e, alone!' he repeated several times. Then Arina
Vlasyevna went up to him, and, leaning her grey head against his grey
head, said, 'There's no help for it, Vasya! A son is a separate piece
cut off. He's like the falcon that flies home and flies away at his
pleasure; while you and I are like funguses in the hollow of a tree, we
sit side by side, and don't move from our place. Only I am left you
unchanged for ever, as you for me.'

Vassily Ivanovitch took his hands from his face and clasped his wife,
his friend, as warmly as he had never clasped in youth; she comforted
him in his grief.

CHAPTER XXII

In silence, only rarely exchanging a few insignificant words, our
friends travelled as far as Fedot's. Bazarov was not altogether pleased
with himself. Arkady was displeased with him. He was feeling, too, that
causeless melancholy which is only known to very young people. The
coachman changed the horses, and getting up on to the box, inquired,
'To the right or to the left?'

Arkady started. The road to the right led to the town, and from there
home; the road to the left led to Madame Odintsov's.

He looked at Bazarov.

'Yevgeny,' he queried; 'to the left?'

Bazarov turned away. 'What folly is this?' he muttered.

'I know it's folly,' answered Arkady.... 'But what does that matter?
It's not the first time.'

Bazarov pulled his cap down over his brows. 'As you choose,' he said at
last. 'Turn to the left,' shouted Arkady.

The coach rolled away in the direction of Nikolskoe. But having
resolved on the folly, the friends were even more obstinately silent
than before, and seemed positively ill-humoured.

Directly the steward met them on the steps of Madame Odintsov's house,
the friends could perceive that they had acted injudiciously in giving
way so suddenly to a passing impulse. They were obviously not expected.
They sat rather a long while, looking rather foolish, in the
drawing-room. Madame Odintsov came in to them at last. She greeted them
with her customary politeness, but was surprised at their hasty return;
and, so far as could be judged from the deliberation of her gestures
and words, she was not over pleased at it. They made haste to announce
that they had only called on their road, and must go on farther, to the
town, within four hours. She confined herself to a light exclamation,
begged Arkady to remember her to his father, and sent for her aunt. The
princess appeared very sleepy, which gave her