"A few hours more or less, my son," Mrs. Ostrowska answered, "will make very little difference. We could not have Brother Paul come sooner because we were waiting for your sister to arrive. We all wanted to be together to receive the good Brother."
Turning toward her eldest daughter, Mrs. Lechowicz, she continued:
"Brother Paul, as well as the priest, has had his hands full this winter. There has been a great deal of sickness among the poor."
"It has been so in our part of the country, too," replied the daughter. "It seems to be a bad year all round."
"The crops are poor; but we are thankful to say there will be sufficient for our own people. What the rest of Poland's poor will do, it is difficult to say. I had planned to take the children to Cracow for St. John's Night—"
"Oh, mother," interrupted the young Marya, "will you?"
"Don't interrupt, Marya; it is very bad manners. I was going to say," Mrs. Ostrowska continued, addressing her children, "I had planned to take you to the feast of St. John's Night in the City if all went well upon the estate. But I know you would not care to go and enjoy yourselves if there were sickness and distress here at home among our people."
"But June is so far away," the young girl pleaded, "there is yet lots of time for a good season."
"But illness lingers," the mother added.