"And they told me you had been found in the garden under a cabbage,"
said Natacha. "I dared not say it was not true, but it puzzled me
tremendously."

A door opened, and a woman put in her head, exclaiming, "Mademoiselle,
mademoiselle, they have fetched the cock!"

"I do not want it now; send it away again, Polia." said Natacha.

Dimmler, who had meanwhile come into the room, went up to the harp,
which stood in a corner, and in taking off the cover made the strings
ring discordantly.

"Edward Karlovitch, play my favorite nocturne--Field's," cried the
countess, from the adjoining room.

Dimmler struck a chord. "How quiet you young people are," he said,
addressing them.

"Yes, we are studying philosophy," said Natacha, and they went on
talking of their dreams.

Dimmler had no sooner begun his nocturne than Natacha, crossing the room
on tiptoe, seized the wax-light that was burning on the table and
carried it into the next room; then she stole back to her seat, it was
now quite dark in the larger room, especially in their corner, but the
silvery moonbeams came in at the wide windows and lay in broad sheets on
the floor.

"Do you know," whispered Natacha, while Dimmler, after playing the