" He waited, then added: "I must be walking
back now. I'm late!" And he turned away to the house.
CHAPTER VII
ONE NIGHT
Marie Ivanovna herself spoke to me of Semyonov. She found me alone
waiting for my morning tea. We were before the others, and could hear,
in the next room, Molozov splashing water about the floor and crying
to Michail, his servant, to pour "_Yestsho! Yestsho!" "Yestsho!
Yestsho!_"--"Still more! Still more," over his head.
She stood in the doorway looking as though she hated my presence.
"The others have not arrived," I said. "It's late to-day."
"I can see," she answered. "Every one is idle now."
Then her voice changed. She came across to me. We talked of
unimportant things for a while. Then she said: "I'm very happy, Mr.
Durward.... Be kind about it. Alexei Petrovitch and I...." She
hesitated.
I looked at her and saw that she was again the young and helpless girl
whom I had not seen since that early morning before our first battle.
I said, very lamely, "If you are happy, Marie Ivanovna, I am glad.
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