The Torrents Of Spring

XX
It was bright starlight when he came out on the steps. What multitudes
of stars, big and little, yellow, red, blue and white were scattered over
the sky! They seemed all flashing, swarming, twinkling unceasingly.
There was no moon in the sky, but without it every object could be
clearly discerned in the half-clear, shadowless twilight. Sanin walked
down the street to the end … He did not want to go home at once; he felt
a desire to wander about a little in the fresh air. He turned back and had
hardly got on a level with the house, where was the Rosellis’ shop, when
one of the windows looking out on the street, suddenly creaked and
opened; in its square of blackness – there was no light in the room – appeared
a woman’s figure, and he heard his name – ‘Monsieur Dimitri!’
He rushed at once up to the window … Gemma! She was leaning with
her elbows on the window-sill, bending forward.
‘Monsieur Dimitri,’ she began in a cautious voice, ‘I have been wanting
all day long to give you something … but I could not make up my
mind to; and just now, seeing you, quite unexpectedly again, I thought
that it seems it is fated … ’
Gemma was forced to stop at this word. She could not go on;
something extraordinary happened at that instant.
All of a sudden, in the midst of the profound stillness, over the perfectly
unclouded sky, there blew such a violent blast of wind, that the
very earth seemed shaking underfoot, the delicate starlight seemed quivering
and trembling, the air went round in a whirlwind. The wind, not
cold, but hot, almost sultry, smote against the trees, the roof of the house,
its walls, and the street; it instantaneously snatched off Sanin’s hat,
crumpled up and tangled Gemma’s curls. Sanin’s head was on a level
with the window-sill; he could not help clinging close to it, and Gemma
clutched hold of his shoulders with both hands, and pressed her bosom
against his head. The roar, the din, and the rattle lasted about a minute…
. Like a flock of huge birds the revelling whirlwind darted revelling
away. A profound stillness reigned once more.
Sanin raised his head and saw above him such an exquisite, scared, excited
face, such immense, large, magnificent eyes – it was such a beautiful
creature he saw, that his heart stood still within him, he pressed his
lips to the delicate tress of hair, that had fallen on his bosom, and could
only murmur, ‘O Gemma!’
‘What was that? Lightning?’ she asked, her eyes wandering afar, while
she did not take her bare arms from his shoulder.
47