Sarudine. For a moment he grasped them tightly, as he glanced
admiringly at her person.

"Let us go, let us go," she exclaimed, in excitement, and confusion,
for she knew the meaning of that glance.

Very soon the _lineika_ was swiftly rolling along the little-used road
across the steppes. The tall stems of the grass bent beneath the
wheels; the fresh breeze as it lightly touched the hair, made the
grasses wave on either side. Outside the town they overtook another
carriage containing Lialia, Yourii, Riasantzeff, Novikoff, Ivanoff and
Semenoff. They were cramped and uncomfortable, yet all were merry and
in high spirits. Only Yourii, after last night's talk, was puzzled by
Semenoff's behaviour. He could not understand how the latter could
laugh and joke like the others. After all that he had told him, such
mirth seemed strange. "Was it all put on?" he thought, as he furtively
glanced at Semenoff. He shrank from such an explanation. From both
carriages there was a lively interchange of wit and raillery. Novikoff
jumped down and ran races through the grass with Lida. Apparently there
was a tacit understanding between them to appear to be the best of
friends, for they kept merrily teasing each other all the time.

They now approached the hill on whose summit stood the convent with its
glittering cupolas and white stone walls. The hill was covered by
woods, and the curled tips of the oak-trees looked like wool. There
were oak-trees also on the islands at the foot of it, where the broad,
calm river flowed.

Leaving the road, the horses trotted over the moist, rich turf in which
the carriage-wheels made deep ruts. There was a pleasant odour of earth