Rudin

t her little piano, at times she played some chords, hardly audibly for fear of waking Mlle. Boncourt, and then let her forehead fall on the cold keys and remained a long while motionles

imes a downpour of rain fell suddenly in sheets, and was as quickly over. The thickly falling drops, flashing like diamonds, fell swiftly with a kind of dull thud; the sunshine glistened through their sparkling drops; the grass, that had been rustling in the wind, was still, thirstily drinking in the moisture; the drenched trees were languidly shaking all their leaves; the birds were busily singing, and it was pleasant

full of sweetness and peace — that soothing, blissful peace in which the hear

pond; suddenly, as if he had sprung out of the earth, Rudin

alone?’ h

alya, ‘but I was going back di

go wit

ked along

melancholy

o say that I thought y

so with me. It is more ex

I have nothing to b

ought to find h

ed some step

kolaitch!’

el

rison you made yesterday — d

remember

ole a look

at did you mean b

and fastened his e

you may have noticed that I speak little of my own past. There are some chords which I do not touch upon at all. My heart — who need know what has passed in it? To expose that to view has always seemed sacrilege to me. But with you I

de a bri

speak of this. That side of life is over for me now. What remains for me is a tedious and fatiguing journey along the parched and

,’ Natalya interrupted him, ‘

own happiness have nothing in common. Love’—(at this word he shrugged his shoulders)—‘love is not for me; I am not worthy of it; a woman who loves has a right to demand the whole of

should have thought, on the contrary, that a woman would be sooner repelled by an egoist. . . . All young men — the youth you speak of — all are egoists,

ning. Before her friendship with Rudin she would never

. . but that’s not the point. I wanted to speak of you. You are standing on the threshold of life. . . . To dwell on your future is both pleasant and not unprofitable. . . . Lis

and said nothing, Rudin st

angry with

red, ‘but I did

‘you need not answer

d at him almo

a better choice. He is a splendid man; he knows how to value you; he has not been crus

u speaking, Dmi

derstand? Of Volintsev, of c

away from Rudin. She was

every movement of yours; indeed, can love ever be concealed? And do not you yourself look on

her confusion towards a bush near her, ‘it is so difficult, really

now you well. What is the meaning of the change I see in you? I see it clearly. Are you just t

lya, hardly audibly, ‘but al

hat?’ ask

eplied Natalya, and with swift st

the feelings of which she was

ook her and

ion cannot end like this; it is too important

!’ repeate

xyevna, for

wed his agitatio

tand me too!’ said Natalya; she snatched aw

rd!’ cried R

ll, but did n

terday. Let me tell you, I don’t want to deceive

? of

w now what was the feeling, the new feeling I spoke of

r face in her hands, an

ound Darya Mihailovna in the drawing-room; and after exchanging a few words got away unobserved and went in search of Natalya. Led by a lover’s instinct, he went straight into the garden and came upon her and Rudin at the very instant when she snatched her

he end of it,’ b

n sudden stabs at intervals. The rain began to fall a little again. Rudin turned into his own room. He, too, was dist

, like dogs, can be divided into the short-tailed and the long-tailed. People are short-tailed, he said, either from birth or through their own fault. The short-tailed are in a sorry plight; nothing succeeds with them — they have no confidence in themselves. But the man who has a long furry tail is happy. He may be weaker and inferior to the short-tailed; but he believes in

hefoucauld said long before you: Believe in yourself and others will

e express himself according to his fancy. Talk of despotism! . . . I consider

eceived in silence. Rudin tried to look at him, but he could not

rror. Darya Mihailovna gave Volintsev a long puzzled stare and at last was the first t

nner. As he bade Natalya good-bye

gh you had done wrong? You can

er him. Before tea Rudin went up to her, and bending over

Boncourt ‘Here,’ he said to her, ‘this is the article you were looking for,’ and again bending towards Natalya,

having been henpecked by his wife for thirty years, had grown so womanish that one day in crossing a little puddle when Pigasov was present, he put out his hand and picked up the sk

ason, Philip Stepanit

re the nail of my l

but Pigasov spoke the truth; he really was in a position to boast of his conquests. He maintained that nothing could be easier than to make any woman you chose fall in love with you; you only need repeat to her for ten days in succession that heaven is on her lips and bliss in her eyes,

h the black network of the weeping birch-tree. The other trees stood like grim giants, with thousands of chinks looking like eyes, or fell into compact masses of darkness. Not a leaf was stirring; the topmost branches of the lilacs and acacias seemed to stre

n. His heart beat violently, and involuntarily he held his breath. At last he c

, and took her hands.

e you. . . . I could not wait till to-morrow. I must tell you what I d

ds trembled f

ved myself so long? How was it I did not guess long ag

scarcely dra

come here,’ she

that you

yes,’ she

still more warmly, and t

ooked qui

some one is listening to us. . . . For God’s

er him to-day. . . . Ah, Natalya Alexyevna,

ooked int

she whispered

ant,’ beg

me go, le

m afraid

ut it’

, at least on

are happy?’ a

ld is happier than I

young face, transformed by passion, in the mysterious shadows

n,’ she said, ‘

God!’ cr

de her escape,

slowly out of the arbour. The moon threw a lig

sper. ‘Yes, I am happy,’ he repeated,

ck his locks, and walked quickly into the

ound warily, shook his head, pursed up his mouth, and said, significantly, ‘So that’s how it