as complete; but, meanwhile, the old man considered himself "the head
of affairs," and listened the more unwillingly to the opinions and
counsels of his daughter, since he suspected at once that she doubted
his "head." This offended his self-esteem to the utmost. Marynia had
passed, because of this "head" and its methods, through more than one
humiliation. Her country life was only an apparent ideal of work and
household occupations. There was wanting to it neither bitterness nor
pain; and her calm countenance indicated, not only the sweetness of
her character, but its strength, and a great education of spirit. The
humiliation which threatened her this time, however, seemed harder to
bear than the others.
"At least, let him not suspect me," said she to herself. But how could
she prevent his suspicion? Her first thought was to see Pan Stanislav
before he met her father, and describe the whole state of affairs to
him; treat him as a man in whom she had confidence. It occurred to her
then that such a description would be merely a prayer for forbearance,
for compassion; and hence a humiliation. Were it not for this thought,
Marynia would have sent for him. She, as a woman noting keenly
every quiver of her own heart and the hearts of others, felt half
consciously, half instinctively, that between her and that young man
something was foreshadowed; that something had begun, as it were; and,
above all, that something might and must be inevitable in the future,
if she chose that it should be; but, as affairs stood, it did not seem
to her that she could choose. Only one thing remained,--to see Pan
Stanislav, and efface by her demeanor yesterday's impressions; to break
the threads which had been fastened between them, and to give him full
freedom of action. Such a method seemed best to her.
Learning from the servants that Pan Stanislav not only had risen, but
had drunk tea and gone out to the road, she decided to find him. This
was not difficult, since he had returned from his morning walk, and,
standing at the side wall of the entrance, which was grown over with
wild grape-vines, was talking with those two dogs which had fawned
on him so effusively at his arrival. He did not see her at once; and
Marynia, standing on the steps, heard him saying to the dogs,--
"These big dogs take pay for watching the house? They eat? They don't
bark at strangers, but fawn on them. Ei! stupid dogs, lazy fellows!"
And he patted their white heads. Then, seeing her through the openings
of the grape-vines, he sprang up as quickly as if thrown from a sling,
and stood before her, glad and bright-faced.
"Good-morning. I have been talking with the dogs. How did you rest?"
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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