Page:Halek's Stories and Evensongs.pdf/200

 And after that his mind began to weave various groups of figures. In all of them stood Lidunka in her pink gown with her beaming face and a playful pair of eyes. She smiled, let her hand be taken, let her hand be kissed, and with those eyes of hers told a tale of love so fond that no tongue was eloquent enough to speak it. She returned the pressure of her hand, close at her ear kept buzzing some half-whispered little word, as when a fly flits past, then all was hushed in silence, as when we faint at the discovery of some fond secret token.

Their eyes gleamed more boldly: in its rays was elevation, and their heart beat and leapt into their mouths—and after all it was only Lidunka and that young man well known to him.

But what, indeed, was there unnatural in all this? Nothing: nor could anything in it give a man cause for surprise. Lidunka was young, pretty, the youths were young, powerful, and wealthy.

What was there surprising in it?

All this seemed to repeat itself in so many words in Vojtech’s mind.

Then his imagination depicted them out a-walking. Lidunka led the way with those young men—her mother followed. They kept walking round a kind of flower-bed, and Lidunka said that she should like yonder flower. The young man ran off to gather it for her: Lidunka tarried for him until her mother came up, the young man gave her the flower, hung on her hand, and before her mother had joined them exchanged looks so fond, so profound, that each look linked itself with the last. Words were superfluous and only that they might make some general conversation in her mother’s presence., [sic] the young man said, “What a charming day it is.”

“Yes, quite charming”, replied Lidunka.

“It seems so”, rejoined her mother and thus the conversation lapsed. It had played its part.

Then again other groups began to take form in his imagination. First of all was Lidunka in her pink gown, then she seemed to rise from her chair—her gentle steps rustled over the carpet.

At this point Vojtech started. For, indeed, he really seemed to hear Lidunka’s light steps rustle in the neighbouring room, they seemed to approach the door. He began to tremble and to grow pale, and before he expected it the door opened and there stood Lidunka in her pink gown, with beaming face and sparkling eyes.