RUSSIANS LOVE THEIR CHILDREN TOO

She hopes her lesson has gotten through to him, for the last thing she desires is for the boy to fling himself into the steaming waters of the Geyser. His puffed out chest feels like a victory; and she laughs whimsically at the sight of him. His compliment is met with a dig of her head. ?Why thank you, little lord,? she says. Alas, the next statement is met with a quick rejection. ?I have fought many battles since I was a few months older than you, and I have lost none of them. Nor have I ever run,? she explains. ?What is your name, little lord? I am Virgil,? she says. The boy has little use for her titles or lineage, and so she reserves them for herself.