felt a trifle relieved by the coolness with which he had met a situation
which seemed to me so grave, and hastened back to the drawing-room,
completely forgetful of the unfortunate glove which still adorned my
left hand.

Cautiously approaching Grandmamma's arm-chair, I asked her in a whisper:

"Grandmamma, what are we to do? We have no gloves."

"What, my love?"

"We have no gloves," I repeated, at the same time bending over towards
her and laying both hands on the arm of her chair.

"But what is that?" she cried as she caught hold of my left hand.
"Look, my dear!" she continued, turning to Madame Valakhin. "See how
smart this young man has made himself to dance with your daughter!"

As Grandmamma persisted in retaining hold of my hand and gazing with a
mock air of gravity and interrogation at all around her, curiosity was
soon aroused, and a general roar of laughter ensued.

I should have been infuriated at the thought that Seriosha was present
to see this, as I scowled with embarrassment and struggled hard to free
my hand, had it not been that somehow Sonetchka's laughter (and she was
laughing to such a degree that the tears were standing in her eyes
and the curls dancing about her lovely face) took away my feeling
of humiliation. I felt that her laughter was not satirical, but only
natural and free; so that, as we laughed together and looked at one
another, there seemed to begin a kind of sympathy between us. Instead