Again Elena faintly smiled, and she passed her hand over her face. Both face and hands were very white. ‘You meant, then, to go away without saying good-bye to us?’ ‘Yes,’ replied Insarov in a surly, thick voice. ‘What? After our friendship, after the talks, after everything.... Then if I had not met you here by chance.’ (Elena’s voice began to break, and she paused an instant)... ‘you would have gone away like that, without even shaking hands for the last time, and you would not have cared?’ Insarov turned away. ‘Elena Nikolaevnas don’t talk like that, please. I’m not over happy as it is. Believe me, my decision has cost me great effort. If you knew----’ ‘I don’t want to know,’ Elena interposed with dismay, ‘why you are going.... It seems it’s necessary. It seems we must part. You would not wound your friends without good reason. But, can friends part like this? And we are friends, aren’t we?’ ‘No,’ said Insarov. ‘What?’ murmured Elena. Her cheeks were overspread with a faint flush. ‘That’s just why I am going away--because we are not friends. Don’t force me into saying what I don’t want to say, and what I won’t say.’ ‘You used to be so open with me,’ said Elena rather reproachfully. ‘Do you remember?’ ‘I used to be able to be open, then I had nothing to conceal; but now----’ ‘But now?’ queried Elena. ‘But now... now I must go away. Goodbye.’ If, at that instant, Insarov had lifted his eyes to Elena, he would have seen that her face grew brighter and brighter as he frowned and looked gloomy; but he kept his eyes obstinately fixed on the ground. ‘Well, good-bye, Dmitri Nikanorovitch,’ she began. ‘But at least, since we have met, give me your hand now.’ Insarov was stretching out his hand. ‘No, I can’t even do that,’ he said, and turned away again. ‘You can’t?’ ‘No, I can’t. Good-bye.’ And he moved away to the entrance of the chapel. ‘Wait a little longer,’ said Elena. ‘You seem afraid of me. But I am braver than you,’ she added, a faint tremor passing suddenly over her whole body. ‘I can tell you... shall I?... how it was you found me here? Do you know where I was going?’ Insarov looked in bewilderment at Elena. ‘I was going to you.’ ‘To me?’ Elena hid her face. ‘You mean to force me to say that I love you,’ she whispered. ‘There, I have said it.’ ‘Elena!’ cried Insarov. She took his hands, looked at him, and fell on his breast.