hat streets, and society, education--it's something
wonderful!--" Akulina listened to him with close attention, slightly
opening her lips like a child. "However," he added, wriggling on the
ground, "why do I say all this to you? You can't understand it anyway!"

"Why not, Victor Alexandrich? I understood, I understood everything."

"Just think of her!"

Akulina cast down her eyes.

"You did not speak to me like this before, Victor Alexandrich," she
said, without lifting her eyes.

"Before?--Before! Just think of her!--Before!" he remarked, indignantly.

Both grew silent.

"However, it's time for me to go," said Victor, and leaned on his elbow,
about to rise.

"Wait a little," said Akulina in an imploring voice.

"What for? I have already said to you, Good-by!"

"Wait," repeated Akulina.

Victor again stretched himself on the ground and began to whistle.
Akulina kept looking at him steadfastly. I could see that she was
growing agitated by degrees--her lips twitched, her pale cheeks were
reddening.

"Victor Alexandrich," she said at last in a broken voice, "it's a sin
for you, it's a sin, Victor Alexandrich, by God!"

"What's a sin?" he asked, knitting his brows. He raised his head and
turned to her.

"It's a sin, Victor Alexandrich. If you would only say a good word to me
before leaving--if you would only say one word to me, miserable little
orphan that I am:--"

"But what shall I say to you?"

"I don't know. You know better than I do, Victor Alexandrich. Here you
are going away--if you would only say one word--What have I done to
deserve this?"

"How strange you are! What can I say?"

"If only one word--"

"There she's firing away one and the same thing," he muttered with
vexation, and got up.

"Don't be angry, Victor Alexandrich," she added hastily, unable to
repress her tears.

"I'm not angry--only you are foolish--What do you want? I can't marry
you! I can't, can I? Well, then, what do you want? What?" He stared at
her, as if awaiting an answer, and opened his fingers wide.

"I want nothing--nothing," she replied, stammering, not daring to
outstretch her trembling hands to him, "but simply so, at least one
word, at parting--"

And the tears began to stream from her eyes.

"Well, there you are, she's started crying," said Victor indifferently,
pulling the cap over his eyes.

"I don't want anything," she went on, sobbing and covering her face with
her hands; "but how will I feel now a