So far, so well. But
when she was comfortably tucked into the top berth, and an hour or so
later was just falling off to sleep, he knocked at the door, and the
Princess believing it to be the ticket-collector opened it, and he put
his head in. The shade was drawn over the lamp and the compartment was
in a blue gloom. Tamara was startled by hearing her godmother say:
"Gritzko! Thou! What do you want, dear boy, disturbing us like this?"
"I came to ask you to tie up my arm," he said. "I was practising with a
pistol yesterday, and it went off and the bullet grazed the skin, and
the damned thing has begun bleeding again. I know you are a trained
nurse, Tantine. Serge, who is with me, has tried and made a ridiculous
mess of it, so I brought the bandage to you."
He now pulled back the shade and they saw he was standing there quite
_sans g?ne_ in the same kind of blue silk pyjamas Tamara
remembered to have seen once before, and his eyes, far from being
tragic or serious, had the naughtiest, most mischievous twinkle in
them, while he whispered to the Princess and enlisted her sympathy for
his pain.
"Gritzko, dearest child, but you are suffering! But let me see! only
wait in the passage until I have my dressing-gown, and then come in
again."
Tamara now thought it prudent to crouch down in the clothes and
pretend to be asleep, while the kind Princess got up and arranged
herself.
Pages:
136
137
138
139
140
141
142
143
144
145
146
147
148
149
150
151
152
153
154
155
156
157
158
159
160