breathed the flowers were softly gliding over her checkered skirt.
A clear white shirt, buttoned at the neck and the wrists, fell in short,
soft folds about her waist; large yellow beads were hanging down from
her neck on her bosom in two rows. She was not at all bad-looking. Her
heavy fair hair, of a beautiful ash color, parted in two neatly combed
half-circles from under a narrow, dark-red head-band, which was pulled
down almost to her ivory-white forehead; the rest of her face was
slightly tanned with the golden sunburn peculiar to a tender skin. I
could not see her eyes--she did not lift them; but I saw her thin, high
eyebrows, her long lashes; these were moist, and on her cheek gleamed
a dried-up teardrop, which had stopped near her somewhat pale lips. Her
entire small head was very charming; even her somewhat thick and round
nose did not spoil it. I liked especially the expression of her face;
it was so simple and gentle, so sad and so full of childish perplexity
before her own sadness. She was apparently waiting for some one.
Something cracked faintly in the forest. Immediately she raised her head
and looked around; her eyes flashed quickly before me in the transparent
shade--they were large, bright, and shy like a deer's. She listened for
a few seconds, not moving her wide-open eyes from the spot whence the
faint sound had come; she heaved a sigh, turned her head slowly, bent
down still lower and began to examine the flowers. Her eyelids turned
red, her lips quivered bitterly and a new teardrop rolled down from
under her heavy eyelashes, stopping and sparkling on her cheek. Thus
quite a long while passed; the poor girl did hot stir--only occasionally
she moved her hands and listened--listened all the time. Something
cracked once more in the forest--she started. This time the noise did
not stop, it was becoming more distinct, it was nearing--at last firm
footsteps were heard. She straightened herself, and it seemed as if
she lost her courage, for her eyes began to quiver. The figure of a man
appeared through the jungle. She looked fixedly, suddenly flushed, and,
smiling joyously and happily, seemed about to rise, but she immediately
cast down her head again, turned pale, confused--only then she lifted
her quivering, almost prayerful, eyes to the man as he paused beside
her.

I looked at him from my hiding-place with curiosity. I confess he did
not produce a pleasant impression upon me. He was, by all appearances,