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Updated: June 13, 2025
Only Count Valonne, if he had been asked, would have suggested but he was not officious and kept his ideas to himself. The snow now began to fall, just a few thin flakes, but it made them hurry their departure.
"It appears, as far at I can gather, they all dined at the Fontonka house Boris Varishkine and Gritzko have always been great friends and at the end of dinner Valonne imagines, because no one is sure what took place between them at this stage Gritzko, it is supposed, said to Boris in quite an amiable way that he did not wish him to dance the Mazurka with you, but to relinquish his right in his Gritzko's favor."
"Many thanks, Prince." "I shall be so honored," and he bowed politely; then, turning to the Princess: "You will settle it, won't you, Tantine?" "I will look at our engagements, dear boy. We will try to arrange it. I can tell you at the ballet," and the Princess smiled encouragingly up at him. "My godchild has not seen our national dancing yet, so we go to-night with Prince Miklefski and Valonne."
But when they arrived at the great house and walked among the brilliant throng no Prince was to be seen! It might be he had no intention to come. Presently Tamara went off to the refreshment room with her friend Valonne. The conversation turned to Gritzko with an easy swing. He seemed on the brink of one of his maddest fits. Valonne had seen him in the club just before dinner.
On the contrary, he told her casually that Gritzko had been on some duty these three days, in case she did not know it. From the beginning Tamara always had liked Valonne. Then into the box came the same good-looking Chevalier Garde, Count Varishkine, whom she had talked to on the last occasion of Gritzko's visit, and the spirit of hurt pride caused her to be most gracious with him.
Valonne smiled his enigmatic smile. "Yes," he said. "I have once or twice perhaps you think this room shows traces of some rather violent amusements, and really on looking round, I believe it does!" Tamara shivered slightly. She had the feeling known as a goose walking over her grave. "It is as if wild animals played here hardly human beings," she said.
What he did do was to open the door in a few minutes and saunter in. He greeted Tamara with polite indifference, and having calmly displaced Count Valonne, sat down by the Princess' side. Valonne was a charming person, and he and Tamara were great friends. He chatted on now, and she smiled at him, but with ears preternaturally sharpened she heard the conversation of the other pair. It was this.
Valonne had spent years at Washington, and in England too, and spoke English almost as a native. "He is the most remarkable contrast of wildness and civilization I have ever met." "It always seems to me as though he were trying to crush something to banish something in himself," said Tamara. "As though he did these wild things to forget."
"I am going to ask you to let us take Katia with us, we have only the one maid, and must have her in Moscow when we arrive," she said. So thus it was arranged. The Princess and Stephen Strong and Katia were to start first, and Sonia and her husband would take both Serge and Valonne, leaving Gritzko to bring Tamara, Olga and Lord Courtray last.
Meanwhile, below in the blue salon, the Princess Ardácheff was conversing with Stephen Strong. "Yes, mon ami," she was saying. "You must come we go in a week the day after my ball, to show Tamara Moscow, and from there to spend a night at Milasláv. Olga and Sonia and her husband and the Englishman, and Serge Grekoff and Valonne are coming, and it will be quite amusing."
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