wn only late in the evening, when the
dark, broad, running river so eerily and merrily plashed against the
sides of their boats, playing with the reflections of the stars, the
silvery shimmering paths of the electric lamps, and the bowing lights
of the can-buoys. And when they had stepped out on the shore, the palms
of each burned from the oars, the muscles of the arms and legs ached
pleasantly, and suffusing the whole body was a blissful, healthy
fatigue.

Then they had escorted the young women to their homes and at the
garden-gates and entrances had taken leave of them long and cordially,
with laughter and with such swinging hand-shakes as if they were
working the lever of a pump.

The whole day had passed in gaiety and noise, even a trifle
clamorously, and just the least wee bit tiresomely, but with youth-like
continence; without intoxication, and, which happens especially rarely,
without the least shadow of mutual affronts, or jealousy, or unvoiced
mortifications. Of course, such a benign mood had been helped by the
sun, the fresh river breeze, the sweet exhalations of the grasses and
the water, the joyous sensation of the strength and alertness of one's
body while bathing and rowing, and the restraining influence of the
clever, kind, pure and handsome girls from families they were
acquainted with. But, almost without the knowledge of their
consciousness, their sensuousness--not imagination, but the simple,
healthy, instinctive sensuousness of young playful males--kindled from
chance encounters of their hands with feminine hands and from comradely
obliging embraces, when the occasion arose to help the young ladies
enter a boat or jump out on shore; from the tender odour of maiden
apparel, warmed by the sun; from the feminine cries of coquettish
fright on the river; from the sight of feminine figures, negligently
half-reclining with a naive immodesty on the green grass around the
samovar--from all these innocent liberties, which are so usual and
unavoidable on picnics, country outings and river excursions, when
within man, in the infinite depth of his soul, secretly awakens from
the care-free contact with earth, grasses, water and sun, the
beast-ancient, splendid, free, but disfigured and intimidated of men.

And for that reason, at two o'clock in the night, when THE SPARROWS, a
cozy students' restaurant, had barely closed, and all the eight,
excited by alcohol and the plentiful food, had come out of the smoky,
f