Itch, the serving man, and Yump, the cook, his wife.

"What is lightning for?" he would ask of Yump, the cook, as she stood kneading the mush, or dough, to make slab, or pancake, for the morrow.

Yump shook her knob, or head, with a look of perplexity on her big mugg, or face.

But Yump, the cook, beat the fire with a stick so that the sparks flew into Popoff's face.

"He has been in Siberia," said Yump as she poured water into the great iron pot to make soup for the week after the next.

he asked of Yump, the cook.

"He was collecting taxes," said Yump, and she threw a handful of cups into the cupboard.

"Defend us!" said Yump, the cook.

"Protect us!" said Yump.

murmured Yump, as she heaped more clay upon the stove.

"Justice, Justice," he thought, "what is justice and truth?" CHAPTER III Now when Serge had been six months in the house of Madame Vasselitch, Ivan Ivanovitch, his father, sent Itch, the serving man, and Yump, the cook, his wife, to Moscow to see how Serge fared.

And Yump took oil and dough and mixed it with tar and beat it with an iron bar so as to shape it into a pudding.

"Defend us," said Yump.

"No," said Yump, "let us hurry on.

" "I am not tired," said Yump.

" Then Yump said, "Here is a pudding, little son, and a fish, and a duck and a cheese and garlic.

" So that night Itch and Yump stayed in the house of Madame Vasselitch.

" "I am not tired," said Yump.

" "Stay where you are," said Yump.

The students from above had crowded down the stairs and with them were Itch, the serving man, and Yump, the cook.

But who did?" "Defend us," said Yump, the cook.

"It is so," said Yump.

"No," said Yump, "I sat down on him.

Dere bane lots people in Norvay would yump at de shance to yange places wit' us.