PART II
7. CHAPTER VII.
THE young fellow accompanying the general was about twenty-eight,
tall, and well built, with a handsome and clever face, and bright
black eyes, full of fun and intelligence.
Aglaya did not so much as glance at the new arrivals, but went on
with her recitation, gazing at the prince the while in an
affected manner, and at him alone. It was clear to him that she
was doing all this with some special object.
But the new guests at least somewhat eased his strained and
uncomfortable position. Seeing them approaching, he rose from his
chair, and nodding amicably to the general, signed to him not to
interrupt the recitation. He then got behind his chair, and stood
there with his left hand resting on the back of it. Thanks to
this change of position, he was able to listen to the ballad with
far less embarrassment than before. Mrs. Epanchin had also twice
motioned to the new arrivals to be quiet, and stay where they
were.
The prince was much interested in the young man who had just
entered. He easily concluded that this was Evgenie Pavlovitch
Radomski, of whom he had already heard mention several times. He
was puzzled, however, by the young man's plain clothes, for he
had always heard of Evgenie Pavlovitch as a military man. An
ironical smile played on Evgenie's lips all the while the
recitation was proceeding, which showed that he, too, was
probably in the secret of the 'poor knight' joke. But it had
become quite a different matter with Aglaya. All the affectation
of manner which she had displayed at the beginning disappeared as
the ballad proceeded. She spoke the lines in so serious and
exalted a manner, and with so much taste, that she even seemed to
justify the exaggerated solemnity with which she had stepped
forward. It was impossible to discern in her now anything but a
deep feeling for the spirit of the poem which she had undertaken
to interpret.
Her eyes were aglow with inspiration, and a slight tremor of
rapture passed over her lovely features once or twice. She
continued to recite:
"Once there came a vision glorious,
Mystic, dreadful, wondrous fair;
Burned itself into his spirit,
And abode for ever there!
|