Tamara buried her face in her pillows, she was too English to be
dramatic and sob; but when she spoke her soft voice trembled a little
and her eyes glistened with tears.
"He is horribly cruel, Marraine," she said.
"Why should he treat me as he does. I won't--I won't bear it."
The Princess sighed.
"Tamara, forgive me for asking you, but I must, I feel I must. Do you--
love him, child?"
Then passion flamed up in Tamara's white face, her secret was her own,
and she would defend it even from this kind friend--so--"I believe I
hate him!" she said.
After a while the Princess left her, they having come to the agreement
that Tamara should do all that she could to keep the peace; but when
she was alone she decided to speak to Gritzko as little as possible
herself, and to ignore him completely. There would be no Boris and no
one to make him jealous. She would occupy herself with Stephen Strong,
and the sight-seeing, and even Sonia's husband, who was a bore and old,
too; but the prospect held out no charms for her. She knew that she
loved him deeply--this wild, fierce Gritzko--more deeply than ever
today, and the tears, one after another, trickled down her pale cheeks.
If there was not a chance of any happiness, at least she must go home
keeping some rag of self-respect. She firmly determined that he should
not see the slightest feeling on her side, it should be restrained or
perhaps capricious even, as his own.
Their train for Moscow started at nine o'clock, and the whole party had
arranged to dine at the Ardácheff house at seven and then go to the
station.
Nothing of the scandal of the night seemed to have transpired, for no
one even hinted at anything about it.
Gritzko was still very pale, but appeared none the worse, and the
atmosphere seemed to have resumed a peaceful note.
The five sleeping compartments reserved for this party of ten were all
in a row in one carriage, and Tamara and the Princess, on the plea of
fatigue, immediately retired to their berths for the night, Tamara not
having addressed a single direct word to Gritzko. So far, so well. But
when she was comfortably tucked into the top berth, and an hour or so
later was just falling off to sleep, he knocked at the door, and the
Princess believing it to be the ticket-collector opened it, and he put
his head in. The shade was drawn over the lamp and the compartment was
in a blue gloom. Tamara was startled by hearing her godmother say: "Gritzko! Thou! What do you want, dear boy, disturbing us like this?"