The Torrents Of Spring

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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 68
morning, in one of the public gardens which surround Frankfort on all sides. How his heart throbbed! How glad he was that he had obeyed her so unconditionally! And, my God, what was promised … what was not promised, by that unknown, unique, impossible, and undubitably certain morrow! He feasted his eyes on Gemma’s note. The long, elegant tail of the letter G, the first letter of her name, which stood at the bottom of the sheet, reminded him of her lovely fingers, her hand… . He thought that he had not once touched that hand with his lips… . ‘Italian women,’ he mused, ‘in spite of what’s said of them, are modest and severe… . And Gemma above all! Queen … goddess … pure, virginal marble… .’ ‘But the time will come; and it is not far off… .’ There was that night in Frankfort one happy man… . He slept; but he might have said of himself in the words of the poet: ‘I sleep … but my watchful heart sleeps not.’ And it fluttered as lightly as a butterfly flutters his wings, as he stoops over the flowers in the summer sunshine. 69
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 and 60: you… .’ And Frau Lenore half ro
Page 61 and 62: ‘Oh, come! I have not been expose
Page 63 and 64: ‘Very well,’ said Gemma. ‘If
Page 65 and 66: that I cannot give you any advice
Page 67: XXVI At eight o’clock next mornin
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
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