Gemma's hands slowly slid on to her knees. She began plucking at the
folds of her dress.

'What advice will you give me, Monsieur Dimitri?' she asked, after a
short pause.

Sanin saw that Gemma's fingers were trembling on her knees.... She was
only plucking at the folds of her dress to hide their trembling. He
softly laid his hand on those pale, shaking fingers.

'Gemma,' he said, 'why don't you look at me?' She instantly tossed her
hat back on to her shoulder, and bent her eyes upon him, confiding and
grateful as before. She waited for him to speak.... But the sight of
her face had bewildered, and, as it were, dazed him. The warm glow of
the evening sun lighted up her youthful head, and the expression of
that head was brighter, more radiant than its glow.

'I will mind what you say, Monsieur Dimitri,' she said, faintly
smiling, and faintly arching her brows; 'but what advice do you give
me?'

'What advice?' repeated Sanin. 'Well, you see, your mother considers
that to dismiss Herr Klueber simply because he did not show any special
courage the day before yesterday ...'

'Simply because?' said Gemma. She bent down, picked up the basket, and
set it beside her on the garden seat.

'That ... altogether ... to dismiss him, would be, on your part
... unreasonable; that it is a step, all the consequences of which