XIV


The next day, at two o'clock, Elena was standing in the garden before
a small kennel, where she was rearing two puppies. (A gardener had
found them deserted under a hedge, and brought them to the young
mistress, being told by the laundry-maids that she took pity on beasts
of all sorts. He was not wrong in his reckoning. Elena had given him
a quarter-rouble.) She looked into the kennel, assured herself that
the puppies were alive and well, and that they had been provided with
fresh straw, turned round, and almost uttered a cry; down an alley
straight towards her was walking Insarov, alone.

'Good-morning,' he said, coming up to her and taking off his cap. She
noticed that he certainly had got much sunburnt during the last three
days. 'I meant to have come here with Andrei Petrovitch, but he was
rather slow in starting; so here I am without him. There is no one in
your house; they are all asleep or out of doors, so I came on here.'

'You seem to be apologising,' replied Elena. 'There's no need to do
that. We are always very glad to see you. Let us sit here on the bench
in the shade.'

She seated herself. Insarov sat down near her.

'You have not been at home these last days, I think?' she began.

'No,' he answered. 'I went away. Did Andrei Petrovitch tell you?'

Insarov looked at her, smiled, and began playing with his cap. When he