A Hero of Our Time [66]
I am with you."
She grew better; she was about to disengage herself from my arm, but I clasped her tender, soft figure in a still closer embrace; my cheek almost touched hers, from which was wafted flame.
"What are you doing to me? . . . Oh, Heaven!" . . .
I paid no attention to her alarm and confusion, and my lips touched her tender cheek. She shud- dered, but said nothing. We were riding behind the others: nobody saw us.
When we made our way out on the bank, the horses were all put to the trot. Princess Mary kept hers back; I remained beside her. It was evident that my silence was making her uneasy, but I swore to myself that I would not speak a single word -- out of curiosity. I wanted to see how she would extricate herself from that em- barrassing position.
"Either you despise me, or you love me very much!" she said at length, and there were tears in her voice. "Perhaps you want to laugh at me, to excite my soul and then to abandon me. . . That would be so base, so vile, that the mere supposition . . . Oh, no!" she added, in a voice of tender trustfulness; "there is nothing in me which would preclude respect; is it not so? Your presumptuous action . . . I must, I must forgive you for it, because I permitted it. . . Answer, speak, I want to hear your voice!" . . .
There was such womanly impatience in her last words that, involuntarily, I smiled; happily it was beginning to grow dusk. . . I made no answer.
"You are silent!" she continued; "you wish, perhaps, that I should be the first to tell you that I love you." . . .
I remained silent.
"Is that what you wish?" she continued, turning rapidly towards me. . . . There was something terrible in the determination of her glance and voice.
"Why?" I answered, shrugging my shoulders.
She struck her horse with her riding-whip and set off at full gallop along the narrow, dangerous road. It all happened so quickly that I was scarcely able to overtake her, and then only by the time she had joined the rest of the company.
All the way home she was continually talk- ing and laughing. There was something feverish in her movements; not once did she look in my direction. Everybody observed her unusual gaiety. Princess Ligovski rejoiced inwardly as she looked at her daughter. However, the latter simply has a fit of nerves: she will spend a sleep- less night, and will weep.
This thought affords me measureless delight: there are moments when I understand the Vam- pire. . . And yet I am reputed to be a good fellow, and I strive to earn that designation!
On dismounting, the ladies went into Princess Ligovski's house. I was excited, and I galloped to the mountains in order to dispel the thoughts which had thronged into my head. The dewy evening breathed an intoxicating coolness. The moon was rising from behind the dark summits. Each step of my unshod horse resounded hollowly in the silence of the gorges. I watered the horse at the waterfall, and then, after greedily inhaling once or twice the fresh air of the southern night,
I set off on my way back. I rode through the village. The lights in the windows were begin- ning to go out; the sentries on the fortress- rampart and the Cossacks in the surrounding pickets were calling out in drawling tones to one another.
In one of the village houses, built at the edge of a ravine, I noticed an extraordinary illumina- tion. At times, discordant murmurs and shouting could be heard, proving that a military carouse was in full swing. I dismounted and crept up to the window. The shutter had not been made fast, and I could see the banqueters and catch what they were saying. They were talking about me.
The captain of dragoons, flushed with wine, struck the table with his fist, demanding attention.
"Gentlemen!" he said, "this won't do! Pechorin must be taught a lesson! These Peters- burg fledglings always carry their heads high until they get a slap in the face! He thinks that be- cause he always wears clean gloves and polished boots he is the only one who has ever lived in society.
She grew better; she was about to disengage herself from my arm, but I clasped her tender, soft figure in a still closer embrace; my cheek almost touched hers, from which was wafted flame.
"What are you doing to me? . . . Oh, Heaven!" . . .
I paid no attention to her alarm and confusion, and my lips touched her tender cheek. She shud- dered, but said nothing. We were riding behind the others: nobody saw us.
When we made our way out on the bank, the horses were all put to the trot. Princess Mary kept hers back; I remained beside her. It was evident that my silence was making her uneasy, but I swore to myself that I would not speak a single word -- out of curiosity. I wanted to see how she would extricate herself from that em- barrassing position.
"Either you despise me, or you love me very much!" she said at length, and there were tears in her voice. "Perhaps you want to laugh at me, to excite my soul and then to abandon me. . . That would be so base, so vile, that the mere supposition . . . Oh, no!" she added, in a voice of tender trustfulness; "there is nothing in me which would preclude respect; is it not so? Your presumptuous action . . . I must, I must forgive you for it, because I permitted it. . . Answer, speak, I want to hear your voice!" . . .
There was such womanly impatience in her last words that, involuntarily, I smiled; happily it was beginning to grow dusk. . . I made no answer.
"You are silent!" she continued; "you wish, perhaps, that I should be the first to tell you that I love you." . . .
I remained silent.
"Is that what you wish?" she continued, turning rapidly towards me. . . . There was something terrible in the determination of her glance and voice.
"Why?" I answered, shrugging my shoulders.
She struck her horse with her riding-whip and set off at full gallop along the narrow, dangerous road. It all happened so quickly that I was scarcely able to overtake her, and then only by the time she had joined the rest of the company.
All the way home she was continually talk- ing and laughing. There was something feverish in her movements; not once did she look in my direction. Everybody observed her unusual gaiety. Princess Ligovski rejoiced inwardly as she looked at her daughter. However, the latter simply has a fit of nerves: she will spend a sleep- less night, and will weep.
This thought affords me measureless delight: there are moments when I understand the Vam- pire. . . And yet I am reputed to be a good fellow, and I strive to earn that designation!
On dismounting, the ladies went into Princess Ligovski's house. I was excited, and I galloped to the mountains in order to dispel the thoughts which had thronged into my head. The dewy evening breathed an intoxicating coolness. The moon was rising from behind the dark summits. Each step of my unshod horse resounded hollowly in the silence of the gorges. I watered the horse at the waterfall, and then, after greedily inhaling once or twice the fresh air of the southern night,
I set off on my way back. I rode through the village. The lights in the windows were begin- ning to go out; the sentries on the fortress- rampart and the Cossacks in the surrounding pickets were calling out in drawling tones to one another.
In one of the village houses, built at the edge of a ravine, I noticed an extraordinary illumina- tion. At times, discordant murmurs and shouting could be heard, proving that a military carouse was in full swing. I dismounted and crept up to the window. The shutter had not been made fast, and I could see the banqueters and catch what they were saying. They were talking about me.
The captain of dragoons, flushed with wine, struck the table with his fist, demanding attention.
"Gentlemen!" he said, "this won't do! Pechorin must be taught a lesson! These Peters- burg fledglings always carry their heads high until they get a slap in the face! He thinks that be- cause he always wears clean gloves and polished boots he is the only one who has ever lived in society.