“Well, come along and sing the ‘Spring.’ ”

r-bed. Natasha tried to comfort her, but her face showed that she grasped all the gravity of her friend’s trouble.

“Sonya!” she said all at once, as though she had guessed the real cause of her cousin’s misery, “of course Vera’s been talking to you since dinner? Yes?”

“Yes, these verses Nikolay wrote himself, and I copied some others; and she found them on my table, and said she should show them to mamma, and she said too that I was ungrateful, and that mamma would never allow him to marry me, but that he would marry Julie. You see how he has been with her all day … Natasha! why is it?”

And again she sobbed more bitterly than ever. Natasha lifted her up, hugged her, and, smiling through her tears, began comforting her.

“Sonya, don’t you believe her, darling; don’t believe her. Do you remember how we talked with Nikolay, all three of us together, in the divan-room, do you remember, after supper? Why, we settled how it should all be. I don’t quite remember now, but do you remember, it was all right and all possible. Why, uncle Shinshin’s brother is married to his first cousin, and we’re only second cousins, you know. And Boris said that it’s quite easily arranged. You know I told him all about it. He’s so clever and so good,” said Natasha. … “Don’t cry, Sonya, darling, sweet one, precious, Sonya,” and she kissed her, laughing. “Vera is spiteful; never mind her! and it will all come right and she won’t tell mamma. Nikolinka will tell her himself, and he’s never thought of Julie.”

And she kissed her on the head. Sonya got up, and the kitten revived; its eyes sparkled, and it was ready, it seemed, to wag its tail, spring on its soft paws and begin to play with a ball, in its own natural, kittenish way.

“Do you think so? Really? Truly?” she said rapidly, smoothing her frock and her hair.

“Really, truly,” answered Natasha, putting back a stray coil of rough hair on her friend’s head; and they both laughed. “Well, come along and sing the ‘Spring.’ ”

“Let’s go, then.”

“And do you know that fat Pierre, who was sitting opposite me, he’s so funny!” Natasha said suddenly, stopping. “I am enjoying myself so,” and Natasha ran along the corridor.

Brushing off the feather fluff from her frock, and thrusting the verses into her bodice next her little throat and prominent breast-bones, Sonya ran with flushed face and light, happy steps, following Natasha along the corridor to the divan-room. At the request of their guests the young people sang the quartette the “Spring,” with which every one was delighted; then Nikolay sang a song he had lately learnt.

“How sweet in the moon’s kindly ray,

In fancy to thyself to say,

That earth holds still one dear to thee!