"And now, Nina, I suppose we may starve," said her father, whom she found sitting close to the stove in the kitchen, while Souchey was kneeling before it, putting in at the little open door morsels of fuel which were lamentably insufficient for the poor man's purpose of raising a fire.

The weather, indeed, was as yet warm--so warm that in the middle of the day the heat was matter of complaint to Josef Balatka; but in the evening he would become chill; and as there existed some small necessity for cooking, he would beg that he might thus enjoy the warmth of the kitchen.
"Yes, we shall starve now," said Souchey, complacently.

"There is not much doubt about our starving." "Souchey, I wonder you should speak like that before father," said Nina.
"And why shouldn't he speak ?" said Balatka.

"I think he has as much right as any one." "He has no right to make things worse than they are." "I don't know how I could do that, Nina," said the servant.

"What made you take that money back to your aunt ?" "I didn't take it back to my aunt." "Well, to any of the family then?
I suppose it came from your aunt ?" "It came from my cousin Ziska, and I thought it better to give it back.
Souchey, do not you come in between father and me.