It was furnished with a long table and two benches
only, and was lighted by a small fire which was burning on a huge open
hearth, and which gave no heat at all. The woman came back and led us to
the other house for supper, which was boiled eggs, and the guide
generously shared his own bread with us, as we had none. There was no
water to drink, and Jo tried, not very successfully, to quench her
thirst with rakia.
There were but two beds, and on inquiry finding that there was no place
for the guide, we allotted one bed to him. On our own bed the sheets had
evidently not been changed since it was first made, and the pillow which
once had been white was a dark ironclad grey. We undid our mackintoshes
and spread them over both counterpane and pillow. We lay down clothed as
we were, and by the time we had finished our preparations the guide was
already snoring.
As soon as the light was turned out the whole room began to tick like
ten agitated clocks, and all about us in the darkness began strange
noises of life: rats scampered in all directions and were finally
hurdling over our heads.
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