remained. As long as some
one walked near the lanterns he could be seen; but as soon as he walked
away all seemed to melt, melt, melt, and the voice above the ground
laughed, talked, floating fearlessly in the darkness. But the officers
and the students could be seen even in the dark--a white spot, and above
it a small light of a cigarette and a big voice.

And now the most joyous thing commenced for Yura--the fairy tale. The
people and the festival and the lanterns remained on earth, while he
soared away, transformed into air, melting in the night like a grain of
dust. The great mystery of the night became his mystery, and his little
heart yearned for still more mystery; in its solitude his heart yearned
for the fusion of life and death. That was Yura's second madness that
evening--he became invisible. Although he could enter the kitchen as
others did, he climbed with difficulty upon the roof of the cellar over
which the kitchen window was flooded with light and he looked in; there
people were roasting something, busying themselves, and did not know
that he was looking at them--and yet he saw everything! Then he went
away and looked at papa's and mamma's bedroom; the room was empty; but
the beds had already been made for the night and a little image lamp was
burning--he saw that. Then he looked into his own room; his own bed was
also ready, waiting for him. He passed the room where they were playing
cards, also as an invisible being, holding his breath and stepping so
lightly, as though he were soaring in the air. Only when he reached the
garden, in the dark, he drew a proper breath. Then he resumed his quest.
He came over to people who were talking so near him that he could touch
them with his hand, and yet they did not know that he was there, and
they continued to speak undisturbed. He watched Ninochka for a long
time until he learned all her life--he was almost trapped. Ninochka even
exclaimed:

"Yurochka, is that you?"

He lay down behind a bush and held his breath. Thus Ninochka was
deceived. And she had almost caught him! To make things more mysterious,
he started to crawl instead of walk--now the alleys seemed full of
danger. Thus a long time went by--according to his own calculations
at the time, ten years went by, and he was still hiding and going ever
farther away from the people. And thus he went so far that he was seized
with dread--between him and the past, when he was walking like everybody
else, an ab