Sanine

"Sancta Simplicitas!" ejaculated Yourii inwardly.

Sina's presence, however, and his own success inclined him to be

tolerant. Indeed Schafroff's utter ingenuousness almost touched him.

"Where shall we go now?" asked Dubova, as they came out into the

street.

Outside it was not nearly so dark as in the lecture-room, and in the

sky a few stars shone.

"Schafroff and I are going to the Ratoffs," said Dubova. "Will you take

Sina home?"

"With pleasure," said Yourii.

Sina lodged with Dubova in a small house that stood in a large, barren-

looking garden. All the way thither she and Yourii talked of the

lecture and its impression upon them, so that Yourii felt more and more

convinced that he had done a good and great thing. As they reached the

house, Sina said: "Won't you come in for a moment?" Yourii gladly accepted. She opened

the gate, and they crossed a little grass-grown courtyard beyond which

lay the garden.

"Go into the garden, will you?" said Sina, laughing. "I would ask you

to come indoors, but I am afraid things are rather untidy, as I have

been out ever since the morning."

She went in, and Yourii sauntered towards the green, fragrant garden.

He did not go far, but stopped to look round with intense curiosity at

the dark windows of the house, as if something were happening there,

something strangely beautiful and mysterious. Sina appeared in the

doorway. Yourii hardly recognized her. She had changed her black dress,

and now wore the costume of Little Russia, a thin bodice cut low, with

short sleeves and a blue skirt.

"Here I am!" she said, smiling.

"So I see!" replied Yourii with a certain mysterious emphasis that she

alone could appreciate.

She smiled once more, and looked sideways, as they walked along the

garden-path between long grasses and branches of lilac. The trees were

small ones, most of them being cherry-trees, whose young leaves had an

odour of resinous gum. Behind the garden there was a meadow where wild

flowers bloomed amid the long grass.

"Let us sit down here," said Sina.

They sat down by the, fence that was falling to pieces, and looked

across the meadow at the dying sunset. Yourii caught hold of a slender

lilac-branch, from which fell a shower of dew.

"Shall I sing something to you?" asked Sina.

"Oh! yes, do!" replied Yourii.

As on the evening of the picnic, Sina breathed deeply, and her comely

bust was clearly denned beneath the thin bodice, as she began to sing,

"Oh, beauteous Star of Love." Pure and passionate, her notes floated

out on the evening air. Yourii remained motionless, gazing at her, with

bated breath. She felt that his eyes were upon her, and, closing her

own, she sang on with greater sweetness and fervour. There was silence

everywhere as if all things were listening; Yourii thought of the

mysterious hush of woodlands in spring when a nightingale sings.