516 THE DON FLOWS HOME
While the water was being heated he came into the
kitchen. At the old man's mute question he waved h^
hand hopelessly:
" She'll be gone by dinner-time. She's lost a terrible
quantity of blood. There's nothing to be done ! Have you,
sent word to Gregor Pantalievich ? " j
Without answering, Pantaleimon hurriedly limped out
into the porch. Dana saw the old man go under the eaves
of the shed to the mowing machine, lean his head against a
pile of old dung-fuel bricks, and weep aloud.
The doctor remained another half-hour, and sat a little
while on the steps, dozing under the rays of the rising sun.
When the samovar began to boil he went back into the best
room, gave Natalia a camphor injection, then came out and
asked for some milk. Stifling a yawn, he drank two glasses
of milk, and said :
" Take me back at once. I've got sick and wounded
waiting at Vieshenska, and there's nothing I can do here.
It's quite hopeless. I'd do anything I could for Gregor
Pantalievich, but I tell you frankly I can do nothing.
There's little enough we can do at the best of times : we can
only heal the sick ; we haven't yet learnt how to resurrect
the dead. And your little woman has been so badly cut
about that she's got nothing left to live with. . . . The
womb's torn terribly, there's nothing of it left. I expect the
old woman used an iron hook. It's our ignorance; you
can't ever get away from it! "
Pantaleimon threw hay into the tarantass, and told
Dana:
" You drive him back. Don't forget to water the mari
when you drop down to the Don."
He was about to offer the doctor money, but the man
flatly refused it, shaming the old man with :
" You ought to be ashamed even to speak of it,
Pantaleimon Prokoffievich 1 My own people, and you're
offering me money I No, don't come near me with it. How
can you repay me ? You needn't ask. If I could put your
daughter-in-law on her feet it would be a different matter/1
About six o'clock in the morning Natalia felt considerably
better. She asked for a wash, combed her hair before a
mirror which Dunia held for her, and, looking around at her
dear ones, her eyes glittering, she forced a smile ;