"'What is this?' said one policeman to another.
"'A _Bogo-moletz_ (God-prayer) dead, that's all,' was the reply.
"'No money?'
"'None. If he had any his pockets have been picked.'
"By his passport he belonged to Petchora province, far away. No one
knew him. No one claimed him.
"'It means he must be buried at the public expense,' said the head man
of the village, and spat upon the ground.
"In the whole village only the coffin maker rejoiced, and he had small
cause, since a pauper's coffin costs but a shilling.
"'He must be buried on the common,' said the head man. 'There's no
room in the churchyard.'
"'But a pilgrim,' said an objector. 'You must bury him in consecrated
ground; you can't shut him out of the Heavenly Kingdom.'
"'No matter. Ask the priest. If the dead man can pay for a plot
of ground for a grave, well and good; or if the villagers will
subscribe....'
"The head man looked at the little crowd assembled. They were a poor
and needy crowd. No one answered him. Then, without doing any more,
the head man walked away, and the dead body remained in the street.
"It seemed no one would pay for the grave, but in the afternoon a
woman who lived on the outskirts came and claimed the pilgrim as a
distant relative. He could scarcely have been a relative, except
inasmuch as we are all descended from Adam.
Pages:
163
164
165
166
167
168
169
170
171
172
173
174
175
176
177
178
179
180
181
182
183
184
185
186
187