of contempt that, had I been in his place, I should have been utterly
crestfallen. Etienne, however, was evidently not a boy of that sort,
for he not only took no notice of her reception of him, but none of her
person either. In fact, he bowed to the company at large in a way which,
though not graceful, was at least free from embarrassment.

Sonetchka now claimed my whole attention. I remember that, as I stood
in the salon with Etienne and Woloda, at a spot whence we could both
see and be seen by Sonetchka, I took great pleasure in talking very loud
(and all my utterances seemed to me both bold and comical) and glancing
towards the door of the drawing-room, but that, as soon as ever we
happened to move to another spot whence we could neither see nor be seen
by her, I became dumb, and thought the conversation had ceased to be
enjoyable. The rooms were now full of people--among them (as at all
children's parties) a number of elder children who wished to dance and
enjoy themselves very much, but who pretended to do everything merely in
order to give pleasure to the mistress of the house.

When the Iwins arrived I found that, instead of being as delighted as
usual to meet Seriosha, I felt a kind of vexation that he should see and
be seen by Sonetchka.




XXI -- BEFORE THE MAZURKA

"HULLO, Woloda! So we are going to dance to-night," said Seriosha,
issuing from the drawing-room and taking out of his pocket a brand new
pair of gloves. "I suppose it IS necessary to put on gloves?"