But here were the sisters, and Kokovkina with them. Liudmilla ran through the kitchen, across the vegetable garden, by the little gate, along a lane in order not to meet Kokovkina. She smiled happily, walked quickly towards Kokovkina's house and playfully swung her hand-bag and white parasol. The warm autumn day gladdened her and it seemed as if she were bringing with her and spreading around her her own spirit of gaiety. At Kokovkina's the maid told her that her mistress was not at home. Liudmilla laughed noisily and joked with the red-cheeked girl who opened the door. "But perhaps you're fooling me," she said; "perhaps your mistress is hiding from me." "He-he! Why should she hide?" replied the maid with a laugh. "But you can come in if you don't believe me." Liudmilla looked into the drawing-room and shouted playfully: "Is there a live person in the place? Ah, a student!" Sasha looked out from his room and was delighted to see Liudmilla, and seeing his joyous eyes Liudmilla became even gayer. She asked: "And where's Olga Vassilyevna?" "She's not at home," replied Sasha, "that is, she hasn't come back yet. She must have gone somewhere after church. Here I'm back and she's not here yet." Liudmilla pretended to be astonished. She swung her parasol and said as if in annoyance: "How can it be? Everyone else is back from church. She's always at home, and then I come and she's out. Is it because you make such a noise, young man, that the old woman can't sit at home?" Sasha smiled quietly. He was delighted to hear Liudmilla's voice, Liudmilla's cheerful laughter. He was wondering at the moment how he could best offer to escort her--so that he would be with her even a few more minutes, to look at her and to listen to her. But Liudmilla did not think of going. She looked at Sasha with a shy smile and said: "Well, why don't you ask me to sit down, you polite young man? Don't you see that I'm tired! Let me rest for a moment." And she entered the drawing-room laughing and caressing Sasha with her quick, tender eyes. Sasha grew red with confusion but was glad that she would remain longer with him. "If you like I'll scent you," said Liudmilla gaily. "Would you like it?" "What a person you are!" said Sasha. "You suddenly want to suffocate[1] me! Why are you so cruel?" Liudmilla burst out laughing and threw herself back in her chair. "You stupid! You don't understand. I don't mean to suffocate with the hands, but with scents." Sasha said: "Ah! Scents! I don't mind that." Liudmilla took the sprinkler from her hand-bag and turned before Sasha's eyes the pretty little glass vessel, dark red with gold ornaments, with its rubber ball and bronze mouthpiece, and said: "Do you see, I bought a new sprinkler and I forgot to take it out of my bag at home." Then she took out a large scent-bottle with a varicoloured label--Guerlain's Roa-Rosa. Sasha said: "What a deep hand-bag you've got!" Liudmilla answered: