United States or Netherlands ? Vote for the TOP Country of the Week !
The crowd in front of Octavia's gate was now very menacing. The men were throwing stones over the wall and crying: "Down with the Christians!" "Way! Way for the daughter of Aurelius Lucanus, worshipper of the gods" cried Alyrus, and the crowd parted to let them through. Lidia, the scullery maid, stole out of the back door of her master's house.
Having heard from her daughter that I might come to Shelkovka, she had hurriedly recalled two or three of my landscapes which she had seen in exhibitions in Moscow, and now asked what I meant to express by them. Lidia, or as they called her Lida, talked more to Byelokurov than to me.
The picadores remained close to the walls while the toreros ventured a bit nearer to the beast and waved their red flags, at once rushing back. This was hardly anything like the picture Manuel had conjured up for himself, or like what he had seen in the coloured illustrations of La Lidia.
To her, Lidia poured out the news brought her by Lucius, adding to these some things that her father did not know, which bore light upon the designs of Alyrus and his daughter, Sahira. The Old One listened, quietly. Then she laid her withered hand on Lidia's head, very gently. "Lie down and sleep, my child, and be at peace. The Lord is with thee. What the future holds we fear not."
Turning on his heel, he walked swiftly away, and for a moment they watched his white shirt as he disappeared in the gloom. So great was the silence that they could hardly believe that he had gone farther than the shadow of the surrounding trees. "Lidia Petrovna," said Novikoff gently, in a voice so sad and touching that it went to her heart. "Poor fellow," she thought, "how good he is."
"Well now, we can sit quietly," said Countess Lidia Ivanovna, slipping hurriedly with an agitated smile between the table and the sofa, "and talk over our tea." After some words of preparation, Countess Lidia Ivanovna, breathing hard and flushing crimson, gave into Alexey Alexandrovitch's hands the letter she had received. After reading the letter, he sat a long while in silence.
The thought of his wife, who had so greatly sinned against him, and towards whom he had been so saintly, as Countess Lidia Ivanovna had so justly told him, ought not to have troubled him; but he was not easy; he could not understand the book he was reading; he could not drive away harassing recollections of his relations with her, of the mistake which, as it now seemed, he had made in regard to her.
"Lidia Petrovna, we are waiting for you," cried Sarudine, looking extremely smart in white, and heavily scented. Lida in a light gauzy dress with a collar and waist-band of rose- coloured velvet ran down the steps and held out both her hands to Sarudine. For a moment he grasped them tightly, as he glanced admiringly at her person.
"Lidia Petrovna would make anybody eloquent," said Tanaroff the silent, as he tried to help Lida to take off her hat, and in so doing ruffled her hair. She pretended to be vexed, laughing all the while. "What?" drawled Sanine. "Are you eloquent too?" "Oh! let them be!" whispered Novikoff, hypocritically, though secretly pleased.
After Countess Lidia Ivanovna another friend came, the wife of a chief secretary, who told her all the news of the town. At three o'clock she too went away, promising to come to dinner. Alexey Alexandrovitch was at the ministry. The feeling of causeless shame, which she had felt on the journey, and her excitement, too, had completely vanished.
Word Of The Day