hind
a barrow. There were lights already here and there at the station,
and one green light glimmered dimly, but the train was not yet in
sight. It was pleasant to Volodya to sit still without moving, and
to watch the evening coming little by little. The darkness of the
arbour, the footsteps, the smell of the bath-house, the laughter,
and the waist--all these rose with amazing vividness before his
imagination, and all this was no longer so terrible and important
as before.

"It's of no consequence. . . . She did not pull her hand away, and
laughed when I held her by the waist," he thought. "So she must
have liked it. If she had disliked it she would have been angry
. . . ."

And now Volodya felt sorry that he had not had more boldness there
in the arbour. He felt sorry that he was so stupidly going away,
and he was by now persuaded that if the same thing happened again
he would be bolder and look at it more simply.

And it would not be difficult for the opportunity to occur again.
They used to stroll about for a long time after supper at the
Shumihins'. If Volodya went for a walk with Nyuta in the dark garden,
there would be an opportunity!

"I will go back," he thought, "and will go by the morning train
to-morrow. . . . I will say I have missed the train."

And he turned back. . . . Madame Shumihin, _Maman_, Nyuta, and one
of the nieces were sitting on the verandah, playing _vint_. When
Volodya told them the lie that he had missed the train, they were
uneasy that he might be late for the examination day, and advised
him to get up early. All the while they were playing he sat on one
side, greedily watching Nyuta and waiting. . . . He already had a
plan prepared in his mind: he would go up to Nyuta in the dark,
would take her by the hand, then would embrace her; there would be
no need to say anything, as both of them would understand without
words.

But after supper the ladies did not go for a walk in the garden,
but went on playing cards. They played till one o'clock at night,
and then broke up to go to bed.

"How stupid it all is!" Volodya thought with vexation as he got
into bed. "But never mind; I'll wait till to-morrow . . . to-morrow
in the arbour. It doesn't matter. . . ."

He did not attempt to go to sleep, but sat in bed, hugging his knees
and thinking. All thought of the examination was hateful to him.
He had already made up his mind that they would expel him, and that
there was nothing terrible ab