her.

'Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me a sinner! Lord, have
mercy on me a sinner!' he prayed unceasingly, not merely to himself but
involuntarily moving his lips. 'If you please!' he said to her again.
She stood in the middle of the room, moisture dripping from her to the
floor as she looked him over. Her eyes were laughing.

'Forgive me for having disturbed your solitude. But you see what a
position I am in. It all came about from our starting from town for a
sledge-drive, and my making a bet that I would walk back by myself from
the Vorobevka to the town. But then I lost my way, and if I had not
happened to come upon your cell . . .' She began lying, but his face
confused her so that she could not continue, but became silent. She had
not expected him to be at all such as he was. He was not as handsome
as she had imagined, but was nevertheless beautiful in her eyes: his
greyish hair and beard, slightly curling, his fine, regular nose,
and his eyes like glowing coal when he looked at her, made a strong
impression on her.

He saw that she was lying.

'Yes . . . so,' said he, looking at her and again lowering his eyes. 'I
will go in there, and this place is at your disposal.'

And taking down the little lamp, he lit a candle, and bowing low to her
went into the small cell beyond the partition, and she heard him begin
to move something about there. 'Probably he is barricading himself in
from me!' she thought with a smile, and throwing off her white dogskin
cloak she tried to take off her cap, which had become entangled in her