Sasha silently shook his head. His smooth face flamed and his long dark eyelashes trembled slightly. Liudmilla looked dreamily into the distance and said: "It gives one joy--the gentle and sunny cyclamen--it draws one towards desires, which give sweetness and shame, and it stirs the blood. Do you understand, my little sun, when it feels sweet and happy and sad and one wants to cry? Do you understand? That's what it is." She pressed her lips in a long kiss on Sasha's. Liudmilla looked pensively in front of her. Suddenly a smile came across her lips. She lightly pushed Sasha away and asked: "Do you like roses?" Sasha sighed, opened his eyes, smiled tenderly and whispered: "Yes." "Large roses?" asked Liudmilla. "Yes, all sorts--large and small," replied Sasha quickly, and he gracefully left her knees. "And so you like _rosotchki_[1] (little roses)?" asked Liudmilla gently, and her sonorous voice trembled from suppressed laughter. "Yes, I like them," answered Sasha quickly. Liudmilla began to laugh. "You stupid, you like _rosotchki_ (strokes with a rod), and there's no one to whip you," she exclaimed. They both laughed and flushed. Desires innocent by reason of their being aroused unavoidably, made the chief charm of their relation for Liudmilla. They stirred one, and yet they were far from the coarse, repulsive attainment. * * * * * They began to argue as to who was the strongest. Liudmilla said: "Well, suppose you are the strongest, what then? The thing is, who's the quickest." "Well, I'm also the quickest," boasted Sasha. "So you're quick," exclaimed Liudmilla teasingly. They discussed the matter at length. At last Liudmilla suggested: "Well, let's wrestle." Sasha laughed and said: "Well, you can't get the best of me!" Liudmilla began to tickle him. "So that's your way," he exclaimed as he giggled, and he wriggled away from her and caught her around the waist. Then a tussle began. Liudmilla saw at once that Sasha was the stronger. As she could not beat him by strength, she cunningly made the best of an opportune moment and tripped up Sasha's foot--he fell and pulled Liudmilla down with him. Liudmilla easily freed herself and pressed him down on the floor. Sasha cried: "That's not fair!" Liudmilla put her knees on his stomach and held him on the floor with her hands. Sasha made great efforts to get free. Liudmilla began to tickle him again. Sasha's loud laughter mingled with hers. She laughed so much that she had to let Sasha go. She fell to the floor, still laughing. Sasha jumped to his feet. He was red and rather provoked. "Russalka (water nymph)!" he shouted. But the Russalka was lying on the floor, laughing. Liudmilla seated Sasha on her knees. Tired with the wrestling, they sat happily and closely, looking into each other's eyes and smiling. "I'm heavy for you. I shall hurt your knee. You'd better let me go."