they pass by so
+quickly! Two or three months later I journeyed to the Black Sea, where I
+was apprenticed to a merchant, and since that time I have not been in my
+native city--for some twenty-four years--and all that I have told was
+awakened in my memory in a trice by my meeting with Hripsime.
+
+The old woman was still standing on the site of the choked-up spring,
+scratching around on the ground with her stick.
+
+"Nurse Hripsime, where is Sarkis and his family now?" I asked.
+
+"Did you know him, then?" she asked, astonished.
+
+"Yes, a little," I replied.
+
+"Your parents were acquainted with him?"
+
+"No. I was only once in his house, and then as a boy."
+
+"Oh, then! That was his happiest time. What pleasant times we had in his
+garden! Formerly it was not as it is now--not a trace of their pleasant
+garden remains. The house has disappeared. Look again: yonder was the
+kitchen, there the hen-house, there the barn, and here the spring."
+
+As she spoke she pointed out with her stick each place, but of the
+buildings she named not a trace was to be seen.
+
+"Ah, my son," she went on, "he who destroyed the happiness of these
+good, pious people, who tore down their house and scattered the whole
+family to the winds, may that man be judged by God! He fell like a wolf
+upon their goods and chattels. I wish no evil to him, but if there is a
+God in heaven may he find no peace in his house, may his children bring
+no joy to him, and may no happiness find its way within his four walls.
+As he ruined those four poor wretches and was guilty of their early
+death, so may he roam over the wide world without rest nor find in sleep
+any comfort! Yes, may his trouble and sorrow increase with the abundance
+of his wealth!
+
+"I knew Sarkis when he was still a boy. When you knew him he must have
+been about forty years old. He was always just as you saw him: reserved,
+discreet, pious, beneficent to the poor, and hospitable. It never
+occurred that he spoke harshly to his wife or raised his hand against
+his children. He was ever satisfied with what he had; never complained
+that he had too little, or coveted the possessions of others. Yes, a
+pious man was Sarkis, and his wife had the same virtues. Early in
+childhood she lost her parents, and relatives of her mother adopted her,
+but treated her badly. Yes, bitter is the lot of the orphan, for even if
+they have means they are no better off than the poor! They said that
+when her father died he left her a store with goods worth about 3,000
+rubles, and beside that 2,000 ducats in cash; but he was hardly dead
+when the relations came and secured the stock and gold as guardians of
+the orphan. When she was fourteen years old, one after another wooed
+her, but when the go-betweens found out that there was nothing left of
+her property they went away and let the girl alone.
+
+"Happily for her, Sarkis appeared, and said: 'I want a wife; I seek no
+riches,' Of course, the relations gave her to him at once, and with her
+all sorts of trumpery, some half-ruined furniture, and a few gold
+pieces. 'That is all her father left,' they said, and demanded from him
+a receipt for the whole legacy from her father. That was the way they
+shook her off!
+
+"At that time Sarkis himself had nothing, and was just as poor as his
+wife. He was clerk in a store, and received not more than 150 rubles in
+notes yearly, which were worth in current money scarcely one-third their
+face value. Yes, they were both poor, but God's mercy is great and no
+one can fathom his purposes! In the same year the merchant whom he
+served suddenly died after making over to Sarkis the whole store and all
+that was in it, on condition that a certain sum should be paid every
+year to the widow.
+
+"Sarkis took the business, and after three years he was sole owner of
+it. He increased it continually, and on the plot of ground he had
+inherited from his father he built a pretty house and moved into it. In
+the same year God gave him a daughter, whom he named Takusch, and four
+years later his son Toros came into the world.
+
+"So these two orphans established a household and became somebodies;
+people who had laughed at them now sought their society, and began to
+vie with each other in praising Sarkis. But Sarkis remained the same
+God-fearing Sarkis. He spoke evil of no one, and even of his wife's
+relatives, who had robbed him, he said nothing. Indeed, when they had
+gone through that inheritance and were in want he even helped them out.
+
+"As I have said, Sarkis refused no one his assistance, but his wife had
+also a good heart. The good things she did cannot be told. How often she
+baked cracknel, cakes, rolls, and sweet biscuit, and sent great plates
+full of them to those who could not have such things, for she said, 'May
+those who pass by and smell the fragrance of my cakes never desire them
+in vain.'
+
+"About this time my husband died--may God bless him!--and I was living
+alone. Sarkis's wife came to me and said, 'Why will you live so lonely
+in your house? Rent it and come to us.' Of course, I did not hesitate
+long. I laid my things away in a large chest and moved over to their
+house, and soon we lived together like two sisters. Takusch was at that
+time four years old, and Toros was still a baby in arms. I lived ten
+years at their house, and heard not a single harsh word from them. Not
+once did they say to me, 'You eat our bread, you drink our water, you
+wear our clothing,' They never indulged in such talk: on the contrary,
+they placed me in the seat of honor. Yes, so they honored me. And, good
+heavens! what was I to them! Neither mother nor sister nor aunt, in no
+way related to them. I was a stranger taken from the streets.
+
+"Yes, such God-fearing people were Sarkis and his wife. The poor
+wretches believed that all mankind were as pure in heart as they were. I
+had even at that time a presentiment that they would not end well, and
+often remonstrated with them, begging them to be on their guard with
+people. But it was useless for me to talk, for they sang the old songs
+again.
+
+"Like a sweet dream my years with the good people passed. Surely pure
+mother's milk had nourished them! I knew neither pain nor grief, nor did
+I think of what I should eat to-morrow, nor of how I could clothe myself.
+As bounteous as the hand of God was their house to me. Twelve months in
+every year I sat peacefully at my spinning-wheel and carried on my own
+business.
+
+"Once during dog-days--Takusch was at that time fifteen years old and
+beginning her sixteenth year--toward evening, according to an old
+custom, we spread a carpet in the garden and placed a little table there
+for tea. Near us steamed and hissed the clean shining tea-urn, and
+around us roses and pinks shed their sweet odors. It was a beautiful
+evening, and it became more beautiful when the full moon rose in the
+heavens like a golden platter. I remember that evening as clearly as
+though it were yesterday. Takusch poured out the tea, and Auntie Mairam,
+Sarkis's wife, took a cup; but as she lifted it to her lips it fell out
+of her hand and the tea was spilled over her dress.
+
+"My spirits fell when I saw this, for my heart told me that it meant
+something bad was coming. 'Keep away, evil; come, good,' I whispered,
+and crossed myself in silence. I glanced at Takusch and saw that the
+poor child had changed color. Then her innocent soul also felt that
+something evil was near! Sarkis and Mairam, however, remained in merry
+mood and thought of nothing of that sort. But if you believe not a
+thousand times that something is to come, it comes just the same!
+Mairam took her napkin and wiped off her dress and Takusch poured her a
+fresh cup. 'There will come a guest with a sweet tongue,' said Sarkis,
+smiling. 'Mairam, go and put another dress on. You will certainly be
+ashamed if anyone comes.'
+
+"'Who can come to-day, so late?' said Mairam, smiling; 'and, beside, the
+dress will dry quickly.'
+
+"Scarcely had she spoken when the garden door opened with a rush and a
+gentleman entered the enclosure. He had hardly stepped into the garden
+when he began to blab with his goat's voice like a windmill.
+
+"'Good-evening. How are you? You are drinking tea? That is very fine for
+you. What magnificent air you have here! Good-evening, Mr. Sarkis.
+Good-evening, Mrs. Mairam, Good-evening, Hripsime. What are you doing? I
+like to drink tea in the open air. What a beautiful garden you have.
+Dare I taste these cherries? Well--they are not bad; no, indeed, they
+are splendid cherries. If you will give me a napkin full of these
+cherries I will carry them home to my wife. And what magnificent
+apricots! Mr. Sarkis, do you know what! Sell me your house. No, I will
+say something better to you. Come to my store--you know where it
+is--yonder in the new two-storied house. Yes, yes, come over there and
+we will sit down pleasantly by the desk and gossip about Moscow
+happenings.'
+
+"We were as if turned to stone. There are in the world many kinds of
+madmen, chatterboxes, and braggarts, but such a creature as this I saw
+for the first time in my life, and do you know who it was? Hemorrhoid
+Jack.
+
+"Have you heard of him? Have you seen this hostage of God? Hripsime
+asked.
+
+"No, I do not know him," I said.
+
+"What! and you live in our city? Is there anyone who does not know the
+scoundrel? Go to the brokers, and they will tell you many he has thrown
+out of house and home by fraud and hunted out of the city. Have you ever
+seen how a bird-catcher lures the birds into his net--how he whistles to
+them? That's the way this John gets the people into his traps. To-day he
+will act as if altogether stupid. To-morrow he is suddenly shrewd, and
+understands the business well. Then he is simple again and a pure lamb.
+Now he is avaricious, now generous. And so he goes on. Yes, he slips
+around among the people like a fox with his tail wagging, and when he
+picks out his victim, he fastens his teeth in his neck and the poor
+beggar is lost. He gets him in his debt and never lets him get his
+breath between interest payments, or he robs him almost of his last
+shirt and lets him run. But see how I run away from my story!
+
+"'Good-evening,' said Sarkis, as soon as he perceived Hemorrhoid Jack,
+and offered him his hand. 'What wind has blown you here? Mairam, a cup
+of tea for our honored Mr. John.'
+
+"'Mr. Sarkis, do you know why I have come to you?' began Jack. 'The
+whole world is full of your praise; everywhere they are talking about
+you, and I thought to myself, "I must go there and see what kind of a
+man this Sarkis is." And so here I am. Excuse my boldness. I cannot help
+it: I resemble in no way your stay-at-home.
+
+"'I am somewhat after the European fashion, you know. Who pleases me, I
+visit him quite simply. Present myself and make his acquaintance. Then I
+invite him to my house, go again to his and bring my family with me.
+Yes, such a fellow am I, let them laugh at me who will,'
+
+"'Oh,' I thought, 'poor Sarkis is already fallen into the net, and his
+family with him.'
+
+"Meanwhile, Mairam had poured the tea, placed the cup on a tray, and
+Takusch had put it before Jack.
+
+"'Where did you buy the tea?' he began, taking the cup. 'When you want
+tea, buy it of me, I pray. You know, I am sure, where my store is. I can
+give you every desirable brand, and at low price. The tea that cost two
+rubles I will give to you for one ruble ninety-five kopecks. Yes, I will
+sell it to you at a loss. Oh, what bad tea you drink!' At the same time
+he began to sip and in a moment emptied the cup. 'Be so good as to give
+me another cup,' he said. 'In the fresh air one gets an appetite. If I
+am to enjoy tea-drinking, let me hitch up my carriage and drive out to
+the Monastery Gardens. There, out-of-doors, I drink two or three glasses
+and settle for them. Yes, such European customs please me,'
+
+"'May it benefit you!' said Sarkis.
+
+"'Now, now, Mr. Sarkis, are you coming to my house to-morrow?' asked
+Hemorrhoid Jack.
+
+"'I will see,' answered Sarkis.
+
+"'What is there to see? If you want to come, come then. We will sit
+behind the counter, drink our glass of tea, and chat. Now and then, we
+will talk about European affairs, bookkeeping, news, and other things,'
+
+"'All right, I shall surely come. I shall not forget.'
+
+"'Good. And now it is time for me to be gone, for I must make two more
+visits to-day,' remarked Hemorrhoid Jack.
+
+"'Do they pay visits at this hour?' responded Sarkis. 'It must be
+nearly ten o'clock. Takusch, get a light.'
+
+"Takusch went into the room, and soon returned with a light. Sarkis took
+out his watch, and coming near the light said: 'Look, it is already a
+quarter to ten.'
+
+"John looked, and at once cried out: 'Oh, Mr. Sarkis, what a magnificent
+watch you have! Where did you get it? It appears to me to be a costly
+one. Let me see it.'
+
+"'This watch I received as a gift from our late Czar. You know that
+several years ago our late Czar visited Taganrog. On this occasion the
+people of Taganrog wished to give him a magnificent horse, but they
+could not find an appropriate saddle. It happened that I had one that
+would do, and when they heard of it, they came to me and told me for
+what they needed the saddle. Who would not be ready to make such a
+sacrifice for the Czar? Indeed, who would not only sacrifice a costly
+saddle (and this one was not worth much), but even his life, gladly, if
+need be? Therefore, I immediately hired a wagon, and taking this
+extraordinary saddle with me and then on to Taganrog to the governor's.
+
+"'"Your Highness seeks a saddle?" I asked.
+
+"'"Yes, indeed," he answered.
+
+"'"Here it is," said I.
+
+"'"Thank you," he said, and pressed my hand. Then he led me into his own
+room. By George! it looked like one in a king's castle. He had me sit
+down, served me with tea, invited me to dine at his table: in a word, he
+treated me well. At my departure, he took out of a drawer a ring set
+with genuine brilliants, gave it to me, and said, "Take this from me as
+a gift, and what I receive from the Czar I will give to you also." And
+he kept his word. The Czar really came, and they gave him the horse with
+my saddle. His Majesty thanked me for it and gave me this watch. Look,
+now, what a beautiful one it is!'
+
+"'Yes, truly, it is a pretty thing. Show me it again. I wish to see what
+kind of a watch it is,' said Hemorrhoid Jack, examining the watch. 'And
+have you the ring by you? Can I see it? Oh, let me see what kind of a
+thing it is. I like to see such things, particularly if they come from
+persons of high rank.'
+
+"'Is the ring not in the chest of drawers?' said Sarkis, looking around
+toward his wife.
+
+"'Yes, I keep it there,' answered Mairam, faintly, for she might well
+foresee something evil. 'Who is it routs about in the chest of drawers
+in the night?'
+
+"'Good Auntie Mairam,' began Jack, in a wheedling tone, 'I beg of you,
+bring the ring, that I may see it. Be so kind! When I see such a rare
+thing my heart leaps in my breast with delight. It is true joy for me to
+hold such things in my hand and look at them. Bring me the ring, I beg
+of you.'
+
+"I looked at him at that moment, and he seemed to me like a veritable
+gypsy. Had I not been obliged to consider those present, I should
+certainly have spit in his face, so great was my aversion to this
+scoundrel. Yes, what the proverb says is true: 'If a rich man becomes
+poor, he is scented for years with his wealth; if a poor man grows rich
+he stinks of poverty for forty years!' That was the way with this
+Hemorrhoid Jack. Oh, if it had been in my power I would have seized the
+scoundrel by the collar and thrown him out of the gate. But Sarkis was
+not of my temperament; he had a gentle heart and was meek as a lamb. I
+went up to him, pushed his elbow, and whispered:
+
+"'What are you doing, you good-natured fool? Why did you let him take
+the watch in his hand? And are you going to show the ring, too? You will
+see, he has bad intentions. I'll bet my head he will bring misfortune on
+yours. Do you not see his greedy eyes? He will ruin you altogether, you
+and house, and ground,' I said.
+
+"I had my trouble for my pains. Although a man of ripe years, Sarkis was
+nevertheless like a mere boy, believing all people as honest as
+himself. Heaven knows! perhaps such a fate was destined for him, and it
+was impossible for him to get out of the way of misfortune.
+
+"Mairam brought the ring, and as soon as the scoundrel saw it he grabbed
+it from her hand and put it on his finger.
+
+"'What a pretty thing it is!' he said, smirking. 'How it glistens! What
+a precious ring! What wonderfully beautiful brilliants! What ought I to
+give you for such a ring? Tell me. It pleases me exceedingly. Yes,
+without joking, sell it to me. No, we will arrange it otherwise: I will
+give you all kinds of goods out of my store at a very low price, yes,
+very cheap. May the apoplexy strike me if I make anything out of you! I
+will sell you everything at cost price, and if you wish, will give you
+ten kopecks rebate on the ruble.'
+
+"'No, my dear sir,' said Mairam, embarrassed. 'Can one sell a souvenir
+of the Czar, and one of such great value? We have no occasion to do it.
+We are no Jews, to sell off everything, to turn into money whatever
+comes into our hands. Are we such poor beggars that we cannot have
+something good and valuable in our chest? No, Mr. John, what you say
+seems to me to be very singular. You are rich, yet you say that you have
+never in your life seen a gold watch nor a ring set with brilliants. It
+seems to me a fine new custom that one must immediately have what one
+sees. No, dear sir, cast not your eyes upon our property; be content
+with what you have.'
+
+"'Mrs. Mairam,' said the scoundrel, smirking, 'why are you so angry? May
+one not joke with you?'
+
+"'A fine joke!' I said, putting in my oar. 'You looked at the trees, and
+you will at once tear them down. You fell on the fruit like a wolf. You
+saw the garden, and at once wanted to buy. Now you want the ring, and
+will exchange for it your wares. What sort of tomfoolery are you talking
+to us? You are either crazy yourself or will make others so. The apple
+falls not far from the stem--one sees that in you.'
+
+"'Aunt Hripsime, why are you so cross? Dare one not jest?'
+
+"'Enough, enough; I understand your joke very well,' I cried
+indignantly.
+
+"Yes, we women scolded him right well, but Sarkis said no earthly word.
+He sat there dumb and speechless as the stick in my hand. The Lord God
+gave him a tongue to speak with, but, dear heaven, he sat there like a
+clod and never uttered a syllable. I was like to burst with wrath.
+
+"Then that unscrupulous fellow repeated his speech. 'Don't you
+understand a joke? Have you, then, no sense of fun?' He would have
+struck us over the ear, and that the fellow called a joke! And how the
+creature looked! His face was like a drum-skin. It was as though someone
+had wiped off the holy oil from this grimacing mask with a butcher's
+sponge. Yes, here you see how people become rich; how they get hold of
+other people's property. Conscience hunts the scoundrel to the deuce: he
+lets his skin grow thick; feigns outwardly to be dull; if anyone spits
+in his face he regards it only as a May-shower; if anyone goes for him
+for his rascality, he takes it as a joke. And so the rascals become
+rich! One must be born to those things, that's the way I see it.
+
+"If you knew all that we said to this scoundrel's face! We all but
+seized him by the collar and threw him out the gate. We belabored him
+well, but the fellow stood as if dumb, remained silent, and laughed in
+our faces as if we had been speaking to each other and not to him. He
+neither took the watch out of his pocket nor the ring from his finger.
+Finally, I thought to myself, 'I will wait a little and see what will
+happen.'
+
+"And do you know what this bad fellow said to our Sarkis after a short
+silence? 'Your watch and ring please me well, old fellow. Let me take
+them for a month or two. I will send them to Moscow and have some like
+them made for myself. As soon as I get them back I will give them back
+to you unhurt.'
+
+"Our stupid Sarkis dared not say no, and he had his way.
+
+"'Take them,' said Sarkis, 'but take care that they do not go astray,
+for--'
+
+"'But what are you thinking about?' answered the scoundrel. 'Am I
+then--. Where do you buy your calico?' the scoundrel began after a
+pause. 'How much do you pay an ell? Where do you buy your linen cloth?
+How high does it come by the ell? Where do you buy your silk and satin?'
+
+"Heaven knows what all he prated about, and Sarkis answered him and told
+everything just as it really was.
+
+"'We buy our manufactured goods of Yellow Pogos,' and told the prices
+of everything without reserve.
+
+"'Have you lost your wits, man?' cried Hemorrhoid Jack. 'Can any man in
+his full senses buy anything of Yellow Pogos? Don't you know that he is
+a swindler? Why don't you buy your goods of me? I will give them to you
+cheaper by half,'
+
+"To this Sarkis answered, 'When I need something again I will buy it of
+you.'
+
+"I knew well enough that Sarkis needed nothing at the time, and that he
+said this only to get rid of the fellow. But Jack did not or would not
+understand, and began again.
+
+"'No, do not put it that way,' he said. 'Come to-morrow and pick out
+what pleases you. Do not think for a minute that I wish to make money
+out of you. Let the goods lie in your closet, for, between ourselves,
+goods were very cheap in Moscow this year, and I cleverly threw out my
+line and bought everything at half price. This year is a lucky one for
+my customers. If one of them will let his goods lie a little while he
+will certainly double his money on them. Yes, buy, I tell you, but not
+by the ell. Buy by the piece and you will not regret it, I assure you. I
+will send you in the morning five or six different kinds of goods.'
+
+"'But why such haste?' said Mairam. 'My chest of drawers is full of
+stuff for clothes, and what I am wearing is still quite new. If we need
+anything we will come to you.'
+
+"'What are you talking about, Auntie Mairam?' answered Hemorrhoid Jack.
+'Do you not believe me? I tell you, you can get double for the goods,
+and if you cannot use everything yourself, give it to your neighbors.
+You will do good business. On my word of honor, I swear to you, you will
+make double on it. Would I lie for the sake of such a trifle? Whom do
+you think you have here? But that is a small matter: I have still
+something better to propose. You must take a shipment of tea from me. In
+the winter the price will rise, and you can make enormous profits out of
+it. To-morrow I will send you one chest--for the present. Well? Now,
+really, I will send it to you.'
+
+"'My dear John,' exclaimed Sarkis, 'you must know how risky it is to
+begin a new business. I have never handled tea, and the thing appears
+to me somewhat daring. I know no customers for tea, and understand
+nothing about the goods. If it remains lying by me and spoils--'
+
+"'What empty straw are you threshing now?' cried Hemorrhoid Jack. 'As
+soon as the people know that you have tea to sell they will of their own
+accord come running into your store. Do you think that you will have to
+look up customers? In a week or two not a trace of your tea will remain.
+I speak from practical experience. This year little tea has been brought
+from Siberia, and what they have brought has almost all fallen into my
+hands. Do not think that I seek a buyer in you! God forbid! When I
+learned what a good man you were, I thought to myself, "I must give him
+a chance to make something. Yes, I want him to make a few kopecks." Do
+you think I am in need of purchasers? Now, Sarkis, to-morrow I will send
+you the goods. What?'
+
+"'By heaven, I know not how I ought to answer you. Do you know, I am
+afraid,' said Sarkis.
+
+"The poor fellow could say nothing farther, for he was such an honest,
+good-natured fellow that it was hard for him to refuse anybody anything.
+The word 'no' did not exist for him.
+
+"'You are talking nonsense,' began Hemorrhoid Jack anew. 'Give up your
+grocery and set up a wholesale business. Manage it according to the
+European plan, and you shall see how thankful to me you will be in time.
+Do you believe that I am your enemy? Would I advise you badly? Now, the
+matter is settled. In the morning I will send you several chests of tea
+and put them in your store. You will find out that Hemorrhoid Jack
+wishes you no ill. Yes, I will say something even better. You know what
+machorka is?--a cheap tobacco that the poor folk smoke. What do you
+think of this stuff? Do you think that there is a class of goods more
+profitable than this? People make thousands from it, and build
+themselves fine houses. And what expenses have they with it? Put the
+tobacco in an empty stable or shed and it may lie there. A chest of it
+put on sale in your store and I tell you, if you do not make ruble for
+ruble out of it, then spit in my face.
+
+"'Last spring most of this stuff was in the hands of a Cossack. The
+stupid fellow didn't know what he ought to expect for it, and he needed
+money--this gander! I brought him home with me; had brandy, bread, and
+ham set out; and, after a little talk back and forth, I bought 400
+chests at half price. Half I paid in cash, the rest in eighteen months.
+Now, wasn't that a good trade? If I don't make my 3,000 rubles out of
+it, I shall be a fool. If you like, I will send you some of these goods.
+Put it in your shop or in your shed and let it lie there; it eats and
+drinks nothing. Now, I tell you, if you do not make 100 per cent, out of
+it, spit in my face. Shall I send you a few chests of it?'
+
+"'By heaven, I cannot go into it,' answered Sarkis. 'Do you know, I am
+afraid to undertake a new trade? If the stuff does not go off or spoils
+on my hands or the price falls, what shall I do? You know that our
+capital consists of only a few kopecks. We spend as we earn. If I run
+after the rubles and lose the kopecks thereby, who will give me
+something to eat?' concluded the poor wretch, as if he scented some
+evil.
+
+"But could he free himself from that Satan of a Hemorrhoid Jack? Like a
+leech he had fastened himself on his neck and demanded that he should
+buy the goods.
+
+"'Now, Sarkis,' he began again, 'the thing is settled. I am to send you
+in the morning manufactured goods, tea, and tobacco. Well?'
+
+"'I will see; I must turn it over in my mind,' stammered Sarkis. He
+wanted to be rid of him, but he knew not how to begin.
+
+"'What does that "I will see!" mean? Nothing,' the other continued. 'You
+may see a thousand times and you will not find again such good goods and
+such a favorable opportunity. I speak from experience. You must not let
+this chance slip by or you will throw gold out of the window with your
+own hands. I am talking about great gains, great profits; do you think
+it is a joke?'
+
+"'We shall see,' said poor Sarkis. 'We have many days before us. Yes, we
+will surely do something.'
+
+"'What you do now is not worth much,' cried Hemorrhoid Jack. 'I see that
+if I leave the thing to your decision, in five years you will not have
+reached one. Isn't that true? In the morning I will send you one load of
+goods and the rest later.'
+
+"With these words he seized his cap, quickly made his adieus, and went
+away.
+
+"It was nearly one o'clock; Mairam and Takusch were sitting there asleep
+and I also was very sleepy, but I fought against my sleepiness to watch
+that devil of a Hemorrhoid Jack. Mankind can be a priest to
+mankind--also a Satan!
+
+"When he was in the street, Sarkis said to me: 'What a wonderful
+conversation we have had this evening. Of all this man has said, I
+understand nothing. His purposes are not exactly bad, but I don't know
+how it happens--my heart presages something of evil.'
+
+"I was just going to answer him when suddenly I sneezed; but only once.
+
+"'See now,' I said to Sarkis; 'I was right in saying he was going to
+trick you. Now it has proved itself.'
+
+"'If one sneezes only once by day that is a bad sign, but at night it
+means something good,' he interrupted me.
+
+"'Oh,' I said, 'do not, I pray, give me lessons; don't teach me what a
+sneeze is the sign of. Whether it is in the daytime or at night it is a
+bad sign, and if one just made up his mind to do anything, he should let
+it drop.'
+
+"Sarkis would not give in that I was right, but began to chatter about a
+sneeze at night being a good thing. I said no and he said yes, and so it
+went on until I finally gave it up."
+
+"'Oh, 'I said, 'have your own way, but when misfortune comes to you do
+not blame me for it.'
+
+"'I have really begun nothing,' he observed. 'That was only a talk. We
+have only discussed something. I have really no desire to try my hand
+with the tea and tobacco.'
+
+"That he said to me, but heaven only knows! perhaps in his thoughts he
+was already counting the thousands he hoped to earn. Money has such
+power that my blessed grandmother always said that the devil had
+invented it. He had racked his brains to find a way to lead mankind into
+wickedness and did not succeed until he invented money. Then he was
+master of our souls. How many men money has deprived of reason! Sarkis
+was not of so firm a mind that he would be able to stand out against
+such rosy hopes.
+
+"The next day, early in the morning, the shop-boy came running into the
+house in a great hurry, and said that nine cart-loads of goods were
+standing at the gate. The man who was in charge of them was asking for
+Sarkis.
+
+"'What kind of an invasion is this!' cried Sarkis. 'I must go and see
+who it is. Perhaps the loads are not for me at all. God knows for whom
+they are!'
+
+"He went out, and we after him. Although I had not seen the loads of
+goods, I knew the whole story in a moment.
+
+"Before we had reached the gate a man met us and said:
+
+"'My master sends you greeting and begs you to take these nine
+wagon-loads of goods and sign for them.'
+
+"'Who is your master?' we asked, all together.
+
+"'Hemorrhoid Jack. Don't you know him? He was at your house last
+evening.'
+
+"I was ready to burst with anger.
+
+"'You fellow,' I said, 'who told your master to send these goods here?
+Have we ordered anything? Turn at once and get out of the room.'
+
+"'Is that so!' said the man. 'After a thing is settled you can't take
+back your word. Where shall I put the goods now?'
+
+"'Where you brought them from, take them back there!'
+
+"'The coach-house is closed.'
+
+"'That does not concern us; that is your master's affair.'
+
+"'If he were here I would tell him, but he is not here.'
+
+"'Where is he then?' I asked.
+
+"'He has gone to Taganrog.'
+
+"'When did he start?'
+
+"'About two hours ago. He will not be back for two months, for he has
+very important business in the courts.'
+
+"It could not be doubted now that this villain of a John had already
+begun his tricks; but that innocent Sarkis did not see through his
+devilish purposes. Had I been in his place I would have run immediately
+to the City Hall and told every detail of the business, and the thing
+would have come out all right. But Sarkis was not the man for that.
+
+"'Well, if that is the case drive into the yard and unload. The goods
+cannot stand in the street. When Jack comes back from Taganrog I will
+arrange things with him in some way.'
+
+"The wagons came into the yard with a clatter and the driver unloaded
+the goods and piled them up in the coach-house. I stood as if turned to
+stone and silently watched this move in their game. 'What will come of
+it?' I thought to myself.
+
+"Ah, but I would rather have died than see what did come of it!
+
+"When the goods were unloaded the clerk demanded a receipt, which Sarkis
+gave him without hesitation, whereupon the clerk went away satisfied.
+
+"Later we heard that Jack had not gone to Taganrog at all, and had only
+ordered the clerk to say so.
+
+"That same day when we were sitting at dinner, Sarkis turned to me and
+said: 'See, Hripsime, your sneeze has cheated you. Did you not say that
+Jack was going to play a trick on me? You see something very different
+has happened. This forenoon four or five persons came into my shop who
+wished to buy tea and tobacco. I told them the matter was not yet
+settled; that we had not agreed on the price; as soon as the agreement
+was made I would begin business. Do you see? I have not advertised that
+I was going to handle the goods, yet everybody knows it and one customer
+after another comes into my store. How will it be when the goods are put
+on sale?--they will fight for them. It will give me a great deal to do;
+I must only go to John and settle on the terms. Yes, little mother, such
+a wholesale trade is not to be despised; the wholesaler can often make
+more money in a moment than the retailer makes in two years. Yes, my
+love, in business that is really so!'
+
+"'God grant that it may be so!' I said, and nothing more was said about
+Jack.
+
+"Several months passed by and November came. One evening we were sitting
+together chatting comfortably when the door opened softly and an old
+woman entered. I knew immediately that she was a matchmaker. In three
+days Takusch was betrothed to a plain, middle-rate man. The wedding was
+to take place the next winter on her father's name-day. As a dowry her
+parents promised 3,000 rubles--1,500 in cash, and the rest in jewels.
+
+"Tagusch was at that time fifteen years old. Although I had lived in her
+parents' house I had never looked right attentively at her face,
+scarcely knew, in fact, whether she was beautiful or ugly; but when on
+her betrothal day she put on a silk dress and adorned herself as is
+customary at such a festive time; when she had put on her head a satin
+fez with gold tassels and a flower set with brilliants, I fairly gaped
+with admiration. I am almost eighty years old, but in all my life I have
+never seen a more beautiful girl.
+
+"I am no dwarf, but she was a few inches taller than I. She was slender
+as a sweet-pine tree. Her hands were delicate and soft, her fingers were
+like wax. Hair and eyebrows were black, and her face like snow. Her
+cheeks were tinged rose-red, and her glance! that I cannot forget even
+to this day. It was brighter than a genuine Holland diamond. Her
+eyelashes were so long that they cast shadows on her cheeks. No, such a
+charming creature I have never seen in dreams, let alone reality. She
+was--God forgive my sins--the pure image of the Mother of God in our
+church; yes, she was even more beautiful. When I looked at her I could
+not turn my eyes away again. I gazed at her and could not look enough.
+On the betrothal day I sat in the corner of the room with my eyes nailed
+on Takusch.
+
+"'How sorry I am,' thought I, 'that you with that angel face are to be
+the wife of a commonplace man, to be the mother of a family and go into
+a dirty, smoky kitchen. Shall your tender hands become hard as leather
+with washing, ironing, kneading, and who knows what housework beside?
+Shall your angel cheeks fade from the heat of the oven and your eyes
+lose their diamond-shine from sewing?' Yes, so thought I, and my heart
+bled within me for this girl who ought to wear a queen's crown and live
+in a palace. Surely, if this rose maiden had lived in olden times she
+would certainly have married a king or a king's son. And the poor thing
+stood there like a lamb, for she did not understand what life was. She
+thought marriage would be nothing more than a change in her
+dwelling-place. Oh, but I was sorry that evening that she was going to
+marry only an ordinary, but still eligible, young man, and yet it would
+have been a great good fortune for her if this had come to pass. Had we
+thought at that time that great misfortunes were in store for the poor
+child! And that cursed Hemorrhoid Jack was the cause of them all!
+
+"That betrothal day was the last happy day of the poor wretches. I
+never afterward saw smiles on their faces, for from that day their
+circumstances grew worse and worse and their business became very bad.
+They lost house and ground, moved about for several months from one
+rented house to another, until finally they disappeared from the city.
+
+"The day after the betrothal Hemorrhoid Jack sent word to Sarkis by his
+clerk that Sarkis must pay 2,700 rubles for the tobacco and tea and 184
+rubles for the manufactured goods. I have forgotten to tell you that
+among the latter were old-fashioned dress-goods, taxed cloth, linen,
+satin, and some silk. The clerk also said that if Sarkis did not pay the
+184 rubles the ring and watch would be retained.
+
+"Poor Sarkis was completely dazed.
+
+"'Have I bought the goods?' he asked.
+
+"'Certainly you have bought them,' answered the unscrupulous clerk.
+'Otherwise you would not have sold a chest of tea and a bale of tobacco.
+Beside, the coat your boy is wearing was made from our cloth.'
+
+"This was true. On the third day after receiving the goods, Sarkis had
+sold a bale of tobacco and a chest of tea, and had cut off several yards
+of cloth. It was very singular that in the course of three months Sarkis
+had not once caught sight of Hemorrhoid Jack to call him to account for
+the delivery of the goods. He had been several times to his house, where
+they said, 'He is at the store.' At the store they said Jack was at
+home. It was very evident that he wished to defraud Sarkis. After much
+talk back and forth the matter came into the courts, and since Sarkis
+had sold part of the goods and had given a receipt for them, he had to
+pay the sum demanded.
+
+"For several months past business had been going very badly with the
+poor fellow and he could not raise the required sum, so he had to give
+up his property. First they drove the poor man out of his house and
+emptied his store and his storehouse. Then they sold the tobacco and the
+tea, for which no one would give more than fifty rubles, for both were
+half rotten. The store and all that was in it were then auctioned off
+for a few hundred rubles, and finally the house was offered for sale. No
+one would buy it, for among our people the praiseworthy custom rules
+that they never buy a house put up at auction till they convince
+themselves that the owner sells it of his own free-will. The household
+furniture was also sold, and Sarkis became almost a beggar, and was
+obliged, half naked, to leave his house, with his wife and children.
+
+"I proposed that they should occupy my house, but he would not have it.
+'From to-day the black earth is my dwelling-place,' he said, and rented
+a small house at the edge of the town near where the fields begin.
+
+"When the neighbors found out the treachery of Hemorrhoid Jack, they
+were terribly angry, and one of them threw a note into his yard in which
+was written: that if he took possession of poor Sarkis's house they
+would tear or burn it down. That was just what John wished, and he
+immediately sent carpenters to tear down the house and stable and then
+he sold the wood.
+
+"At this time I became very sick and lay two months in bed. When I got
+up again I thought to myself, 'I must go and visit the poor wretches!' I
+went to their little house, but found the door locked and the windows
+boarded up. I asked a boy, 'My child, do you know where the people of
+this house are?' 'Two weeks ago they got into a wagon and drove away,'
+answered the lad. 'Where are they gone?' I asked. 'That I don't know,'
+he said.
+
+"I would not have believed it, but an old woman came up to me on the
+street, of her own accord, and said:
+
+"'They all got into a wagon and have moved away into a Russian village.'
+
+"What the village was called she could not tell me, and so every trace
+of them was lost.
+
+"Many years later a gentleman came from Stavropol to our city, who gave
+me some news of the poor wretches. They had settled in a Cossack
+village--he told me the name, but I have forgotten--where at first they
+suffered great want; and just as things were going a little better with
+them, Mairam and Sarkis died of the cholera and Takusch and Toros were
+left alone. Soon after, a Russian officer saw Takusch and was greatly
+pleased with her. After a few months she married him. Toros carried on
+his father's business for a time, then gave it up and joined the army.
+So much I found out from the gentleman from Stavropol.
+
+"Some time later I met again one who knew Takusch. He told me that she
+was now a widow. Her husband had been a drunkard, spent his whole nights
+in inns, often struck his poor wife, and treated her very badly. Finally
+they brought him home dead. Toros's neck had been broken at a horse-race
+and he was dead. He said also that Takusch had almost forgotten the
+Armenian language and had changed her faith.
+
+"'That is the history of the Vacant Yard."
+
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+
+ARMENIAN POEMS
+
+[_Metrical Version, by Robert Arnot, M.A._]
+
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+
+ARMENIAN POEMS
+
+
+A PLAINT
+
+    Were I a springtime breeze,
+  A breeze in the time when the song-birds pair,
+  I'd tenderly smooth and caress your hair,
+    And hide from your eyes in the budding trees.
+
+    Were I a June-time rose,
+  I'd glow in the ardor of summer's behest,
+  And die in my passion upon your breast,
+    In the passion that only a lover knows.
+
+    Were I a lilting bird,
+  I'd fly with my song and my joy and my pain,
+  And beat at your lattice like summer-rain,
+    Till I knew that your inmost heart was stirred.
+
+    Were I a winged dream,
+  I'd steal in the night to your slumbering side,
+  And the joys of hope in your bosom I'd hide,
+    And pass on my way like a murmuring stream.
+
+    Tell me the truth, the truth,
+  Have I merited woe at your tapering hands,
+  Have you wilfully burst love's twining strands,
+    And cast to the winds affection and ruth?
+
+    'Twas a fleeting vision of joy,
+  While you loved me you plumed your silvery wings,
+  And in fear of the pain that a man's love brings
+    You fled to a bliss that has no alloy.
+
+MUGURDITCH BESHETTASHLAIN.
+
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+
+SPRING IN EXILE
+
+  Wind of the morn, of the morn of the year,
+    Violet-laden breath of spring,
+    To the flowers and the lasses whispering
+  Things that a man's ear cannot hear,
+  In thy friendly grasp I would lay my hand,
+  But thou comest not from my native land.
+
+  Birds of the morn, of the morn of the year,
+    Chanting your lays in the bosky dell,
+    Higher and fuller your round notes swell,
+  Till the Fauns and the Dryads peer forth to hear
+  The trilling lays of your feathery band:
+  Ye came not, alas, from my native land.
+
+  Brook of the morn, of the morn of the year,
+    Burbling joyfully on your way,
+    Maiden and rose and woodland fay
+  Use as a mirror your waters clear:
+  But I mourn as upon your banks I stand,
+  That you come not, alas, from my native land.
+
+  Breezes and birds and brooks of the Spring,
+    Chanting your lays in the morn of the year,
+    Though Armenia, my country, be wasted and sere,
+  And mourns for her maidens who never shall sing,
+  Yet a storm, did it come from that desolate land,
+  Would awaken a joy that ye cannot command.
+
+RAPHAEL PATKANIAN.
+
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+
+FLY, LAYS OF MINE!
+
+  Fly, lays of mine, but not to any clime
+    Where happiness and light and love prevail,
+  But seek the spots where woe and ill and crime
+    Leave as they pass a noisome serpent-trail
+
+  Fly, lays of mine, but not to the ether blue,
+    Where golden sparks illume the heavenly sphere,
+  But seek the depths where nothing that is true
+    Relieves the eye or glads a listening ear.
+
+  Fly, lays of mine, but not to fruitful plains
+    Where spring the harvests by God's benison,
+  But seek the deserts where for needed rains
+    Both prayers and curses rise in unison.
+
+  Fly, lays of mine, but not to riotous halls,
+    Where dancing sylphs supply voluptuous songs,
+  But seek the huts where pestilence appals,
+    And death completes the round of human wrongs.
+
+  Fly, lays of mine, but not to happy wives,
+    Whose days are one unending flow of bliss,
+  But seek the maidens whose unfruitful lives
+    Have known as yet no lover's passionate kiss.
+
+  Fly, lays of mine, and like the nightingales,
+    Whose liquid liltings charm away the night,
+  Reveal in song the sweets of summer's gales,
+    Of lover's pleadings and of love's delight.
+
+  And tell my lady, when your quests are o'er,
+    That I, away from her, my heart's desire,
+  Yearn for the blissful hour when I shall pour
+    Down at her feet a love surcharged with fire.
+
+MUGURDITCH BESHETTASHLAIN.
+
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+
+THE WOE OF ARAXES
+
+  Meditating by Araxes,
+    Pacing slowly to and fro,
+  Sought I traces of the grandeur
+    Hidden by her turgid flow.
+
+  "Turgid are thy waters, Mother,
+    As they beat upon the shore.
+  Do they offer lamentations
+    For Armenia evermore?
+
+  "Gay should be thy mood, O Mother,
+     As the sturgeons leap in glee:
+   Ocean's merging still is distant,
+     Shouldest thou be sad, like me?
+
+  "Are thy spume-drifts tears, O Mother,
+     Tears for those that are no more?
+   Dost thou haste to pass by, weeping,
+     This thine own beloved shore?"
+
+   Then uprose on high Araxes,
+     Flung in air her spumy wave,
+   And from out her depths maternal
+     Sonorous her answer gave:
+
+  "Why disturb me now, presumptuous,
+     All my slumbering woe to wake?
+   Why invade the eternal silence
+     For a foolish question's sake?
+
+  "Know'st thou not that I am widowed;
+     Sons and daughters, consort, dead?
+   Wouldst thou have me go rejoicing,
+     As a bride to nuptial bed?
+
+  "Wouldst thou have me decked in splendor,
+     To rejoice a stranger's sight,
+   While the aliens that haunt me
+     Bring me loathing, not delight?
+
+  "Traitress never I; Armenia
+     Claims me ever as her own;
+   Since her mighty doom hath fallen
+     Never stranger have I known.
+
+  "Yet the glories of my nuptials
+     Heavy lie upon my soul;
+   Once again I see the splendor
+     And I hear the music roll.
+
+  "Hear again the cries of children
+     Ringing joyfully on my banks,
+  And the noise of marts and toilers,
+    And the tread of serried ranks.
+
+  "But where, now, are all my people?
+    Far in exile, homeless, lorn.
+  While in widow's weeds and hopeless,
+    Weeping, sit I here and mourn.
+
+  "Hear now! while my sons are absent
+    Age-long fast I still shall keep;
+  Till my children gain deliverance,
+    Here I watch and pray and weep."
+
+  Silent, then, the mighty Mother
+    Let her swelling tides go free.
+  And in mournful meditation
+    Slowly wandered to the sea.
+
+RAPHAEL PATKANIAN.
+
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+
+THE ARMENIAN MAIDEN
+
+  In the hush of the spring night dreaming
+    The crescent moon have you seen,
+  As it shimmers on apricots gleaming,
+    Through velvety masses of green.
+
+  Have you seen, in a June-tide nooning,
+    A languorous full-blown rose
+  In the arms of the lilies swooning
+    And yielding her sweets to her foes?
+
+  Yet the moon in its course and the roses
+    By Armenia's maiden pale,
+  When she coyly and slowly discloses
+    The glories beneath her veil.
+
+  And a lute from her mother receiving,
+    With a blush that a miser would move,
+  She treads a soft measure, believing
+    That music is sister to love.
+
+  Like a sapling her form in its swaying,
+    Full of slender and lissomy grace
+  As she bends to the time of her playing,
+    Or glides with a fairy-light pace.
+
+  The lads for her beauty are burning,
+    The elders hold forth on old age,
+  But the maiden flies merrily spurning
+    Youth, lover, and matron and sage.
+
+RAPHAEL PATKANIAN.
+
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+
+ONE OF A THOUSAND
+
+  Sweet lady, whence the sadness in your face?
+  What heart's desire is still unsatisfied?
+  Your face and form are fair and full of grace,
+  And silk and velvet lend you all their pride.
+  A nod, a glance, and straight your maidens fly
+  To execute your hest with loving zeal.
+  By night and day you have your minstrelsy,
+  Your feet soft carpets kiss and half conceal;
+  While fragrant blooms adorn your scented bower,
+  Fruits fresh and rare lie in abundance near.
+  The costly narghile exerts its power
+  To soothe vain longing and dispel all fear:
+  Envy not angels; you have paradise.
+  No lowly consort you. A favored wife,
+  Whose mighty husband can her wants suffice;
+  Why mar with grieving such a fortunate life?
+
+  So to Haripsime, the Armenian maid,
+  On whom the cruel fortune of her lot had laid
+  Rejection of her faith, spake with a sigh
+  The wrinkled, ugly, haggard slave near by.
+
+  Haripsime replied not to the words,
+  But, silent, turned her face away. With scorn
+  And sorrow mingled were the swelling chords
+  Of passionate lament, and then forlorn,
+  Hopeless, she raised her tearful orbs to heaven.
+
+  Silent her lips, her grief too deep for sound;
+  Her fixed gaze sought the heavy banks of cloud
+  Surcharged with lightning bolts that played around
+  The gloomy spires and minarets; then bowed
+  Her head upon her hands; the unwilling eyes
+  Shed tears as heavy as the thunder-shower
+  That trails the bolt to where destruction lies.
+
+  There was a time when she, a happy girl,
+  Had home and parents and a numerous kin;
+  But on an Eastertide, amid a whirl
+  Of pillage, murder, and the savage din
+  Of plundering Kavasses, the Pacha saw
+  Her budding beauty, and his will was law.
+
+  Her vengeful sire fell 'neath a sabre's stroke;
+  Her mother, broken-hearted, gave to God
+  The life in which no joys could now evoke
+  The wonted happiness. The harem of the Turk
+  Enfolds Haripsime's fresh maidenhood,
+  And there where danger and corruption lurk,
+  Where Shitan's nameless and befouling brood
+  Surround each Georgian and Armenian pearl,
+  She weeps and weeps, shunning the shallow joys
+  Of trinkets, robes, of music, or the whirl
+  Of joyous dance, of singing girls and boys,
+  And murmurs always in a sobbing prayer,
+  "Shall never help be sent? Is this despair?"
+
+RAPHAEL PATKANIAN.
+
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+
+LONGING
+
+  Tell me, brother, where is rest
+  From the flame that racks my breast
+          With its pain?
+  Fires unceasing sear my heart;
+  Ah, too long, too deep, the smart
+          To heal again.
+
+  When I'd pluck the roses sweet
+  Sharpest thorns my fingers greet;
+         Courage flies.
+  Since my love has humbled me,
+  Tyrant-like has troubled me,
+         'Spite my cries.
+  Health and joy have taken flight,
+  Prayer nor chant nor priestly rite
+         Do I prize.
+
+  Girl, my girl, my peerless one,
+  Radiant as Armenia's sun,
+         Beautiful Sanan!
+  Earth has none as fair as thou,
+  Nor can ages gone bestow
+         One like my Sanan.
+
+  Sixteen summers old is she,
+  Grace of slender pines has she,
+         Like the stars her eyes.
+  Lips, thrice blessed whom they kiss,
+  Brows as dark as hell's abyss,
+         And with sighs,
+  Her heart to win, her love alone,
+  What mighty prince from his high throne
+         Would not descend?
+  So I crave nor crown nor gold,
+  Longed-for One, I her would hold
+         Till time shall end.
+
+RAPHAEL PATKANIAN.
+
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+
+DAVID OF SASSUN
+
+NATIONAL EPOS OF ARMENIA
+
+[_Translated by F.B. Collins, B.S._]
+
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+
+DAVID OF SASSUN
+
+
+Strong and mighty was the Caliph of Bagdad[1]; he gathered together a
+host and marched against our Holy John the Baptist[2]. Hard he oppressed
+our people, and led many into captivity. Among the captives was a
+beautiful maiden, and the caliph made her his wife. In time she bore two
+sons, Sanassar and Abamelik. The father of these children was a heathen,
+but their mother was a worshipper of the cross[3], for the caliph had
+taken her from our people.
+
+[1] From the sense and according to the time in which the action takes
+place, Nineveh must be understood here; and instead of an Arabian
+caliph, the Assyrian king Sennacherib. There is an anachronism here, as
+the reader will see, for a king living 800 years before Christ is called
+an Arabian caliph, though the caliphs first took up their residence in
+Bagdad in the year 755.
+
+[2] The reference here is to the famous monastery of St. John the
+Baptist, which was built by Gregory the Illuminator during the fourth
+century, on the mountain of Kark, near the Euphrates, on a spot where
+heathen altars had previously stood. On certain days pious Armenians
+made annual pilgrimages to the place. Among them many poets and
+champions, who, with long fasts and many prayers, begged from the saint
+the gifts of song, strength, and courage. John the Baptist was regarded
+by the Armenians generally as the protector of the arts.
+
+[3] So the Armenians called Christians.
+
+This same caliph again gathered together a host and fell upon our
+people. This time--I bow before thy holy miracle, O sainted John--this
+time our people pressed him sorely, and in his affliction he cried unto
+his idols: "May the gods save me from these people; bring me to my city
+safe and well, and both my sons will I sacrifice unto them."
+
+In Bagdad the mother lay sleeping, and she had a dream. She dreamed she
+had in each hand a lamp, and when their flames seemed ready to go out
+they flashed up brightly again. When morning came she told this dream to
+her sons, and said: "Last night holy St. John appeared to me in my
+dreams and said that your father was in great trouble and had vowed to
+sacrifice you. When he again comes home he will stab you: look to your
+safety."
+
+Both sons cried unto their gods, took food with them for their journey,
+put gold into their purses, and set out on their travels. Coming to a
+narrow valley they halted there. They saw a river, and in the distance a
+brook clove the river to mid-stream, then mingled with its waters and
+flowed onward with it.
+
+And Sanassar said to Abamelik: "He who finds the source of this brook
+and builds him a dwelling there, his race shall also wax mighty."
+
+The brothers rose with one will and followed the brook upstream. They
+found its spring and saw its waters flowing as from a small pipe, and
+they ran down with the brook and increased till they mixed with waters
+of the great river. Here the brothers halted and laid the foundations of
+their dwelling.
+
+And Sanassar hunted while Abamelik worked on the house. Ten, yea, twenty
+days they worked on their dwelling. It happened that once Abamelik came
+upon Sanassar asleep, worn out with fatigue, his venison thrown away
+unroasted. Abamelik was much troubled at this, and said, "Rise, brother,
+and we will depart from this place. How long shall we stay here and eat
+meat without salt? If it were God's will that we should have happiness,
+in our father's wooden palace we should have found it." And they mounted
+their horses and rode to the Lord of Arsrom.[4] Both came thither,
+presented themselves to him, and bowed before him.
+
+[4] The original name of this city is Theodosiopol. It was founded by
+the Greek commander Anato in the year 412 A.D. and named in honor of
+Emperor Theodosius II. Later it was captured by the Sultan of Ikonika,
+Who named it Arsi-Rom, "Land of the Greeks." The Armenians call it
+Karin, after the old Armenian province in which it lies.
+
+Now both brothers were mighty men. They found favor with the Emir of
+Arsrom, and he asked them of their birth and of their tribe, and said,
+"What manner of men are you?"
+
+Sanassar answered and said, "We are the sons of the Caliph of Bagdad."
+
+"Hoho!" said the Emir, while terror seized him. "We feared you dead, and
+here we meet you living. We cannot take you in. Go whither ye will."
+
+And Sanassar said to Abamelik, "Since we have run away from our father,
+why should we bear his name? From this day, when anyone asks us
+concerning ourselves, let us say we have neither father nor mother nor
+home nor country: then will people lodge us."
+
+Thence they rode to the Emir of Kars, who gave the lads the same
+answer. They turned and rode to the King of Kraput-Koch. The King of
+Kraput-Koch scrutinized the lads, and they found favor in his sight; and
+Abamelik presented himself to the King and bowed low before him. This
+pleased the King greatly, and he said: "My children, whither came ye?
+What have you? and what do you lack?"[5]
+
+[5] Southwest from the Sea of Wan lies a high mountain called
+Kraput-Koch ("Blue Ridge," from its blue color). Probably there was a
+dukedom or kingdom of Kraput-Koch which served as a city of refuge for
+the wandering Assyrian princes. Perhaps the legend has preserved in the
+person of the King of Kraput-Koch the memory of the Armenian prince
+Skajordi.
+
+"We have neither father nor mother nor anyone beside," answered the
+brothers.
+
+And it came to pass that Sanassar became the King's _tschubuktschi_[6]
+and Abamelik his _haiwatschi,_[7] and they lived at the King's house a
+long time.
+
+[6] Pipe-bearer.
+
+[7] The servant who prepares the coffee.
+
+But Sanassar said one day to Abamelik: "We fatigued ourselves greatly
+with labor, yet was our house not finished. To-morrow make the King no
+coffee, nor will I hand him his pipe. Let us not appear before him
+to-morrow."
+
+When the King awoke, neither of them was near. He called the lads to him
+and said: "I asked you once if you had anyone belonging to you, either
+father or mother; and you said you had no one. Why, then, are you so
+sad?"
+
+And the brothers said: "Live long, O King! In truth, we have neither
+father nor mother. Even if we hide it from you we cannot hide it from
+God. We worked a little on a dwelling, but left the work unfinished and
+came away." And they told the King everything as it was.
+
+The heart of the King was grieved, and he said: "My children, if such is
+the case, to-morrow I will give you some court servants. Go and finish
+your house."
+
+Then the King arose and gave them forty servants, skilful workers, and
+each had a mule and a bridle.
+
+Early in the morning they arose and loaded the beasts with their tools,
+and the two brothers led them to the dwelling. They travelled on and at
+last reached the spring and the threshold of their house.
+
+Now Sanassar said to Abamelik: "Brother, shall we build the house first
+or the huts for the servants? These poor wretches cannot camp out in the
+sun."
+
+And they began first to make the huts. So strong was Abamelik that he
+built ten huts every day, while the others brought in wood for their
+building. In four days they finished forty huts, and then they set about
+building the house and finished it. They set up stone pillars in
+rows--so powerful were they--and laid a stone base under them, and the
+house was made ready.
+
+Abamelik rode to the King of Kraput-Koch and said: "We are thy children.
+We have built our castle: it is finished, and we come to you and entreat
+you, 'Come and give our dwelling a name,'" It pleased the King of
+Kraput-Koch that Abamelik had done this, and he said: "I rejoice that
+you have not forgotten me."
+
+So the King gave Abamelik his daughter in marriage and made him his
+close friend. After the wedding the King and the young pair came
+together at the palace--and Uncle Toross[8] was with them--and they
+mounted their horses and departed. Abamelik rode before them to point
+out the way. When they were approaching the castle the King suddenly
+turned his horse as if to ride back again, and said: "You have given
+your castle a name and have purposely brought me here to try me."
+
+[8] Probably the King's brother.
+
+Abamelik said: "May your life be long, O master! Believe me, we have
+given the castle no name. We have but built it and made it ready."
+
+"Very well. It may be that you have given it no name, but as you have
+set up rows of stone pillars let us call it Sausun or Sassun."[9]
+
+[9] "Sassun" signifies "pillar upon pillar." This explains the origin of
+the name of Sassun, a district of the old Armenian province Achznik,
+south of the city of Musch. The residents of this district up to the
+present day owe their independence to their inaccessible dwelling-place.
+
+Here they remained several days. Uncle Toross was also married and
+stayed at Sassun, but the King returned home.
+
+And Abamelik was strong and became a mighty man. From the environs of
+the Black Mountain and the Peak of Zetzinak, from Upper Musch as far as
+Sechanssar and the Plains of Tschapachtschur,[10] he reigned, and built
+a wall around his dominions. He made four gates. Often he shut his
+doors, mounted his horse, and captured whatever came in his way, both
+demons and beasts of prey. Once he penetrated into Moesr and ravaged it,
+and he went in to the wife of the Lord of Moesr and lay with her. She
+bore a son, and the King of Moesr knew that the boy was Abamelik's and
+named him Moesramelik. But afterward Abamelik slew the King and took his
+wife and became King of Moesr.[11]
+
+[10] The names cited here exist to the present day. The places lie in
+the old districts of the Turuberan and Achznik in the present district
+Musch.
+
+[11] The Armenians now call Egypt Moesr. This probably refers to Mossul.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+Now Sanassar dwelt at Sassun, but the gods of his fathers gave him no
+repose, so he travelled to Bagdad to the home of his father and mother.
+His father, sitting at his window, saw his son Sanassar come riding up,
+and recognized him, and the caliph said: "My life to thee, great god!
+Thou hast brought back thy victim. Certainly in thy might thou wilt
+restore the second soon."
+
+The mother--she was a Christian--began to weep and shed tears over her
+children. The father took a sharp sword and went out to meet his son,
+saying: "Come, my son, let us worship the great god in his temple. I
+must sacrifice to him."
+
+The son said, "Dear father, your god is great and very wonderful. Truly
+in the night he permits us no rest. Certainly he will bring the second
+victim to you by force."
+
+And they went into the temple of the god, and the son said: "Father
+dear, you know that we left your house when we were yet children, and we
+knew not the might of your god."
+
+"Yes, yes, my son, but kneel before him and pray."
+
+The son said: "What a wonderful god your god is! When you bowed before
+your god, there was a darkness before my eyes and I did not see how you
+did it. Bow once more before him, that I may learn to worship him."
+
+When the father did the second time the son cried: "Bread and wine, the
+Lord liveth!" and seized his club and hurled the caliph full seven yards
+distant to the ground. And with his club he shattered all the images
+where they stood, put the silver in the skirts of his robe and carried
+it to his mother, saying: "Take this, mother, and wear it for ornament!"
+
+His mother fell full length and bowed herself and said: "I thank thee,
+Creator of heaven and earth. It is well that thou hast rescued me from
+the hands of this cruel man."
+
+They found Sanassar a wife and placed him on the throne in his father's
+place, and he remained at Bagdad.[12]
+
+[12] Here the story of Sanassar breaks off and he is not mentioned again
+in the tale.
+
+Now Abamelik, who reigned in Moesr, left his son Moesramelik to rule in
+his stead and went to Sassun. Many years passed and children were born
+to him. To one he gave the name Tschentschchapokrik. The eldest son he
+named Zoera-wegi, the second Zenow-Owan; while the third son was called
+Chor-Hussan,[13] and the youngest David.
+
+[13] All these names are poetic and refer to certain characteristics of
+their bearers. "Zenow-Owan" means "melodiously-speaking John";
+"Chor-Hussan" means "good singer"; "Tschentschchapokrik" means "sparrow";
+and "Zoeranwegi," "cowardly Wegi."
+
+Of these, Tschentschchapokrik and Zoeranwegi proved to be ne'er-do-weels.
+Zenow-Owan had such a voice that he dried seven buffalo hides in the sun
+and wound them round his body so that it should not rend him. But the
+cleverest of all was David, and to his strength words cannot do justice.
+
+Abamelik's life was long, but old age came upon him. Once he sat sunk in
+thought and said to himself: "Enemies are all about me. Who will care
+for my children after my death? Moesramelik alone can do this, for none
+beside him can cope with my enemies."
+
+He set out to visit Moesramelik,[14] but he was very aged. "Moesramelik, my
+son," he said, "you are truly of my blood. If I die before you, I
+intrust my children to you. Take care of them. If you die first, confide
+yours to me and I will watch over them."
+
+[14] To Mossul.
+
+He returned and lived in his castle. His time came and he died. Then
+Moesramelik came and took the children to his house, for he had not
+forgotten his father's command. Sassun mourned the death of Abamelik for
+seven years. Then the peasants feasted and drank again with Uncle
+Toross, for they said: "Uncle Toross, our lads have grown old and our
+pretty girls are old women. If thou thinkest that by our seven years of
+weeping Abamelik will live again we would weep seven years longer."
+Uncle Toross gave the peasants their way, and said: "Marry your lads and
+maidens. Weeping leads nowhere."
+
+And they sat down and feasted and drank wine. Uncle Toross took a cup
+in his hand and paused: he was thinking about something, and he neither
+drank nor set the cup down. His son cries from the street: "Father,
+dear, there are the mad men of Sassun. Take care, they will be jeering
+at you. Let us go away."
+
+Uncle Toross turned to his son and said: "Oh, you dog of a son! Shall I
+sit here and feast? Did not Moesramelik come and take our children away?
+Abamelik's children in trouble, and I sitting at a banquet? Oh, what a
+shame it is! Bread and wine, God be praised! Truly, I will drink no wine
+till I have fetched the little ones." And Uncle Toross went out of
+Sassun and came to Moesr. He greeted Moesramelik, and they sat down
+together. Said Uncle Toross: "Now, we are come for God's judgment. It is
+true that you made an agreement with Abamelik, but if a man sells a
+captive he should first wait on the lord."[15]
+
+[15] This means that if a captive is to be sold his kinsmen have a right
+before all others to redeem him.
+
+They arose and went to the court,[16] and Uncle Toross was given the
+children.
+
+[16] Schariat, the name of the Turkish court of justice, stands in the
+original.
+
+But Moesramelik stood in fear of these children, and he said to Uncle
+Toross, "Let these children first pass under my sword, and then take
+them with you."
+
+Uncle Toross told the lads of this, and Zoeranwegi said, "Let us pass
+under his sword and escape hence"; and the other two said the same. But
+David said otherwise: "If he wishes us dead he will not kill us to-day,
+for the people will say he has murdered the children. Under his sword I
+will not go. He does this so that I shall not lift my sword against him
+when I am a man." Uncle Toross got the boys together, that they might
+pass under the sword of Moesramelik, for he was very anxious. David was
+rebellious; he stood still and went not under it. Uncle Toross seized
+his collar and pushed him, but David would not go. He ran past it at one
+side and kicked with his great toe upon a flint until the sparks flew.
+And Moesramelik was frightened and said: "This child is still so young
+and yet is terrible. What will happen when he is a man! If any evil
+comes to me it will be through him."
+
+Uncle Toross took the children and came to Sassun. Zoeranwegi he
+established in the castle in his father's place, but David, who was the
+youngest, was sent out to herd the calves.
+
+What a boy David was! If he struck out at the calves with his oaken
+stick, he would throw them all down, and forty others beside. Once he
+drove the calves to the top of the mountain. He found a herdsman there
+who was abusing his calves, and said: "You fellow! What are you up to?
+Wait now, if I catch you, you will get something from my oaken stick
+that will make you cry Ow! ow!"
+
+The fellow answered David: "I am ready to give my life for your head if
+I am not a shepherd from your father's village. These calves, here,
+belong to the peasants."
+
+David said, "If that is so, watch my calves also. I know not what time I
+should drive them home. When the time comes tell me, that I may drive
+them in."
+
+Then David drove in the calves on time that day, and Uncle Toross was
+pleased and said: "Always be punctual, my son; go out and come back
+every day at the right time."
+
+"Uncle Toross, it was not my wisdom that did this. I have hired a
+comrade who will watch over my calves and see that I am ready with
+them."
+
+Once his comrade tarried, and David was greatly vexed. It appeared that
+a religious festival was held in the village, and on this account the
+young man was detained. Finally he arrived, and David said to him,
+"To-day you get nothing from me."
+
+The young man said: "David, I am willing to die for you. From fear of
+your anger, I waited not for the end of the service of God in the
+church, and not one spoonful of the holy soup[17] has passed my lips. I
+drove out the calves and am here. Now you know why I tarried."
+
+[17] Although me Armenians became Christians in the fourth century, they
+still retain many heathen customs which have lost all their original
+significance. They still sacrifice sheep and cows which have on the
+previous evening been given some salt consecrated by the priests. The
+meat is cooked in immense kettles and carried around to the houses. The
+shepherd speaks of soup of this kind.
+
+David said: "Wait here; I will bring you your dinner."
+
+He set off with his oaken stick over his shoulder. He came to the
+village, and found that all the people had brought corn to the priests,
+who blessed it. David stuck his oaken stick through the handle of the
+four-handled kettle, and, full as it was, lifted it to his shoulder and
+walked away. The priests and the peasants wondered at it, and one cried,
+"Truly, he has carried off a kettle!"
+
+A priest cried out, "For God's sake, be silent! It is one of those mad
+men of Sassun. Take care or he will come back and break our ribs for us.
+May he take the thing and fall down with it!"
+
+And David took the kettle of grits to his comrade, whom he found weeping
+on the mountain.
+
+"Ha, ha," said David, "I know why you weep. I have brought the grits,
+but have forgotten butter and salt. That is why you weep. Eat the grits
+now, and have salt and butter this evening."
+
+But the youth said. "David, I am ready to die for you, What need have I
+of salt and butter; forty thieving Dews have come and driven away our
+calves."
+
+David said, "Stay here and watch these calves, and I will bring back all
+the others"; and he went after the calves. He followed their tracks to
+the entrance of a cave and paused. He cried out with so loud a voice
+that the Dews were frightened, and were as full of fear as is the devil
+when Christ's voice is heard in hell.
+
+And when the leader of the Dews heard the voice he said: "That is surely
+David, Abamelik's son. Go receive him with honor, else he will strike us
+dead."
+
+They went out, one by one, and David struck each as he passed with his
+oaken cudgel, so that their heads fell off and only dead bodies remained
+in the place. He cut off the ears of all the forty and buried them under
+a stone at the mouth of the cave.
+
+He laid down his club and entered the cave. There he saw a heap of gold
+and a heap of silver--indeed, all the treasures of the world. Since his
+father's death they had robbed and concealed their plunder in this
+cavern. He opened a door, and saw a steed standing fastened to a ring.
+David was sunk in thought, and said to himself: "Uncle dear, this
+property belongs to you, but this beast to me. If you give it to
+me--good. If not, you travel after those other fellows." Then he
+answered for Uncle Toross: "My child, the treasure and the beast should
+belong to you. What shall I do with them?"
+
+He looked around and saw upon a pyre a copper kettle with four handles,
+and in it were his forty calves. He stuck his oaken stick through the
+handles and raised the kettle, poured off the water, pushed the calves'
+feet back into the kettle, lifted it to his shoulder, and went back to
+his comrade.
+
+The two drove the rest of the herd into the village, and David called
+the owners to him and said: "If you deceive my brother a hair's breadth
+in the reckoning it will go badly with you. Sell this kettle. May it
+repay you for your calves."
+
+He separated his own calves from the peasants', and went home. It was
+then midday. He said to Uncle Toross: "Take quickly twenty asses and we
+will go out and bring back treasure that shall suffice you and your
+children till the seventh generation."
+
+And they took the asses and set forth. When they reached the cavern,
+Uncle Toross saw the bodies of the Dews stretched near the entrance, and
+they were swelled up like hills. In great fright Uncle Toross loosed his
+ass from the others and fell back.
+
+David said: "You destroyer! I fled not before them living, but you fear
+them dead! If you believe me not, turn back and raise this stone. I
+concealed all their ears there."
+
+Uncle Toross came back and took the asses, and they went into the cave.
+They made a pack of all the treasure and carried it away with them.
+David said: "All this treasure belongs to you, but the steed is mine. If
+you will not give it to me, you shall follow after them."
+
+He answered: "My child, the horse and the treasure too are yours. What
+should I do with it?"
+
+Uncle Toross let David mount the steed. He gave him the spurs and he
+bucked to right and left. This was no ordinary steed--the difficulties
+of managing him cannot be described.
+
+They returned to Sassun with the treasure. David procured a beautiful
+falcon and rode off to hunt. The calves he had long ago given over.
+
+Once, as he hunted, he rode across the soil of a poor man, whose family
+numbered seven heads, and the man had seven beds of millet. Four beds he
+laid waste, and three remained. Someone ran with the news to the old
+graybeard and said: "You are ruined. Go at once to your field, for
+before night he will destroy the other three beds."
+
+The graybeard rose early and went out and saw his field was laid waste.
+He glanced about and saw David coming with a falcon on his hand. The
+graybeard cursed David and said: "Dost thou not fear God? Dost thou test
+thy strength on my grain-field? I have seven mouths to fill, and seven
+millet beds. Four thou hast destroyed, and three remain! If you are
+brave, go and get back your inheritance that extends from the summit of
+Mount Zoezmak as far as Sechanssar. Moesramelik has taken it from you and
+draws wealth from it Go and get it back. Why try your strength on me?"
+
+But David answered: "Old man, curse me not. Here is a handful of
+gold--use it." And as he said it he killed his falcon.
+
+David returned home and said: "Uncle Toross, go and bring me my father's
+staff and bow. I am going to make war, for others consume my inheritance
+and none of you have said anything about it to me."
+
+Uncle Toross arose and demanded of Zoeranwegi in David's name the staff
+and bow of Abamelik, but Zoeranwegi refused it. David sent a second time,
+saying: "If you give it to me, good. If not, I will see to it that your
+head flies off and only your body remains."
+
+Zoeranwegi was frightened, and surrendered the bow and baton, and Uncle
+Toross brought them to David. And David fell asleep and dreamed. The
+next day he took forty calves and went to holy Maratuk,[18] where he
+slaughtered the forty calves and bathed in their blood. Then he fell on
+his face and prayed and wept until God sent from heaven a sacred sign
+and a token. Even now the holy sign is to be found in Hawar at the house
+of Sork. David kissed the holy sign and put it under the right shoulder,
+and the token under the left.
+
+[18] Maratuk is a monastery built on a mountain of the same name.
+
+Moesramelik knew that David, Abamelik's son, was come into manhood, and
+he gathered together a host to march against him. And he appointed a
+_holbaschi_,[19] who prepared his army and attacked David at Maratuk. He
+met on the march seven women, and said to them, "Sing and dance until I
+return," and they answered: "Why shall we dance and sing? We know not
+what we should say."
+
+[19] This Turkish title shows that the legend has been altered at a late
+date.
+
+And Holbaschi sang for them:
+
+  "May the little women busy themselves grinding corn;
+  May the stout women help with the camel-loading;
+  For Holbaschi carries grim war to Sassun.
+  Strong yoke-oxen and red milch-cows he'll bring back
+  In the springtime; butter and Tochorton
+  Will be plentiful in the Land of Moesr."
+
+Holbaschi saw the women begin dancing and singing, and started his host
+again and went to Maratuk and entered its gates. The daughter of the
+priest of Maratuk had often glanced slyly at David, and he was not
+indifferent to her. The priest's daughter went to David and said:
+"David, I am ready to die for you! Arise and see how many warriors are
+congregated in the courtyard."
+
+When she had spoken she went out and closed all the gates from without.
+David stretched himself and cried: "Bread and wine, the Lord liveth!"
+and began to knock off the heads of the men of war. He beheaded them so
+that the bodies flew over the walls and the heads remained lying in the
+court. And he laid hold of Holbaschi, and tore out his teeth and drove
+them into his brow like nails. And he bent his lance till it curved like
+a dog's collar and put it around his neck. "Now," he said, "take
+yourself off and tell all to Moesramelik. If people still remain in his
+country let him herd them together before I come."
+
+Holbaschi met the women a second time, and they were singing and
+dancing. And one of them sang:
+
+  "Holbaschi, dear Holbaschi, went hence like a cruel wolf,
+  Why come you back to us like a hunting dog?
+  Your lance lies on your neck like a dog's collar,
+  Thy mouth gapes like an open window,
+  And slime flows out like curdled milk from a skin;[20]
+  And whole caravans of flies buzz round it."
+
+[20] In Armenia, as is usual in the East, they make butter out of
+curdled milk; and for this reason the vessel is always covered with
+scum.
+
+And Holbaschi sang:
+
+  "Oh, you shameless, worthless hussies,
+  I thought that Sassun was a free field.
+  Think not that only rocks and clefts opposed me.
+  There new-born children are fierce devils,
+  Their arrows like beams of the oil-mill;
+  And like windows they tear out the mouths of their enemies.
+  All the brave lads who went with me
+  Are fallen in Charaman.[21]
+  In the spring its waters will bring you booty,
+  Then your butter and cheese can be made."
+
+[21] A valley near Musch.
+
+Now David armed himself and marched against Moesramelik. He found a great
+host assembled and encamped near Sechanssar.[22]
+
+[22] Literally, a table-like mountain.
+
+David said: "I promise thee not to give battle till I have eaten rice
+pillau in the green and red tent," and he urged his horse forward and
+appeared suddenly from the west in front of the tent. Great fright
+possessed the army when they perceived this rider, and Melik said, "What
+manner of man art thou?"
+
+"I am the son of a western king, and I have come to help you."
+
+Melik pitched a tent for him, and they ate together seven days. On the
+eighth day David mounted his horse, rode twice before Moesramelik's tent,
+and said: "Now, come out, I want to fight you. How long, Moesramelik, are
+you going to encroach upon my inheritance?" And David cried: "Bread and
+wine, God lives!" and fighting began on all sides.
+
+Uncle Toross heard of the combat. He tore up a poplar by its roots,
+threw it across his shoulder, and set out. He halted at the upper end of
+the valley in which the fight was going on. If anyone crept away David
+shouted: "Dear Uncle Toross, chase him back into the valley and I will
+be ready for him!"
+
+At last the army began to murmur: "Let them struggle hand to hand. He
+who overpowers the other has conquered."
+
+Then said one of them. "Sit down, that I may slay you with my club," and
+the other said: "No, you sit down." At last they agreed that David,
+being the youngest, should sit, So he put his shield over his head, laid
+under it the holy cross, and sat down. Moesramelik made an onset from
+three leagues, burst upon him, and assailed him with a club, saying,
+"Earth thou art, be earth again!"
+
+David said: "I believe in the high and holy cross of Maratuk. It is to
+me as if I were still eating rice pillau under the red and green tent."
+
+Moesramelik sprung upon him three times, struck him with his club, and
+said: "Earth thou art, be earth again!" and David replied only, "I
+believe in the high and holy cross of Maratuk."
+
+Then came Moesramelik's turn to sit down, and he was stubborn and would
+not. But the army reproached him and put his shield over his head, and
+he sat down. Then came Moesramelik's mother, and began to ask mercy,
+saying: "David, I am ready to die for you! Is he not thy brother? Slay
+him not; have pity on him!"
+
+"O shameless woman! When he struck me, thou saidst not, 'Is he not thy
+brother!' But, may your wish be granted! One blow I will give up for
+God's sake, the second for your sake, but the third belongs to me, and
+when I strike either he dies or lives!"
+
+David rode back and forward again, and seizing his club hurled
+Moesramelik seven yards deep into the earth. Then he ravaged Moesr and
+ascended the throne.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+The Emir[23] of Kachiswan had a daughter, and her name was
+Chandud-Chanum.[24] Chandud-Chanum heard of David's valor, and gave gifts
+to a bard and said to him: "Go, sing to David of my beauty, that he may
+come hither and we may love each other."
+
+[23] "Emir," in the eyes of the orientals, is almost the same as "king."
+
+[24] "Chandud" is a woman's name. "Chanum" means "lady."
+
+The bard went to Sassun, for he thought David was there. He came to
+Sassun and entered Zoeranwegi's castle, thinking David lived in it, and
+sat down and began to sing to Zoeranwegi. Zoeranwegi cried: "Go. Club him
+and hunt him forth. He thinks to bring David hither by cunning!"
+
+They set upon the singer, dragged him to the valley, and threw him into
+the road. In the evening the shepherds returned on their oxen to the
+village. An ox became wild, and the herdsman fell off, and seeking the
+cause he found the bard, who wept and lamented and asked the herdsman:
+
+"Which of the brothers lives in that castle?"
+
+The shepherd answered: "Here lives Zoeranwegi; yonder, in Moesr, David."
+
+And the bard gave a piece of gold to the shepherds, and they gathered up
+the pieces of his broken tambur[25] and pointed out his way to him. He
+went and sang of Chandud-Chanum's beauty before David. David rewarded
+him richly, and said, "Go before, I will come," and the singer went and
+told all to Chandud-Chanum.[26]
+
+[25] An instrument like a guitar.
+
+[26] The song in which the bard praises the beauty of Chandud-Chanum is
+wanting. A certain carelessness is seen generally in the rest of the
+narrative.
+
+David departed straightway and went by way of Sassun and the Heights of
+Zoezmak. He found a plough[27] standing in his way. He freed the oxen,
+seized the plough-chain, mounted his horse, and dragged the plough down.
+And it fell from the summit of the Black Mountain plump into the
+aqueduct of the village of Marnik.
+
+[27] The Armenians use, in ploughing, a kind of plough which is drawn by
+from five to ten pairs of buffaloes or oxen.
+
+He drew on and perceived that a buffalo had got loose and run along the
+road and left its dung there. David looked at the dung and said: "If
+evil befalls me he is guilty of it who left the dung there; if not, it
+is also his work that it befalls me not."
+
+From a side-path appeared a buffalo, and David had never seen the like
+before. He lifted his club to slay him when from the opposite side a
+shepherd came and began to scold the buffalo. David thought the shepherd
+was scolding him and said, "Fellow, what have I done to you that you
+rail at me?"
+
+The shepherd answered: "Who are you? Ah, you are a Sassun brawler who
+has seen nothing of the world! I spoke to my buffalo."
+
+"Don't be angry, youngster! It is a shame, indeed, that in my country I
+have never seen the like. Are there many such creatures in these parts?"
+
+The shepherd said, "Come, and I will show you."
+
+And they went to the field of Ausut, where the peasants hitched their
+buffaloes and drove them. David found the buffaloes with tongues lolling
+from the heat as they drew the plough. David felt pity for them; he
+unhitched them and drove them to the pond.
+
+The ploughman began to curse him, and he said: "Ploughman, curse me not;
+only give me the chain into my hand."
+
+He seized the chain and began to draw; the ploughman guided the plough
+and David ploughed nine furrows. Then the shepherd said to David: "That
+is not thy strength. Leave thy horse and then draw. We shall see whether
+it is thine or thy horse's strength."
+
+David left his horse and ploughed nine furrows alone.
+
+The shepherd then said to David: "It is already noon. Come now and eat,
+then thou canst go on thy way!"
+
+David answered: "No, I will ride on. Thy children want to eat, and if I
+come nothing will remain for them."
+
+However, they sat down and when the dinner was set out David crumbled
+all the bread and the vessels all at once, and the shepherd said: "Here,
+hide yourselves or he will devour us also."
+
+David said: "Surely, brother, he who drags the plough must eat bread.
+How could it be otherwise?"
+
+And he went his way to the city where Chandud-Chanum dwelt.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+David came to the gates of the castle where Chandud-Chanum lived--to the
+place where all her suitors came to woo. He saw a youth standing near
+the door with a club in his hand, David said: "Ha, my lad, what do they
+call you?"
+
+"My name is Gorgis."
+
+"Gorgis!" said David. "When I marry Chandud-Chanum you shall be
+godfather! Now, Godfather Gorgis, who is in the house?"
+
+"Matchmakers from the giants--Schibikan of Chorassan and Hamsa of Lori."
+
+David said, "Take my horse and fasten him." And he took his horse and
+tied him.
+
+Then David asked: "What kind of a club have you? Show it me."
+
+David took the club and threw it into the air with such force that it
+is whirring till this very day. Then he said, "Godfather Gorgis, let us
+go in and eat and drink."
+
+They went in, and David sat down, for he was tired and hungry, and every
+matchmaker, one after the other, handed David a cup of wine. David lost
+patience and seized the wine-pitcher and emptied it in one draught,
+saying, "Now say only what is well for you!"
+
+The wine made David drunk, and when he let his head fall the matchmakers
+drew their swords to strike him, but when he raised his head they
+concealed their swords. They began this again when Godfather Gorgis
+called out: "Think not that you are in Georgia! No, this is a dangerous
+country." And when David heard him he said, "Now stand bravely at the
+door!"
+
+The matchmakers sprang up and as they ran each gave Gorgis a box on the
+ear and escaped. David then turned to Gorgis and said: "Where can I see
+Chandud-Chanum?"
+
+"In the garden of the King," Gorgis answered. "To-day is Friday and she
+will be there. Before her walk twenty slaves, and twenty walk behind
+her. We will go to-day and see her there."
+
+So Gorgis and David went thither and concealed themselves behind the
+garden wall and waited. The slaves passed by one after another, and,
+when Chandud-Chanum came, David put his arm around her neck and kissed
+her three times. Chandud-Chanum said not a word. He kissed her again.
+Chandud-Chanum seized him by the collar and threw him against the wall
+so that the blood gushed from his nose.
+
+David was angry and was going to mount his horse. "Godfather Gorgis," he
+said, "lead out my horse. I will destroy the city and depart."
+
+Gorgis began to plead: "I pray you, put it off till morning. It is dark
+now. At daybreak arise and destroy the city and depart."
+
+David lay in bed and could not sleep from anger. "Would it were dawn
+that I might rise and destroy the city and get away from here," he
+thought to himself.
+
+Chandud-Chanum was still walking in the garden. A lame slave came to her
+and said: "Thy walk will end sadly. Take care, David is going to destroy
+the city and depart."
+
+She took the cloth in which her evening meal had been brought, and
+wrapped her head in it. She turned and went straightway into the castle
+where David was and knocked at his door.
+
+David said: "What insolent people live here! They will not wait till
+morning, but say, 'Arise, destroy the city and be off!'"
+
+Gorgis arose and looked out of the window and said, "These are women,
+not men," and they opened the door.
+
+Chandud-Chanum came to David and said: "You kissed me first for the
+fatigue of your journey, a second time for yourself, and a third time
+for God's sake. Why did you kiss me a fourth time? You are the son of
+your father and I am the daughter of mine. It has been said: Take to
+yourself a wife that you may have a son who is like his uncle. Do you
+think you have brought me the heads of the giants Hamsa of Lori and
+Schibikan of Chorassan, that you kiss me a fourth time?"
+
+David's heart softened and he said: "If that is so I will go out at
+daybreak and bring you their heads." Then he added: "Very well, I go; if
+they are stronger than I they will kill me. For God's sake come and seek
+my body. On the right hand I have a birth-mark--a cross--by that you
+shall know me. Bring my body back and bury it."
+
+So David set out. The giants perceived a rider coming, for the dust from
+his horse's hoofs rose to heaven: "This rider comes to fight with us.
+Perhaps he is of the race of Sergo."[28]
+
+[28] Sergo-Sarkus (Sergius) so the Kurds called the Christians,
+regarding them as descendants of St. Sergius, who is very popular among
+the Armenians of Wan and Musch.
+
+They called to him, saying: "Ho, fellow! who are you, and whence come
+you? Do you know Chandud-Chanum? Will you take this ring to her?"
+
+David said: "Certainly I know her, but I have come to take your heads to
+the Princess Chandud. I know nothing about your rings!"
+
+The eyebrows of Schibikan of Chorassan hung down over his breast and he
+fastened them across his back. Hamsa of Lori had an underlip so long
+that it reached the ground and swept it.
+
+David and the giants began to hack and hew each other and they fought
+with clubs and bows until night. David cried: "I believe in the high and
+holy cross of Maratuk," and took his sword and cut both their heads off.
+He bound their hair together and hung them across his horse like saddle
+bags and their tongues furrowed the ground like a plough.
+
+David rode away with their heads and had already traversed half the way
+when he saw approaching him, riding between heaven and earth, a rider,
+who called out to him! "Do you think you have conquered the giants
+Schibikan and Hamsa?" The rider sprang behind David and struck at him
+with a club. He crawled under the saddle and the club struck the stirrup
+and tore it loose, and it fell to the ground. David sprang out from
+under the saddle and cried: "Bread and wine, as the Lord liveth!" and
+swung his club over his enemy. The enemy dodged the blow, but his hair
+fell away from his face. David looked and recognized Chandud-Chanum; she
+had disguised herself and had come to meet him.
+
+"O shameless woman!" David said. "You would disgrace me a second time."
+
+They rode together into Chandud-Chanum's city. They arrived and
+dismounted and called Chandud-Chanum's father. David said to him: "Will
+you give me your daughter for a wife?"
+
+Her father said: "I will not give her to you. If you will marry her and
+live here, I will give her to you. If you must take her away, I will not
+give her. How can I do otherwise? I have enemies all around me; they
+will destroy my city."
+
+And David said: "I will marry her and stay here. I will not take her
+away."
+
+So they were married and celebrated the wedding, feasting seven days and
+seven nights.
+
+The time passed by unheeded, and when nine months, nine days and nine
+hours had passed, God sent them a son.
+
+And David said to Chandud-Chanum: "If this child is mine, he must have a
+mark--he will show great strength." They put the child in
+swaddling-clothes, but instead of bands they bound him with
+plough-chains. He began to cry and stir in his cradle and the chain
+snapped into pieces.
+
+They sent word to David: "The youngster is a stout fellow. He has
+broken the chains. But one of his hands seems hurt. He clenches his
+fist, and no one can open it."
+
+David came and sat down, looked at the hand and opened it. In the hand
+he found a little lump of clotted blood. "The whole world is to him as a
+drop of blood, and he will hold it in his hand. If he lives he will do
+wonderful deeds."
+
+Then they christened the boy and gave him the name of Mcher.
+
+Time passed and the boy grew fast, and David left him in Kachiswan with
+his grandparents, and took Chandud-Chanum with him to Sassun. The men of
+Chlat[29] heard David's coming and they assembled an army, built a
+rampart, formed their wagons into a fortress, and began to give battle.
+When Chandud-Chanum sent her lance against the wall she shattered it and
+the wagons flew seven leagues away. Then David went forward and drove
+the fighters away, saying to them: "Ye men of Chlat! what shameless
+people ye be! Ye wage war on women! Let me but take my wife to Sassun
+and I will come back, and we will fight it out."
+
+[29] The city of Chlat (Turkish "Achlat") lies northwest of the Sea of
+Wan. In olden times it was famous for its splendor, its high walls, and
+its citadel. The inhabitants had been injured by David's father and
+wished to avenge themselves.
+
+But the men of Chlat believed him not. "Swear to us by the holy cross
+you carry; then we will believe you," said they.
+
+David touched the token with his hand as he thought, but the cross was
+there and he knew it not, and the power of the cross was that no one
+could swear by it.
+
+He took Chandud-Chanum to Sassun. Here he first knew that he had sworn
+on the cross, for he found the cross lying at his left shoulder where
+the token had been.
+
+"Now it will go badly with me," said David. "Whether I go or whether I
+stay, it will go badly with me. And I must go."
+
+He advanced, therefore, to give battle, and the men of Chlat pressed him
+sorely. His horse was caught in the reedy marsh of Tschechur.[30] With
+difficulty he crawled out of the bog and reached the waters of the
+Lochur.[31]
+
+[30] A marsh at the outlet of the Kara-Su, a tributary of the Euphrates.
+
+[31] A small river which empties into the Sea of Wan not far from Chlat.
+
+Once Abamelik had lingered at the house of Ibraham Aga, and forcibly
+entered the sleeping-room of his wife. Her name was Schemschen-Chanum.
+She had borne a daughter to Abamelik, who was now an ardent Mahometan.
+This daughter took up her bow and arrows and concealed herself on the
+sloping river-bank. When David bathed in the waters of Locher she shot
+him, assassin-like, with an arrow in the back. David arose and made a
+great outcry and his voice sounded even up to Sassun. Zoenow-Owan,
+Chorassan, Uncle Toross, Tschoentschchapokrik, and Zoeranwegi came
+together, for they heard the voice of David. And Zoenow-Owan called to
+him from Sassun, "We are coming."
+
+And they went forth to help David, who heard in the water the voice of
+his kinsmen. They came to the river and found David, who said:
+"Zoenow-Owan, she seemed frightened at our calling. Go and find her."
+
+And they sought and found the blue-eyed maiden. David seized her by one
+foot, trod on the other, tore her in pieces, and threw her into the
+village at the foot of the mountain. From this deed he named the village
+Tschiwtis-Tschapkis.[32] The village lies at the mouth of the Tschechur
+and is called Tschapkis to this day.
+
+[32] Literally, "I will tear in pieces and scatter."
+
+The brothers took David with them and moved on to Sassun. And after four
+days David died, and his brothers mourned for him. They went to
+Chandud-Chanum to console her and wish her long life; but Chandud-Chanum
+said, "Ah, me, after David's death I am but the subject of your scorn."
+
+And Tschoentschchapokrik said: "Chandud-Chanum, weep not, weep not. David
+is dead, but my head is still whole."
+
+Chandud-Chanum climbed the tower and threw herself down. Her head struck
+a stone and made a hole in it, and into this hole the men of Sassun pour
+millet and grind as the people of Moesr do; and every traveller from Moesr
+stops there before the castle to see the stone.
+
+The brothers came to see the body of Chandud-Chanum, and they pressed on
+her breasts and milk flowed therefrom. They said: "Surely she has a
+child! If there is a child it must be in Kachiswan."[33] And they set out
+for Kachiswan and said to the governor: "A child of our brother and
+sister-in-law lives here. Where is it?"
+
+[33] The small city of Kagisman, not far from Kars.
+
+"It is not here."
+
+"We have a sign. In the breast of our sister-in-law was milk."
+
+Then the governor said: "She had a daughter, but it is dead."
+
+"We have a test for that also--for our dead. The grave of one dead one
+year is one step long, of one dead two years, two steps long, and so
+on."
+
+They went to the church-yard and found not a single grave which stood
+their test.
+
+Zoenow-Owan said: "Bind leather bands about me. I will cry out."
+
+The truth was, they had dug a cellar for Mcher underground, and hid him
+there and watched over him.
+
+The brothers bound Zoenow-Owan about the body and he cried out. Mcher
+knew his voice and would have gone to him, but his grandmother said to
+him: "That is not the voice of thy kinsman. It is the noise of children
+and the beating of drums."
+
+When Mcher heard the voice for the third time he beat down the door and
+went out. One door destroyed the other. By a blow of his fist he sent
+the first door against the second, the second against the third, and so
+all seven doors were shattered.
+
+Mcher saw his uncles from afar, but his father was not there. He asked,
+and his uncle told him the men of Chlat had slain his father. He fell
+upon his face and wept, and as he lay there his uncles wished to lift
+him, but exert themselves as they would they could not move him.
+
+The tears of Mcher furrowed the earth and flowed like a river. After
+three days he arose, mounted his father's horse, and rode to Chlat. He
+circled the town and destroyed it--as it is even to this day. Then he
+ascended the mountain Memrut[34] and saw the smoke of the ruins grow ever
+denser. Only one old woman remained alive. He seized her, and, bending
+two trees down, bound her feet to the trees and let them loose. And thus
+he killed her. Since then no smoke ascends from Chlat.
+
+[34] A high mountain not far from Chlat northwest of the Sea of Wan.
+Many interesting legends about it exist. Haik, the ancestor of the
+Armenian Nimrod, is said to be buried here.
+
+Mcher permitted his uncles to return to their own dwelling-places and
+himself rode toward Tosp.
+
+Men say he is still there, and they show his house, and even now water
+flows from the rocks for his horse.
+
+On Ascension-night the door of Mcher's rock opens. But it is decreed
+that he shall not go out: the floor holds him not, his feet sink into
+the earth.
+
+Once on Ascension-night a shepherd saw Mcher's door open, and the
+shepherd entered. Mcher asked him: "By what occupation do you live?"
+
+"By brains," said the shepherd.
+
+Then Mcher said: "We shall see what kind of brains you have! Take the
+nose-bag of my horse and hang it around his neck."
+
+The shepherd tried with all his might, but could not lift the bag. He
+led the horse to the bag, opened it, and put the straps around the
+horse's neck. The horse raised his head and lifted the bag. The shepherd
+led him back to his place and said, "That is the sort of brains by which
+we live in the world."
+
+Then the shepherd said, "Mcher, when will you leave this place?"
+
+Mcher answered: "When plum-trees bear wheat and wild-rose bushes barley,
+it is appointed I shall leave this place."
+
+And three apples fell down from heaven--one for the story-teller, one
+for the hearer, and the other for the whole world.
+
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+
+THE RUINED FAMILY
+
+BY
+
+GABRIEL SUNDUKIANZ
+
+
+[_Translated by F.B. Collins, B.S._]
+
+
+
+DRAMATIS PERSONAE
+
+OSSEP GULABIANZ, a merchant.
+SALOME, his wife.
+NATO, his daughter.
+CHACHO, Ossep's aunt.
+GEWO, a merchant, Ossep's friend.
+ALEXANDER MARMAROW, a young official.
+BARSSEGH LEPROINK, a merchant.
+KHALI, his wife.
+MOSI, Leproink's relative.
+MICHO, shop-boy at Leproink's.
+DARTSCHO, clerk at Leproink's.
+MARTHA, Salome's friend.
+
+Guests, an executor, his secretary, creditors, witnesses, and several
+servants.
+
+The scene is Tiflis. The first and third acts take place in Ossep's
+house, the second in Barssegh's.
+
+
+THE RUINED FAMILY
+
+
+ACT I
+
+_Well-furnished room with open door in centre and ante-room behind. To
+the left in foreground a window looking out upon a garden. To the right
+a sofa, in front of which is a table. To the left a tachta[35] with a
+ketscha[36] and several mutakas.[37] A side door._
+
+[35] Broad, low sofa.
+
+[36] Carpet.
+
+[37] Long, round pillows.
+
+
+
+
+SCENE I
+
+_Salome. Chacho_.
+
+
+SALOME [_from back of stage_]. You're welcome. Come, come, I beg of you.
+Dear aunt, how can I thank you for taking the trouble to come here!
+
+CHACHO [_covered by a tschadra[38] enters from the right of the
+ante-chamber_]. Good-morning! [_Taking off the tschadra._] Why did you
+send for me in such haste?
+                    [_Gives one end of the tschadra to Salome_.
+
+[38] A long veil, covering the head and upper part of the body.
+
+SALOME [_taking hold of one end of the tschadra_]. Dear aunt, I am in
+such a desperate mood that if someone were to pierce my heart not a drop
+of blood would flow.
+                    [_While she is speaking they fold the tschadra_.
+
+CHACHO. So it seems that it cannot be managed?
+
+SALOME. How could it be managed, dear aunt? They insist upon having
+8,000 rubles. Ossep will not give so much. You know what a miser he is!
+
+CHACHO. Yes, he is really odd.
+
+SALOME. But, dear aunt, God would surely not allow an affair like this
+to come to nothing for the sake of 2,000 rubles. What, am I to let a man
+of such social position and such brilliancy escape me?
+
+CHACHO. Great heaven, how can anyone be so obstinate!
+
+SALOME. That is just why I begged you to come to us. Speak to Ossep
+about it, and perhaps your words will soften him.
+
+CHACHO. I will talk with him; yes, indeed, I will talk to him. We cannot
+neglect a matter of such importance, my child. [_Lays the tschadra under
+the tachta covering the ketscha and sits down on it_.] Great heaven, how
+sore the pavement has made my feet!
+
+SALOME [_seating herself on a chair_]. May God reward you, dear aunt!
+May the Holy Mother be a protectress for your children as you are now
+for my Nato.
+
+CHACHO. Is not Nato my child also? Is she a stranger to me? I am
+altogether charmed with her beautiful form. But where is the child? Is
+she not at home?
+
+SALOME. Yes, certainly; she is dressing. You understand, dear aunt, how
+you are to talk to him? Perhaps you will succeed with him. They expect
+the final answer to-day; this morning the young man's sister was here,
+and she may be here again any minute.
+
+CHACHO. Don't be afraid, dear child. Calm yourself. Where is Ossep? What
+does he think about it?
+
+SALOME. He is busy, but he will be here directly. He says, and insists
+upon it, that he will allow our daughter to marry no one but a business
+man.
+
+CHACHO. He is right, my child; a good business man is worth much. Yes;
+is not one who has money in his pockets the best?
+
+SALOME. Oh, how you talk! What business man is to be compared with
+Alexander Marmarow! Is there any business man worthy to untie his
+shoe-strings? His politeness alone is worth more than ten business men.
+Lately he honored us with a visit, and I was so fascinated with his
+manners! and beside he is still young; is handsome; is educated; has a
+good position and a good salary and will advance every day--everybody
+says so. Perhaps some day he will be governor.
+
+CHACHO. That is all very well, dear Salome; but if the thing cannot be
+done, what then? One must submit, to some extent, to the head of the
+family. A good business man never suffers from hunger, and lives without
+wanting anything. I don't know what has gotten into your heads.
+Officials! always officials!
+
+SALOME. You speak well, dear aunt, but Nato would not marry a business
+man at any price. I would thank God if she would. Would I be so stupid
+as not to be glad of it? The deuce take these times! This comes of too
+much study: the girls now mind neither father nor mother!
+
+CHACHO. Yes; how the world has changed! The streams and the hills are
+the same, but the people are different! But, by the way, Salome, do you
+know what I have heard? They say that Leproink is trying for him also;
+is that true?
+
+SALOME. Yes, yes, dear aunt, a lot of go-betweens go to his house. But
+God will surely not let a man like that become his son-in-law while my
+daughter is left to become the wife of a shopkeeper.
+
+CHACHO. Who would have believed that this Barssegh would have worked
+himself up like that! Yet God be praised! Perhaps it is the times that
+bring it about. Yesterday or the day before he was a shop-boy at
+Basaschoma,[39] and now! I can picture him as he was then! He wore a
+_tschocha_[40] of green camelot with a narrow purple belt. The wadding
+stuck out at his elbows and his boots were mended in four places. Great
+piles of goods were loaded on the poor devil's shoulders. Many a time,
+with the yardstick in one hand, he came to our houses with whole pieces
+of calico and got a few pennies from us for his trouble. And now he is a
+man of some importance! Many's the time we gave him a cuff and sent him
+back and forth with his goods. And, Salome, do you know that he lied?
+God save us from such lies! But what could he do? One would die of
+hunger, to be sure, if one always told the truth.
+
+[39] A bazaar in Tiflis.
+
+[40] A long overcoat.
+
+SALOME. Yes, yes, dear aunt, it is the same Barssegh--whom they all call
+"Wassil Matwejitsch" now.
+
+CHACHO. What! have they turned Mathus, his father, into Matjewitsch? Who
+is good enough for them now? Many a time has the cobbler, Mathus, mended
+my shoes. His workshop was in the Norasch quarter. O good heavens, the
+world is upside down!
+
+
+
+
+SCENE II
+
+
+NATO [_entering at right_]. Mamma! O aunt, are you here, too?
+                    [_Hugs her and kisses her_.
+
+CHACHO. O my only treasure! [_Kisses her_.] How fresh and pretty you
+are! Where are you going? Are you going out when I have just come?
+
+NATO. What are you saying, dear aunt? I will come back again
+immediately. I am only going to make a few purchases at the bazaar.
+[_Turning to Salome_] Dear mamma----
+                    [_They begin to speak together in a low tone_.
+
+CHACHO [_aside_]. Yes, yes, her father is right! [_Aloud._] I will go
+and see what the children are doing [_trying to rise_]. Come here, you
+pretty rogue, and give me your hand. I feel exhausted.
+                    [_Nato helps her_.
+
+SALOME [_offering her hand_]. Let me help you, too.
+
+CHACHO. May God give you health and a life as long as mine! [_To Nato:_]
+O my heart's angel--if only I have my wish and see you wear the bridal
+wreath!
+
+SALOME. God grant it, dear aunt!
+
+CHACHO. He will, he will, my child! [_Going toward the entrance._] Good
+heaven! how old I have grown!
+                    [_Goes out at the left._
+
+
+
+
+SCENE III
+
+
+NATO. Don't keep me waiting, mamma.
+
+SALOME. And won't a little less satisfy you? Why do you want so much all
+of a sudden?
+
+NATO. But, dear mamma, please; I want it so much!
+
+SALOME [_putting her hand in her pocket_]. I can never get away from
+you.
+                    [_Takes out her purse and looks for something in it._
+
+NATO [_holding out her hand_]. You have it there, mamma.
+
+SALOME. Have a little patience. [_Takes out some money and gives it to
+her_.] Take it! take it! though I know your father will scold about it.
+
+NATO. But what can I do, when I need it so badly?
+
+SALOME. Need it--nonsense! There is no end of your needs. [_Pulling at
+Nato's hat._] How have you put your hat on again? And the flowers are
+all pulled apart.
+                    [_Arranges it._
+
+NATO. Bah! what difference does that make?
+
+SALOME. You're crazy! [_Removes her veil._] How have you put on your
+veil? I must ever and eternally fix something on you!
+
+NATO. You will make me too beautiful, mamma.
+
+SALOME. Whether I make you beautiful or not, it will make no difference.
+You will be only the wife of a merchant.
+
+NATO. Yes, yes, I have been expecting that!
+
+SALOME. And you really think that your father will ask you?
+
+NATO. And whom should he ask?
+
+SALOME. Think what you will; he will not let his decision be altered by
+you. He says, "I will give her only to a business man."
+
+NATO. Yes, yes, surely.
+
+SALOME. By heaven!
+
+NATO. Mamma, is what you say true?
+
+SALOME. As true as the sun shines above you. He spoke of it again
+to-day.
+
+NATO. It is decided, then?
+
+SALOME. What am I to do if there is no other way out? You know we have
+not any too much money.
+
+NATO. And you are going to make a shopkeeper's wife of me, so that
+everyone will laugh at me [_ready to cry_]; so that I shall be an object
+of scorn for all. And why have you had me so well educated? Have I
+learned Russian and French and piano-playing for a man of that sort?
+What does a shopkeeper want of a piano? Pickle-jars and butter-tubs are
+useful to him, but not my French! I am curious as to how he would speak
+to me: _Moi aller, vous joli tu voir_.
+
+SALOME. Enough! enough! you wild girl!
+
+NATO [_crying_]. It is out of the question, mamma. No, not for the
+world could I marry a business man! I will not have one! I would rather
+jump into the water than marry one! [_Crying, she gives the money
+back_.] Take it back! What do I need it for now? Why should I go out and
+make purchases? For whom, then?
+                    [_Takes off her mantle, flings her parasol aside, sits
+                         down on the sofa and begins to cry_.
+
+SALOME. O great heaven! is this not torture? I get it on both sides.
+[_Turning to Nato_:] Be still, you stupid girl!
+
+NATO. For this I have learned so much; for this you have brought me up
+so grandly and given yourself so much trouble and care! [_Weeping_.] Is
+he, also, to take me walking on the boulevard? Is he to accompany me to
+the club and to the theatre?
+                    [_Sobbing_.
+
+SALOME. Be quiet! Enough! Give yourself no unnecessary heartache.
+
+NATO [_jumps up and embraces Salome_]. Dear, dear mamma! dearest mamma,
+save me!
+
+SALOME. Oh, rather would your mother be dead than to see this day!
+
+NATO. Dear mamma, save me! save me, or I shall go into consumption! God
+is my witness!
+
+SALOME [_weeping_]. The deuce take everything!
+                    [_Wipes away her tears_.
+
+NATO. Mamma, if you please, I would rather not marry at all. I will
+serve you here at home like a housemaid. Only make them stop this
+affair!
+
+SALOME. That has already happened, my child.
+
+NATO. Dear mamma, please do it.
+
+SALOME. But I tell you, truly.
+
+NATO. Is it really true?
+
+SALOME. As true as the sun shines.
+
+NATO [_kissing Salome_]. O my dear, dear mamma!
+
+SALOME. At last I am rid of you. Your eyes are real tear-fountains. It
+would not have taken much more to make me cry, too.
+
+NATO [_laughing_]. Ha! ha! ha!
+
+SALOME. You can laugh now.
+
+NATO. Ha! ha! ha! you gave me such a fright!
+
+SALOME. You are terribly flighty. [_Presses the money into her hand_.]
+Here, take it; and do not be too long.
+                    [_Smoothes Nato's hair_.
+
+NATO [_pulling herself away from her mother_]. Very well, mamma.
+                    [_Taking her parasol and mantle_.
+
+SALOME. Wipe your eyes, I pray, or they will laugh at you!
+
+NATO. They are quite dry; and what does anybody care about my eyes?
+                    [_Going._
+
+SALOME. Come back soon; don't allow yourself to be delayed.
+
+NATO. I will come back right away, dear mamma.
+                    [_Goes toward the right into the ante-room._
+
+
+
+
+SCENE IV
+
+
+SALOME [_alone_]. No, there is no other way out. Cost what it will, I
+shall accomplish what I want. Yes, I must, if I am ruined by it. Mother
+of God, plead for my Nato!
+
+OSSEP [_enters, right_]. Where has Nato gone?
+
+SALOME. Just across the way, to the store. She needed some music.
+
+OSSEP. These are fine times for me! And a girl like this is to become a
+good citizen's wife! [_Sits down on the sofa_.
+
+SALOME [_coming near_]. That is what I say, too, dear Ossep. [_Lays hand
+on his shoulder_.] Are you not sorry? Is it not too bad about her?
+
+OSSEP. I am still more to be pitied; but who pities me? SALOME. Shall we
+really give her to a business man for a wife?
+
+OSSEP. And what else? Is a merchant such a bad fellow? To judge by your
+words, I also am good for nothing; I who, day and night, worry myself to
+get you bread.
+
+SALOME [_embracing him_]. How can you say such a thing, dear Ossep?
+Listen to me; are you not sorry for Nato? It would be quite different if
+she had been educated as I was.
+
+OSSEP [_smiling_]. Hm! Then she would be the right sort.
+
+SALOME [_draws back her hand_]. You are very polite, really! You laugh
+at poor me! Well, talk as you like, but finish this affair with Nato.
+
+OSSEP. I have already finished it. What will you have of me?
+
+SALOME. How, then? You will not give as much as they demand.
+
+OSSEP. How can I give it when I have not so much?
+
+SALOME [_embracing him_]. Dear Ossep, please do it.
+
+OSSEP. But I cannot do it.
+
+SALOME [_still pleading_]. If you love me only a little bit, you will do
+me this favor.
+
+OSSEP. O woman! Can you not understand at all what yes and no mean? I
+tell you short and plain that I cannot afford to do it. My back is too
+weak to lift such a burden. A man can stretch out his feet in bed only
+as far as the covers reach. Isn't that true? Am I stingy? And would I be
+stingy toward my own child?
+
+SALOME. But in this case no one asks whether we have it or not. Would it
+not be stupid to have such a lover for your daughter and not sacrifice
+everything for him? Others, indeed, have no great wealth, and yet give
+and are not called crazy.
+
+OSSEP. Perhaps they have stolen money, since it is so easy for them to
+give it up. However, what is the use of so much talk? Take the cotton
+out of your ears and listen, for, I tell you, I have no money; and I
+repeat, I have no money. To-day or to-morrow I expect the conclusion of
+important business. If it is not completed, I am lost, body and soul.
+And you stand before me and torture me by asking me to do what is
+impossible!
+
+SALOME. But why do you seem so angry? One cannot even open one's mouth
+before you.
+                    [_Seats herself sulking on the tachta_.
+
+OSSEP. Yes, I am angry. You women would exasperate an angel, let alone a
+man!
+
+SALOME [_reproachfully_]. Just heaven! with my heart bleeding, I speak
+to you of our daughter and you are angry! You, then, are her father? Let
+us suppose I was dead: would it not be your sacred duty to provide for
+her future?
+
+OSSEP. Am I not providing for her, you wicked woman? Have I not
+presented three or four young persons to you as sons-in-law? For that
+matter, they would still be very glad to take her. They are young,
+clever, and industrious, and, moreover, persons of our condition in
+life. But who can be reasonable and speak to you? You have got it into
+your head that Nato's husband shall be an official, and there you stick.
+It is not your daughter's future that makes your heart bleed, but your
+own ambition.
+
+SALOME. What more can I say to you? Are they, then, your equals? Who are
+they, properly speaking? Who are their parents?
+
+OSSEP [_springing up_]. And who are you, then? Whose daughter, whose
+wife are you? Perhaps you are descended from King Heraclius; or perhaps
+you are the wife of a prince!
+
+SALOME. How the man talks! Were your parents of better rank than mine?
+What? Say!
+
+
+
+
+SCENE V
+
+
+_Chacho_.
+
+CHACHO [_enters, left_]. What's all this noise about?
+
+OSSEP. O aunt, you are here?
+
+CHACHO. Yes, it is I, as I love and live. How are you, my son?
+
+OSSEP. Pretty well, thank God. And how are you, aunt?
+
+CHACHO. My dear son, I am very feeble. But what is going on here? They
+must have heard your voices in the street.
+
+SALOME. Do you not know that married people often have little quarrels?
+
+CHACHO. That I know a hundred times better than you. And only a
+blockhead takes a dispute between man and wife seriously. That is true;
+but that you two have already had time to get used to each other is also
+true.
+
+OSSEP. Sit down, dear aunt. Tell me, rather, whether a wagon can be
+moved when one ox pulls to the right and the other to the left.
+
+CHACHO. It will not stir from its place any more than I will now.
+[_Sits down with legs planted firmly_.] What can move me away from here?
+
+OSSEP. Now, is it not true? One must help the other, for one alone
+cannot accomplish much, be he ever so strong and ready to work.
+
+SALOME. Oh, yes! and you are the one ready to work and I am the lazy
+one, I suppose.
+
+OSSEP. For heaven's sake, do not fly into a passion like that!
+
+CHACHO [_to Salome_]. That was nothing more than a figure of speech. Who
+is accusing you of laziness?
+
+OSSEP [_sitting down_]. Tell me, can we count ourselves among those
+persons who can give their daughter 10,000 rubles for a dowry? Are we
+able to do that?
+
+SALOME. Eight thousand is surely not 10,000.
+
+OSSEP. Both are too much for me.
+
+SALOME. Oh, it is all the same to me; it is not for myself; it is for
+your daughter.
+                    [_Sits down, ready to cry, upon the sofa_.
+
+OSSEP. It is a beautiful thing, the way you look out for your daughter;
+but everything has its time and place. We have, remember, two other
+daughters to provide for.
+
+CHACHO. Dear Ossep, why are you so obstinate?
+
+OSSEP. I am not obstinate; but you two are. Yes, you are obstinate, and
+will pay no attention at all to what I say.
+
+CHACHO. Since when have you become such a niggard? You should have
+economized when you gave the sasandars[41] something like ten rubles for
+a fee.
+
+[41] Musicians.
+
+OSSEP. Those times have passed and won't come back again, dear aunt. At
+that time I was able to do it; but not now. Trade is dull and my
+business is going badly.
+
+CHACHO. Possibly with your enemies, dear son; but there is nothing the
+matter with your business.
+
+OSSEP [_aside_]. There you have it! They insist that I let them inspect
+my books. [_Aloud_.] Do you know, what, aunt? What I say I first
+consider, for I do not like to speak to no purpose. If that young man
+pleases you and my daughter, and you will have him at all hazards, I
+have nothing against it. So therefore go to him; and if you can settle
+the affair with 6,000 rubles, do it. I will gladly make the best of it;
+but mind, this is my last word, and if you hang me up by the feet, I
+will not add a single shilling.
+
+CHACHO. What has come over you, Ossep? If you are willing to give 6,000
+rubles, you will surely not let the whole thing go to pieces for the
+sake of 500 or 1,000 more?
+
+OSSEP. Do you know what, aunt? Even if a voice from heaven were to
+demand it of me, that is my last word. Even if you flayed me alive, I
+would not give another shilling.
+
+CHACHO. Do not excite yourself, dear son. Let us first see. Perhaps it
+can be settled with 6,000 rubles.
+
+OSSEP. Yes, to that even I say yes.
+
+SALOME. If a man can give 6,000, he can surely give 1,000 or 2,000 more.
+Why do you fret yourself unnecessarily?
+
+OSSEP [_aroused_]. God deliver me from the hands of these women! They
+say that one woman can get the best of two men; and here I am alone and
+fallen into the hands of two of you. Where, then, have you discovered
+this confounded fellow of a son-in-law? That comes of his visits. What
+has he to do with us? We are entirely different kind of people. [_To
+Salome_:] He is neither your brother nor your cousin; why, then, does he
+come running into our house? I believe he has been here as many as three
+times. I decline once and for all his visits. May his foot never cross
+my threshold!
+
+CHACHO. Do not get excited, my son. Do not be vexed.
+
+OSSEP. Now, aunt, you come so seldom to our house, and just to-day you
+happen in: how does that come?
+
+CHACHO. If you are so vexed about my visit, go down in the cellar and
+cool yourself off a little.
+
+OSSEP. I am a man; do you understand me? If I tell you that I can give
+no more, you should believe me.
+
+CHACHO. We believe it, truly; we believe it, but we must say to you,
+nevertheless, that the dowry that a man gives his daughter means a great
+deal. It does not mean buying a house, when it is laudable to be
+economical. No; where the dowry is concerned, a man must think neither
+of his pocket nor of his money-box. You were acquainted with Jegor? Did
+he not sell his last house and afterward lived like a beggar to give
+his daughter a proper dowry? When he died, was there not money for his
+burial? That you know yourself very well. Are you any poorer than he,
+that you grumble like a bear about 2,000 rubles?
+
+OSSEP. O great Heavens! they will bring me to despair yet. Isn't this a
+punishment of Providence, to bring up a daughter, spend a lot of money
+on her education, and when you have done everything, then hang a bag of
+gold around her neck, so that she may find someone who is kind enough to
+take her home with him? A pretty custom!
+
+SALOME. Against the manners and customs of the world you can do nothing,
+however.
+
+OSSEP. The devil take your manners and customs! If you hold so fast to
+old ways, then stick to all of them. Is it an old custom to wear,
+instead of Georgian shoes, little boots--and with men's heels, too? And
+that a girl should be ashamed to go with her own people and should walk
+around on the arm of a strange young man: is that also one of the good
+old customs? Where can we find anything of the good old manners and
+customs of our fathers, in the living or eating or housekeeping, or in
+the clothing, or in balls and society? What! was it so in old times? Do
+you still talk about old manners and customs? If once we begin to live
+after the new fashion, let us follow it in all things. Why do we still
+need to have bedclothes for twenty-four beds for guests? Why do we use
+the old cupboard and cake-oven and sofa-cover? Why does one not visit a
+mother with a young baby and stay whole months with them? Why does one
+invite 100 persons to a wedding and give funeral feasts and let eighty
+women mourners come and howl like so many dervishes? And what is that
+yonder [_points to the furniture_]? That one is old-fashioned and the
+others new-fashioned. If we can have one kind, why do we use the
+other? [_Silent awhile_.
+
+SALOME. Well, well! don't be angry! So you will give 6,000 rubles--you
+have promised it. What is lacking I will procure.
+
+OSSEP. You will procure it? Where, then, will you get it? Not some of
+your own dowry, I hope.
+
+SALOME. I had no dowry. Why do you tease me with that? No, everything I
+have I will sell or pawn. The pearls, my gold ornaments, I will take off
+of my _katiba_. The gold buttons can be melted. My brooch and my
+necklace, with twelve strings of pearls, I will also sell; and, if it is
+necessary, even the gold pins from my velvet cap must go. Let it all go!
+I will sacrifice everything for my Nato. I would give my head to keep
+the young man from slipping through my hands.
+                    [_Exit hastily at left_.
+
+
+
+
+SCENE VI
+
+_Ossep. Chacho_.
+
+
+OSSEP. Have you ever seen anything like it, aunt? I ask you, aunt, does
+that seem right?
+
+CHACHO. My son, who takes a thing like that to heart?
+
+OSSEP. She is obstinate as a mule. Say, does she not deserve to be
+soundly beaten, now?
+
+CHACHO. It only needed this--that you should say such a thing! As many
+years as you have lived together you have never harmed a hair of her
+head; then all of a sudden you begin to talk like this. Is that
+generous?
+
+OSSEP. O aunt! I have had enough of it all. Were another man in my
+place, he would have had a separation long ago. [_Sits down_.] If she
+sees on anyone a new dress that pleases her, I must buy one like it for
+her; if a thing pleases her anywhere in a house, she wants one in her
+house; and if I don't get it for her she loses her senses. It is, for
+all the world, as though she belonged to the monkey tribe. Can a man
+endure it any longer?
+
+CHACHO. The women are all so, my son. Why do you fret yourself so much
+on that account?
+
+OSSEP. Yes, yes; you have the habit of making out that all women are
+alike--all! all! If other people break their heads against a stone,
+shall I do the same? No; I do what pleases myself, and not what pleases
+others.
+
+CHACHO. Ossep, what nonsense are you talking? As I was coming here,
+even, I saw a laborer's wife so dressed up that a princess could hardly
+be compared with her. She had on a lilac silk dress and a splendid shawl
+on her head, fine, well-fitting gloves, and in her hand she held a satin
+parasol. I stood staring, open-mouthed, as she passed. Moreover, she
+trailed behind her a train three yards long. I tell you my heart was sad
+when I saw how she swept the street with that beautiful dress and
+dragged along all sorts of rubbish with it. I really do not see why they
+still have street-sweepers. It was a long time before I could turn my
+eyes from her, and thought to myself, Lord, one can't tell the high from
+the low nowadays! And what can one say to the others if a laborer's wife
+puts on so much style?
+
+OSSEP. I said that very thing. I have just spoken of it. A new public
+official has just arrived. She sees that others want to marry their
+daughters to him, and she runs, head first, against the wall to get
+ahead of them.
+
+CHACHO. You are really peculiar. You have, you say, not enough money to
+provide a dowry for your daughter, and yet you brought her up and
+educated her in the fashion. For what has she learned to play the piano,
+then? Consider everything carefully.
+
+OSSEP. Devil take this education! Of what good is this education if it
+ruins me? Is that sort of an education for the like of us? Ought we not
+to live as our fathers lived and stay in our own sphere, so that we
+could eat our bread with a good appetite? What kind of a life is that of
+the present day? Where is the appetizing bread of earlier times?
+Everything that one eats is smeared with gall! For what do I need a
+_salon_ and a parlor, a cook and a footman? If a man stretches himself
+too much in his coat the seams must burst!
+
+CHACHO. If you don't want to have all those things can't you manage the
+house another way? Who is to blame for it?
+
+OSSEP. Have I managed it so? I wish he may break his neck who brought it
+all to pass! I haven't done it; it came of itself, and how it happened I
+don't know Oftentimes when I look back over my early days I see that
+things were very different twenty years ago. It seems to me I have to
+live like an ambassador! [_Stands up_.] We are all the same, yes, we all
+go the same pace. Wherever you go you find the same conditions, and no
+one questions whether his means permit it. If a man who has 10,000
+rubles lives so, I say nothing; but if one with an income of 1,000
+rubles imitates him, then my good-nature stops. What are the poorer
+people to learn from us if we give them such an example? Weren't the old
+times much better? In a single _darbas_[42] we all lived together; three
+or four brothers and their families. We saved in light and heat, and the
+blessing of God was with us. Now in that respect it is wholly different.
+If one brother spends fifty rubles, the other spends double the sum, so
+as not to be behind him. And what kind of brothers are there now, as a
+rule? And what kind of sisters and fathers and mothers? If you were to
+chain them together you could not hold them together a week at a time.
+If it is not a punishment from God, I don't know what is.
+
+[42] Hall.
+
+CHACHO. My dear Ossep, why do you revive those old memories? It gives me
+the heartache to recall those old times. I remember very well how it
+was. In the room stood a long broad sofa that was covered with a carpet.
+When evening came there would be a fire-pan lighted in the middle of the
+room and we children would sit around it That was our chandelier. Then a
+blue table-cloth was spread on the sofa and something to eat, and
+everything that tasted good in those days was placed on it. Then we sat
+around it, happy as could be: grandfather, father, uncle, aunt,
+brothers, and sisters. The wine pitcher poured out sparkling wine into
+the glasses, and it wandered from one end of the table to the other.
+Many times there were twenty of us. Now if for any reason five persons
+come together in a room one is likely to be suffocated. [_Points to the
+ceiling_.] With us there was an opening for smoke in the ceiling that
+was worth twenty windows. When it became bright in the morning the
+daylight pressed in on us, and when it grew dark the twilight came in
+there, and the stars glimmered through. Then we spread our bed-things
+out, and we went to sleep together with play and frolic. We had a kettle
+and a roasting-spit in the house, and also a pot-ladle and strainer, and
+the men brought in the stock of provisions in bags. Of the things they
+brought, one thing was as appetizing as the other. Now, it seems the
+cooks and servants eat all the best bits. God preserve me from them! Our
+homes are ruined by the new ways!
+
+OSSEP. Do you know what, aunt? I wager it will not be long before the
+whole city is bankrupt. On one side extravagance and the new mode of
+life will be to blame, and on the other our stupidity. Can we go on
+living so? It is God's punishment, and nothing more. You will scarcely
+believe it when I tell you that I pay out ten rubles every month for
+pastry for the children alone.
+
+CHACHO. No! Reduce your expenses a little, my son. Retrench!
+
+OSSEP. That is easily said. Retrench, is it? Well, come over here and do
+it. I would like to see once how you would begin. Listen, now! Lately I
+bought a pair of children's shoes at the bazaar for three abaces.[43] The
+lad threw them to the ceiling. "I want boots at two and a half rubles,"
+said the six-year-old rascal. He was ready to burst out crying. What
+could I do but buy new ones? If others would do the same I could let the
+youngster run in cheap boots. How can one retrench here? Twenty years,
+already, I have struggled and see no way out. To-day or to-morrow my
+head will burst, or I may beat it to pieces against a stone wall. Isn't
+it an effort at retrenchment when I say that I cannot afford it? but
+with whom am I to speak here? Does anyone understand me? Yes, reduce
+your expenses!
+                    [_Goes toward the ante-room to the right and meets Nato
+                         with four sheets of music in her hand_.
+
+[43] Abace--20 kopecks.
+
+
+
+
+Scene VII
+
+_Nato, Ossep, Chacho_.
+
+
+OSSEP. Yes, yes, reduce your expenses!
+
+CHACHO. Little girl, how quickly you have come back!
+
+NATO. I did not go far, aunt.
+
+CHACHO. What have you in your hand, sweetheart?
+
+NATO. I have bought some new music.
+
+OSSEP [_stepping up to them_]. Yes, yes, retrench! [_Taking a sheet of
+music out of her hand_.] What did you pay for this?
+
+NATO. Four abaces.
+
+OSSEP. And for this [_taking another_]?
+
+NATO [_looking at it_]. Six abaces.
+
+OSSEP [_taking a third_]. And for this?
+
+NATO [_fretfully_]. One ruble and a half.
+
+OSSEP [_taking the last_]. And certainly as much for this?
+
+NATO. No, papa; I paid two rubles and a half for that.
+
+OSSEP [_angrily_]. And one is to economize! Am I to blame for this? What
+have you bought four pieces for? Was not one or two enough?
+
+NATO [_frightened_]. I need them.
+
+OSSEP [_still more angrily_]. Tell me one thing--is this to be endured?
+If she could play properly at least, but she only drums two or three
+pieces and says she can play. I cannot play myself, but I have heard
+persons who played well. They could use these things, but not we. I wish
+the devil had the man who introduced this! [_Throws the music on the
+floor_.] I'll cut off my hand if she can play properly.
+
+CHACHO. There, there, stop, now!
+
+OSSEP. Whatever she tries to do is only half done: music, languages--she
+has only half learned. Tell me, what can she do? Is she able to sew
+anything? or to cut out a dress for herself? Yes, that one seems like a
+European girl! Ha! ha! Five times I have been in Leipsic, and the
+daughter of the merest pauper there can do more than she can. What have
+I not seen in the way of needlework! I gaped with admiration. And she
+cannot even speak Armenian properly, and that is her mother tongue! Can
+she write a page without mistakes? Can she pronounce ten French words
+fluently? Yes, tell me, what can she do? What does she understand? She
+will make a fine housekeeper for you! The man who takes her for his wife
+is to be pitied. She be able to share with him the troubles of life!
+Some day or other she will be a mother and must bring up children. Ha,
+ha! they will have a fine bringing-up! She is here to make a show; but
+for nothing beside! She is an adept at spending money. Yes, give her
+money, money, so that she can rig herself out and go to balls and
+parties! [_Nato cries._] Can I stand this any longer? Can I go on with
+these doings? Retrench, you say. What is this [_taking a corner of
+Nato's tunic in his hand_]? How is this for a twelve-story building?
+Does it warm the back? How am I to reduce expenses here? And if I do it,
+will others do it also? I'd like to see the man who could do it!
+                    [_Nato still crying._
+
+CHACHO.
+Do all these things you have said in my presence amount to anything? You
+yourself said that you troubled yourself little about what others did.
+What do you want, then? Why should you poison the heart of this innocent
+girl?
+                    [_All are silent awhile._
+
+OSSEP [_lays his hand on his forehead and recovers himself._] O just
+heaven, what am I doing? I am beside myself. [_Goes up to Nato._] Not to
+you, not to you, my Nato, should I say all this! [_Embraces her._] No,
+you do not deserve it; you are innocent. We are to blame for all. I am
+to blame, I! because I imitated the others and brought you up as others
+brought up their daughters. Don't cry! I did not wish to hurt you. I was
+in bad humor, for everything has vexed me to-day, and unfortunately you
+came in at the wrong moment. [_Picks up the music and gives it to her._]
+Here, take the music, my child. [_Embraces her again._] Go and buy some
+more. Do what you wish everywhere, and be behind no one. Until to-day
+you have wanted nothing, and, with God's help, you shall want nothing in
+the future.
+                    [_Kisses her and turns to go._
+
+CHACHO. Now, Ossep, think it over; come to some decision in the matter.
+
+OSSEP. I should like to, indeed; but what I cannot do I cannot do.
+                    [_Goes off at the right._
+
+
+
+
+SCENE VIII
+
+_Nato, Chacho, then Salome_.
+
+
+NATO [_falling sobbing in Chacho's arms_]. O dear, dear aunt.
+
+CHACHO. Stop; don't cry, my dear, my precious child. It is indeed your
+father. Stop; stop, Salome.
+
+SALOME [_coming in smiling_]. Dear aunt, I have arranged everything.
+[_Stops._] What is this now? Why are you crying?
+                    [_Nato wipes away her tears and goes toward the divan_.
+
+CHACHO. You know her father, don't you? He has been scolding her, and
+has made her cry.
+
+SALOME. If her father has been troubling her, then I will make her happy
+again. Nato, dear, I have betrothed you. [_Nato looks at her in
+wonderment._] Yes, my love, be happy--what have you to say about it? Mr.
+Alexander Marmarow is now your betrothed.
+
+NATO. Is it really true, mamma dear?
+
+CHACHO [_at the same time_]. Is it true?
+
+SALOME. It is true, be assured.
+
+NATO [_embracing Salome_]. O my dear, dear mother.
+
+SALOME [_seizing her daughter and kissing her_]. Now I am rid of my
+worries about you. I hope it will bring you joy. Go and put on another
+dress, for your betrothed is coming.
+
+NATO. Now?
+
+SALOME. Certainly, at once. You know, I presume, that you must make
+yourself pretty.
+
+NATO [_happy and speaking quickly_]. Certainly. I will wear the white
+barege with blue ribbons, the little cross on black velvet ribbon, and a
+blue ribbon in my hair. [_Hugs Chacho_.] O my precious auntie!
+
+CHACHO [_embracing and kissing her_]. May this hour bring you
+good-fortune! I wish it for you with all my heart.
+
+NATO [_hugging and kissing Salome again_]. O you dear, you dearest
+mamma. [_Runs out of the room_.
+
+
+
+
+SCENE IX
+
+_Salome. Chacho_.
+
+
+CHACHO. What does all this mean? Am I dreaming or am I still awake?
+
+SALOME. What are you saying about dreams? His sister Champera was here,
+and about five minutes later he himself came. They live very near here.
+
+CHACHO. If it was arranged so easily, why have you wrangled and
+quarrelled so much?
+
+SALOME [_in a whisper_]. But what do you think, aunt? I have arranged
+the affair for 7,000 rubles, and I have had to promise his sister 200
+rubles beside.
+
+CHACHO. May I be struck blind! And you have done this without Ossep's
+knowing it?
+
+SALOME [_whispering_]. He will not kill me for it, and let him talk as
+much as he will. It could not go through otherwise. Get up and let us go
+into that room where Ossep will not hear us. [_Helps her to rise_.
+
+CHACHO. O just heaven! What women we have in these days!
+
+
+
+
+SCENE X
+
+
+OSSEP [_alone, buckling his belt and holding his cap in his hand, comes
+in through the right-hand door, stands awhile in deep thought while he
+wrings his hands several times_]. Give me money! Give me money! I would
+like to know where I am to get it. It is hard for me to give what I have
+promised. And what if it cannot be arranged for that sum? Am I, then, to
+make a mess of this!--I who have always been willing to make any
+sacrifice for my children? It must, indeed, lie in this--that the suitor
+does not please; for I could not find 2,000 to add to the 6,000 that I
+have promised. Yes, that's it! The man is not the one I want for her. If
+he were an ordinary fellow, he would not treat with me. At any rate,
+what he is after will show itself now; yes, we shall soon see what kind
+of man he is! Up to this day I have always kept my word, and the best
+thing I can do is to keep it now.
+
+_Enter Gewo_.
+
+OSSEP [_meeting him as he enters from the right_]. Oh, it is you, dear
+Gewo! What brings you to our house? [_Offering him his hand_.] I love
+you; come again, and often!
+
+GEWO. You know well that if I had not need of you, I would not come.
+
+OSSEP. How can I serve you? Pray, sit down.
+
+GEWO [_seating himself_]. What are you saying about serving? Do you
+think that this confounded Santurian has--
+
+OSSEP [_interrupting him anxiously_]. What has happened?
+
+GEWO. The dear God knows what has happened to the fellow!
+
+OSSEP. But go on, what has happened?
+
+GEWO. What could happen? The fellow has cleared out everything.
+
+OSSEP [_disturbed and speaking softly_]. What did you say, Gewo? Then I
+am lost, body and soul; then I am ruined!
+
+GEWO. I hope he will go to the bottom. How is one to trust any human
+being nowadays? Everyone who saw his way of living must have taken him
+for an honest man.
+
+OSSEP [_softly_]. You kill me, man!
+
+GEWO. God in heaven should have destroyed him long ago, so that this
+could not have happened. But who could have foreseen it? When one went
+into his store everything was always in the best order. He kept his
+word, paid promptly when the money was due; but what lay behind that, no
+one knew.
+
+OSSEP. I have depended on him so much. What do you say, Gewo? He owes me
+10,000 rubles! I was going to satisfy my creditors with this sum.
+To-morrow his payment was due, and the next day mine. How can I satisfy
+them now? Can I say that I cannot pay them because Santurian has given
+me nothing? Am I to be a bankrupt as well as he? May the earth swallow
+me rather!
+
+GEWO. I wish the earth would swallow him, or rather that he had never
+come into the world! I have just 2,000 rubles on hand; if you wish I
+will give them to you to-morrow.
+
+OSSEP. Good; I will be very thankful for them. But what do you say to
+that shameless fellow? Have you seen him? Have you spoken with him?
+
+GEWO. Of course. I have just come from him.
+
+OSSEP. What did he say? Will he really give nothing?
+
+GEWO. If he does not lie, he will settle with you alone. Let the others
+kick, he said. Go to him right off, dear Ossep. Before the thing becomes
+known perhaps you can still get something out of him.
+
+OSSEP. Come with me, Gewo. Yes, we must do something, or else I am lost.
+
+GEWO. The devil take the scoundrel!
+
+
+
+
+SCENE XI
+
+
+SALOME [_coming in from the left_]. May I lose my sight if he is not
+coming already. He is already on the walk. [_Looking out of the window
+and then walking toward the entry_.] How my heart beats!
+
+[_Goes into the ante-room. Alexander appears at the window and then at
+the door of the ante-room_.]
+
+_Alexander enters_.
+
+SALOME [_at the door_]. Come; pray come in. [_Offers her hand_.] May
+your coming into our house bring blessings!
+
+ALEXANDER [_making a bow_]. Madame Salome [_kisses her hand_], I am
+happy that from now on I dare call myself your son.
+
+SALOME [_kissing him on the brow_]. May God make you as happy as your
+mother wishes. Please, please sit down! Nato will be here immediately.
+                    [_They sit down_.
+
+ALEXANDER. How are you, Madame Salome? What is Miss Natalie doing? Since
+that evening I have not had the pleasure of seeing her.
+
+SALOME. Thank you, she is very well. The concert that evening pleased me
+exceedingly. Thank heaven that so good a fashion has found entrance
+among us. In this way we have a perfect bazaar for the marriageable
+girls, for had not this concert taken place where would you two have
+found an opportunity to make each other's acquaintance? Where else
+could you have caught sight of each other?
+
+ALEXANDER. Dear lady, Miss Natalie must please everybody without
+concerts, and awaken love in them. Oh, how I bless my fate that it is my
+happy lot to win her love!
+
+SALOME. And my Nato pleases you, dear son-in-law?
+
+ALEXANDER. Oh, I love her with all my heart, dear madame!
+
+SALOME. If you love her so much, dear son, why did you exact so much
+money? For the sake of 1,000 rubles this affair almost went to pieces.
+Your sister Champera swore to me that if we did not give 1,000 rubles
+more you would this very day betroth yourself to the daughter of
+Barssegh Leproink.
+
+ALEXANDER. I wonder, Madame Salome, that you should credit such things.
+I marry Leproink's daughter! I refuse Miss Natalie on her account!
+forget her beautiful black eyes and her good heart, and run after money!
+Would not that be shameful in me! I must confess to you freely, dear
+madame, that my sister's way of doing things is hateful to me. _Fi
+mauvais genre!_ But let us say no more about it. If only God will help
+us to a good ending!
+
+SALOME. God grant that neither of you may have anything to
+regret!--[_rising_] I will come back immediately, dear son-in-law; I am
+only going to see what is keeping Nato. [_Alexander also rises_.] Keep
+your seat, I beg of you. How ceremonious you are! I will come right
+back.
+                    [_Exit right_.
+
+
+
+
+SCENE XII
+
+
+ALEXANDER [_alone._] At last my burning wish is fulfilled! Now I have
+both a pretty wife and money. Without money a man is not of the least
+importance. Let him give himself what trouble he may, if he has no
+money, no one will pay any attention to him. I have made only one
+mistake in the business. I have been in too much of a hurry. If I had
+held out a little longer they would have given me 8,000 rubles; now I
+must be satisfied with 7,000. Still, what was to be done? It would not
+have gone through otherwise; and for that matter, I may, perhaps,
+somehow make up for it in other ways. In any case, I stand here on a fat
+pasture-land where they seem to be pretty rich. The principal thing is
+that I should make myself popular among them, then I shall have
+succeeded in getting my fill out of them. Ha, ha, ha! How they worry
+themselves! Yes, the whole office will be in an uproar to-morrow. [_With
+affected voice_:] "Have you heard the news? Marmarow is engaged, and has
+received 7,000 rubles dowry. And such a beautiful girl! Such a lovely
+creature!" [_Clucking with his tongue and changing his voice_:] "Is it
+possible!" [_In his own voice_:] Charming, charming, Marmarow! [_Looking
+at his clothing:_] Chic! A true gentleman am I! Yes, I am getting on. I
+must now think only of to-morrow and the next day, and how to get on
+further. The principal thing is for a man to know the value of money,
+for without money nothing can be undertaken. First, I shall have the
+interest on my capital; then my salary, and last some hundred rubles
+beside. That makes 3,000 or 4,000 rubles a year. If I lay aside 1,000
+rubles every year, I have in seven or eight years 10,000; in fifteen
+years double that, and so on. Yes, Monsieur Marmarow, you understand it!
+Be happy, therefore, and let the others burst with envy.
+
+_Salome and Nato enter at the right, Salome holding Nato's hand_.
+
+ALEXANDER. Miss Natalie, the whole night long I thought only of you!
+[_Kisses her hand_.]
+
+SALOME. Kiss her on the cheek and give her the engagement ring.
+
+ALEXANDER. Oh, you are the sun of my existence! [_Draws a ring from his
+finger and gives it to Natalie_.] From now on you are mine. Please!
+[_Kisses her_.]
+
+SALOME. Be happy and may you reach old age together. [_Kisses Alexander;
+then Nato_.] God bless you, my children. Sit down, I pray you, Alexander
+[_pointing to the sofa on which Alexander and Nato sit down_]. Your
+father will soon be here. [_Walks to and fro in joyful excitement_.]
+
+ALEXANDER [_looking at Nato_]. Dear Natalie, why are you so silent? Let
+me hear your sweet voice, I beg of you.
+
+NATO. I am speechless, Monsieur Marmarow.
+
+ALEXANDER. Monsieur!
+
+NATO. Dear Alexander.
+
+ALEXANDER [_seizing her hand_]. So! That sounds much sweeter! [_Kisses
+her hand_.]
+
+_Enter Chacho_.
+
+SALOME. Come in, dear aunt.
+
+CHACHO. Such a thing has never happened to me before! Could you not wait
+till the man of the house arrived?
+
+SALOME. Oh, it is all the same; he will be here soon enough. Give them
+your blessing, I beg of you.
+
+CHACHO. May God bestow all good things upon you. May heaven grant the
+prayer of me, a sinner. [_Alexander and Nato stand up_.] May you have
+nothing to regret. May you flourish and prosper and grow old together on
+the same pillow. [_Ossep comes to the door and stands astonished_.]
+
+CHACHO [_continuing_]. God grant that your first may be a boy! Love and
+respect each other! May the eye of the Czar look down on you with mercy!
+[_Sees Ossep_.] Let the father now offer you his good wishes.
+
+SALOME. Dear Ossep, congratulate your daughter.
+
+NATO. Dear papa!
+                    [_Goes up to Ossep and kisses his hand. Ossep stands
+                         motionless_.
+
+ALEXANDER [_seizing Ossep's hand_]. From now on, dear father, count me
+among your children. [_Turning to Nato offended_:] What is this?
+
+SALOME. Don't be impolite, Ossep.
+
+CHACHO. What has happened to you, Ossep?
+
+ALEXANDER [_to Salome_]. I understand nothing of this. [_To Ossep_:] My
+father, you seem dissatisfied.
+
+OSSEP [_recovering himself_]. I dissatisfied! No--yes--I am dizzy.
+
+ALEXANDER [_offering him a chair_]. Sit down, I pray, my father.
+
+OSSEP [_to Alexander_]. Do not trouble yourself. It is already passed.
+
+SALOME. Can one meet his son-in-law like that? And such a son-in-law,
+beside! Say something, do.
+
+OSSEP. What shall I say, then? You have consummated the betrothal. God
+grant that all will end well. [_To Alexander_:] Please be seated.
+
+ALEXANDER. My father, when do you wish the betrothal to be celebrated?
+
+OSSEP. That depends upon you. Do as you wish.
+
+ALEXANDER. I will invite twenty persons and bring them with me. My
+superiors I must invite also; it would not do to omit them.
+
+OSSEP. Do as you see fit.
+
+ALEXANDER [_to Salome_]. Perhaps he is angry with me. If there is any
+reason for it, pray tell me now.
+
+SALOME. What are you saying? That cannot be!
+                    [_They move away a little and speak softly together_.
+
+OSSEP [_on the other side of the stage to Chacho_]. You Godforsaken!
+Could you not wait a moment?
+
+CHACHO. What is the matter now?
+
+OSSEP. Only God in heaven knows how I stand! Think of it! Santurian has
+failed.
+
+CHACHO. Great heaven!
+
+ALEXANDER [_offering Nato his arm_]. Something must have happened!
+                    [_They go off at the left, Salome following_.
+
+OSSEP. Righteous God, why dost thou punish me thus?
+
+SALOME [_returning to Ossep_]. Do with me as you will, but it could not
+have been helped. I have promised him 7,000 rubles as dowry, [_Turning
+to Chacho as she leaves the room_:] Pray come with me, aunt. You come,
+too, Ossep.
+                    [_Exit Salome_.
+
+
+
+
+SCENE XIII
+
+
+OSSEP [_much excited_]. What do I hear? Has she spoken the truth? Do you
+hear? Why do you not answer me? Why are you silent? [_Still more
+excited_.] It is true, then! Yes, yes, I see that it is true! O God, let
+lightning strike this unlucky house that we may all die together. I
+have just lost an important sum and come home to prevent further
+negotiations. And see there!
+
+CHACHO. I am to blame for it. Do not get excited. I will add 1,000
+rubles to it, if need be, from the money I have laid by for my burial.
+
+OSSEP. From your burial money? Have I already fallen so low that I must
+ask alms? Keep your money for yourself! I do not want it. Drop that
+complaint also, for I am still rich, very rich. How can it injure me
+that Santurian has failed? I stand here firm and unshakable, and have
+inexhaustible money resources. [_Tearing his hair_.] O God! O God!
+[_Walks to and fro excitedly_.] Now I will go and wish my son-in-law
+joy. Yes, I must go so that I shall not make myself ridiculous to him.
+The man is a government official!
+                    [_Exit right, laughing bitterly_.
+
+CHACHO. Gracious heaven, be thou our saviour and deliverer.
+
+
+CURTAIN.
+
+
+
+
+ACT SECOND
+
+SCENE I
+
+_A richly furnished sales-room in Barssegh's house_.
+
+
+MICHO. Two, three, four, five, six and this little piece. It does not
+measure so much!
+
+BARSSEGH [_standing up and giving Micho a rap on the nose_]. You have
+what is lacking there. Measure again. Now you've got what is lacking. I
+will tear your soul out of your body if you measure so that in seven
+arschin[44] it comes out one werschok short.
+
+[44] Russian measure of length.
+
+MICHO [_measuring again_]. O dear, O dear!
+
+BARSSEGH. Look out, or I will take that "O dear" out of your ear. Be up
+and at it now!
+
+MICHO. Oh, Mr. Barssegh! [_Measuring._] One, two, three--
+
+BARSSEGH. Stretch it, you blockhead.
+
+MICHO [_stretching the cotton_]. Three, four. [_Wipes the perspiration
+from his brow_.]
+
+BARSSEGH. What is the matter with you? You sweat as though you had a
+mule-pack on your back.
+
+MICHO. Five.
+
+BARSSEGH. Pull it out more.
+
+MICHO. Six and this little piece. It lacks three werschok again.
+
+BARSSEGH [_pulling his ears_]. It lacks three werschok? There they are!
+
+MICHO. Oh my, oh my!
+
+BARSSEGH. You calf; will you ever develop into a man?
+
+MICHO. O dear mother!
+
+BARSSEGH [_pulling him again by the ear_]. Doesn't it grow longer?
+
+MICHO [_crying_]. Dear Mr. Barssegh, dear sir, let me go.
+
+BARSSEGH. I want to teach you how to measure.
+
+MICHO. It reaches, I say; it reaches, indeed; it reaches. Let me
+measure again.
+
+BARSSEGH. Now take care that you make it seven arschin.
+
+MICHO [_aside_]. Holy Karapet, help me. [_Measuring_.] One, two--
+
+BARSSEGH. O you blockhead!
+
+MICHO. Three.
+
+BARSSEGH Wake up!
+
+MICHO. Four.
+
+BARSSEGH. Haven't you seen how Dartscho measures?
+
+MICHO. Five.
+
+BARSSEGH. Will you ever learn how to do it?
+
+MICHO. Five.
+
+BARSSEGH. If you keep on being so stupid my business will be ruined.
+
+MICHO. Five--five.
+
+BARSSEGH. I give you my word that I will give you the sack.
+
+MICHO. Five--five.
+
+BARSSEGH. Measure further.
+
+MICHO. Five--[_aside_:]; Holy George, help me! [_Aloud_:] Six. I cannot
+stretch it any more or I shall tear it.
+
+BARSSEGH. Measure, now.
+
+MICHO. O dear; I believe it is already torn.
+
+BARSSEGH [_looking at the cloth_]. I see nothing. God forbid!
+
+MICHO [_looking at the measure_]. It is short a half werschok of seven
+arschin every time.
+
+_The madman, Mosi, comes in at the middle door and stands in the
+background_.
+
+
+
+
+SCENE II
+
+_Mosi_.
+
+
+BARSSEGH [_hitting Micho on the head_]. What are you good for? Can't you
+get that half werschok out of it?
+
+MICHO [_howling_.] What am I to do when the cloth is too short?
+
+BARSSEGH [_pulling his hair_]. Are you sure you're not lying?
+
+MICHO [_yelling_.] How can you say that? Measure it yourself and we
+shall see whether there are seven arschin here.
+
+BARSSEGH [_angry; taking measure and calico_]. You say there are not
+seven here? Wait, I will show you [_measuring._] One, two, three, four,
+five, six, seven, and a quarter left over for a present to you. What do
+you say about it now? You must learn to measure if you burst doing it.
+But you think only of your week's pay. Now, hurry up; be lively there!
+
+MICHO. O heaven! How shall I begin? One, two--
+
+BARSSEGH. Be careful and don't tear it.
+
+MICHO [_crying._] What do you want of me? If I pull on the stuff I tear
+it; and if I don't stretch it, no seven arschin will come out of it.
+
+MOSI [_coming near_]. Ha! ha! ha! Who is the toper? Who? 'Tis I; the mad
+Mosi. Ha! ha! ha!
+
+BARSSEGH [_aside._] How comes this crazy fellow here?
+
+MOSI [_seizing the measure and calico_]. Give it to me, you booby! There
+are not only seven arschin here, but twenty-seven [_measuring quickly_].
+One, two, four, six, eight, ten, twelve, and here are thirteen and
+fourteen. Do you want me to make still more out of it? You must shove
+the stick back in measuring. Can't you understand that? [_Throws the
+stick and calico upon Micho_.] Here, take it and be a man at last. You
+the shop-boy of such a great merchant and not find out a little thing
+like that. Haven't you learned yet how to steal half a werschok? Ha, ha,
+ha!
+                    [_Micho tries to free himself but becomes more
+                         entangled in the cloth_.
+
+BARSSEGH [_to Mosi_], I forbid such impudent talk in my presence! Be
+silent, or I'll show you.
+
+MOSI. That's the way with all mankind. They never appreciate good
+intentions. [_Pointing to Micho_.] I only wanted to make something of
+him. Go, go, my son, be a man! Learn from your master! You surely see
+how much money he has scraped together! [_To Barssegh_:] How is it about
+eating? It's time for dinner! Have the table set; I have come as a
+guest. What have you to-day? Coal-soup, perhaps, or water-soup? Yes,
+yes; you will entertain me finely! Ha, ha!
+
+BARSSEGH [_aside_]. This confounded fellow is drunk again! [_To Micho_:]
+Get out of the room!
+                    [_Exit Micho middle door._
+
+
+
+
+SCENE III
+
+
+MOSI. From this stuff you can make a shroud for yourself. To-day or
+to-morrow you must die, that's sure.
+
+BARSSEGH. You'd better be still!
+                    [_Enter Khali at left_.
+
+KHALI. Do you know the latest?
+
+BARSSEGH. What has happened?
+
+KHALI. What has happened? Marmarow was betrothed yesterday.
+
+BARSSEGH. No!
+
+KHALI. By heaven!
+
+BARSSEGH. To whom?
+
+KHALI. To the daughter of Ossep Gulabianz.
+
+BARSSEGH. Is that really true?
+
+KHALI. Do you think I am lying? They promised him 10,000 rubles dowry. I
+always said you should have saved something. Now you have it! They have
+snatched him away from you. And such a man, too! They puff themselves up
+entirely too much. Where did they get the money, I would like to know?
+                    [_Micho appears at the middle door_.
+
+BARSSEGH. Run right off down to the Tapitach.[45] You know where Ossep
+Gulabianz's store is?
+
+[45] A district of Tiflis.
+
+MICHO. Gulabianz? The one who brought money to-day?
+
+BARSSEGH. Yes, that one. Go and look for him wherever he is likely to
+be. Tell him he must bring the rest of the money at once. Now, run
+quickly. What else do I want to say? Oh, yes [_pointing to the calico_];
+take that winding-sheet with you.
+
+MOSI. Ha, ha, ha! Listen to him!
+
+BARSSEGH. By heaven! What am I chattering about? I am crazed! [_Angrily,
+to Micho_:] What are you gaping at? Do you hear? Take this calico. Go to
+the store and tell Dartscho to come here. Lively, now!
+                    [_Exit Micho with goods_.
+
+BARSSEGH [_going on_]. I would like to see how he is going to give
+10,000 rubles dowry. I would like to know whose money it is?
+
+KHALI. That stuck-up Salome has gotten my son-in-law away from me.
+
+BARSSEGH. Never mind. I will soon put them into a hole.
+
+MOSI. Oh, don't brag about things you can't perform. What has Ossep done
+to you that you want revenge? How can Ossep help it if your daughter is
+as dumb as straw and has a mouth three ells long? And what have Micho's
+ears to do with it? You should simply have given what the man asked.
+
+BARSSEGH [_rising_]. O you wretch, you!
+
+MOSI. Yes, you should certainly have paid it. Why didn't you? For whom
+are you saving? To-morrow or the day after you will have to die and
+leave it here.
+
+BARSSEGH. Stop, or--
+
+KHALI [_to Mosi_]. Why do you anger him? Haven't we trouble and anxiety
+enough?
+
+MOSI. Well, I will be still. But I swear that this young man may call
+himself lucky that he has freed himself from you and closed with Ossep.
+Both of you together are not worth Ossep's finger-tips.
+
+BARSSEGH. Leave me in peace or I will shake off all my anger on to you.
+
+MOSI. What can you do to me? You cannot put my store under the hammer.
+What a man you are, indeed!
+
+BARSSEGH. A better man than you any day.
+
+MOSI. In what are you better?
+
+BARSSEGH. In the first place, I am master of my five senses, and you are
+cracked.
+
+MOSI [_laughs_]. Ha, ha, ha! If you were rational you would not have
+said that. Am I crazy because I show up your villanies? You are wise,
+you say? Perhaps you are as wise as Solomon!
+
+BARSSEGH. I am wealthy.
+
+MOSI. Take your money and--[_Whispers something in his ear._] You have
+stolen it here and there. You have swindled me out of something, too. Me
+and this one and that one, and so you became rich! You have provided
+yourself with a carriage, and go riding in it and make yourself
+important. Yes, that is the way with your money. Did your father Matus
+come riding to his store in a carriage, eh? You say you are rich? True,
+there is scarcely anyone richer than you; but if we reckon together all
+the money you have gained honorably, we shall see which of us two has
+most. [_Drawing his purse from his pocket and slapping it_.] See! I have
+earned all this by the sweat of my brow. Oh, no, like you I collected it
+for the church and put it in my own pocket. Are you going to fail again
+soon?
+
+BARSSEGH. Heaven preserve me from it!
+
+MOSI. It would not be the first time. When you are dead they will shake
+whole sacks full of money in your grave for you.
+
+BARSSEGH. Will you never stop?
+
+KHALI. Are you not ashamed to make such speeches?
+
+MOSI. Till you die I will not let you rest. As long as you live I will
+gnaw at you like a worm, for you deserve it for your villany. What!
+Haven't you committed every crime? You robbed your brother of his
+inheritance; you cheated your partner; you have repudiated debts, and
+held others to false debts. Haven't you set your neighbors' stores on
+fire? If people knew everything they would hang you. But the world is
+stone-blind, and so you walk God's earth in peace. Good-by! I would like
+to go to Ossep and warn him against you; for if he falls into your
+clutches he is lost.
+
+
+
+
+SCENE IV
+
+
+BARSSEGH. Yes, yes; go and never come back.
+
+KHALI. I wish water lay in front of him and a drawn sword behind.
+
+BARSSEGH. This fellow is a veritable curse!
+
+KHALI. Yes, he is, indeed.
+
+BARSSEGH. The devil take him! If he is going to utter such slanders, I
+hope he will always do it here, and not do me harm with outsiders.
+
+KHALI. You are to blame for it yourself. Why do you have anything to do
+with the good-for-nothing fellow?
+
+BARSSEGH. There you go! Do I have anything to do with him? He is always
+at my heels, like my own shadow.
+
+KHALI. Can't you forbid him to enter your doors?
+
+BARSSEGH. So that he will not let me pass by in the streets? Do you
+want him to make me the talk of the town?
+
+KHALI. Then don't speak to him any more.
+
+BARSSEGH. As if I took pleasure in it! It is all the same to him whether
+one speaks to him or not.
+
+KHALI. What are we to do with him, then?
+
+BARSSEGH [_angrily_]. Why do you fasten yourself on to me like a gadfly?
+Have I not trouble enough already? [_Beating his hands together_.] How
+could you let him escape? You are good for nothing!
+
+KHALI. What could I do, then, if you were stingy about the money? If you
+had promised the 10,000 rubles, you would have seen how easily and
+quickly everything would have been arranged.
+
+BARSSEGH. If he insists upon so much he may go to the devil. For 10,000
+rubles I will find a better man for my daughter.
+
+KHALI. I know whom you mean. Give me the money and I will arrange the
+thing to-day.
+
+BARSSEGH [_derisively_]. Give it! How easily you can say it! Is that a
+mulberry-tree, then, that one has only to shake and thousands will fall
+from it? Don't hold my rubles so cheaply; for every one of them I have
+sold my soul twenty times.
+
+KHALI. If I can only get sight of that insolent Salome, I'll shake a
+cart-load of dirt over her head. Only let her meet me!
+                    [_Exit, left_.
+
+
+
+
+SCENE V
+
+
+BARSSEGH [_alone_]. And you shall see what I will do! Only wait, my dear
+Ossep! I am getting a day of joy ready for you and you will shed tears
+as thick as my thumb. I have been looking for the chance a long time,
+and now fate has delivered you into my hands. You braggart, you shall
+see how you will lie at my feet. I am the son of the cobbler Matus.
+There are certain simpletons who shake their heads over those who had
+nothing and suddenly amount to something. But I tell you that this world
+is nothing more than a great honey-cask. He who carries away the best
+part for himself, without letting the others come near it, he is the
+man to whom praise and honor are due. But a man who stands aside, like
+Ossep, and waits till his turn comes is an ass.
+
+_Enter Dartscho_.
+
+BARSSEGH. Ah, Dartscho! How quickly you have come!
+
+DARTSCHO. I met Micho just now, and he told me that you had sent for me.
+
+BARSSEGH. I have something important to speak with you about. [_He sits
+down_.] Where were you just now?
+
+DARTSCHO. At George's, the coal man. He owed us some money, and I have
+been to see him seven times this week on that account.
+
+BARSSEGH. He is very unpunctual. But how does it stand? Has he paid?
+
+DARTSCHO. Of course! What do you take me for? I stayed in the store as
+if nailed there, and when a new customer came in I repeated my demand.
+There was nothing left for him to do but to pay me, for shame's sake.
+
+BARSSEGH. That pleases me in you, my son. Go on like that and you will
+get on in the world. Look at me! There was a time when they beat me over
+the head and called me by my given name. Then they called me Barssegh,
+and finally "Mr." Barssegh. When I was as old as you are I was nothing,
+and now I am a man who stands for something. If my father, Matus, were
+still alive he would be proud of me. I tell you all this so that you
+will spare no pains to make yourself a master and make people forget
+that you are the son of a driver. A son can raise up the name of his
+father; he can also drag it down into the dust.
+
+DARTSCHO. You see best of all what trouble I take, Mr. Barssegh. When I
+open the store in the morning, I never wait until Micho comes, but I
+take the broom in my hand and sweep out the store. And how I behave with
+the customers, you yourself see.
+
+BARSSEGH. Yes, I see it; I see it, my son, and it is on that account I
+am so good to you. Only wait till next year and you shall be my partner.
+I will supply the money and you the labor.
+
+DARTSCHO. May God give you a long life for that! I seem to myself like
+a tree which you have planted. I hope I will still bear fruit and you
+will have your joy in me. Do you know that I have gotten rid of those
+damaged goods?
+
+BARSSEGH. Is it possible?
+
+DARTSCHO. It's a fact.
+
+BARSSEGH. To whom have you sold them?
+
+DARTSCHO. To a man from Signach. I laid two good pieces on top so that
+he did not notice it. Let him groan now.
+
+BARSSEGH. And how? On credit?
+
+DARTSCHO. Am I then crazy? Have I ever sold damaged goods on credit,
+that you make such a supposition? Of course I took something off for it,
+but made believe I only did it to please him. He paid me the full sum at
+once; and if he is now boasting how cheap he bought the goods, I hope he
+will sing my praises also.
+
+BARSSEGH. Do you know, dear Dartscho, you are a fine fellow? Yes, I have
+always said that you would amount to something.
+
+DARTSCHO. God grant it! What commands have you, Mr. Barssegh? There is
+no one in the store.
+
+BARSSEGH. Oh, right! I had almost forgotten. If Ossep Gulabianz comes to
+borrow money, give him nothing.
+
+DARTSCHO. What has happened?
+
+BARSSEGH. I am terribly angry at him.
+
+DARTSCHO. And I have even more reason to be angry at him; he is
+altogether too stuck-up. But what has occurred?
+
+BARSSEGH. I will show him now who I am. His whole business is just like
+a hayrick; a match is enough to set the whole thing ablaze.
+
+DARTSCHO. I would not be sorry for ten matches! Tell me what I can do
+about it? The rest I know already.
+
+BARSSEGH. Think of it! The fellow has snatched away a fine fat morsel
+from my very mouth. I had found an excellent husband for my daughter.
+For a whole week we carried on negotiations with him and everything was
+near final settlement when this Ossep came in and bid over us. On the
+very same day he betrothed his daughter to the man.
+
+DARTSCHO. The devil take him for it!
+
+BARSSEGH. And do you know, also, whose money he is going to use? It is
+my money he is going to give him.
+
+DARTSCHO. That is just it! That is it!
+
+BARSSEGH. Things look bad for his pocket. Now he is going to marry off
+his daughter and put himself in a tight place. Go, therefore, and get
+out an execution against him; otherwise nothing can be squeezed out of
+him.
+
+DARTSCHO. We shall see. I will go at once and demand our money.
+
+BARSSEGH. I have already sent Micho, but I hardly believe he will give
+it up so easily. On that account I sent for you to find out someone who
+can help us.
+
+DARTSCHO. I know a lawyer who can manage so that in three hours they
+will put an attachment on his store.
+
+BARSSEGH. Go on so forever, dear Dartscho! Yes, I have long known that
+you were going to be the right sort of fellow!
+
+DARTSCHO. The apprentice of a right good master always gets on in the
+world.
+
+BARSSEGH. Go quickly then; lose no time.
+
+DARTSCHO. I will not waste an hour.
+
+BARSSEGH. Go! May you succeed!
+                    [_Exit Dartscho, middle door_.
+
+BARSSEGH [_alone_]. Yes, yes, friend Ossep, now show what you can do! I
+would burn ten candles to have you in my power.
+                    [_Exit, right, taking the account book_.
+
+
+
+
+SCENE VI
+
+_Khali. Salome_.
+
+
+KHALI [_entering from the left_]. Such a bold creature I never saw
+before in my life! [_Calling through the window_:] Come in! come in! I
+pray! Do you hear, Salome? I am calling you. Come in here a moment
+[_coming back from the window_]. She is coming. Wait, you insolent
+thing! I will give you a setting-out such as no one has ever given you
+before!
+
+SALOME [_dressed in the latest fashion, with a parasol in her hand;
+enters at middle door_]. Why did you call me? Good-morning! How are you?
+                    [_They shake hands_.
+
+KHALI. Thank you. Pray sit down. [_They both sit down_.] So you have
+betrothed your daughter?
+
+SALOME. Yes, dear Khali. God grant that we soon hear of your Nino's like
+good-fortune! I betrothed her last evening. I found a good husband for
+her. He is as handsome as a god. I can scarcely stand for joy!
+
+KHALI. Yes, make yourself important about it!
+
+SALOME [_offended_]. What is this? What does it mean?
+
+KHALI. You owed us a favor, and you have done it for us.
+
+SALOME. What have I done to you?
+
+KHALI. You could not do more, indeed. You have cheated me out of a
+son-in-law. Is not that enough?
+
+SALOME. But, my dear Khali, what kind of things are you saying to me?
+What do you mean by it?
+
+KHALI. Be still! be still! I know well enough how it was.
+
+SALOME. May I go blind if I know what you are talking about!
+
+KHALI. Didn't you know very well that I wished to give my daughter to
+him?
+
+SALOME. I don't understand you! You said no earthly word to me about it.
+
+KHALI. Even if I have not said anything about it, someone has certainly
+told you of it.
+
+SALOME. No one has said a word about it.
+
+KHALI. She lies about it, beside! Isn't that shameful?
+
+SALOME. Satan lies. What are you accusing me of?
+
+KHALI. And you really did not know that I wished to give him my
+daughter?
+
+SALOME. And if I had known it? When a man wants to marry, they always
+speak of ten, and yet he marries only one.
+
+KHALI. So you knew it very well? Why did you lie, then?
+
+SALOME. You are out of your head! How was I to find it out? Did you send
+word by anyone that you were going to give your daughter to the man? In
+what way am I to blame for it? You knew as much as I did. You treated
+with him just as I did and sent marriage brokers to him.
+
+KHALI. I approached him first.
+
+SALOME. O my dear, the flowers in the meadow belong not to those who
+see them first, but to those who pluck them.
+
+KHALI. You did not wait. Perhaps I would have plucked them.
+
+SALOME. And why didn't you pluck them?
+
+KHALI. You wouldn't let me. Do you think I do not know that you promised
+him more than we did?
+
+SALOME. May I go blind! Khali, how can you say that? How much did you
+promise him?
+
+KHALI. How much did we promise him? Ha! ha! as though you did not know
+it! Eight thousand rubles.
+
+SALOME. Then you promised more than we did, for we can give him only
+7,000.
+
+KHALI. You surely do not think me so stupid as to believe that!
+
+SALOME. As sure as I wish my Nato all good fortune, what I say is true.
+
+KHALI. And you think that I believe you?
+
+SALOME. What? What do you say? Would I swear falsely about my daughter?
+
+KHALI. Of course it is so! Would he let my 8,000 go to take your 7,000?
+
+SALOME. I am not to blame for that. Probably your daughter did not
+please him, since he did not want her.
+
+KHALI. What fault have you to find with my daughter? As though yours
+were prettier, you insolent woman, you!
+
+SALOME [_standing up_]. You are insolent! Is it for this you called me
+in? Can your daughter be compared to my Nato? Is it my fault that your
+daughter has a wide mouth?
+
+KHALI. You have a wide mouth yourself; and your forward daughter is not
+a bit prettier than mine!
+
+SALOME. What! you say she is forward? Everyone knows her as a modest and
+well-behaved girl, while everybody calls yours stupid. Yes, that is
+true; and if you want to know the truth, I can tell it to you--it is
+just on that account that he would not have her.
+
+KHALI. Oh, you witch, you! You have caught the poor young man in your
+nets and deceived him. I would like to know where you are going to get
+the 7,000 rubles.
+
+SALOME. That is our affair. I would rather have broken my leg than to
+have come in here.
+
+KHALI. He is up to the ears in debt and is going to give such a dowry!
+
+SALOME [_coming back_]. Even if we are in debt, we have robbed nobody,
+as you have.
+
+KHALI [_springing up_]. 'Tis you who steal; you! You are a thief! Look
+out for yourself that I do not tear the veil off your head, you wicked
+witch, you!
+
+SALOME [_holding her veil toward her_]. Try it once. I would like to see
+how you begin it. You have altogether too long a tongue, and are only
+the daughter-in-law of the cobbler Matus.
+
+KHALI. And what better are you? You are a gardener's daughter, you
+insolent thing!
+
+SALOME. You are insolent, yourself! Do not think so much of
+yourself--everyone knows that you have robbed the whole world, and only
+in that way have gotten up in the world.
+
+KHALI. Oh, you good-for-nothing!
+                    [_Throws herself on Salome and tears her veil off_.
+
+SALOME. Oh! oh!                [_Gets hold of Khali's hair_.
+
+KHALI. Oh! oh!
+
+SALOME. I'll pull all your hair out!
+                    [_Astonished, she holds a lock in her hand_.
+
+_Enter Ossep_.
+
+OSSEP. What do I see?
+
+KHALI [_tearing the lock from Salome's hand_]. May I be blind!
+                    [_Exit embarrassed_.
+
+SALOME [_arranging her veil_]. Oh, you monkey, you!
+
+OSSEP. What is the meaning of this?
+
+SALOME. God only knows how it came to this. I was walking quietly in the
+street and she called me in and tore the veil from my head because I, as
+she said, took her daughter's suitor away from her.
+
+OSSEP. It serves you right! That comes from your having secrets from me
+and promising him 7,000 rubles instead of 6,000.
+
+SALOME. I would rather have broken a leg than come into this horrid
+house. I did it only out of politeness. I wish these people might lose
+everything they have got [_pinning her veil_]. At any rate, I punished
+her for it by pulling off her false hair. If she tells on herself now,
+she may also tell about me. She got out of the room quickly, so that no
+one would find out that her hair was as false as everything else.
+
+OSSEP. It would be best for us if the earth opened and swallowed us up.
+
+SALOME [_crying_]. Am I, then, so much to blame here?
+
+OSSEP. Really, you look splendid! Go! go! that no one sees you here. It
+is not the first time that you have put me in a dilemma. Go! and pray
+God to change noon into midnight and make the streets dark, so that no
+one sees that you have a torn veil on your head.
+
+SALOME [_wiping away her tears_]. God only knows everything I have to
+suffer from you!
+
+OSSEP [_alone_]. Great heaven! how this world is arranged! When one
+trouble comes to a man a second comes along, too, and waits at his door.
+When I am just about ready to cope with the first, in comes the second
+and caps the climax. I don't know which way to turn with all my debts;
+and now this women's quarrel will be laid at my door.
+
+
+
+
+SCENE VII
+
+
+BARSSEGH [_coming in, angry_]. I will show him that I am a man!
+
+OSSEP. Good-morning!
+
+BARSSEGH. I want neither "good-morning" nor any other wish from you. You
+have, I suppose, come to help your wife. Give me a blow, too, so the
+measure will be full. This is surely the interest on the money you owe
+me.
+
+OSSEP. Calm yourself. What, indeed, do you want?
+
+BARSSEGH. Do you, then, believe that I will overlook my wife's hair
+being pulled out? That I will not pardon.
+
+OSSEP. What is there to pardon? Your wife tore my wife's veil from her
+head.
+
+BARSSEGH. A veil is not hair.
+
+OSSEP. For heaven's sake, stop! Is a women's spat our affair?
+
+BARSSEGH. Say what you wish, but I will do what pleases me.
+
+OSSEP. Calm yourself; calm yourself.
+
+BARSSEGH. Yes, yes; I will calm you, too.
+
+OSSEP. Believe me; it is unworthy of you.
+
+BARSSEGH. She has torn her veil, he says. What is a veil, then? A thing
+that one can buy, and at most costs two rubles.
+
+OSSEP. The hair was also not her own. Why do you worry yourself about
+it? For a two-ruble veil she tore a two-kopeck band. The band is there,
+and she can fasten the hair on again.
+
+BARSSEGH. No, you can't get out of it that way. I will not pardon her
+for this insolence.
+
+OSSEP [_aside_]. Great heaven!
+
+BARSSEGH. You'll see! you'll see!
+
+OSSEP. Do what you will! I did not come to you on that account. You sent
+for me by Micho?
+
+BARSSEGH. Yes, you are right. Have you brought me my money? Give it to
+me, quick!
+
+OSSEP. How you speak to me! Am I your servant, that you speak so
+roughly? You surely do not know whom you have before you. Look out, for
+if I go for you, you will sing another tune.
+
+BARSSEGH. That has not happened to me yet! He owes me money, and even
+here he makes himself important!
+
+OSSEP. Do you think because I owe you money I shall stand your insults?
+I speak politely to you, and I demand the same from you.
+
+BARSSEGH. Enough of that! Tell me whether you have brought the money or
+not.
+
+OSSEP. Have I ever kept back from you any of your money? Why should I do
+it to-day?
+
+BARSSEGH. Then give it to me now.
+
+OSSEP. You said at that time--
+
+BARSSEGH. I know nothing of that time.
+
+OSSEP. What is the matter with you? You speak as if in a dream.
+
+BARSSEGH. Whether I speak as in a dream or not, give me the money, and
+have done with it.
+
+OSSEP [_takes a chair and sits down_]. You are mistaken, my dear Mr.
+Barssegh; you are mistaken. Sit down, pray.
+
+BARSSEGH [_ironically_]. Thank you very much.
+
+OSSEP. You will surely not take back your word?
+
+BARSSEGH. Hand over the money.
+
+OSSEP. What has happened to you? You speak like a madman.
+
+BARSSEGH. It is all the same to me however I speak.
+
+OSSEP. When I gave you the 5,000 rubles that time, did not you say that
+I was to pay the rest in a month?
+
+BARSSEGH [_sitting down_]. And if I did say so, what does it amount to?
+I need it now.
+
+OSSEP. You should have said so at the time and I would not have paid out
+my money in other ways. How comes it that you demand it so suddenly? I
+am no wizard, I am sure, to procure it from the stars for you.
+
+BARSSEGH. You may get it wherever you want to. I need it, and that
+settles it.
+
+OSSEP. Just heaven! Why did you give me a month's grace and reckon on an
+additional twelve per cent. for it?
+
+BARSSEGH. What kind of grace? Have you anything to show for it?
+
+OSSEP. Isn't your word enough? Why do we need a paper in addition?
+
+BARSSEGH. I didn't give you my word.
+
+OSSEP. What? You did not give it? You admitted it just a few minutes
+ago.
+
+BARSSEGH. No, I said nothing about it.
+
+OSSEP [_standing_]. My God! what do I see and hear? You are a merchant
+and tread your word under foot. Shame on you! [_Takes him by the arm and
+leads him to the mirror_.] Look! look at your face! Why do you turn
+pale?
+
+BARSSEGH. Let me go!
+
+OSSEP [_holding him fast by the sleeve_]. How can you be so
+unscrupulous? Look! How pale your lips are!
+
+BARSSEGH. Let me go! [_Freeing himself_.] You act exactly as though you
+were the creditor.
+
+OSSEP. No, you are the creditor. I would rather be swallowed up alive
+by the earth than be such a creditor as you are. What do you think you
+will be in my eyes after this?
+
+BARSSEGH. I tell you, hand out my money or I will lay your note before
+the court immediately! I would only like to know where you are going to
+get the dowry for your daughter. You will pay over my money to your
+son-in-law, will you, and give me the go-by?
+
+OSSEP. Give yourself no trouble! Even if you should beg me now, I would
+not keep your money. To-morrow at this time you shall have it, and then
+may the faces turn black of those who still look at you.
+
+BARSSEGH. I want it at once.
+
+OSSEP. Then come with me. You shall have it. The sooner a man is rid of
+a bad thing, the better it is. Give me the note! No, don't give it to
+me, for you don't trust me. You are not worthy of trusting me. Take it
+yourself and come with me. We will go at once to the bazaar, sell it,
+then you can have your money. I may lose something by it. It makes no
+difference. It is easier to bear this misfortune than to talk to you. Do
+you hear? Shall we go?
+
+BARSSEGH. What do you mean?
+
+OSSEP. Get the note, I tell you! Don't you hear?
+
+BARSSEGH. What kind of a note?
+
+OSSEP. Rostom's note.
+
+BARSSEGH. Rostom's' note? What is this note to you?
+
+OSSEP. What is it to me? It is no word, indeed, that you can deny. It is
+a document.
+
+BARSSEGH. What is it to you that I have this document in my hands? That
+is mine and Rostom's business.
+
+OSSEP. Yours and Rostom's business! [_Pauses_.] It is, I see, not yet
+enough that you lie. You are a thief and a robber beside. What people
+say of you is really true; namely, that you have robbed everybody, and
+by this means have acquired your wealth. Yes, it is true that you have
+ruined twenty-five families; that you have put out their candle and
+lighted yours by it. Now I see, for the first time, that everything that
+people say about you is true. Now I believe, indeed, that these chairs,
+this sofa, this mirror, your coat, your cane--in a word, every article
+that you call yours--represents some person you have robbed. Take my
+bones and add to them. Make the measure full. You have made your
+conscience a stone and will hear nothing; but I tell you, one day it
+will awake, and every object that lies or stands here will begin to
+speak and hold up to you your villanies. Then you can go and justify
+yourself before your Maker. Shame upon him who still calls you a human
+being! [_Exit by the middle door_.
+
+BARSSEGH. Ha! ha! ha! [_Exit at the right_.
+
+
+CURTAIN.
+
+
+
+
+ACT THIRD
+
+SCENE I--OSSEP'S HOUSE
+
+
+NATO [_stands before the mirror elegantly dressed, and, while she
+prinks, hums a European melody. Then she draws out of her pocket a
+little photograph and speaks to herself while looking in the mirror_]. O
+my treasure! my treasure! [_Presses the photo to her breast and kisses
+it._] _Mon cher!_ Come; we will dance. [_Dances around the table_.]
+Tra-la-la, Tra-la-la. [_Sits down at the right_.] Alexander; my
+Alexander; dear Alexander! Yes, you are really an angel. Why are you so
+handsome? You have black eyes and I also have black. Then arched
+eyebrows just like me. [_Touches her eyebrows_.] A pretty little
+mustache, which I lack. Which of us is more beautiful, I or you? You are
+handsomest; no, I am handsomest [_springing up_]. We will see at once.
+
+[_Looks at herself in the mirror and then at the photograph. Enter
+Alexander at the middle door_.
+
+NATO [_without noticing Alexander_]. No, you are the more beautiful!
+                    [_Kisses the photograph_.
+
+                    [_Alexander approaches softly and kisses Nato_.
+
+NATO [_frightened_]. Oh!
+
+ALEXANDER. No, you are the more beautiful, Natalie, dear. _Ma chere
+Nathalie!_
+
+NATO. _O mon cher Alexandre!_ How you frightened me!
+
+ALEXANDER [_putting his arm around her_]. Let me kiss you again, and
+your fright will pass away. [_Kisses her_.] Give me a kiss just once!
+
+NATO [_kissing him_]. There, you have one.
+
+ALEXANDER. Well, I ought to allow you to kiss me. Am I not worth more
+than that piece of paper?
+                    [_Takes her by the hand; they sit down on sofa at the
+                         right_.
+
+NATO. They have come to congratulate us.
+
+ALEXANDER. Yes, your grandmother, your aunts, and your cousins. Nato,
+shall you give evening parties like this?
+
+NATO [_smiling_]. Ha! ha! ha! No such _soirees_ as this, my dear
+Alexander. Two evenings every month we will give little dances, either
+on Tuesdays or Thursdays. Which is better? Do you not think, Alexander,
+that Thursday will be best?
+
+ALEXANDER [_with a grimace_]. As you wish, _chere Nathalie_. If you
+like, you can give a _soiree_ every week.
+
+NATO. No, twice a month is better. Sophie, who is now Madame Jarinskaja,
+gives only two _soirees_ in a month.
+
+ALEXANDER. Very well, Nato dear.
+
+NATO. That is agreed, then. And every Thursday we will dance at the
+Casino. [_Alexander makes another grimace_.] Mind, now! every Thursday.
+
+ALEXANDER. Do you like to visit the Casino?
+
+NATO [_laying her hand on his shoulder_]. Who doesn't like to visit it?
+Is there another place where one can amuse one's self better? The
+beautiful long _salon_! the _boudoir_! the beautiful music and the rich
+costumes! How beautiful they all are! [_Embracing Alexander_.] We will
+dance together, and when we are tired, we will go into the mirror-room
+and rest ourselves and talk and laugh.
+
+ALEXANDER. And then we will dance again and rest ourselves, and talk and
+laugh again.
+
+NATO. It will be splendid! [_Kisses him_.] I will dress beautifully _a
+la mode_, so that everyone will say, "Look! look! what a charming woman
+Madame Marmarow is!" And then, dear Alexander, we will subscribe for a
+box at the theatre for Fridays.
+
+ALEXANDER [_making another grimace aside_]. She's piling it on.
+
+NATO. And do you know where? In the upper tier at the left, near the
+foyer.
+
+ALEXANDER. Wouldn't it be better to subscribe for two evenings a week?
+
+NATO. Wouldn't it cost too much?
+
+ALEXANDER. What has that to do with it? Do you think I could deny you
+any pleasure? No! no! you shall have everything.
+
+NATO [_embracing him_]. _Cher Alexandre_! do you really love me so
+much?
+
+ALEXANDER. I cannot tell you at all how much I love you. Right at our
+first meeting I fell in love with you!
+
+NATO. I don't believe it! I don't believe it! All young men talk so!
+
+ALEXANDER. Ha! ha! ha! Do you think I am like them? With them the
+tongues have nothing to do with the heart; but my tongue speaks what is
+here!
+                    [_Strikes himself on the breast_.
+
+NATO [_ironically_]. I know! I know! If I had no dowry you would not
+marry me.
+
+ALEXANDER. Nato dear, you wrong me! _ma chere_! As if the dowry made any
+difference! _Fi donc_!
+
+NATO. Then you really love me so much?
+
+ALEXANDER. Very, very much, Nato dear. You can put me to the test if you
+will.
+
+NATO. Do you know, my piano is not fit to use!
+
+ALEXANDER [_smoothing his hair_--_aside_]. Something new again.
+
+NATO. Buy me a new piano. To-day I saw one at a store; it cost 500
+rubles.
+
+ALEXANDER. Five hundred rubles! You cannot buy a decent piano for that!
+
+NATO. Dear Alexander!
+
+ALEXANDER. Be patient awhile, Nato dear. One of my friends brought a
+piano from abroad that cost 1,000; yes, even 1,500 rubles.
+
+NATO. My sweetheart; my dear sweetheart! [_Kissing him_.] I will come
+right back. [_Rises_.] I must go and prepare for our reception or mamma
+will be angry. Tra-la-la.
+                    [_Exit at left_.
+
+ALEXANDER [_alone, springing up_]. Ha! ha! ha! _soirees_, balls at the
+club, box at the theatre, dresses and ornaments after the latest
+fashion! Am I a millionaire? I would have nothing against it if I had
+the money to do it. She acts as though she was going to bring 50,000
+rubles dowry into the house. No, Natalie, that will all come later. In
+ten or twenty years, perhaps, I will set up a carriage; but it is not
+even to be thought of now. Indeed, I don't know, where it will lead to
+if she makes such demands on me every day. It will lead to quarrels and
+unpleasantness, and it will be all up with my economizing. No, indeed,
+Natalie, it will be no easy thing to satisfy you. Why did I not think of
+this sooner? Let her talk, and demand what she will. I will do what
+pleases me.
+
+NATO [_enter right; speaks to someone behind the scenes_]. I will come
+at once. I am coming. Come, Alexander, let us go into the garden. Mamma
+must go upstairs, and the guests will be all alone in the garden.
+
+ALEXANDER. I am waiting for your father, Nato dear, I have something
+important to discuss with him.
+
+NATO. Why, we will soon return, and by that time father will be home. Do
+you want to sit here alone?
+
+ALEXANDER. Well, we will go.
+
+NATO. Come! come! I want to introduce you to my coquettish aunt.
+                    [_Mimics her while making a courtesy, and makes
+                         faces. Alexander, shaking his head, goes out with
+                         Nato noisily through middle door_.
+
+
+
+
+SCENE II
+
+_Salome. Chacho_.
+
+
+CHACHO. No, indeed, Salome. She behaves too boldly. You must give her a
+warning. Such self-confidence I have I never before seen in a girl.
+
+SALOME. That is all a matter of fashion! What is to be done?
+                    [_Shuffling the cards_.
+
+CHACHO [_seating herself_]. When one thinks how the times have changed,
+one grows dizzy! When I was engaged, my love, I dared not open my mouth;
+it was as if they had put a lock on it. Indeed, I dared not look anyone
+in the face, even, and kept my eyes always cast down, as if glued fast
+to the floor.
+
+SALOME. How could anyone endure all that? The eyes are made to look
+with, I hope, and the tongue to speak! I wouldn't have borne it. It is
+well that those times are past. I should die of such a life.
+
+CHACHO. Oh, your present times are the true ones! Isn't this shameful,
+now, what goes on here? All the money that the husband can make in a
+week, the wife loses at play in a single evening. Is that widow, the
+stout one, going to play with you? She is surely more than fifty years
+old.
+
+SALOME. Of course! we wouldn't play at all without her.
+
+CHACHO. That is the best of all. Why, she has a married daughter as old
+as you are!
+
+SALOME. What of that? Whoever has money can always play. But what do you
+say to the wife of blind Gigoli? She hasn't enough to eat, but gives
+herself airs before us just the same.
+
+CHACHO. Don't talk to me about her! A few weeks ago she pawned a silver
+pitcher to one of our neighbors for five rubles without her husband's
+knowledge. God punished her for it, for that same evening she lost it
+all at cards. I should like to know how she is going to redeem the
+pitcher.
+
+SALOME [_arranging her dress before the mirror_]. Yes, yes; no one can
+take her measure better than I.
+                    [_Enter Ossep_.
+
+OSSEP [_angrily_]. And what have you gotten ready for again?
+
+SALOME. What was to be done? Look and see how many guests there are in
+the garden!
+
+OSSEP. It was very wrong of them to come here. Has no one invited them,
+then? They should have asked me first.
+
+SALOME. You are a singular being! We have betrothed our daughter and
+they were obliged to come and congratulate us.
+
+OSSEP. Congratulate! As though my joy went to their hearts! On the
+contrary, they would enjoy it if I had a misfortune; they could put
+their heads together and criticise and laugh at me.
+
+CHACHO. What are you so ill-humored about? For the last two days you
+have been intolerable.
+
+OSSEP. If I could unbosom myself to you and show you my heart, you would
+comprehend what the cause of it is.
+
+CHACHO. God protect you from all evil!
+
+OSSEP. Am I not right? Tell me yourself! This is not the time for
+card-playing. Why have they come, then? If they wished to congratulate
+us, they could come separately. How does it happen that they all
+thought of us at once? Perhaps each has sent word to the other that
+Salome has betrothed her daughter and they have all taken advantage of
+the opportunity to come. Of course only for the sake of those damned
+cards! This one or that one has probably been invited by her [_pointing
+to Salome_]. She sent word to them, "Come to us, I pray! X and Z are
+already here." [_To Salome_:] Say, isn't that so?
+
+SALOME. What nonsense he talks! Ought they not to know at your uncle's
+house that we have betrothed our daughter? I was obliged to give them
+some information about it, was I not?
+
+OSSEP. And to whom beside?
+
+SALOME. Whom else? Your cousins. And I have just sent for your
+sister-in-law.
+
+OSSEP [_anxiously_]. For what purpose? She could have come another time
+just as well.
+
+SALOME. How useless it is to talk so! You understand nothing at all
+about the matter. Your relatives would take offence in every possible
+way if I did not invite them. They would not speak to me for a year!
+
+OSSEP. Great heaven! I wish they were struck blind! [_Sits down and
+pulls at the end of the table-cloth_.] I would take pleasure in throwing
+them all out!
+
+SALOME. I have no time to dispute with you.
+                    [_Exit at left, angry_.
+
+OSSEP. Great heaven! have women been created only to bleed the men?
+
+CHACHO. Don't excite yourself so, dear Ossep. What you say is in every
+way pure facts. But you must overlook something now and then. It can't
+be helped now; they are all here; you cannot chase them out of the
+house. The whole city would be stirred up about it.
+
+OSSEP. And what will people say when to-morrow or the day after my
+creditors come and chase me out of my house?
+
+CHACHO. Oh, don't talk about such things!
+
+OSSEP [_sitting down at the card-table_]. That's easily said. But let me
+tell you, I feel as though the house was going to fall down on top of
+me.
+
+CHACHO. What has happened, Ossep?
+
+OSSEP. They say Barssegh Leproink has brought action against me.
+
+CHACHO. What? Brought action against you?
+
+OSSEP. I owe him money, and on that account he holds the knife at my
+throat.
+
+CHACHO. God bless me!
+
+OSSEP. The wicked fellow has my note, and another security beside, and
+yet he will not wait.
+
+CHACHO. His match for wickedness cannot be found in the whole world.
+
+OSSEP. No, not another such miserable scoundrel! I expect every moment
+to be notified, and have no idea where I can get the money. Everyone I
+have asked to help me has refused me. I can borrow no more on my note,
+and I cannot sell my goods at half price. That everyone must understand.
+They all show their claws as soon as they find out the position I am in.
+Salome is to blame for all this; the 7,000 rubles she promised is the
+cause of it all. I would like to know who will pay them to him now.
+
+CHACHO. You talk nonsense! You will make your daughter unhappy forever,
+Ossep.
+
+OSSEP. I am still more unhappy myself. But let us see what the coming
+day brings forth. I still have hope of one. Perhaps he will supply me
+with money.
+
+CHACHO. How could you trust the scamp so blindly? Is such want of
+thought consistent with reason?
+
+OSSEP. What is the use of reason in this? I have always said I could not
+stand the expense that now everybody assumes. If a man conducts his
+business honestly, he makes little profit; and as for a dishonest
+business, I am not fit for that! So I have suffered one reverse after
+another; and where I was most vulnerable I have been hit at last.
+
+CHACHO. Heavens! what do I hear? Why don't I sink into the earth?
+
+OSSEP. In our line of trade only a few persons carry on their business
+with their own money. Most of us have to borrow. When I sell goods to
+one, I pay my debt to the other. I sell goods to the third and pay to
+the fourth; and so it goes in a circle, like a wheel drawing water,
+until one falls in the hands of a man who draws the needle out of the
+knitting and everything falls in pieces. Who is in a position to fight
+against such conditions? One must pay the store rent and the clerk's
+salary, and beside that the interest on the working capital. Then there
+are the goods that are spoiled or stolen--and here at home! [_Striking
+the cards_.] All this rubbish and more beside! [_Striking the table
+again._] And the women are to blame for all this; if my wife had not
+promised 7,000 rubles, without my knowledge, the betrothal would not
+have taken place, and this bad luck would not have come to me. But where
+does one find among our women insight and forethought? For model women
+give me some foreign countries. There the women stand by the men in
+everything: the wife of a cook is a cook; the wife of a writer, a
+writer; the wife of a merchant is in every case a merchant. They earn
+jointly and spend jointly. With us the man is here only to make money
+for them, so that they [_striking the table_] may kill time with foolish
+things like this.
+
+CHACHO. Say, rather, that times are changed; for the men also sit at the
+club all day and play cards.
+
+OSSEP. Ho! ho! As though women did not play cards also! Formerly the
+cards were solely our diversion; but they have taken them away from us.
+Don't worry yourself; with God's help they will be learning to play
+billiards. Why do you dwell upon the fact that the men play cards? One
+in a thousand plays; while of a thousand women, nine hundred play. Men
+are always more moderate. They see that the times are hard, and have
+given up most of their earlier pleasures. Where are the banquets that
+used to be given, one after another? Where are the drinking-places where
+the music played? They have given them up; and the women are just like
+they were, only worse. To-day they arrange a picnic, to-morrow a little
+party, and so on. The men stand gaping at them, and the children are
+left to the servants. If I could take the law into my own hands, I'd
+soon set them right.
+                    [_Paces to and fro in anger_.
+
+CHACHO [_rising, aside_]. He is right. All that he says is pure truth.
+                    [_Exit left_
+
+
+
+
+SCENE III
+
+_Ossep. Then Alexander_.
+
+
+OSSEP. O dear! O dear!
+[_Stands near fireplace; rests head on hand and remains motionless_.
+
+ALEXANDER [_enter right_]. You have come, father? [_Silence--comes near
+Ossep_.] Father.
+
+OSSEP. Ah! Alexander [_offering his hand_]. Please sit down. Have you
+just come?
+
+ALEXANDER. No; I have been here a long time. I was in the garden.
+
+OSSEP. What is the news? [_Both sit down_.
+
+ALEXANDER. Nothing, except that I wish to have a wedding next week.
+
+OSSEP. So soon?
+
+ALEXANDER. Yes; my chief goes soon to Petersburg, and I want him to be
+at the wedding.
+
+OSSEP. And can't we wait till he comes back?
+
+ALEXANDER. That would be too long.
+
+OSSEP. Very well. As you wish.
+
+ALEXANDER [_stammering_]. But--my dear father--
+
+OSSEP. I understand; I understand. You want me to pay over the money at
+once?
+
+ALEXANDER. Yes, my dear father, if it is possible.
+
+OSSEP. I am sorry to confess that at the present moment I have no money
+at hand. You must wait a little. If you wish to marry without money,
+that is your affair.
+
+ALEXANDER. You amaze me!
+
+OSSEP. It is better for me to tell you this than to deceive you. You
+know the law to some extent. Tell me, if I owe someone money on a note,
+can my creditor bring action against me and put an execution on me
+without having me called before the court?
+
+ALEXANDER. Is the note attested by a notary?
+
+OSSEP. Yes.
+
+ALEXANDER. He has the right to come to your house and have everything
+put under seal.
+
+OSSEP. Without first bringing me into court?
+
+ALEXANDER. Yes, without court proceedings.
+
+OSSEP. But if he has received on account of this debt the note of a
+third person?
+
+ALEXANDER. That is another thing. Have you a receipt for it?
+
+OSSEP. No; but I can take my oath on it.
+
+ALEXANDER. According to law you must first pay the money and then
+produce proofs that you gave him the other document.
+
+OSSEP [_excited_]. Is that true?
+
+ALEXANDER. Yes, it is so.
+
+OSSEP [_wringing his hands and springing up_]. Then I am ruined. [_A
+silence. Nato's voice is heard outside_.] Alexander, they are calling
+you.
+
+ALEXANDER [_approaching Ossep_]. What is it? For God's sake tell me the
+truth.
+
+OSSEP. There, there. Go out first. They are calling you.
+
+ALEXANDER [_aside, taking his hat_]. So far as I see, I am ruined also.
+                    [_Exit._
+
+OSSEP [_alone_]. What do I not suffer! If they really come here I shall
+perish through shame. Where can I find so much money in such a hurry?
+One must have time for it, and that fellow may come to-day even--perhaps
+this minute. Then I am lost--who will trust me then? My creditors will
+tie a rope around my neck and prevent me from saying a word in my own
+behalf. "Pay us," they will cry; "pay us!" O Salome, Salome!
+
+_Enter Gewo_.
+
+OSSEP. There he is.
+
+GEWO. Good-evening, Ossep.
+
+OSSEP. You have come, too. You want your money, too? Yes, choke me;
+double my debt; say that I owe you, not 2,000 rubles, but 4,000. Speak!
+You are my creditor; speak! Have no pity on me. You want your money--why
+do you wait, then? Slay me; tear my heart out of my body; hack me in
+pieces and sell it piece by piece, so that your money shall not be lost.
+[_Gewo wipes his eyes_.] Weep, weep, for your money is lost. I am
+bankrupt--bankrupt!
+
+GEWO [_embracing Ossep_]. Dear Ossep, dear Ossep!
+
+OSSEP. You say "dear" to me? Yet you are my creditor.
+
+GEWO. Take courage; be a man!
+
+OSSEP. What kind of a man? I am a good-for-nothing; I have lost my good
+name [_weeping_]. My good name is gone. [_Wipes his eyes_.]
+
+GEWO. God is merciful, dear Ossep.
+
+OSSEP. God and heaven have taken their mercy from me. You see now where
+the marriage of my daughter has led me? If I could at least pay you
+everything I owe you--that I must do at any price.
+
+GEWO. What are you saying, Ossep? If I had the means I would go on your
+bond. Why should I be your friend otherwise?
+
+OSSEP. If you had money, dear Gewo, you would not be my friend, nor have
+such a good heart. Stay poor as you are, so that I shall not lose your
+friendship. Only your sympathy is left me in this world. I would not
+like to lose your friendship. In this one day I have suffered
+everything. No one has shown interest in me; no one has given proof of
+his sympathy--neither my uncle, nor my brother, nor my nephew. When they
+saw I was near my last breath, they all forsook me and shut the door in
+my face.
+
+GEWO. Come with me; perhaps we will find help somewhere.
+
+OSSEP. There can be no more talk of help.
+
+GEWO. Come, come; there is still a way out.
+
+OSSEP. What way out can there be?
+
+GEWO. Come, come; let us not delay.
+
+OSSEP. But tell me how is it to be managed?
+
+GEWO. Come, come! I will tell you on the way.
+
+OSSEP. What you say sounds very strange; tell me what it is. Speak, what
+has occurred? Don't fear! Don't spare me! Whatever happens cannot be
+worse than what has happened; they have already sent a bullet into my
+heart, and what worse can they do to me, except tear open my breast and
+take my heart out? Speak; what is it? Have they put seals on my store?
+
+GEWO. Come and you will see.
+
+OSSEP. They have put seals on it, then?
+
+GEWO. I tell--
+
+OSSEP. You are ruined, Ossep. [_Rushes to the table, seizes the box and
+scatters the cards; some fall on the floor_.] Now you may play; now you
+may play.      [_Exit_.
+
+GEWO. Too bad; too bad about him!      [_Follows him_.
+
+
+
+
+SCENE IV
+
+_Enter Salome, Martha, Nino, Pepel, and many well-dressed ladies,
+followed by two footmen carrying candelabra and lamps, which they put on
+the table_.
+
+
+SALOME. Take seats, please. The cards are already here.
+
+MARTHA. How pretty it is, isn't it? The cards are already dealt.
+                    [_The ladies converse smilingly with one another_.
+
+SALOME [_stepping forward and noticing the cards on the floor_].
+What is this? Who can have done it?
+
+MARTHA. Probably the cats ran over the table.
+
+SALOME. I cannot think how it could have happened! Please sit down.
+
+_Enter Nato and her friends_.
+
+SALOME [_collecting the cards_]. Who can have done it? Nato, did you do
+it?
+
+NATO. No, mamma, I did not touch them.
+
+SALOME [_to the guests_]. Sit down, I beg.
+
+[_All the guests sit down at the table, Nato and her friends sit on the
+other side of the stage. Salome, standing, deals the cards which the
+guests hand one to the other. Then they pay in the stakes to Salome,
+which she lays on the table in front of her_.
+
+_Enter Alexander_.
+
+NATO [_going to meet Alexander_]. Alexander, why were you so long?
+
+ALEXANDER. I was obliged to be [_leading Nato aside excitedly, and in a
+whisper_:] I have something to say to you.
+
+NATO [_in a whisper_]. What makes your hand tremble?
+
+ALEXANDER. They have brought action against your father in the courts.
+
+NATO. What! For what reason?
+
+ALEXANDER. Because of debts.
+
+NATO. Who told you so?
+
+ALEXANDER. Your father himself.
+
+NATO [_laughing aloud_]. Ha! ha! ha! [_Whispering_:] My father has no
+debts.
+
+ALEXANDER. Well, he told me so himself.
+
+NATO. He was joking. Don't believe him.
+                    [_Goes over to her friends, laughing_.
+
+ALEXANDER. Well, I can't make it out. I am not so stupid, however. Until
+I have the money in my hands I will not cross this threshold again.
+
+SALOME. Let us begin. [_Guests begin to play_.
+
+
+
+
+SCENE V
+
+_Enter Chacho_.
+
+
+CHACHO [_coming from left_]. Get this stuff out of the way.
+
+SALOME. What is the matter? What has happened?
+
+CHACHO. What was to happen? We are ruined. [_Behind the scenes are heard
+threatening voices_:] "Here! Yes! No." [_Then Ossep's voice_:] "Come in,
+come in."
+
+CHACHO [_to Salome_]. Do you not hear them?
+
+_Enter Barssegh through middle door_.
+
+BARSSEGH. This is really splendid! I work for my daily bread, and you
+illuminate your house on my money.
+
+CHACHO [_to Salome_]. Now you have it.
+
+SALOME [_rising_]. Are you mad? Show him out.
+
+BARSSEGH. I will show you pretty soon who is to be shown out.
+
+SALOME. Alexander, show this man out.
+
+ALEXANDER [_to Barssegh_]. What do you want, sir? How can you indulge in
+such insolence?
+
+BARSSEGH. That is not your affair, sir! I demand my money. Demand yours
+also if you can. You will be obliged to wait a long while for it.
+
+CHACHO [_to Barssegh_]. Have you no conscience?
+
+BARSSEGH. I want my money, and nothing more.
+
+_Enter Ossep, Gewo, a sheriff and his secretary, Dartscho, and several
+others_.
+
+OSSEP [_opening the door with both hands as he enters_]. Come in! come
+in! [_The others follow him_.] Play, play and laugh as much as you will
+over my misfortunes!
+
+CHACHO [_aside_]. Now it is all over with us!
+
+SALOME. Tell me, for God's sake, the meaning of this.
+
+OSSEP. God will judge you and me also. [_To sheriff and others:_] Come,
+make your inventory, put your seals on everything--the house, the
+furniture, and on the cards, too.
+
+BARSSEGH. Make an inventory of everything.
+                    [_The sheriff lists furniture in the background
+                         and puts a ticket on each piece. The guests
+                         assemble, frightened, on the left side of the
+                         table_.
+
+SALOME [_beating her head_]. Good heavens!
+
+MARTHA. This is a disgrace for us as well.
+
+CHACHO [_in a low voice to Martha_]. You at least should be silent.
+
+OSSEP [_pointing to Barssegh_]. He has stripped me of my honor. Now you
+will honor and esteem him. He will arrange for your parties. Yes, he,
+the man who takes the shirt from my back and possesses himself of all my
+property.
+
+ALEXANDER [_aside_]. I have my sister to thank for all this, who dragged
+me into this house.
+
+OSSEP [_ironically_]. Alexander, look for a dowry elsewhere, for I can
+no longer give my daughter one.
+
+ALEXANDER [_angry_]. What, you deride me as well! I don't belong to your
+class, sir!
+
+OSSEP. And has it come to this!
+
+ALEXANDER [_taking his hat_]. I have not acquired my present dignity to
+lose it through you.
+
+OSSEP. Ha! ha! ha! His dignity!
+
+ALEXANDER [_coming near Nato_]. I have loved you truly, Miss Nato, but I
+must give you up. I am not to blame for it. Farewell.
+                    [_Goes to the door_.
+
+                    [_Barssegh laughs for joy_.
+
+OSSEP [_approaching Salome, who stands dismayed, takes her by the arm
+and points to the departing Alexander_]. There goes your official!
+
+NATO [_standing at the left near the sofa_]. Alexander! Alexander!
+[_Exit Alexander_.] Dear Alexander.
+                    [_Sitting down on the sofa, begins to cry_.
+
+SALOME [_in a low tone, striking her brow with both hands_].
+Why doesn't the earth open and swallow me?
+
+OSSEP [_to Salome_]. Now you are punished, are you not? [_Turning to
+Barssegh_:] Take it all, now! Satisfy yourself! [_Takes off his coat_.]
+Take this also! [_Throws it to Barssegh_.] Yes, take it! [_Takes his cap
+from the table and throws it to Barssegh_.] Make off with this also; I
+need it no longer.
+                    [_Runs to and fro as if distracted_.
+
+BARSSEGH [_in a low voice_]. Keep on giving!
+                    [_Turns to sheriff and speaks softly to him_.
+
+OSSEP [_taking up different articles from card table and throwing them
+on the floor_]. Take these also! Take these also! [_Taking a lighted
+candelabra and smashing it on the floor_] Stick that also down your
+throat!
+
+SEVERAL OF THE GUESTS. The poor fellow is losing his wits.
+                    [_Nato crying; her friends comfort her. Salome faints_.
+
+CHACHO. Ossep! My dear Ossep!
+
+GEWO [_embracing Ossep_]. Be calm, dear Ossep. You behave like a madman.
+
+OSSEP [_after a pause_]. Gewo, I was mad when I settled in this city.
+This life is too much for me; it was not for me. I am ruined. I am a
+beggar. He is to be praised who comes off better than I.
+                    [_Exit._
+
+SALOME [_with her hand on her brow sinks down on the sofa, groaning
+loudly_]. Ah!
+
+GEWO. Poor Ossep!
+
+BARSSEGH [_turns from Dartscho, to whom he has been speaking, to the
+sheriff_]. What are you gazing around for, sir? Keep on with your
+writing.
+                    [_Sheriff looks at Barssegh in disgust, sits down by
+                         card table and writes_.
+
+MARTHA [_to the guests_]. We have nothing more to look for here.
+[_Aside:_] A charming set!
+                    [_Goes toward middle door; some ladies follow; others
+                         stand offended_.
+
+CHACHO [_raising her eyes_]. Would that I had died long ago, so that I
+had not lived to see this unfortunate day!
+
+
+CURTAIN.
+
+
+
+
+
+End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Armenian Literature, by Anonymous
+
+*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK ARMENIAN LITERATURE ***
+
+***** This file should be named 11461.txt or 11461.zip *****
+This and all associated files of various formats will be found in:
+        https://www.gutenberg.org/1/1/4/6/11461/
+
+Produced by Juliet Sutherland, Susan Skinner and the Online Distributed
+Proofreading Team.
+
+
+Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions
+will be renamed.
+
+Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no
+one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation
+(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without
+permission and without paying copyright royalties.  Special rules,
+set forth in the General Terms of Use part of this license, apply to
+copying and distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works to
+protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm concept and trademark.  Project
+Gutenberg is a registered trademark, and may not be used if you
+charge for the eBooks, unless you receive specific permission.  If you
+do not charge anything for copies of this eBook, complying with the
+rules is very easy.  You may use this eBook for nearly any purpose
+such as creation of derivative works, reports, performances and
+research.  They may be modified and printed and given away--you may do
+practically ANYTHING with public domain eBooks.  Redistribution is
+subject to the trademark license, especially commercial
+redistribution.
+
+
+
+*** START: FULL LICENSE ***
+
+THE FULL PROJECT GUTENBERG LICENSE
+PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE YOU DISTRIBUTE OR USE THIS WORK
+
+To protect the Project Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting the free
+distribution of electronic works, by using or distributing this work
+(or any other work associated in any way with the phrase "Project
+Gutenberg"), you agree to comply with all the terms of the Full Project
+Gutenberg-tm License (available with this file or online at
+https://gutenberg.org/license).
+
+
+Section 1.  General Terms of Use and Redistributing Project Gutenberg-tm
+electronic works
+
+1.A.  By reading or using any part of this Project Gutenberg-tm
+electronic work, you indicate that you have read, understand, agree to
+and accept all the terms of this license and intellectual property
+(trademark/copyright) agreement.  If you do not agree to abide by all
+the terms of this agreement, you must cease using and return or destroy
+all copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in your possession.
+If you paid a fee for obtaining a copy of or access to a Project
+Gutenberg-tm electronic work and you do not agree to be bound by the
+terms of this agreement, you may obtain a refund from the person or
+entity to whom you paid the fee as set forth in paragraph 1.E.8.
+
+1.B.  "Project Gutenberg" is a registered trademark.  It may only be
+used on or associated in any way with an electronic work by people who
+agree to be bound by the terms of this agreement.  There are a few
+things that you can do with most Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works
+even without complying with the full terms of this agreement.  See
+paragraph 1.C below.  There are a lot of things you can do with Project
+Gutenberg-tm electronic works if you follow the terms of this agreement
+and help preserve free future access to Project Gutenberg-tm electronic
+works.  See paragraph 1.E below.
+
+1.C.  The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation ("the Foundation"
+or PGLAF), owns a compilation copyright in the collection of Project
+Gutenberg-tm electronic works.  Nearly all the individual works in the
+collection are in the public domain in the United States.  If an
+individual work is in the public domain in the United States and you are
+located in the United States, we do not claim a right to prevent you from
+copying, distributing, performing, displaying or creating derivative
+works based on the work as long as all references to Project Gutenberg
+are removed.  Of course, we hope that you will support the Project
+Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting free access to electronic works by
+freely sharing Project Gutenberg-tm works in compliance with the terms of
+this agreement for keeping the Project Gutenberg-tm name associated with
+the work.  You can easily comply with the terms of this agreement by
+keeping this work in the same format with its attached full Project
+Gutenberg-tm License when you share it without charge with others.
+
+1.D.  The copyright laws of the place where you are located also govern
+what you can do with this work.  Copyright laws in most countries are in
+a constant state of change.  If you are outside the United States, check
+the laws of your country in addition to the terms of this agreement
+before downloading, copying, displaying, performing, distributing or
+creating derivative works based on this work or any other Project
+Gutenberg-tm work.  The Foundation makes no representations concerning
+the copyright status of any work in any country outside the United
+States.
+
+1.E.  Unless you have removed all references to Project Gutenberg:
+
+1.E.1.  The following sentence, with active links to, or other immediate
+access to, the full Project Gutenberg-tm License must appear prominently
+whenever any copy of a Project Gutenberg-tm work (any work on which the
+phrase "Project Gutenberg" appears, or with which the phrase "Project
+Gutenberg" is associated) is accessed, displayed, performed, viewed,
+copied or distributed:
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+1.E.2.  If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is derived
+from the public domain (does not contain a notice indicating that it is
+posted with permission of the copyright holder), the work can be copied
+and distributed to anyone in the United States without paying any fees
+or charges.  If you are redistributing or providing access to a work
+with the phrase "Project Gutenberg" associated with or appearing on the
+work, you must comply either with the requirements of paragraphs 1.E.1
+through 1.E.7 or obtain permission for the use of the work and the
+Project Gutenberg-tm trademark as set forth in paragraphs 1.E.8 or
+1.E.9.
+
+1.E.3.  If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is posted
+with the permission of the copyright holder, your use and distribution
+must comply with both paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 and any additional
+terms imposed by the copyright holder.  Additional terms will be linked
+to the Project Gutenberg-tm License for all works posted with the
+permission of the copyright holder found at the beginning of this work.
+
+1.E.4.  Do not unlink or detach or remove the full Project Gutenberg-tm
+License terms from this work, or any files containing a part of this
+work or any other work associated with Project Gutenberg-tm.
+
+1.E.5.  Do not copy, display, perform, distribute or redistribute this
+electronic work, or any part of this electronic work, without
+prominently displaying the sentence set forth in paragraph 1.E.1 with
+active links or immediate access to the full terms of the Project
+Gutenberg-tm License.
+
+1.E.6.  You may convert to and distribute this work in any binary,
+compressed, marked up, nonproprietary or proprietary form, including any
+word processing or hypertext form.  However, if you provide access to or
+distribute copies of a Project Gutenberg-tm work in a format other than
+"Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other format used in the official version
+posted on the official Project Gutenberg-tm web site (www.gutenberg.org),
+you must, at no additional cost, fee or expense to the user, provide a
+copy, a means of exporting a copy, or a means of obtaining a copy upon
+request, of the work in its original "Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other
+form.  Any alternate format must include the full Project Gutenberg-tm
+License as specified in paragraph 1.E.1.
+
+1.E.7.  Do not charge a fee for access to, viewing, displaying,
+performing, copying or distributing any Project Gutenberg-tm works
+unless you comply with paragraph 1.E.8 or 1.E.9.
+
+1.E.8.  You may charge a reasonable fee for copies of or providing
+access to or distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works provided
+that
+
+- You pay a royalty fee of 20% of the gross profits you derive from
+     the use of Project Gutenberg-tm works calculated using the method
+     you already use to calculate your applicable taxes.  The fee is
+     owed to the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark, but he
+     has agreed to donate royalties under this paragraph to the
+     Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation.  Royalty payments
+     must be paid within 60 days following each date on which you
+     prepare (or are legally required to prepare) your periodic tax
+     returns.  Royalty payments should be clearly marked as such and
+     sent to the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation at the
+     address specified in Section 4, "Information about donations to
+     the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation."
+
+- You provide a full refund of any money paid by a user who notifies
+     you in writing (or by e-mail) within 30 days of receipt that s/he
+     does not agree to the terms of the full Project Gutenberg-tm
+     License.  You must require such a user to return or
+     destroy all copies of the works possessed in a physical medium
+     and discontinue all use of and all access to other copies of
+     Project Gutenberg-tm works.
+
+- You provide, in accordance with paragraph 1.F.3, a full refund of any
+     money paid for a work or a replacement copy, if a defect in the
+     electronic work is discovered and reported to you within 90 days
+     of receipt of the work.
+
+- You comply with all other terms of this agreement for free
+     distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm works.
+
+1.E.9.  If you wish to charge a fee or distribute a Project Gutenberg-tm
+electronic work or group of works on different terms than are set
+forth in this agreement, you must obtain permission in writing from
+both the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation and Michael
+Hart, the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark.  Contact the
+Foundation as set forth in Section 3 below.
+
+1.F.
+
+1.F.1.  Project Gutenberg volunteers and employees expend considerable
+effort to identify, do copyright research on, transcribe and proofread
+public domain works in creating the Project Gutenberg-tm
+collection.  Despite these efforts, Project Gutenberg-tm electronic
+works, and the medium on which they may be stored, may contain
+"Defects," such as, but not limited to, incomplete, inaccurate or
+corrupt data, transcription errors, a copyright or other intellectual
+property infringement, a defective or damaged disk or other medium, a
+computer virus, or computer codes that damage or cannot be read by
+your equipment.
+
+1.F.2.  LIMITED WARRANTY, DISCLAIMER OF DAMAGES - Except for the "Right
+of Replacement or Refund" described in paragraph 1.F.3, the Project
+Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, the owner of the Project
+Gutenberg-tm trademark, and any other party distributing a Project
+Gutenberg-tm electronic work under this agreement, disclaim all
+liability to you for damages, costs and expenses, including legal
+fees.  YOU AGREE THAT YOU HAVE NO REMEDIES FOR NEGLIGENCE, STRICT
+LIABILITY, BREACH OF WARRANTY OR BREACH OF CONTRACT EXCEPT THOSE
+PROVIDED IN PARAGRAPH F3.  YOU AGREE THAT THE FOUNDATION, THE
+TRADEMARK OWNER, AND ANY DISTRIBUTOR UNDER THIS AGREEMENT WILL NOT BE
+LIABLE TO YOU FOR ACTUAL, DIRECT, INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE OR
+INCIDENTAL DAMAGES EVEN IF YOU GIVE NOTICE OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH
+DAMAGE.
+
+1.F.3.  LIMITED RIGHT OF REPLACEMENT OR REFUND - If you discover a
+defect in this electronic work within 90 days of receiving it, you can
+receive a refund of the money (if any) you paid for it by sending a
+written explanation to the person you received the work from.  If you
+received the work on a physical medium, you must return the medium with
+your written explanation.  The person or entity that provided you with
+the defective work may elect to provide a replacement copy in lieu of a
+refund.  If you received the work electronically, the person or entity
+providing it to you may choose to give you a second opportunity to
+receive the work electronically in lieu of a refund.  If the second copy
+is also defective, you may demand a refund in writing without further
+opportunities to fix the problem.
+
+1.F.4.  Except for the limited right of replacement or refund set forth
+in paragraph 1.F.3, this work is provided to you 'AS-IS' WITH NO OTHER
+WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO
+WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTIBILITY OR FITNESS FOR ANY PURPOSE.
+
+1.F.5.  Some states do not allow disclaimers of certain implied
+warranties or the exclusion or limitation of certain types of damages.
+If any disclaimer or limitation set forth in this agreement violates the
+law of the state applicable to this agreement, the agreement shall be
+interpreted to make the maximum disclaimer or limitation permitted by
+the applicable state law.  The invalidity or unenforceability of any
+provision of this agreement shall not void the remaining provisions.
+
+1.F.6.  INDEMNITY - You agree to indemnify and hold the Foundation, the
+trademark owner, any agent or employee of the Foundation, anyone
+providing copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in accordance
+with this agreement, and any volunteers associated with the production,
+promotion and distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works,
+harmless from all liability, costs and expenses, including legal fees,
+that arise directly or indirectly from any of the following which you do
+or cause to occur: (a) distribution of this or any Project Gutenberg-tm
+work, (b) alteration, modification, or additions or deletions to any
+Project Gutenberg-tm work, and (c) any Defect you cause.
+
+
+Section  2.  Information about the Mission of Project Gutenberg-tm
+
+Project Gutenberg-tm is synonymous with the free distribution of
+electronic works in formats readable by the widest variety of computers
+including obsolete, old, middle-aged and new computers.  It exists
+because of the efforts of hundreds of volunteers and donations from
+people in all walks of life.
+
+Volunteers and financial support to provide volunteers with the
+assistance they need, is critical to reaching Project Gutenberg-tm's
+goals and ensuring that the Project Gutenberg-tm collection will
+remain freely available for generations to come.  In 2001, the Project
+Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation was created to provide a secure
+and permanent future for Project Gutenberg-tm and future generations.
+To learn more about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation
+and how your efforts and donations can help, see Sections 3 and 4
+and the Foundation web page at https://www.pglaf.org.
+
+
+Section 3.  Information about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive
+Foundation
+
+The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation is a non profit
+501(c)(3) educational corporation organized under the laws of the
+state of Mississippi and granted tax exempt status by the Internal
+Revenue Service.  The Foundation's EIN or federal tax identification
+number is 64-6221541.  Its 501(c)(3) letter is posted at
+https://pglaf.org/fundraising.  Contributions to the Project Gutenberg
+Literary Archive Foundation are tax deductible to the full extent
+permitted by U.S. federal laws and your state's laws.
+
+The Foundation's principal office is located at 4557 Melan Dr. S.
+Fairbanks, AK, 99712., but its volunteers and employees are scattered
+throughout numerous locations.  Its business office is located at
+809 North 1500 West, Salt Lake City, UT 84116, (801) 596-1887, email
+business@pglaf.org.  Email contact links and up to date contact
+information can be found at the Foundation's web site and official
+page at https://pglaf.org
+
+For additional contact information:
+     Dr. Gregory B. Newby
+     Chief Executive and Director
+     gbnewby@pglaf.org
+
+Section 4.  Information about Donations to the Project Gutenberg
+Literary Archive Foundation
+
+Project Gutenberg-tm depends upon and cannot survive without wide
+spread public support and donations to carry out its mission of
+increasing the number of public domain and licensed works that can be
+freely distributed in machine readable form accessible by the widest
+array of equipment including outdated equipment.  Many small donations
+($1 to $5,000) are particularly important to maintaining tax exempt
+status with the IRS.
+
+The Foundation is committed to complying with the laws regulating
+charities and charitable donations in all 50 states of the United
+States.  Compliance requirements are not uniform and it takes a
+considerable effort, much paperwork and many fees to meet and keep up
+with these requirements.  We do not solicit donations in locations
+where we have not received written confirmation of compliance.  To
+SEND DONATIONS or determine the status of compliance for any
+particular state visit https://pglaf.org
+
+While we cannot and do not solicit contributions from states where we
+have not met the solicitation requirements, we know of no prohibition
+against accepting unsolicited donations from donors in such states who
+approach us with offers to donate.
+
+International donations are gratefully accepted, but we cannot make
+any statements concerning tax treatment of donations received from
+outside the United States.  U.S. laws alone swamp our small staff.
+
+Please check the Project Gutenberg Web pages for current donation
+methods and addresses.  Donations are accepted in a number of other
+ways including including checks, online payments and credit card
+donations.  To donate, please visit: https://pglaf.org/donate
+
+
+Section 5.  General Information About Project Gutenberg-tm electronic
+works.
+
+Professor Michael S. Hart was the originator of the Project Gutenberg-tm
+concept of a library of electronic works that could be freely shared
+with anyone.  For thirty years, he produced and distributed Project
+Gutenberg-tm eBooks with only a loose network of volunteer support.
+
+Project Gutenberg-tm eBooks are often created from several printed
+editions, all of which are confirmed as Public Domain in the U.S.
+unless a copyright notice is included.  Thus, we do not necessarily
+keep eBooks in compliance with any particular paper edition.
+
+Each eBook is in a subdirectory of the same number as the eBook's
+eBook number, often in several formats including plain vanilla ASCII,
+compressed (zipped), HTML and others.
+
+Corrected EDITIONS of our eBooks replace the old file and take over
+the old filename and etext number.  The replaced older file is renamed.
+VERSIONS based on separate sources are treated as new eBooks receiving
+new filenames and etext numbers.
+
+Most people start at our Web site which has the main PG search facility:
+
+     https://www.gutenberg.org
+
+This Web site includes information about Project Gutenberg-tm,
+including how to make donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary
+Archive Foundation, how to help produce our new eBooks, and how to
+subscribe to our email newsletter to hear about new eBooks.
+
+EBooks posted prior to November 2003, with eBook numbers BELOW #10000,
+are filed in directories based on their release date.  If you want to
+download any of these eBooks directly, rather than using the regular
+search system you may utilize the following addresses and just
+download by the etext year.
+
+     https://www.gutenberg.org/etext06
+
+    (Or /etext 05, 04, 03, 02, 01, 00, 99,
+     98, 97, 96, 95, 94, 93, 92, 92, 91 or 90)
+
+EBooks posted since November 2003, with etext numbers OVER #10000, are
+filed in a different way.  The year of a release date is no longer part
+of the directory path.  The path is based on the etext number (which is
+identical to the filename).  The path to the file is made up of single
+digits corresponding to all but the last digit in the filename.  For
+example an eBook of filename 10234 would be found at:
+
+     https://www.gutenberg.org/1/0/2/3/10234
+
+or filename 24689 would be found at:
+     https://www.gutenberg.org/2/4/6/8/24689
+
+An alternative method of locating eBooks:
+     https://www.gutenberg.org/GUTINDEX.ALL
+
+
diff --git a/old/11461.zip b/old/11461.zip
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..011fdfc
--- /dev/null
+++ b/old/11461.zip