His Hour

At the time she was too frozen and miserable to notice that the Prince

unlocked the door, but afterward she remembered she should have been

struck by the strangeness of his having a key.

He helped her out, and she almost fell she was so stiff with cold, and

then she found herself, after passing through a little passage, in a

warm, large room. It had a stove at one end, and the walls, distempered

green, had antlers hung round. There was one plain oak table and a

bench behind it, a couple of wooden armchairs, a corner cupboard, and

an immense couch with leather cushions, which evidently did for a bed,

and on the floor were several wolf skins.

The Prince made no explanation as to why there was a fire, he just

helped her off with her furs without a word; he hung them up on a peg

and then divested himself of his own.

He wore the brown coat to-day, and was handsome as a god. Then, after

he had examined the stove and looked from the window, he quietly left

the room.

The contrast of the heat after the intense cold without made a tingling

and singing in Tamara's ears. She was not sure, but thought she heard

the key turn in the lock. She started to her feet from the chair where

she sat and rushed to try the door, and this time her heart again gave

a terrible bound, and she stood sick with apprehension.

The door was fastened from without.

For a few awful moments which seemed an eternity, she was conscious of

nothing but an agonized terror. She could not reason or decide how to

act. And then her fine courage came back, and she grew more calm.

She turned to the window, but that was double, and tightly shut and

fastened up. There was no other exit, only this one door. Finding

escape hopeless, she sat down and waited the turn of events. Perhaps he

only meant to frighten her, perhaps there was some reason why the door

must be barred; perhaps there were bears in this terribly lonely place.

She sat there reasoning with herself and controlling her nerves for

moments which appeared like hours, and then she heard footsteps in the

passage, breaking the awful silence, and the door opened, and Gritzko

strode into the room.

He locked it after him, and pocketed the key; then he faced her. What

she saw in his passionate eyes turned her lips gray with fear.

And now everything of that subtle thing in womankind which resists

capture, came uppermost in Tamara's spirit. She loved him--but even so

she would not be taken.