"My God! what should I feel like now?" he said to himself, "if it were
really true!"
He wrapped her in her furs with cold politeness, his manner had resumed
the stiffness of their yesterday's drive.
Suddenly she felt it was not possible there could be this frightful
secret between them. It must surely be all a dreadful dream.
She began to speak, and he waited gravely for what she would say; but
the words froze on her lips when she saw the pistol in his belt--that
brought back the reality. She shuddered convulsively and clenched her
hands. He put on his furs quietly and then opened the door.
He lifted her into the troika which was waiting outside. Stépan's face,
as he stood holding the reins, was as stolid as though nothing unusual
had occurred.
So they started.
"I told the messenger to tell Tantine that we were caught in the snow,"
he said, "and had to take shelter at the farm.--There is a farm a verst
to the right after one passes the forest. It contains a comfortable
farmer's wife and large family, and though you found it too
confoundedly warm in their kitchen you passed a possible night.
"Very well," said Tamara with grim meekness.
Then there was silence.
Her thoughts became a little confused with the intense cold and the
effect of the champagne, and once or twice she dozed off; and when he
saw this he drew her close to him and let her sleep with her head
against his arm, while he wrapped the furs round her so that she felt
no cold. Then he kept watch over her tenderly, fondest love in his
eyes. She would wake sometimes with a start and draw herself away, but
soon fell off again, and in this fashion, neither speaking, the hours
passed and they gradually drew near Moscow.
Then she woke completely with a shudder and sat up straight, and so
they came to the hotel and found the Princess and the others anxiously
waiting for them.
"What an unfortunate contretemps, Tamara, dear child," her godmother
said, "that wicked storm! We only just arrived safely, and poor Olga
and your friend fared no better than you! Imagine! they, too, had to
take shelter in that second village in a most horrible hovel, which
they shared with the cows. It has been too miserable for you all four I
am afraid."
But Gritzko was obliged to turn quickly away to hide the irrepressible
smile in his eyes--really, sometimes, fate seemed very kind.