but to my mind there
is nothing in common between you. You have _faith_, and he has not; for
a man cannot _have faith_ in himself only.

'He did not go away till late; but mamma had time to inform me that he
was pleased with me, and papa is in ecstasies. Did he say, I wonder,
that I was a woman of principle? I was almost telling mamma that I was
very sorry, but I had a husband already. Why is it papa dislikes you so?
Mamma, we could soon manage to bring round.

'Oh, my dear one! I have described this gentleman in such detail to
deaden my heartache. I don't live without you; I am constantly seeing
you, hearing you. I look forward to seeing you--only not at our house,
as you intended--fancy how wretched and ill at ease we should be!--but
you know where I wrote to you--in that wood. Oh, my dear one! How I love
you!'

XXIII

Three weeks after Kurnatovsky's first visit, Anna Vassilyevna, to
Elena's great delight, returned to Moscow, to her large wooden house
near Prechistenka; a house with columns, white lyres and wreaths over
every window, with an attic, offices, a palisade, a huge green court, a
well in the court and a dog's kennel near the well. Anna Vassilyevna
had never left her country villa so early, but this year with the first
autumn chills her face swelled; Nikolai Artemyevitch for his part,
having finished his cure, began to want his wife; besides, Augustina
Christianovna had gone away on a visit to her cousin in Revel; a family
of foreigners, known as 'living statues,' _des poses plastiques_, had
come to Moscow, and the description of them in the _Moscow Gazette_ had
aroused Anna Vassilyevna's liveliest curiosity. In short, to stay longer
at the villa seemed inconvenient, and even, in Nikolai Artemyevitch's
words, incompatible with the fulfilment of his 'cherished projects.' The
last fortnight seemed very long to Elena. Kurnatovsky came over twice
on Sundays; on other days he was busy. He came really to see Elena,
but talked more to Zoya, who was much pleased with him. '_Das ist ein
Mann_!' she thought to herself, as she looked at his full manly face and
listened to his self-confident, condescending talk. To her mind, no one
had such a wonderful voice, no one could pronounce so nicely, 'I had
the hon-our,' or, 'I am most de-lighted.' Insarov did not come to the
Stahovs, but Elena saw him once in secret in a little copse by the
Moskva river, where she arranged to meet him. They hardly had time to
sa