"Sancta Simplicitas!" ejaculated Yourii inwardly.
Sina's presence, however, and his own success inclined him to be
tolerant. Indeed Schafroff's utter ingenuousness almost touched him.
"Where shall we go now?" asked Dubova, as they came out into the
street.
Outside it was not nearly so dark as in the lecture-room, and in the
sky a few stars shone.
"Schafroff and I are going to the Ratoffs," said Dubova. "Will you take
Sina home?"
"With pleasure," said Yourii.
Sina lodged with Dubova in a small house that stood in a large, barren-
looking garden. All the way thither she and Yourii talked of the
lecture and its impression upon them, so that Yourii felt more and more
convinced that he had done a good and great thing. As they reached the
house, Sina said: "Won't you come in for a moment?" Yourii gladly accepted. She opened
the gate, and they crossed a little grass-grown courtyard beyond which
lay the garden.
"Go into the garden, will you?" said Sina, laughing. "I would ask you
to come indoors, but I am afraid things are rather untidy, as I have
been out ever since the morning."
She went in, and Yourii sauntered towards the green, fragrant garden.
He did not go far, but stopped to look round with intense curiosity at
the dark windows of the house, as if something were happening there,
something strangely beautiful and mysterious. Sina appeared in the
doorway. Yourii hardly recognized her. She had changed her black dress,
and now wore the costume of Little Russia, a thin bodice cut low, with
short sleeves and a blue skirt.
"Here I am!" she said, smiling.
"So I see!" replied Yourii with a certain mysterious emphasis that she
alone could appreciate.
She smiled once more, and looked sideways, as they walked along the
garden-path between long grasses and branches of lilac. The trees were
small ones, most of them being cherry-trees, whose young leaves had an
odour of resinous gum. Behind the garden there was a meadow where wild
flowers bloomed amid the long grass.
"Let us sit down here," said Sina.
They sat down by the, fence that was falling to pieces, and looked
across the meadow at the dying sunset. Yourii caught hold of a slender
lilac-branch, from which fell a shower of dew.
"Shall I sing something to you?" asked Sina.
"Oh! yes, do!" replied Yourii.
As on the evening of the picnic, Sina breathed deeply, and her comely
bust was clearly denned beneath the thin bodice, as she began to sing,
"Oh, beauteous Star of Love." Pure and passionate, her notes floated
out on the evening air. Yourii remained motionless, gazing at her, with
bated breath. She felt that his eyes were upon her, and, closing her
own, she sang on with greater sweetness and fervour. There was silence
everywhere as if all things were listening; Yourii thought of the
mysterious hush of woodlands in spring when a nightingale sings.