The Torrents Of Spring

conversation quickly took a less serious turn. Emil began to question his
friend and patron about Russia, how duels were fought there, and
whether the women there were beautiful, and whether one could learn
Russian quickly, and what he had felt when the officer took aim at him.
Sanin, on his side, questioned Emil about his father, his mother, and in
general about their family affairs, trying every time not to mention
Gemma’s name – and thinking only of her. To speak more precisely, it
was not of her he was thinking, but of the morrow, the mysterious morrow
which was to bring him new, unknown happiness! It was as though
a veil, a delicate, bright veil, hung faintly fluttering before his mental vision;
and behind this veil he felt … felt the presence of a youthful, motionless,
divine image, with a tender smile on its lips, and eyelids severely –
with affected seventy – downcast. And this image was not the face of
Gemma, it was the face of happiness itself! For, behold, at last his hour
had come, the veil had vanished, the lips were parting, the eyelashes are
raised – his divinity has looked upon him – and at once light as from the
sun, and joy and bliss unending! He dreamed of this morrow – and his
soul thrilled with joy again in the melting torture of ever-growing
expectation!
And this expectation, this torture, hindered nothing. It accompanied
every action, and did not prevent anything. It did not prevent him from
dining capitally at a third inn with Emil; and only occasionally, like a
brief flash of lightning, the thought shot across him, What if any one in
the world knew? This suspense did not prevent him from playing leapfrog
with Emil after dinner. The game took place on an open green lawn.
And the confusion, the stupefaction of Sanin may be imagined! At the
very moment when, accompanied by a sharp bark from Tartaglia, he was
flying like a bird, with his legs outspread over Emil, who was bent
double, he suddenly saw on the farthest border of the lawn two officers,
in whom he recognised at once his adversary and his second, Herr von
Dönhof and Herr von Richter! Each of them had stuck an eyeglass in his
eye, and was staring at him, chuckling!… Sanin got on his feet, turned
away hurriedly, put on the coat he had flung down, jerked out a word to
Emil; the latter, too, put on his jacket, and they both immediately made
off.
It was late when they got back to Frankfort. ‘They’ll scold me,’ Emil
said to Sanin as he said good-bye to him. ‘Well, what does it matter? I’ve
had such a splendid, splendid day!’
When he got home to his hotel, Sanin found a note there from Gemma.
She fixed a meeting with him for next day, at seven o’clock in the
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