FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   99   100   101   102   103   104   105   106   107   108   109   110   111   112   113   114   115   116   117   118   119   120   121   122   123  
124   125   126   127   128   129   130   131   132   133   134   135   136   137   138   139   140   141   142   143   144   145   146   147   148   >>   >|  
aiden chamber. Marfa Timofeevna came to her rescue. "Well, if you will not amuse him," she said, "who is to amuse him, poor fellow? I am too old for him; he is too clever for me; and as to Nastasia Carpovna, he is too old for her. It's only boys she cares for." "How can I amuse Fedor Ivanovich?" said Liza. "I would rather play him something on the piano, if he likes," she continued irresolutely. "That's capital. You're a clever creature," replied Marfa Timofeevna. "Go down-stairs, my dears. Come back again when you've clone; but just now, here I'm left the _durachka_,[A] so I'm savage. I must have my revenge." [Footnote A: In the game of _durachki_, the player who remains the last is called the _durachok_ or _durachka_, diminutive of _durak_, a fool. The game somewhat resembles our own "Old Bachelor" or "Old Maid."] Liza rose from her chair, and so did Lavretsky. As she was going down-stairs, Liza stopped. "What they say is true," she began. "The human heart is full of contradictions. Your example ought to have frightened me--ought to have made me distrust marrying for love, and yet I--". "You've refused him?" said Lavretsky, interrupting her. "No; but I have not accepted him either. I told him every thing--all my feelings on the subject--and I asked him to wait a little. Are you satisfied?" she asked with a sudden smile: and letting her hand skim lightly along the balustrade, she ran down-stairs. "What shall I play you?" she asked, as she opened the piano. "Whatever you like," answered Lavretsky, taking a seat where he could look at her. Liza began to play, and went on for some time with-out lifting her eyes from her fingers. At last she looked at Lavretsky, and stopped playing. The expression of his face seemed so strange and unusual to her. "What is the, matter?" she asked. "Nothing," he replied. "All is well with me at present. I feel happy on your account; it makes me glad to look at you--do go on." "I think," said Liza, a few minutes later, "if he had really loved me he would not have written that letter; he ought to have felt that I could not answer him just now." "That doesn't matter," said Lavretsky; "what does matter is that you do not love him." "Stop! What is that you are saying? The image of your dead wife is always haunting me, and I feel afraid of you." "Doesn't my Liza play well, Woldemar?" Madame Kalitine was saying at this moment to Panshine. "Yes," replied
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   99   100   101   102   103   104   105   106   107   108   109   110   111   112   113   114   115   116   117   118   119   120   121   122   123  
124   125   126   127   128   129   130   131   132   133   134   135   136   137   138   139   140   141   142   143   144   145   146   147   148   >>   >|  



Top keywords:
Lavretsky
 

matter

 

replied

 

stairs

 

durachka

 
stopped
 
Timofeevna
 

clever

 
Kalitine
 

satisfied


chamber

 

fingers

 
Woldemar
 

lifting

 
Madame
 

opened

 
balustrade
 
lightly
 

letting

 

Whatever


answered

 

taking

 

moment

 

Panshine

 

looked

 

sudden

 

haunting

 

minutes

 

letter

 

answer


written

 
strange
 

unusual

 

playing

 

expression

 
Nothing
 

account

 
present
 

afraid

 
distrust

creature
 

savage

 
rescue
 
durachki
 

player

 

remains

 
Footnote
 

revenge

 
Nastasia
 

Carpovna