Page 70 - DENG104_ELECTIVE_ENGLISH_I

Unit 5: The Spark Neglected Burns the House by Leo Tolstoy

Just as he was going to seize Gabriel, the latter dodged him; but Iván managed to catch the Notes
skirt of Gabriel’s coat. It tore right off, and Iván fell down. He recovered his feet, and shouting,
‘Help! Seize him! Thieves! Murder!’ ran on again. But meanwhile Gabriel had reached his own
gate. There Iván overtook him and was about to seize him, when something struck Iván a
stunning blow, as though a stone had hit his temple, quite deafening him. It was Gabriel who,
seizing an oak wedge that lay near the gate, had struck out with all his might.
Iván was stunned; sparks flew before his eyes, then all grew dark and he staggered. When he
came to his senses Gabriel was no longer there: it was as light as day, and from the side where
his homestead was something roared and crackled like an engine at work. Iván turned round
and saw that his back shed was all ablaze, and the side shed had also caught fire, and flames and
smoke and bits of burning straw mixed with the smoke, were being driven towards his hut.
‘What is this, friends? ...’ cried Iván, lifting his arms and striking his thighs.’ Why, all I had
to do was just to snatch it out from under the eaves and trample on it! What is this, friends?
...’ he kept repeating. He wished to shout, but his breath failed him; his voice was gone. He
wanted to run, but his legs would not obey him, and got in each other’s way. He moved
slowly, but again staggered and again his breath failed. He stood still till he had regained
breath, and then went on. Before he had got round the back shed to reach the fire, the side
shed was also all ablaze; and the corner of the hut and the covered gateway had caught fire
as well. The flames were leaping out of the hut, and it was impossible to get into the yard.
A large crowd had collected, but nothing could be done. The neighbours were carrying their
belongings out of their own houses, and driving the cattle out of their own sheds. After Ivan’s
house, Gabriel’s also caught fire, then, the wind rising, the flames spread to the other side of
the street and half the village was burnt down.

At Ivan’s house they barely managed to save his old father; and the family escaped in what
they had on; everything else, except the horses that had been driven out to pasture for the
night, was lost; all the cattle, the fowls on their perches, the carts, ploughs, and harrows, the
women’s trunks with their clothes, and the grain in the granaries -- all were burnt up!

At Gabriel’s, the cattle were driven out, and a few things saved from his house.
The fire lasted all night. Iván stood in front of his homestead and kept repeating, ‘What is
this? ... Friends! ... One need only have pulled it out and trampled on it!’ But when the roof
fell in, Iván rushed into the burning place, and seizing a charred beam, tried to drag it out.
The women saw him, and called him back; but he pulled out the beam, and was going in again
for another when he lost his footing and fell among the flames. Then his son made his way
in after him and dragged him out. Iván had singed his hair and beard and burnt his clothes
and scorched his hands, but he felt nothing. ‘His grief has stupefied him,’ said the people. The
fire was burning itself out, but Iván still stood repeating: ‘Friends! ... What is this? ... One need
only have pulled it out!’
In the morning the village Elder’s son came to fetch Iván.

‘Daddy Iván, your father is dying! He has sent for you to say good-bye.’
Iván had forgotten about his father, and did not understand what was being said to him.
‘What father?’ he said. ‘Whom has he sent for?’
‘He sent for you, to say good-bye; he is dying in our cottage! Come along, daddy Iván,’ said
the Elder’s son, pulling him by the arm; and Iván followed the lad.
When he was being carried out of the hut, some burning straw had fallen on to the old man
and burnt him, and he had been taken to the village Elder’s in the farther part of the village,
which the fire did not reach.

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