Page:Complete Works of Count Tolstoy - 01.djvu/150

118 weeping Mimi came running in from the corridor. "Ah, Peter Aleksándrych!" she said in a whisper, with an expression of real despair, and then, noticing that papa was turning the latch of the door, added scarcely audibly: "You can't pass through here; you have to go in through the outer door."

Oh, how heavily all that acted upon my childish imagination, which was prepared for sorrow by some terrible presentiment!

We went into the maids room. In the corridor we ran against fool Akím, who used to amuse us with his grimaces; at this moment he not only did not seem funny to me, but nothing struck me so painfully as the appearance of his meaningless, indifferent face. In the maids' room two servant girls, who were sitting at some work, rose to greet us, but the expression of their faces was so sad that I felt terribly. Passing through Mimi's room, papa opened the door of the chamber, and we entered. To the right of the door were two windows, which were darkened by shawls; at one of these, Natálya Sávishna was seated, with spectacles on her nose, and was knitting a stocking. She did not rise to kiss us, as she was in the habit of doing, but only raised herself a little, glanced at us through her spectacles, and her tears began to flow in streams. I did not like it at all that at the first sight of us they all started weeping, while just before they were calm.

To the left of the door stood a screen, behind the screen a bed, a small table, a medicine box, and a large armchair, in which the doctor was dozing. Near the bed stood a very blond young lady of remarkable beauty, in a white morning gown, and, rolling up her sleeves a little, she put ice to the head of mamma, whom I was able to see. This young lady was la belle Flamande, of whom mamma had written, and who later on was to play such an important part in the life of our whole family. The