Page:Pushkin - Russian Romance (King, 1875).djvu/57

Rh I had not to wait long. The next day whilst I was writing an elegy, and biting my pen in search of a rhyme, Shvabrine rapped at my window. I dropped my pen, snatched up my sword, and went out to him.

"Why should we delay," said Shvabrine; "nobody is watching us. Let us go down to the river side. No one will hinder us there."

We walked away in silence. Having descended by a steep foot path, we stopped close to the river and bared our swords. Shvabrine was the most expert, but I was stronger and bolder, and M. Beaupré, who had once been a soldier, had given me some lessons in fencing, which had not been lost upon me. Shvabrine had not expected to find such a dangerous adversary in me. For a long time, neither of us could harm the other; at last, perceiving that Shvabrine was losing strength, I thrust at him quickly, and made him retire almost into the river. Suddenly I heard my name called out in a loud voice. I turned and saw Savelitch hurrying to me over the hill-side path. At that moment, I felt a sharp prick in the chest, a little below the right shoulder. I fell and lost all consciousness.

coming to myself again, I was not able for a long time to collect my thoughts, nor was I able to understand