him still in
haggard doubt, hardly lessened when, at a most informal hour, he
presented himself at the house in the _Gagarinesky_, where, from the
_concierge_, he gained the first hint of trouble. The old woman informed
him that, in the night, a message had arrived for madame up-stairs.
Madame's maid had finally taken it in; and Yekaterina learned, at the
delivery of the morning milk, that the news had been very serious; and
that madame must shortly leave Moscow.--Whereupon the beginning of
lamentations and curiosities--and Ivan out of earshot, flying up the two
flights of stairs which led to the lady of his desire.

Ivan Veliki had sounded the first stroke of the tenth hour when Prince
Gregoriev knocked upon his cousin's door; and the tenth vibration had
not yet died upon the air when he paused in the doorway of the
drawing-room.

Nathalie sat in the jut of the room, her back to the row of windows. The
heavy coronal of dark braids was piled above her white face with all its
usual, exquisite care. The transparent delicacy of her complexion was
accentuated by her gown, which was of black, unrelieved save by a little
line of white at the throat. In her lap lay two or three envelopes, an
open telegram, and some legal-looking, red-sealed papers.

Ivan gazed at the picture she made without speaking: his heart trembling
in his throat. In a moment or two, however, she lifted her eyes to his,
and, without rising, motioned him to come closer. He went, at once,
lifted her cold hand and kissed it, his holiday greetings long since
forgotten. After a moment's gaze into her set face, he said, gently:

"You are in trouble, Nathalie _mia_?"

"Yes, Ivan.--No, Ivan!--I do not know. I cannot think at all,
yet.--Alexei Alexandrovitch is dead," she replied, rapidly, and without
expression.

At the last words, Ivan felt himself struck as by an inward blow. He
started, violently, and echoed: "Dead!--Alexis dead!--Then, Nathalie,
you--"

"I am widowed."

"You are free!"

Their words were uttered almost simultaneously. Then followed a silence,
pregnant, surcharged; on Ivan's part almost unpermissible. The Princess
Feodoreff lifted one hand to her brow and let it fall again. Ivan turned
and began rapidly to pace the room. The thing was so utterly unexpected,
so entirely the one event that he had felt could never come about, that
he was as one dumb. The woman, watching him, dulled though her mind was
by the shock, divined, instinctive