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Updated: June 20, 2025
"Is it possible to be so ugly?" thought Nadyezhda Fyodorovna, looking at Olga and the official's wife; she glanced at Katya and thought: "The little girl's not badly made." "Your Nikodim Alexandritch is very charming!" she said. "I'm simply in love with him." "Ha, ha, ha!" cried Marya Konstantinovna, with a forced laugh; "that's quite enchanting."
Nadyezhda Fyodorovna, afraid that Kirilin would speak to her, did her best to keep all the time beside Marya Konstantinovna and the children. She felt weak with fear and misery, and felt she was going to be feverish; she was exhausted and her legs would hardly move, but she did not go home, because she felt sure that she would be followed by Kirilin or Atchmianov or both at once.
Next day, Thursday, Marya Konstantinovna was celebrating the birthday of her Kostya. All were invited to come at midday and eat pies, and in the evening to drink chocolate. When Laevsky and Nadyezhda Fyodorovna arrived in the evening, the zoologist, who was already sitting in the drawing-room, drinking chocolate, asked Samoylenko: "Have you talked to him?" "Not yet."
Why are you all sitting about like lords while I do the work?" Laevsky and Nikodim Alexandritch were sitting side by side on the fallen tree looking pensively at the fire. Marya Konstantinovna, Katya, and Kostya were taking the cups, saucers, and plates out of the baskets.
Marya Konstantinovna sat her down and gave her coffee, regaled her with milk rolls, then showed her photographs of her former pupils, the Garatynskys, who were by now married. She showed her, too, the examination reports of Kostya and Katya.
She stood between Nadyezhda Fyodorovna and Katya as though to screen her daughter from the water that washed the former. Through the open doors looking out to the sea they could see some one swimming a hundred paces from their bathing-place. "Mother, it's our Kostya," said Katya. "Ach, ach!" Marya Konstantinovna cackled in her dismay. "Ach, Kostya!" she shouted, "Come back! Kostya, come back!"
"Enchanting!" said Marya Konstantinovna, heaving deep sighs of ecstasy. "Children, look how fine! What peace!" "Yes, it really is fine," assented Laevsky, who liked the view, and for some reason felt sad as he looked at the sky and then at the blue smoke rising from the chimney of the duhan. "Yes, it is fine," he repeated. "Ivan Andreitch, describe this view," Marya Konstantinovna said tearfully.
"Upon my word, I haven't," said Nadyezhda Fyodorovna, laughing. "What should we be married for? I see no necessity for it. We'll go on living as we have lived." "What are you saying!" cried Marya Konstantinovna in horror. "For God's sake, what are you saying!" "Our getting married won't make things any better. On the contrary, it will make them even worse. We shall lose our freedom."
Marya Konstantinovna showed the visitors Katya's school report and said, drawling: "It's very, very difficult to do well at school nowadays! So much is expected . . ." "Mamma!" groaned Katya, not knowing where to hide her confusion at the praises of the company. Laevsky, too, looked at the report and praised it.
"My dear, my dear, what are you saying!" exclaimed Marya Konstantinovna, stepping back and flinging up her hands. "You are talking wildly! Think what you are saying. You must settle down!" "'Settle down. How do you mean? I have not lived yet, and you tell me to settle down." Nadyezhda Fyodorovna reflected that she really had not lived.
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