Dark Avenues by Ivan Bunin

Author:Ivan Bunin
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Alma Books
Published: 2017-10-06T13:08:38+00:00

4

The next day she did not emerge either in the morning or for dinner.

“Sonya, what’s the matter with Natalie?” asked the uhlan, and Sonya replied with an unpleasant laugh:

“She’s been lying all morning in her dressing gown with her hair uncombed, and it’s clear from her face that she’s been bawling her eyes out; she was brought coffee and didn’t finish it… What’s wrong? ‘Headache.’ Perhaps she’s fallen in love!”

“Quite likely,” said the uhlan cheerily, glancing at me with a hint of approval, but shaking his head in denial.

Natalie emerged only for evening tea, but she came onto the balcony easily and briskly, smiled at me cordially and as though a little guiltily, surprising me with her briskness, her smile and a certain new smartness: her hair was done up tightly, curled a little at the front and set in waves with tongs, her dress was a different one, made of something green, in one piece, very simple and very clever, especially the way it was taken in at the waist, her shoes were black, high-heeled – I gasped inwardly in new rapture. I was sitting on the balcony, looking through The Historical Bulletin, several volumes of which had been given me by the uhlan, when she suddenly appeared with that briskness and somewhat embarrassed cordiality:

“Good evening. Let’s go and have tea. I’m at the samovar today. Sonya’s unwell.”

“What do you mean? First you, now her?”

“I simply had a headache in the morning. I’m ashamed to say that only now have I tidied myself up…”

“How amazing that green is with your eyes and hair!” I said. And I suddenly asked, blushing: “Did you believe me yesterday?”

She blushed too – delicately and scarlet – and turned away:

“Not at once, not entirely. Then I suddenly realized that I don’t have any grounds for not believing you… and in essence, what ever have I got to do with you and Sonya’s feelings? But let’s go…”

Sonya too emerged for supper and found a moment to say to me:

“I’ve been taken ill. It always affects me very badly, I’m in bed for about five days. I could still come out today, but not tomorrow. Behave sensibly without me. I love you terribly and I’m dreadfully jealous.”

“And will you really not even look in on me today?”

“You’re stupid!”

This was both good fortune and ill fortune: five days of complete freedom with Natalie, and five days of not seeing Sonya in my room by night!

For about a week the house was run by Natalie, she was in charge of everything and went across the yard to the kitchen in a little white apron – I had never before seen her so businesslike, and it was clear that the role of deputy for Sonya and solicitous mistress of the house gave her great pleasure, and that she seemed to be resting from her secret attentiveness to the way Sonya and I talked and exchanged glances. All those days, experiencing at dinner first alarm as to whether everything was

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