Beside the Spanish envoy, pray .. .
That lady in the red beret?'
'You
But I'll present you now with joy.'
'Who is she, though?' 'My wife, old boy.'
18
'You're married! Really?''On my honour.'
'To whom? How long?''Some two years since . . .
The Larin girl.''You mean Tatyana!'
'She knows you?''We were neighbours, Prince.'
'Well then, come on . . . we'll go and meet her.'
And so the prince led up to greet her
His kinsman and his friend Eugene.
The princess looked at himserene;
However much the situation
Disturbed her soul and caused her pain,
However great her shock or strain,
She gave no hint of agitation:
Her manner stayed the same outside,
Her bow was calm and dignified.
19
It's true! The lady didn't shiver,
Or blush, or suddenly turn white .. .
Or even let an eyebrow quiver,
Or press her lips together tight.
Although Eugene with care inspected
This placid lady, he detected
No trace of Tanya from the past.
And when he tried to speak at last,
He found he couldn't. She enquired
When he'd arrived, and if of late
he'd been back home at his estate
Then gave her spouse a look so tired,
He took her arm. She moved away . . .
And left Eugene in mute dismay.
20
Was this the Tanya he once scolded
In that forsaken, distant place
Where first our novel's plot unfolded?
The one to whom, when face to face,
In such a burst of moral fire,
He'd lectured gravely on desire?
The girl whose letter he still kept
In which a maiden heart had wept;
Where all was shown ... all unprotected?
Was this that girl... or did he dream?
That little girl whose warm esteem
And humble lot he'd once rejected? . . .
And could she now have been so bold,
