Her shoulders began to quiver slightly, the fingers of her pale hands were pressed more tightly to her face. "What is the matter with you?"--Lavretzky uttered, and caught the sound of soft sobbing. His heart turned cold.... He understood the meaning of those tears. "Can it be that you love me?"--he whispered, and touched her knee. "Rise," he heard her voice:--"rise, Feodor Ivanitch. What is this that you and I are doing?" He rose, and seated himself by her side on the bench. She was no longer weeping, but was gazing attentively at him with her wet eyes. "I am frightened: what are we doing?"--she repeated. "I love you,"--he said again:--"I am ready to give the whole of my life to you." Again she shuddered, as though something had stung her, and raised her gaze heavenward. "All this is in God's power,"--she said. "But do you love me, Liza? Shall we be happy?" She dropped her eyes; he softly drew her to him, and her head sank upon his shoulder.... He turned her head a little to one side, and touched her pale lips. * * * * * Half an hour later, Lavretzky was standing before the wicket. He found it locked, and was obliged to leap across the fence. He returned to the town, and walked through the sleeping streets. A sensation of great, of unexpected happiness filled his soul; all doubts had died within him. "Vanish, past, dark spectre," he thought: "she loves me, she will be mine." All at once, it seemed to him that in the air, over his head, wondrous, triumphant sounds rang out; the sounds rolled on still more magnificently; in a chanting, mighty flood they streamed on,--and in them, so it seemed, all his happiness was speaking and singing. He glanced around him: the sounds were floating from two upper windows of a tiny house. "Lemm!"--cried Lavretzky, and ran to the house.--"Lemm! Lemm!"--he repeated loudly. The sounds died away, and the figure of the old man in his dressing-gown, with breast bare, and hair dishevelled, made its appearance at the window. "Aha!"--he said, with dignity:--"is that you?" "Christofor Feodoritch! what splendid music! For God's sake, let me in."