"I, a footless stocking in which ten cats could not catch one mouse."
"I, an empty jug that once had brandy in it."
"I, a bed sacking, with no blankets, and that lacks feathers."
The wedding guests laughed themselves ill over this dialogue of the bridal couple.
"And then twelve pair of 'dubina'!" shouted the bridegroom, with a loud laugh.
"With two ends to them," returned the bride, with a giggle.
The word "dubina," so soft-sounding in Russian, signifies in the barbaric English tongue—stick! The sack has found a mouth, the vinegar jar a stopper, and he his match, grinned the wedding guests.
"Now exchange rings," says Daimona to the couples. "They are in this covered plate. Those of the one couple are of gold and silver; the gold one is the bride's; the silver, the bridegroom's. The rings of the second couple are of copper and lead."
The wedding-mother, removing the silken cover from the plate, signed to Diabolka to set the example.
Diabolka, taking the gold and silver ring, placed the gold one on her own finger, and was handing the silver one to Schinko.