His Hour

"My God! what should I feel like now?" he said to himself, "if it were

really true!"

He wrapped her in her furs with cold politeness, his manner had resumed

the stiffness of their yesterday's drive.

Suddenly she felt it was not possible there could be this frightful

secret between them. It must surely be all a dreadful dream.

She began to speak, and he waited gravely for what she would say; but

the words froze on her lips when she saw the pistol in his belt--that

brought back the reality. She shuddered convulsively and clenched her

hands. He put on his furs quietly and then opened the door.

He lifted her into the troika which was waiting outside. Stépan's face,

as he stood holding the reins, was as stolid as though nothing unusual

had occurred.

So they started.

"I told the messenger to tell Tantine that we were caught in the snow,"

he said, "and had to take shelter at the farm.--There is a farm a verst

to the right after one passes the forest. It contains a comfortable

farmer's wife and large family, and though you found it too

confoundedly warm in their kitchen you passed a possible night.

"Very well," said Tamara with grim meekness.

Then there was silence.

Her thoughts became a little confused with the intense cold and the

effect of the champagne, and once or twice she dozed off; and when he

saw this he drew her close to him and let her sleep with her head

against his arm, while he wrapped the furs round her so that she felt

no cold. Then he kept watch over her tenderly, fondest love in his

eyes. She would wake sometimes with a start and draw herself away, but

soon fell off again, and in this fashion, neither speaking, the hours

passed and they gradually drew near Moscow.

Then she woke completely with a shudder and sat up straight, and so

they came to the hotel and found the Princess and the others anxiously

waiting for them.

"What an unfortunate contretemps, Tamara, dear child," her godmother

said, "that wicked storm! We only just arrived safely, and poor Olga

and your friend fared no better than you! Imagine! they, too, had to

take shelter in that second village in a most horrible hovel, which

they shared with the cows. It has been too miserable for you all four I

am afraid."

But Gritzko was obliged to turn quickly away to hide the irrepressible

smile in his eyes--really, sometimes, fate seemed very kind.