The Torrents Of Spring

More documents

Recommendations

Info

XXIV With hesitating footsteps Sanin approached the house of Signora Roselli. His heart was beating violently; he distinctly felt, and even heard it thumping at his side. What should he say to Gemma, how should he begin? He went into the house, not through the shop, but by the back entrance. In the little outer room he met Frau Lenore. She was both relieved and scared at the sight of him. ‘I have been expecting you,’ she said in a whisper, squeezing his hand with each of hers in turn. ‘Go into the garden; she is there. Mind, I rely on you!’ Sanin went into the garden. Gemma was sitting on a garden-seat near the path, she was sorting a big basket full of cherries, picking out the ripest, and putting them on a dish. <strong>The</strong> sun was low – it was seven o’clock in the evening – and there was more purple than gold in the full slanting light with which it flooded the whole of Signora Roselli’s little garden. From time to time, faintly audibly, and as it were deliberately, the leaves rustled, and belated bees buzzed abruptly as they flew from one flower to the next, and somewhere a dove was cooing a never-changing, unceasing note. Gemma had on the same round hat in which she had driven to Soden. She peeped at Sanin from under its turned-down brim, and again bent over the basket. Sanin went up to Gemma, unconsciously making each step shorter, and … and … and nothing better could he find to say to her than to ask why was she sorting the cherries. Gemma was in no haste to reply. ‘<strong>The</strong>se are riper,’ she observed at last, ‘they will go into jam, and those are for tarts. You know the round sweet tarts we sell?’ As she said those words, Gemma bent her head still lower, and her right hand with two cherries in her fingers was suspended in the air between the basket and the dish. ‘May I sit by you?’ asked Sanin. ‘Yes.’ Gemma moved a little along on the seat. Sanin placed himself beside her. ‘How am I to begin?’ was his thought. But Gemma got him out of his difficulty. ‘You have fought a duel to-day,’ she began eagerly, and she turned all her lovely, bashfully flushing face to him – and what depths of gratitude were shining in those eyes! ‘And you are so calm! I suppose for you danger does not exist?’ 60
‘Oh, come! I have not been exposed to any danger. Everything went off very satisfactorily and inoffensively.’ Gemma passed her finger to right and to left before her eyes … Also an Italian gesture. ‘No! no! don’t say that! You won’t deceive me! Pantaleone has told me everything!’ ‘He’s a trustworthy witness! Did he compare me to the statue of the commander?’ ‘His expressions may be ridiculous, but his feeling is not ridiculous, nor is what you have done to-day. And all that on my account … for me … I shall never forget it.’ ‘I assure you, Fräulein Gemma … ’ ‘I shall never forget it,’ she said deliberately; once more she looked intently at him, and turned away. He could now see her delicate pure profile, and it seemed to him that he had never seen anything like it, and had never known anything like what he was feeling at that instant. His soul was on fire. ‘And my promise!’ flashed in among his thoughts. ‘Fräulein Gemma … ’ he began after a momentary hesitation. ‘What?’ She did not turn to him, she went on sorting the cherries, carefully taking them by their stalks with her finger-tips, assiduously picking out the leaves… . But what a confiding caress could be heard in that one word, ‘What?’ ‘Has your mother said nothing to you … about … ’ ‘About?’ ‘About me?’ Gemma suddenly flung back into the basket the cherries she had taken. ‘Has she been talking to you?’ she asked in her turn. ‘Yes.’ ‘What has she been saying to you?’ ‘She told me that you … that you have suddenly decided to change … your former intention.’ Gemma’s head was bent again. She vanished altogether under her hat; nothing could be seen but her neck, supple and tender as the stalk of a big flower. ‘What intentions?’ ‘Your intentions … relative to … the future arrangement of your life.’ ‘That is … you are speaking … of Herr Klüber?’ ‘Yes.’ ‘Mamma told you I don’t want to be Herr Klüber’s wife?’ 61
Page 1 and 2:
The Torrents Of Spring Turgenev, Iv
Page 3 and 4:
‘Years of gladness, Days of joy,
Page 5 and 6:
I It was the summer of 1840. Sanin
Page 7 and 8:
‘But meanwhile Emil will die!’
Page 9 and 10: ‘He is saved, mother, he is alive
Page 11 and 12: Roselli pointed to his portrait, pa
Page 13 and 14: much ado and accompanying himself w
Page 15 and 16: illustrissimo maestro Rossini - in
Page 17 and 18: ‘The whole fare!’ Sanin said do
Page 19 and 20: VIII He had not finished dressing,
Page 21 and 22: IX Emil, who had continued to stand
Page 23 and 24: presence of the ladies of the house
Page 25 and 26: XI The bell tinkled at the outer do
Page 27 and 28: XII It appeared that Gemma was not
Page 29 and 30: carrying with him the image of the
Page 31 and 32: powerful whiff of the most refined
Page 33 and 34: mirthfulness of the company; he beg
Page 35 and 36: muttered something unintelligible,
Page 37 and 38: embarrassed by his presence - Gemma
Page 39 and 40: and all that’s left is that I am
Page 41 and 42: XVIII An hour later the waiter came
Page 43 and 44: single-triggered and not rifle-barr
Page 45 and 46: to leave off, and for the first tim
Page 47 and 48: XX It was bright starlight when he
Page 49 and 50: XXI It was quite morning when he fe
Page 51 and 52: ‘Your return,’ moaned Emil - an
Page 53 and 54: The old man looked dejectedly at hi
Page 55 and 56: arm with Baron Dönhof. And afterwa
Page 57 and 58: XXIII He slept for some hours witho
Page 59: you… .’ And Frau Lenore half ro
Page 63 and 64: ‘Very well,’ said Gemma. ‘If
Page 65 and 66: that I cannot give you any advice
Page 67 and 68: XXVI At eight o’clock next mornin
Page 69 and 70: morning, in one of the public garde
Page 71 and 72: to say, which could compare, in imp
Page 73 and 74: XXVIII Sanin walked along, at one t
Page 75 and 76: ‘But, Gemma,’ cried Sanin, ‘d
Page 77 and 78: XXIX If Gemma had announced that sh
Page 79 and 80: XXX The transition from despair to
Page 81 and 82: ‘Come, that’s nonsense, nonsens
Page 83 and 84: XXXI Sanin woke up very early. He f
Page 85 and 86: ordered with intense care a very la
Page 87 and 88: ‘There’s one means,’ Polozov
Page 89 and 90: argaining with her. I shall tell he
Page 91 and 92: XXXIII It takes less than an hour i
Page 93 and 94: flew up another man, also very well
Page 95 and 96: But Gemma’s image preserved Sanin
Page 97 and 98: XXXV The free and easy deportment o
Page 99 and 100: ‘I should be satisfied with a few
Page 101 and 102: XXXVI Long after midnight the lamp
Page 103 and 104: avenues of the park, now mounting a
Page 105 and 106: XXXVII Sanin proceeded to expound h
Page 107 and 108: XXXVIII Oh, what a deep sigh of del
Page 109 and 110: much as her diamonds; she seemed in
Page 111 and 112:
XXXIX In the year 1840, the theatre
Page 113 and 114:
Maria Nikolaevna suddenly turned to
Page 115 and 116:
‘Yes, Dimitri Pavlovitch,’ she
Page 117 and 118:
XL The play lasted over an hour lon
Page 119 and 120:
faith in its pressure. What sort of
Page 121 and 122:
She seemed so happy that Sanin was
Page 123 and 124:
XLII This track soon changed into a
Page 125 and 126:
and plunged into a rather narrow go
Page 127 and 128:
The same day, two hours later, Sani
Page 129 and 130:
that smile he knows already, the sm
Page 131 and 132:
probably know her husband’s addre
Page 133 and 134:
We will not attempt to describe the
Page 135 and 136:
continues today to seem as fresh an
show all

The Torrents Of Spring

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

Delete template?

Save as template?