'Don't believe her, don't believe her, Alexandr Fedoritch; Vassilisa has been in the town since the morning. Why make a secret of it ? I'm sure Alexandr Fedoritch will like them all the better for you're having picked them, and not Vassilisa.'
Nadinka smiled, then disappeared again behind the flowers and appeared with a plate full of berries. She held out the plate to Alexandr. He kissed her hand and took the berries, feeling as if he had received a marshal's baton.
'You don't deserve them! to keep us waiting so long for you!' said Nadinka: ' I stood for two hours at the trellis; only imagine ! some one came along ; I thought it was you and waved my handkerchief, and saw all at once it was a stranger, some officer. And he waved back, impertinent wretch!' .
In the evening guests arrived and went away again. It began to be dusk. The ladies of the house and Adouev were left again alone together. By degrees this trio too broke up. Nadinka went into the garden. Then an unequal duet was kept up between Maria Mihalovna and Adouev; she chatted at great length of what she had done yesterday and to-day and what she was going to do to-morrow. He became a prey to insufferable boredom and restlessness. The evening would soon be here, and he had not yet had an opportunity of saying a word to Nadinka by herself. The cook came to his rescue; the benefactor came in to inquire what to prepare for supper, and Adouev was more breathless with impatience than he had been before in the boat They had scarcely begun to discuss cutlets, a dish of curds, when Alexandr began to beat a skilful retreat How many manoeuvres he employed only to get away from Maria Mihalovna's armchair! To begin with, he walked to the window and looked out into the court Then with slow steps hardly able to restrain himself from running away at his utmost speed, he walked away to the piano, touched the keys here and there, took with feverish tremulousness some music from the desk, looked at it and laid it back : he even had the self-possession to sniff two flowers and wake up the parrot. Then he reached the utmost pitch of impatience ; the door was near, but to go out of it in any way seemed awkward—he had to stand still for two minutes and walk out as though casually. And the cook had already made two steps in retreat, another word more—she would be gone, and then Madame Lubetzky would be certain to turn to him. Alexandr could hold out no longer, and gliding like a snake out of the door, and jumping down the whole flight of steps without touching them, in a few strides he was at the end of the avenue—on the bank, near Nadinka.
' You remembered me at last!' she said then with mild reproach.
'Ah, what torture I have been enduring,' replied Alexandr; 'and you did not help me !'
Nadinka showed him a book.
'That's what I would have called you out for, if you had not come in another minute,' she said.
' Sit down, maman will not come out now; she is afraid
of the damp. I have so much, so much I want to say to you. . . . ah 1'
'And I too . ... ah!'
And they said nothing or almost nothing, something or other they had talked of ten times before. Usually something like dreams, the sky, the stars, sympathy, happiness. Their conversation made more progress in the language of looks, smiles, and ejaculations. The book lay neglected on the grass.
Night came on—or rather no, for what a night! Are there such nights in Petersburg in summer ? It was not night; one ought to have some other name for it—as half-light. Everything around was at peace. The Neva seemed asleep; sometimes, as though in sleep, it splashed in a slight ripple on the bank and then sank into silence. And then from somewhere came a belated breeze, and was wafted over the slumbering waters but could not waken them, and only rippled the surface and fanned a little freshness on to Nadinka and Alexandr, or brought them the sound of singing far away—and again all was silent, and again the Neva was motionless, like a man asleep who at some slight sound opens his eyes for a minute and at once shuts them again; and sleep settles all the heavier on his eyelids. Then from the direction of the bridge is heard as it were distant thunder and immediately after the barking of the watch-dog from the angling place near, and again all was stilL The trees formed a dark dome above, and scarcely and noiselessly waved their branches. The lights at the villas twinkled along the banks.
What is the special charm that haunts the warm air on such nights ? What is the secret wafted from flowers, from trees, from the grass, and floating with such inexplicable tenderness into the soul? Why aTe the thoughts, the emotions conceived within the soul then quite other than those conceived among noise, among one's fellows ? But what a moment for love in this slumber of nature, in darkness, among the silent trees, the sweet breathed flowers and solitude ! How powerfully it all attunes the soul to reveries, the heart to these rare emotions, which in the ordinary, regular stern realities of life seem such profitless, injudicious and ridiculous irregularities .... yes ! profitless, and yet at these instants only the soul dimly apprehends the possibility
of a happiness which at other times it seeks so zealously and never attains.
Alexandr and Nadinka walked up to the river and leaned on the fence. Nadinka gazed long at the Neva, into the distance deep in thought, Alexandr gazed at Nadinka. Their souls were filled full of happiness, their hearts of a sweet and yet painful ache, but the tongue was silent.
Alexandr gently touched her waist. She gently pushed away his hand with her elbow. He touched her again, she repelled him more feebly, not taking her eyes from the Neva. The third time she did not repell him.
He took her by the hand—she did not take away her hand ; he pressed it; the hand answered his pressure. So they stood in silence; but what were they feeling!
' Nadinka!' he said softly.
She was silent.
Alexandr bent over her, his heart swooning with rapture. She felt his burning breath on her cheek, shivered, turned away and—did not run away in righteous indignation, did not scream! She had not the force to dissemble and run away; the power of love kept reason silent, and when Alexandras lips fastened on hers, she answered his kiss, though weakly, scarcely perceptibly. ^ '
' Oh, how happy man may be !' said Alexandr to himself, and again bent over her lips and stayed so for some seconds.
She stood pale, motionless, tears glittering on her eyelashes, her bosom panting violently and convulsively.
' It is like a dream ! ' murmured Alexandr. Suddenly Nadinka started, the minute of oblivion had passed.
' What does this mean ? you have forgotten yourself,' she said, flinging herself a few steps away from him. ' I will tell mamma!'
Alexandr fell from heaven.
' Nadyezhda Alexandrovna, don't destroy my happiness with reproaches,' he began; ' don't be like '
She looked at him and all at once laughed aloud, gaily, went up to him again, and again stood at the fence and confidingly leaned her hands and her head on his shoulder.
' So you love me so much ? ' she asked, wiping away a tear that had fallen on her cheek.
Alexandr made an indescribable motion of the shoulders.
In silence they looked as before at the water and at the sky and at the distance, as though nothing had passed between them. Only they were afraid to look at one another; at last they looked, smiled, and at once turned away again.
' Can there be sorrow in the world ? ' said Nadinka, after a pause.
'They say there is,' replied Adouev, thoughtfully, 'but I don't believe it.'
' What sorrow can there be ? ' ' Uncle says—poverty.'
' Poverty! do the poor not feel as we do now; if they do, they are not poor.'
' Uncle says that it's not so with them—they want to eat and drink.'
' Ugh! eat! Your uncle does not tell the truth; they may be happy without that; I have had no dinner to-day, but how happy I am!' He laughed.
' Ah, at this minute I would give everything to the poor, yes, everything!' Nadinka went on, 'only let the poor come. Ah ! why can I not comfort and delight every one with pleasure of some kind ? '
' Angel, angel! ' Alexandr uttered rapturously, pressing her hand.
' Oh, how horribly you pinch me!' Nadinka interrupted suddenly, frowning and taking away her hand.
But he seized the hand again and began to kiss it with warmth.
' How I will pray,' she continued, ' to-day, to-morrow, always, in thankfulness for this evening. How happy I am! And you ? ' >
Suddenly she grew thoughtful; there was a gleam of fear in her eyes.
' Do you know,' she said, 'they say that what has been once can never return again ! Can it be that this
