nning the woman's figure with envious eyes, and
viewing her from either side. Nay, the shaggy green waves themselves
had been stealing occasional glimpses at the picture as clouds had
swirled across the sky, gulls had uttered their insatiable scream, and
the sun, dancing on the foam-flecked waters, had vested the billows,
now in tints of blue, now in natural tints as of flaming jewels.

In short, all the passengers on the schooner had been shouting and
laughing and singing, while the great bearded peasants had also been
paying assiduous court to a large leathern bottle which had lain
ensconced on a heap of peach-sacks, with the result that the scene had
come to have about it something of the antique, legendary air of the
return of Stepan Razin from his Persian campaign.

At length the buffeting of the wind had caused an old man with a
crooked nose set on a hairy, faun-like face to stumble over one of the
woman's feet; whereupon he had halted, thrown up his head with
nonsenile vigour, and exclaimed:

"May the devil fly away with you, you shameless hussy! Why lie
sprawling about the deck like this? See, too, how exposed you are!"

The woman had not stirred at the words--she had not even opened an eye;
only over her lips there had passed a faint tremor. Whereas the young
fellow had straightened himself, deposited his tin mug upon the deck,
and cried loudly as he laid his disengaged hand upon the woman's breast.

"Ah, you envy me, do you, Yakim Petrov? Never mind, though you have
done no great harm. But run no risks; do not look for needless trouble,
for your day for sucking sugarplums is past."

Whereafter, raising both his hands, the young fellow had softly let
them sink again upon the woman's bosom as he added triumphantly:

"These breasts could feed all Russia!"

Then, and only then, had the woman smiled a long, slow smile. And as
she had done so everything in the vicinity had seemed to smile in
unison, and to rise and fall in harmony with her bosom--yes, the whole
vessel, and the vessel's freight. And at the moment when a particularly
large wave had struck the bulwarks, and besprinkled all on board with
spray, the woman had opened her dark eyes, looked kindly at the old
man, and at the young fellow, and at the scene in general--then set
herself to recover her bosom.

"Nay," the young fellow had cried as he interposed to remove her hands.
"There is no need for that, there is no need for that. Let them ALL
look