Page:The Tsar's Window.djvu/270

 of the door, in his attempts to get out of the way of a fat gentleman with a quantity of bags. Tom's hat was utterly demolished. He was such a comical object that we were obliged to laugh every time we looked at him; so our departure was less melancholy than it might have been.

As our train moved away, Alice, Nicolas, and George, all stood on the platform, smiling; and I hardly realized that I was taking my last look at them for many years.

Tom said, almost before we were out of the city,—

"What a relief to get out of that climate! For three weeks I have walked knee-deep in mud; and I have not seen the sun for so long that I believe I should be dazzled if he were to appear."

"Yes," assented Judith; "and the earth, sky, and buildings have all been such a dull color."

I listened in silence, looking out of the window to hide the desolation which I feared my eyes would betray.

They were all glad to get away! Mr. Thurber said nothing, for which I felt grateful to him.

The interminable marshy waste, which was all our eyes had to dwell upon, seems to encompass St. Petersburg for hundreds of miles. It is inexpressibly dreary. Judith is in excellent spirits, and no one appears to notice me. Mr. Thurber, however, watches me stealthily. The consciousness of this helps me to exercise my self-control.