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After their dinner Slimak's household dispersed to their different occupations. The gospodyni, tying a red handkerchief round her head and a white linen one round her neck, ran down to the river. Stasiek followed her, looking at the clouds and observing to himself that they were different every day.
'That bitch of a mother! she murmured, 'Magda, put a little milk in a saucer, and you, Maciek, sit down to supper. 'Let Magda sit down, I'll feed her myself. 'Feed her! cried Magda, 'he doesn't even know how to hold her. She tried to take the child from him. 'Don't pull her to pieces, said the gospodyni, 'pour out the milk and let Maciek feed her, if he is so keen on it.
Perhaps you will say it is not true? she cried, looking wildly into his eyes. He hung his head. 'You traitor, you son of a dog! she burst out. 'Sell your land! You would sell the Lord Jesus to the Jews! Tired of being a gospodarz, are you? What is Jendrek to do? And is a gospodyni to die in a stranger's house? She drew him into the middle of the frozen river.
'Do you know, cried the gospodyni, coming up,'we have seen Jasiek Gryb who knows all about the law; we told him about Jendrek's giving it to Hermann, and he swore by a happy death that the Court would let Jendrek off; Jasiek has been tried for these tricks himself, he knows. 'Let them try and put me in prison! shouted Jendrek.
When she reached the yard she saw Grochowski kneeling and rubbing his eyes with his sukmana and Slimak lying on the manure heap. Maciek was standing over them. 'We must do something with them, he said to the gospodyni; 'they've drunk a whole bottle of vodka. 'Get up, you drunkard, she cried, 'or I'll pour water over your head.
Slimakowa stepped back for a moment, but when the firelight fell into the passage, she discerned a human face in the opening of the shawl, copper-coloured, with a broad nose and slanting eyes that were hardly visible under the swollen eyelids. 'The Lord be praised, said a hoarse voice. 'You, Zoska? asked the astonished gospodyni. 'It is I.
'Is that you, Owczarz? Slimakowa asked, hardly recognizing the poor wretch in his rags. 'Indeed, it is I, the man answered miserably. 'They said in the village that you had been killed. 'I have been worse off than that; I have been in the hospital. I wish I had been left under the cart, I shouldn't be so hungry now. The gospodyni became thoughtful.
However, 'Silly Zoska' stayed for six years, and when she went into service at the manor the work at the cottage had not grown less. So the gospodyni engaged a fifteen-year-old orphan, Magda, who preferred to go into service, although she had a cow, a bit of land, and half a cottage of her own.
'It's only I, old Jonah, he said, and peeped in, 'but what's wrong with your honours? he asked in astonishment. 'My wife is dead. 'Dead? how dead? what do you mean by such a joke? Ajwaj! really-dead? He looked attentively at her. 'Such a good gospodyni...what a misfortune, God defend us! And you are lying there and don't see about the funeral?
'Go to bed, Maciek, said the gospodyni; 'let that drunkard lie on the manure-heap, because he has been so disagreeable. Maciek obeyed and went to the stable. When all was quiet, he began for his amusement to pretend that he was drunk, and acted the part of Slimak or the Soltys in turns.
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