Page:The Writings of Prosper Merimee-Volume 5.djvu/260

238 Lisabeta Ivanovna was about to take her coat and hat off, when the Countess sent for her. She had ordered that the horses be harnessed again. While two sturdy footmen were helping the old lady into the carriage, Lisabeta, who was standing near, noticed that the young officer was close by; she felt him take her hand and put a paper into it, and before she could recover from her surprise, he had disappeared around the corner. She immediately hid the note in her glove, but during the whole drive, she neither heard nor saw what was going on. When out driving, the Countess was in the habit of asking endless questions.

"Who is the man who just bowed to us? What is this bridge called? What does that sign read?"

Lisabeta answered at random and was sharply reproved for her mistakes.

"What ails you to-day? What are you thinking of? Do you hear me? or is it that you think I am in my dotage and do not know what I am saying?"

But Lisabeta was not paying the slightest attention to the old lady's rambling talk. On