It proved to be a troupe of Russian dancers and
some Cossacks who made a remarkable display with swords, while
musicians, in their national dress, accompanied the performance.
Tamara and Lord Courtray had seen this same sort of dancing in London
when Russian troupes gave their "turns," but never executed with such
wonderful fire and passion as this they witnessed now. The feats were
quite extraordinary, and one or two of the women were attractive-looking
creatures.
Gritzko's attitude toward them was that of the benevolent master to
highly trained valued hounds. Indeed this feeling seemed to be mutual,
the hounds adoring their master with blind devotion, as all his
belongings did.
During most of the time he sat behind the Princess, and whispered
whatever conversation he had in her ear; but every now and then he
would move to Princess Sonia or Countess Olga, and lastly subsided
close to Tamara, and bending over leaned on the back of her chair.
He did not speak, but his close proximity caused her to experience the
exquisite physical thrill she feared and dreaded. When her heart beat
like that, and her body tingled with sensation, it was almost
impossible to keep her head.
His fierceness frightened her, but when he was gentle, she knew she
melted at once, and only longed to be in his arms. So she drew herself
up and shrank forward away from him, and began an excited conversation
with Stephen Strong.
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