United States or Andorra ? Vote for the TOP Country of the Week !
Uvar Ivanovitch was sitting in an easy chair by the window, breathing heavily; Nikolai Artemyevitch was pacing with long strides up and down the room, his hands thrust into his pockets; his face expressed dissatisfaction. He stood still at last and shook his head. 'Yes; he began, 'in our day young men were brought up differently.
In front went Elena and Zoya with Insarov; Anna Vassilyevna, with an expression of perfect happiness on her face, walked behind them, leaning on the arm of Uvar Ivanovitch. He waddled along panting, his new straw hat cut his forehead, and his feet twinged in his boots, but he was content; Shubin and Bersenyev brought up the rear.
Well now, who do you consider was to blame? 'You, of course, replied Uvar Ivanovitch. Shubin stared at him.
No, if we only had some sensible men among us, that girl, that delicate soul, would not have run away from us, would not have slipped off like a fish to the water! What's the meaning of it, Uvar Ivanovitch? When will our time come? When will men be born among us? 'Give us time, answered Uvar Ivanovitch; 'they will be
'Yes, he resumed, after a prolonged silence, 'Insarov deserves her. What nonsense, though! No one deserves her... Insarov... Insarov ... What's the use of pretended modesty? We'll own he's a fine fellow, he stands on his own feet, though up to the present he has done no more than we poor sinners; and are we such absolutely worthless dirt? Am I such dirt, Uvar Ivanovitch?
'I saw his legs, she said, 'kicking in the air. 'Yes, yes, gasped Uvar Ivanovitch, 'his legs, his legs and then splash! there he plopped in! 'And how did Mr. Insarov manage it? why the German was three times his size? said Zoya. 'I'll tell you, answered Uvar Ivanovitch, rubbing his eyes, 'I saw; with one arm about his waist, he tripped him up, and he went plop!
'Look out, master, don't drown us, observed one of the boatmen, a snubnosed young fellow in a gay print shirt. 'Get along, you swell! said Uvar Ivanovitch. The boat pushed off. The young men took up the oars, but Insarov was the oniy one of them who could row.
First Shubin exploded, shrieking as if he were mad, Bersenyev followed with his gurgling guffaw, then Zoya fell into thin tinkling little trills, Anna Vassilyevna too suddenly broke down, Elena could not help smiling, and even Insarov at last could not resist it. But the loudest, longest, most persistent laugh was Uvar Ivanovitch's; he laughed till his sides ached, till he choked and panted.
'May I venture to ask you, most reverend knight-errant, he began in an obsequious voice, 'these enigmatical words you have deigned to utter as the result of some exercise of your reflecting faculties, or under the influence of a momentary necessity to start the vibration in the air known as sound? 'Don't tempt me, I tell you, groaned Uvar Ivanovitch. Shubin laughed and ran away.
'Oh, how beautiful; oh, how beautiful! Anna Vassilyevna repeated incessantly; Uvar Ivanovitch kept nodding his head approvingly in response to her enthusiastic exclamations, and once even articulated: 'To be sure! to be sure! From time to time Elena exchanged a few words with Insarov; Zoya held the brim of her large hat with two fingers while her little feet, shod in light grey shoes with rounded toes, peeped coquettishly out from under her pink barege dress; she kept looking to each side and then behind her.
Word Of The Day