sunburnt faces; it was nothing to them that Alexandr's heart was leaping within him, that never taking his eyes from one point, he had already twice in his absorption moved first one leg and then the other up to the very edge of the boat; but they did not care; they went on rowing with the same phlegm, now and then wiping their faces with their sleeves.
' Quicker!' he said—' half a rouble for vodka!'
How they set to work, how they began to rise from their seats ! What had become of their fatigue ? how had they regained strength ? The oars seemed only to tremble in the water. The boat shot along, twenty yards in no time ! Ten strokes more, and the stern had already described an arc, the boat came up gracefully and turned into the very bank—Alexandr and Nadinka smiled from afar off and did not take their eyes off one another. Adouev leaped out with one foot in the water instead of on the bank, Nadinka laughed.
' Gently, sir, wait till I give you a hand,' said one of the boatmen when Alexandr was already on the bank.
' Wait for me here,' Adouev said to them, and ran to Nadinka.
She smiled tenderly at Alexandr from the distance. With every movement of the boat to the shore, her bosom heaved.
' Nadyezhda Alexandrovna!' said Adouev, almost breathless with delight.
' Alexandr Fedoritch I ' she replied.
Involuntarily they rushed towards each other, then stopped short, and looked at one another with a smile and moist eyes, and could not say a word. A.few minutes passed thus.
Piotr Ivanitch could not be blamed for not having noticed Nadinka the first time of seeing her. She was not a beauty, and did not attract attention at once.
But if any one looked attentively at her features, he would not readily take his eyes off her. Her face rarely remained at rest for two minutes together. The thoughts and emotions of a nature impressionable and susceptible to excess, incessantly replaced one another, and the reflections of these emotions played, curiously mingled on her face, giving it every minute a fresh and unexpected expression. Her eyes, for instance, would flash like lightning, glow and suddenly be hidden under their delicate lids; her face would grow lifeless and motionless, and she would turn to a marble statue before your eyes. You would expect immediately after again the same piercing brillance— not at all! the eyelids would lift softly, and you would meet the mild light of eyes which seemed swimming in the splendour of moonlight. The heart could not but be stirred to a slight throb at such a gaze. In her gestures it was just the same. There was much grace in them, but a grace hardly sylph-like. There was much of the untamed impulsiveness in it which Nature gives. She sometimes sat in a picturesque pose, then suddenly, at the bidding of some inward impulse, this artistic pose would be broken in upon by some unexpected and equally bewitching gesture. In her conversation the same unlooked-for turns; now just criticism, now dreaminess and short answers, then a childish frolicsomeness, or subtle dissembling. Everything in her pointed to an ardent imagination, a wilful and inconstant heart. A much stronger man than Alexandr might have lost his heart over her, only a Piotr Ivanitch could have withstood her, but there are not many like him.
' You were waiting for me ! How happy I am ! ' said Alexandr.
' I waiting for you? I never thought of it! ' answered Nadinka, shaking her head:—'You know I am always in the garden.'
' You are angry ? ' he asked timidly.
' What for? what an idea !'
' Well, give me you little hand.'
She gave him her hand, but he had scarcely touched it when she at once drew it away—and all at once changed completely. Her smile vanished, and on her face appeared something like vexation.
' What is that, are you drinking milk ? ' he asked.
Nadinka had a cup in her hands and some sugar.
' I am having dinner/' she answered.
' You are dining at six o'clock, and on milk ? '
' Of course it is strange to you to look at milk after a luxurious dinner at your uncle's, but here we are in the country ; we live simply.'
She broke off some bits of sugar with her front teeth and drank the milk, making a delicate grimace with her lips.
' I didn't dine with my uncle; I declined yesterday,' replied Adouev.
' How shameless you are ! How can you tell such stories ? Where have you been up till now?'
' I have been at the office all day up till four '
' But now it is six. Don't tell fibs; confess, you were tempted by the dinner, by pleasant society ? There you have been enjoying yourself very, very much.'
' On my word of honour, I haven't been to my uncle's.' Alexandr began to defend himself with warmth. i( If I had, could I be here with you by now ? '
' Oh! does it seem so early to you ? you might have come here two hours ago !' said Nadinka, and all at once, with a quick pirouette, turned away from him and went along the little path towards the house : Alexandr was after her.
' Don't come near me, don't come near me,' she said, shaking her hand; ' I can't see you '
' Leave off teazing, Nadyezhda Alexandrovna.'
'lam not teazing at all. Tell me, where have you been up till now ? '
' At four o'clock I got out of the office,' began Alexandr; ' I was an hour coming here '
' Then it ought to be five, but it is now six. Where were you that hour ? you see what stories you tell!'
' I had dinner at a restaurant as quick as possible.'
' As quick as possible! only one hour!' she said. ' Poor fellow! you must be hungry. Don't you want some milk ? '
' Oh, let me, let me have that cup,' began Alexandr, holding out his hand.
But she stopped short all at once, turned the cup upside down, and paying no attention to Alexandr, looked with
curiosity at the last drops trickling out of the cup on to the dust.
' You are pitiless!' he said. ' How can you torment me so?'
'Look, look, Alexandr Fedovitch,' Nadinka suddenly interposed, absorbed in her occupation. ' Shall I make a drop fall on the little beetle that is crawling here on the path ? .... Ah! it has fallen! Poor little thing, it will die!' she said; then carefully picking up the beetle, and laying it on the palm of her hand she began to breathe on it.
' What care you take of a beetle!' said Alexandr in vexation.
' Poor little thing! look, it will die,' said Nadinka, in distress. ' What have I done ? '
She carried the beetle a little while in her palm, and when it began to stir and to crawl about on her hand Nadinka gave a shudder, quickly threw it on the ground, and stamped on it, saying, ' horrid little beetle !'
' Where have you been ? ' she asked then.
' Why, I told you '
'Oh, yes, at your uncle's. Were there many people? Did you have any champagne ? Even from here I notice how you smell of champagne.'
'Oh no, not at my uncled,' interrupted Alexandr in despair. ' Who told you so ? '
' You just said so.'
' Why, I should think they are only just sitting down to his dinner. You don't know those dinner parties; would such a dinner be over in one hour ? '
' You have been dining for two hours—four till six.'
' When was I coming here then ? '
She made no answer, but jumped up and picked a spray of acacia, then began to run along the path.
Adouev after her.
' Where are you going ? ' he asked.
' Where ? What a question! To mamma.'
' Why ? Very likely we shall disturb her.'
' Oh no, not at all.'
Marja^Mihgloynaa the mother, of Nadyezhda_ Alexaa-drovna, was one of those indulgent and simple
