Page:Forget Me Not (1824).djvu/144

This page has been proofread, but needs to be validated.
112
THE RING.

communicated his sentiments to his father, who immediately drove off to Sundukow's. The old folks, after some conversation on the subject, gave each other their hands, and the affair was settled. They concerned themselves but little about the consent of Glafira; for in those happy days the will of the parents alone decided the fate of their daughters.

Glafira felt, as a bride, some kindness for Chabarow, but it was not that tender and yet mighty passion which is denominated love.

The two months' leave of absence obtained by Chabarow had expired, and he was obliged to return to the army. He seemed heartily sorry for it, and Glafira herself often sighed, to the great dissatisfaction of her nurse. The betrothal was celebrated before his departure; but the nuptials were deferred till the return of the bridegroom the following spring.

It was the middle of December when Sundukow's family, in their joy, resolved to take a jaunt to Moskwa, for the purpose of spending the Christmas holidays and the Carnival in that city, and likewise to show the bride to their friends, and to make the necessary purchases against the wedding. They accordingly set out, and agreeably to the custom of those times took a number of their serfs along with them; and the nurse, from whom the young lady had never yet been separated, was not forgotten.

This article is issued from Wikisource. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.