er.
Indeed everything on the other side of the river seemed to have a
great fascination for her. She herself told me: "The moment I cross
the bridge I feel as though I were on enchanted ground." On the
occasions when I accompanied her to the cholera village she was
radiant, so happy that she seemed to have nothing further in the world
to desire. She herself was puzzled. "What is it?" she said to me. "Is
it the forest? It must be, I think, the forest. I would remain on this
side for ever if I had my way."

When I saw Semyonov's anxiety about her I could not but remember that
little scene at the battle of S---- when he had taken her off with
him, leaving Trenchard in so pitiful a condition. Certainly Time
brings in his revenges! And Marie Ivanovna would listen to nothing
that he said.

"I want you at the hospital this morning," he would say.

"Do you really want me?" she would ask, looking up, laughing, in his
face.

"Of course I do."

"Well, you should have told me last night. This morning I go with Anna
Petrovna to the cholera. All is arranged."

"I'm afraid you must change your plans."

"I'm afraid not."

"Goga may go...."

"No, I wish to go."

And she went. He had certainly never before in his life been thus
defied. He simply did not know what to do about it. If he had thought
that bullying would frighten her he would, I believe, have bullied
her, but he knew quite well that it wouldn't. And then, as I now began
to perceive (I had at first thought otherwise), he was for the first
time in his life experiencing something deeper and more confusing than
his customary animal passions. He may at first have wanted Marie
Ivanovna as he wanted his dinner or his supper ... now he wanted her
differently. New emotions, surprising confusing emotions stirred in
him. At least that is how I interpret the uneasiness, the hesitation,
which I now seemed to perceive in him. He was no longer sure of
himself.

I witnessed just at this time a little scene that surprised me. I had
been in the bandaging room alone one evening, cutting up bandages. I
was going through the passage into the other part of the house when a
sound stopped me. I could not avoid seeing beyond the open door a
little scene that happened so swiftly that I could neither retire nor
advance.

Marie Ivanovna and Semyonov were coming together towards the bandaging
room. She was in front of him when he put his hand on her arm.

"Do you love me?" he said in