me," she said, "you pays me dot money yust de same! It
is not my fault dat you send for me so late I can't help
you vife. It is not my fault if der baby comes mit one
arm first, so dot I can't save it. I haf tried all night,
und in dot place vere it is not fit for dogs to be born,
und mit notting to eat only vot I brings in mine own
pockets."

Here Madame Haupt paused for a moment to get her
breath; and Marija, seeing the beads of sweat on Jurgis's
forehead, and feeling the quivering of his frame, broke
out in a low voice: "How is Ona?"

"How is she?" echoed Madame Haupt. "How do you
tink she can be ven you leave her to kill herself so? I
told dem dot ven they send for de priest. She is young,
und she might haf got over it, und been vell und strong,
if she been treated right. She fight hard, dot girl -- she
is not yet quite dead."

And Jurgis gave a frantic scream. _"Dead!"_

"She vill die, of course," said the other, angrily. "Der
baby is dead now."

The garret was lighted by a candle stuck upon a board;
it had almost burned itself out, and was sputtering and
smoking as Jurgis rushed up the ladder. He could make
out dimly in one corner a pallet of rags and old blankets,
spread upon the floor; at the foot of it was a crucifix,
and near it a priest muttering a prayer. In a far corner
crouched Elzbieta, moaning and wailing. Upon the pallet
lay Ona.

She was covered with a blanket, but he could see her
shoulders and one arm lying bare; she was so shrunken
he would scarcely have known her -- she was all but a
skeleton, and as white as a piece of chalk. Her eyelids
were closed, and she lay still as death. He staggered
toward her and fell upon his knees with a cry of anguish:
"Ona! Ona!"

She did not stir. He caught her hand in his, and began
to clasp it frantically, calling: "Look at me! Answer me!
It is Jurgis come back -- don't you hear me?"

[[226]]

p225 _ -chap- _ toc-1 _ p226w _ toc-2 _ +chap+ _ p227

v?