I first came out it
was warm, and now it has turned very cold. And He it was, little father,
who made thee look out of the window and have compassion on wretched
me."

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

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

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

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

The woman went away. Avdyeeich ate up the remainder of the cabbage soup,
washed up, and again sat down to work. He worked on and on, but he did
not forget the window, and whenever the window was darkened he
immediately looked up to see who was passing. Acquaintances passed,
strangers passed, but there was no one in particular.

But now Avdyeeich sees how, right in front of his window, an old woman,
a huckster, has taken her stand. She carries a basket of apples. Not
many now remained; she had evidently sold them nearly all. Across her
shoulder she carried a sack full of shavings. She must have picked them
up near some new building, and was taking them home with her. It was
plain that the sack was straining her shoulder. She wanted to shift it
on to the other shoulder, so she rested the sack on the pavement, placed
the apple-basket on a small post, and set about shaking down the
shavings in the sack. Now while she was shaking down the sack, an urchin
in a ragged cap suddenly turned up, goodness knows from whence, grabbed
at one of the apples in the basket, and would have made off with it, but
the wary old woman turned quickly round and gripped the youth by the
sleeve. The lad fought and tried to tear himself loose, but the old
woman seized him with both hands, knocked his hat off, and tugged hard
at his hair. The lad howled, and the old woman reviled him. Avdyeeich
did not stop to put away his awl, but pitched it on the floor, rushed
into the courtyard, and in his haste stumbled on the steps and dropped
his glasses. Avdyeeich ran out into the street. The old woman was
tugging at the lad's hair and wanted to drag him off to the