FullReads

“Raissa, dear, what’s the matter with you?”

She made no answer, she seemed not to notice me. Her face had not grown pale, had not changed–but had turned somehow stony and there was a look in it as though she were just falling asleep.

“She is cross-eyed, cross-eyed,” Latkin muttered in my ear.

I took Raissa by the hand. “David is alive,” I cried, more loudly than before. “Alive and well; David’s alive, do you understand? He was pulled out of the water; he is at home now and told me to say that he will come to you to-morrow; he is alive!” As it were with effort Raissa turned her eyes on me; she blinked several times, opening them wider and wider, then leaned her head on one side and flushed slightly all over while her lips parted … she slowly drew in a deep breath, winced as though in pain and with fearful effort articulated:

“Da … Dav … a … alive,” got up impulsively and rushed away.

“Where are you going?” I exclaimed. But with a faint laugh she ran staggering across the waste-ground….

I, of course, followed her, while behind me a wail rose up in unison from the old man and the child…. Raissa darted straight to our house.

“Here’s a day!” I thought, trying not to lose sight of the black dress that was fluttering before me. “Well!”

XXII

Passing Vassily, my aunt, and even Trankvillitatin, Raissa ran into the room where David was lying and threw herself on his neck. “Oh … oh … Da … vidushka,” her voice rang out from under her loose curls, “oh!”

Flinging wide his arms David embraced her and nestled his head against her.

“Forgive me, my heart,” I heard his voice saying.

And both seemed swooning with joy.

“But why did you go home, Raissa, why didn’t you stay?” I said to her…. She still kept her head bowed. “You would have seen that he was saved….”

“Ah, I don’t know! Ah, I don’t know. Don’t ask. I don’t know, I don’t remember how I got home. I only remember: I saw you in the air … something seemed to strike me … and what happened afterwards …”

“Seemed to strike you,” repeated David, and we all three suddenly burst out laughing together. We were very happy.

“What may be the meaning of this, may I ask,” we heard behind us a threatening voice, the voice of my father. He was standing in the doorway. “Will there ever be an end to these fooleries? Where are we living? Are we in the Russian Empire or the French Republic?”

He came into the room.

“Anyone who wants to be rebellious and immoral had better go to France! And how dare you come here?” he said, turning to Raissa, who, quietly sitting up and turning to face him, was evidently taken aback but still smiled as before, a friendly and blissful smile.

“The daughter of my sworn enemy! How dare you? And hugging him, too! Away with you at once, or …”

“Uncle,” David brought out, and he sat up in bed. “Don’t insult Raissa. She is going away, only don’t insult her.”

“And who are you to teach me? I am not insulting her, I am not in … sul … ting her! I am simply turning her out of the house. I have an account to settle with you, too, presently. You have made away with other people’s property, have attempted to take your own life, have put me to expense.”

“To what expense?” David interrupted.

“What expense? You have ruined your clothes. Do you count that as nothing? And I had to tip the men who brought you. You have given the whole family a fright and are you going to be unruly now? And if this young woman, regardless of shame and honour itself …”

David made a dash as though to get out of bed.

“Don’t insult her, I tell you.”

“Hold your tongue.”

“Don’t dare …”

“Hold your tongue!”

“Don’t dare to insult my betrothed,” cried David at the top of his voice, “my future wife!”