ountry began flying at a furious rate. The horses were the same, but
the driver counted on a good tip, as Nejdanov lived in a rich house.
And as is usually the case, when the driver has either had a drink, or
expects to get one, the horses go at a good pace.

It was an ordinary June day, though the air was rather keen. A steady,
high wind was blowing, but raising no dust in the road, owing to last
night's rain. The laburnums glistened, rustling to and fro in the
breeze; a ripple ran over everything. From afar the cry of the quail was
carried over the hills, over the grassy ravines, as if the very cry was
possessed of wings; the rooks were bathing in the sunshine; along the
straight, bare line of the horizon little specks no bigger than
flies could be distinguished moving about. These were some peasants
re-ploughing a fallow field.

Nejdanov was so lost in thought that he did not see all this. He went
on and on and did not even notice when they drove through Sipiagin's
village.

He trembled suddenly as he caught sight of the house, the first story
and Mariana's window. "Yes," he said to himself, a warm glow entering
his heart, "Markelov was right. She is a good girl and I love her."

XXII

NEJDANOV changed his clothes hurriedly and went in to give Kolia his
lesson. On the way he ran across Sipiagin in the dining-room. He bowed
to him with chilling politeness, muttered through his teeth, "Got back
all right?" and went into his study. The great statesman had already
decided in his ministerial mind that as soon as the vacation came to
an end he would lose no time in packing off to St. Petersburg "this
extremely revolutionary young tutor," but meanwhile would keep an eye
on him. "Je n'ai pas eu la main heureuse cette fois-ci", he thought
to himself, still "j'aurais pu tomber pire". Valentina Mihailovna's
sentiments towards Nejdanov however, were not quite so negative; she
simply could not endure the idea that he, "a mere boy," had slighted
her! Mariana had not been mistaken, Valentina Mihailovna had listened
at the door in the corridor; the illustrious lady was not above such
proceedings. Although she had said nothing to her "flighty" niece
during Nejdanov's absence, still she had let her plainly understand that
everything was known to her, and that if she had not been so painfully
sorry for her, and did not despise her from the bottom of her heart, she
would have been most frightfully angry at the whole thing.