Page:The Novels of Ivan Turgenev (volume XIV).djvu/280

Rh 'To be sure I did,' replied Pyetushkov: 'with special enjoyment.'

Vassilissa continued to walk on and to laugh.

'It's pleasant weather to-day,' pursued Ivan Afanasiitch: 'do you often go out walking?'

'Yes.'

'Ah, how I should like '

'What say?'

The girls in our district utter those words in a very queer way, with a peculiar sharpness and rapidity Partridges call at sunset with just that sound.

'To go out walking, don't you know, with you into the country, or '

'How can you?'

'Why not?'

'Ah, upon my word, how you do go on!'

'But allow me '

At this point they were overtaken by a dapper little shopman, with a little goat's beard, and with his fingers held apart like antlers, so as to keep his sleeves from slipping over his hands, in a long-skirted bluish coat, and a warm cap that resembled a bloated water-melon. Pyetushkov, for propriety's sake, fell back a little behind Vassilissa, but quickly came up with her again.

'Well, then, what about our walk?'

Vassilissa looked slily at him and giggled again.

'Do you belong to these parts?'