THE VAMPIRE AND ST. MICHAEL. 85

reading thy prayers all the time, and look not up,
whatever she may do.”

When night came, he took up his laths and boards.
and a basket of pears, and went to the church. He
entrenched himself behind his boards, stood there
and began to read. At dead of night there was a
rustling and a rattling. O Lord! what was that ?
There was a shaking of the bier—bang! bang !—and
the Tsarivna arose from her coffin and came straight
towards him. She leaped upon the boards and made
a erab at him and fell back. Then she leaped at him
again, and again she fell back. Then he took his
basket and scattered the pears. All through the
church they rolled, she after them, and she tried to
pick them up till cockerow, and at the very first
“ Cock-a-doodle-doo!” she got into her bier again and
lay still.

When God’s bright day dawned, the people came
to clean out the church and sweep away his bones;
but there he was reading his prayers, and the rumour
of it went through the town and they were all filled
with joy.

Next night it was the turn of the second uncle,
and he began to beg and pray: ‘Go thou, simpleton,
in my stead! Look now, thou hast already passed
a night there, thou mayest very well pass another,
and I'll give thee all my ship.”—But he said: “I