Rudin

leys and in the forest, still damp and hushed, the birds were merrily carolling their morning song. On the ridge of a swelling upland, which was covered from base to summit with blossomin

owed her some d

of red; the larks were trilling overhead. The young woman had come from her own estate, which was not more than a mile from the village to which she was turning her steps. Her name was Alexandra

ow one, she called up the boy and told him to go in and ask after the health of its mi

he?' asked Alex

till alive,' be

I g

ourse

med the bed. Alexandra Pavlovna looked round and discerned in the half darkness the yellow wrinkled face of the old woman tied up in a che

the old woman and laid her fingers

rona?' she inquired,

to make her out, 'bad, very bad, my de

ps you will be better soon. Did

ly, and did not answer. She h

id the old man who was

avlovna tur

with her but yo

on't sit with her; she's such a gad-about. To give the old woman a drink

e taken to me -

ed her life; it's God's will now seemingly. She will never get up again. Ho

ty lady, don't abandon my little orph

e had spent all her str

e. Here is some tea and sugar I have brought you. If you can fancy it you mus

en't a samovar, bu

And tell your granddaughter not to leav

but took the parcel of te

na, 'I will come and see you again; and you must

ad and drew herself a littl

tle hand, dear la

e her hand; she bent over her

nt out, 'and give her the medicine without fail, as

n made no reply,

little hut a man about thirty, driving a low racing droshky and wearing an old overcoat of grey linen, and a foraging cap of the same. Catching sight of Alexandra Pavlovna he at once sto

th a lazy smile; 'what are y

oman . . . And where have you

lo Mihailitch looked into

e sick, but wouldn't it be better fo

ak; impossible

ntend to give up

it up?

thoug

on! What put such an

all that sort of things, are mere waste of time - useless fads. Philanthropy ought to be entirely personal, and education too, all th

Pavlovna

esteem her very much; but she may make mistake

, who all the while remained sitting in his droshky, 'for she doesn

hy

t always delightful to meet you? To-day you

avlovna lau

you laug

and indifferent face you brought out your complim

fire; but fire is of no use at all

. . put in Alex

. . and

That's no great harm either

rnt one day,' Mihailo Mihailitch interrupted her in a tone of v

ute!' cried Alexandra Pavlovna,

greetings to

roshky ro

a looked after Mi

t, his cap on the back of his head and tufts of flaxen hair straggl

rseback to meet her; beside him was walking a young man of medium height, wearing a light open coat, a light tie, and a light grey hat, and carrying a cane in his hand. He had been smiling for a l

lexandra Pavlovn

d-morning!' she replied. 'You h

to walk. . . . It's such a glorious morning, and the distance is only three miles. When I arrived, you were not at home. Your brother told me

atic. His long hook nose, his large expressionless prominent eyes, his thick red lips, and retreating forehead, and his jet black hair - everything about him suggested an Oriental extracti

with a rich lady, a landowner, Darya Mihailovna Lasunsky, in a position between that of a guest and of a dependant. He was very polite and obliging, full of sensibility and secretly given to sensuality, he had a pleasant voice, play

his speech to the end a

to-day; I have just bee

! was he driv

nd dressed in a kind of linen sack, all covere

but he's a ca

quired Pandalevsky, as

; it's time I was off to the field; they are sowing your buckwheat. Mr

cried Konstantin Diomiditch, of

both turned along t

have been pleased to have on his arm a pretty, young and graceful woman? Of Alexandra Pavlovna the whole of her district was unanimous in declaring that she was charming, and the district was not wrong. Her straight, ever so slightly tilted nose would have been enough alone to drive any man out of his senses, to say nothing of her velvety dark eyes, h

you to me, did you say?

particularly wishes and told me to beg you very urgently to be so good as to dine wi

is

ms as an agreeable and cultivated young man. His Excellency the baron is interested, too, in literature, or more strictly speaking -- ah! what an exquisite butterfly! pray lo

on politic

that in that line Darya Mihailovna is an authority. Zhukovsky used to ask her advice, and my benefactor, who lives a

e never he

to say that Roxolan Mediarovitch always had the very hig

edant then?' asked

y at once. He spoke of Beethoven with such eloquence that even the old prince was quite delighted by it. That,

. They were not more than two hundred paces from her house. It had been recently built and whitewashed,

andalevsky, slightly hurt at the fate of the flower he had giv

, most certainly.

we have already passed the road that turns off to

'But won't you come in?' she

o hear a new etude of Thalberg's, so I must practise and have it ready. Besides,

no!

d and dropped his

' he said after a slight pause

vna turned roun

heavily. He had walked about two miles, carelessly swinging his cane, when all at once he began to smile again: he saw by the roadside a young, rather pretty peasant girl, who was driving some calves out of an oat-fi

ir; upon my

is finger at her and told her

s? - to make a wreath?' replied t

little dear,' Konstantin

rl interrupted him, 'there ar

y just left college. Bassistoff was a well-grown youth, with a simple face, a large nose, thick lips, and small pig's eyes, plain and awkward, but kind, good, and upright. He dressed untidily and wore his

was on a friendly footing with all the rest of the household, a fact which was not altogether pleas

ave come for your walk to-day! But I,' he added, turning to Bassistoff,

e enjoying nature,'

n Pandalevsky spoke to Bassistoff or people like him, he grew slightly irr

girl, am I to suppose?' said Bassistoff

n the face, and this fact was exceedingly unpleasan

to see only the prosai

e that willow at the corner? let's see who ca

speed to the willow. Bass

alevsky, 'he is spoiling th

t-sleeve twice with his open hand, pulled up his collar, and went on his way. When he had reached his