Page:Pushkin - Russian Romance (King, 1875).djvu/176

 young girl. Her mirth became less buoyant. She fell little by little into a sweet reverie. She thought—but is it possible to define accurately the thoughts of a young lady of seventeen who is alone in a wood at five o'clock on a spring morning? She walked thus pensively along a road shadowed on both sides by tall trees, when she was suddenly startled by the bark of a sportsman's beautiful dog. Lisa screamed with alarm. A voice was heard at the same moment, Tout beau, Sbogar ici—and a young sportsman appeared from behind some bushes. "Do not be afraid, my dear," said he to Lisa; "my dog does not bite."

Lisa had already found time to recover from her fright, and knew how to take advantage of such an opportunity.

"But, sir," said she, feigning to be partly shy and partly frightened, "I am afraid; look, she is a wicked one, she might fly again."

Aleksèy (my reader has already recognized him) was in the meantime eying narrowly the young peasant girl.

"I shall escort thee, if thou art afraid," said he; "thou wilt let me walk by thee, wilt thou not?"

"Who hinders thee?" answered Lisa; "freedom is for the free, and the road is public."

"Where dost thou come from?"

"From Prilútchino; I am the daughter of Vasily, the blacksmith, and I am going to gather mushrooms."

Lisa was carrying a bark-basket suspended by a cord.

"And thou, sir? thou art from Tugilévo, I suppose?"

"I am, indeed," said Aleksèy, "I am the young master's valet."