FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   57   58   59   60   61   62   63   64   65   66   67   68   69   70   71   72   73   74   75   76   77   78   79   80   81  
82   83   84   85   86   87   88   89   90   91   92   93   94   95   96   97   98   99   100   101   102   103   104   105   106   >>   >|  
othing whisper: "Never mind, don't be bashful, my young, handsome darling. How I pity you!" And he felt like crying because of her whisper, his heart was melting in sweet fatigue; pressing his head close to her breast, he clasped her with his hands, mumbling to her some inarticulate words, which were unknown to himself. "Be gone!" said Foma in a heavy voice, staring at the wall with his eyes wide open. Having kissed him on the cheek she walked out of the cabin, saying to him: "Well, good-bye." Foma felt intolerably ashamed in her presence; but no sooner did she disappear behind the door than he jumped up and seated himself on the lounge. Then he arose, staggering, and at once he was seized with the feeling of having lost something very valuable, something whose presence he did not seem to have noticed in himself until the moment it was lost. But immediately a new, manly feeling of self-pride took possession of him. It drowned his shame, and, instead of the shame, pity for the woman sprang up within him--for the half-clad woman, who went out alone into the dark of the chilly May night. He hastily came out on the deck--it was a starlit, but moonless night; the coolness and the darkness embraced him. On the shore the golden-red pile of coals was still glimmering. Foma listened--an oppressive stillness filled the air, only the water was murmuring, breaking against the anchor chains. There was not a sound of footsteps to be heard. Foma now longed to call the woman, but he did not know her name. Eagerly inhaling the fresh air into his broad chest, he stood on deck for a few minutes. Suddenly, from beyond the roundhouse--from the prow--a moan reached his ears--a deep, loud moan, resembling a wail. He shuddered and went thither carefully, understanding that she was there. She sat on the deck close to the side of the steamer, and, leaning her head against a heap of ropes, she wept. Foma saw that her bare white shoulders were trembling, he heard her pitiful moans, and began to feel depressed. Bending over her, he asked her timidly: "What is it?" She nodded her head and said nothing in reply. "Have I offended you?" "Go away," she said. "But, how?" said Foma, alarmed and confused, touching her head with his hand. "Don't be angry. You came of your own free will." "I am not angry!" she replied in a loud whisper. "Why should I be angry at you? You are not a seducer. You are a pure soul! Eh, my darling! B
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   57   58   59   60   61   62   63   64   65   66   67   68   69   70   71   72   73   74   75   76   77   78   79   80   81  
82   83   84   85   86   87   88   89   90   91   92   93   94   95   96   97   98   99   100   101   102   103   104   105   106   >>   >|  



Top keywords:

whisper

 

darling

 

presence

 
feeling
 

oppressive

 
stillness
 

resembling

 
reached
 

Suddenly

 

listened


roundhouse

 

inhaling

 

footsteps

 

longed

 
anchor
 
breaking
 
chains
 

murmuring

 

filled

 

Eagerly


minutes
 

alarmed

 

confused

 
touching
 

nodded

 

offended

 

seducer

 

replied

 
leaning
 
steamer

thither
 

shuddered

 
carefully
 

understanding

 
glimmering
 

Bending

 

depressed

 

timidly

 

shoulders

 

trembling


pitiful

 

Having

 

staring

 

unknown

 

kissed

 

ashamed

 

intolerably

 
sooner
 

disappear

 

walked