hall I do? 'Twere
better I had never been born!"--But St Michael said to him, "Weep
not, 'twill all end happily. Fence thyself about with thy boards,
sprinkle thyself all about with holy water, incense thyself with holy
incense, and take me with thee. She shall not have thee. And the
moment she leaves her coffin, do thou jump quickly into it. And
whatever she may say to thee, and however she may implore thee, let
her not get into it again until she says to thee, '_My consort!_'"

So he went. There he stood in the middle of the church, fenced himself
about with his boards, strewed consecrated poppy-seed around him,
incensed himself with holy incense, and read and read. About the
middle of the night a tempest arose outside, and there was a rustling
and a roaring, a hissing and a wailing. The church shook, the altar
candelabra were thrown down, the holy images fell on their faces. O
Lord, how awful! Then came a bang! bang! from the coffin, and again
the Tsarivna started up. She left her coffin and fluttered about the
church. She rushed at the boards and made a snatch at him, and fell
back; she rushed at him again, and again she fell back. She foamed at
the mouth, and her fury every instant grew worse and worse. She dashed
herself about, and darted madly from one corner of the church to the
other, seeking him everywhere. But he skipped into the coffin, with
the image of St Michael by his side. She ran all over the church
seeking him. "He was here--and now he is not here!" cried she. Then
she ran farther on, felt all about her, and cried again, "He was
here--and now he's not here!" At last she sprang up to the coffin, and
there he was. Then she began to beg and pray him, "Come down, come
down! I'll try and catch thee no more, only come down, come down!"
But he only prayed to God, and answered her never a word. Then the
cock crew once, "Cock-a-doodle-doo!"--"Alas! come down, come down, _my
consort!_" cried she. Then he came down, and they both fell on their
knees and began praying to God, and wept sore and gave thanks to God
because He had had mercy on them both.

And at dawn of day crowds of people, with the Tsar at the head of
them, came to the church. "Shall we find him reading prayers, or shall
we only find his bones?" said they. And lo! there they both were on
their knees praying fervently to God. Then the Tsar rejoiced greatly,
and embraced both him and her. After that they had a grand service in
the church, and sprin