Page:Pushkin - Russian Romance (King, 1875).djvu/180

At to Aleksèy, he was enchanted; he spent the whole day thinking of his new acquaintance; the image of the dark beauty haunted his imagination even at night. It was barely dawn, and he was already dressed. He did not wait to load his gun, but went into the fields accompanied by his faithful Sbogar, and hurried to the trysting-place. Nearly half an hour was spent in insupportable expectation; at last he caught a glimpse of a blue sarafan in the bushes, and rushed to welcome his dear Akulina. She smiled at his enraptured show of gratitude; but Aleksèy at once noticed that her face bore traces of sadness and anxiety. He insisted upon knowing the cause.

Lisa avowed that she considered'her conduct imprudent, that she repented, that she did not wish to fail in her promise this time, but that this meeting was to be their last, and she begged him to break off an acquaintance which could be productive of no good. All this was of course said in the provincial dialect, but the ideas and feelings, so uncommon in a simple country girl, struck Aleksèy with astonishment. He exhausted all his eloquence in endeavouring to deter Akulina from her decision; he assured her of the purity of his intentions, promised never to give her cause for repentance, to submit to her in all things, and implored her not to deprive him of the one joy—that of seeing her alone, were it but every other day, but twice a week. He spoke in the language of true passion, and was at that moment really in love.

Lisa listened in silence. "Promise me," said she at last, "that thou wilt never seek me in the village—never