Sanine

"Oh! yes it is!" whispered Sina, and as she looked round her wide eyes

gleamed in the candle-light. She was nervous, and instinctively kept

close to Yourii for protection. This Yourii noticed. He felt a strange

sympathy for his fair, frail companion.

"It is like being buried alive," she continued. "We might scream, but

nobody would hear us."

"Of course not," laughed Yourii.

Then a sudden thought caused his brain to reel. This beautiful girl, so

fresh, so desirable, was at his mercy. No one could see or hear

them.... To Yourii such a thought seemed unutterably base. He quickly

banished it, and said: "Suppose we try?"

His voice trembled. Could Sina have read his thoughts?

"Try what?" she asked. "Suppose I fire?" said Yourii, producing his

revolver.

"Will the earth fall in on us?"

"I don't know," he replied, though he felt certain that nothing would

happen. "Are you afraid?"

"Oh no! Fire away!" said Sina, as she retreated a step or so. Holding

out the revolver, he fired. There was a flash, and a dense cloud of

smoke enveloped them, as the echo of the report slowly died away.

"There! That's all," said Yourii.

"Let us go back."

They retraced their steps, but as Sina walked on in front of Yourii the

sight of her round, firm hips again brought sensuous thoughts to his

mind that he found it hard to ignore.

"I say, Sina Karsavina!" His voice faltered. "I am going to ask you an

interesting psychological question. How was it that you did not feel

afraid to come here with me? You said yourself that if we screamed no

one would hear us.... You don't know me in the least!"

Sina blushed in the darkness and was silent. At last she murmured.

"Because I thought that you were to be trusted."

"And suppose that you had been mistaken?"

"Then, I should ... have drowned myself," said Sina almost inaudibly.

The words filled Yourii with pity. His passion subsided, and he felt

suddenly solaced.

"What a good little girl!" he thought, sincerely touched by such frank,

simple modesty.

Proud of her reply, and gratified by his silent approval, Sina smiled

at him, as they returned to the entrance of the cavern. Meanwhile she

kept wondering why his question had not seemed offensive or shameful to

her, but, on the contrary, quite agreeable.