“And who is she?” he wondered, looking round at the women’s faces.  “She must be young, for elderly ladies don’t give rendezvous.  That she was a lady, one could tell by the rustle of her dress, her perfume, her voice. . . .”

His eyes rested on the lilac young lady, and he thought her very attractive; she had beautiful shoulders and arms, a clever face, and a delightful voice.  Ryabovitch, looking at her, hoped that she and no one else was his unknown. . . .  But she laughed somehow artificially and wrinkled up her long nose, which seemed to him to make her look old.  Then he turned his eyes upon the fair girl in a black dress.  She was younger, simpler, and more genuine, had a charming brow, and drank very daintily out of her wineglass.  Ryabovitch now hoped that it was she.  But soon he began to think her face flat, and fixed his eyes upon the one next her.

“It’s difficult to guess,” he thought, musing.  “If one takes the shoulders and arms of the lilac one only, adds the brow of the fair one and the eyes of the one on the left of Lobytko, then . . .”

He made a combination of these things in his mind and so formed the image of the girl who had kissed him, the image that he wanted her to have, but could not find at the table. . . .

After supper, replete and exhilarated, the officers began to take leave and say thank you.  Von Rabbek and his wife began again apologizing that they could not ask them to stay the night.

“Very, very glad to have met you, gentlemen,” said Von Rabbek, and this time sincerely (probably because people are far more sincere and good-humoured at speeding their parting guests than on meeting them).  “Delighted.  I hope you will come on your way back!  Don’t stand on ceremony!  Where are you going?  Do you want to go by the upper way?  No, go across the garden; it’s nearer here by the lower way.”

The officers went out into the garden.  After the bright light and the noise the garden seemed very dark and quiet.  They walked in silence all the way to the gate.  They were a little drunk, pleased, and in good spirits, but the darkness and silence made them thoughtful for a minute.  Probably the same idea occurred to each one of them as to Ryabovitch:  would there ever come a time for them when, like Von Rabbek, they would have a large house, a family, a garden—­ when they, too, would be able to welcome people, even though insincerely, feed them, make them drunk and contented?

Going out of the garden gate, they all began talking at once and laughing loudly about nothing.  They were walking now along the little path that led down to the river, and then ran along the water’s edge, winding round the bushes on the bank, the pools, and the willows that overhung the water.  The bank and the path were scarcely visible, and the other bank was entirely plunged in darkness.  Stars were reflected here and there on the dark water; they quivered and were broken up on the surface—­and from that alone it could be seen that the river was flowing rapidly.  It was still.  Drowsy curlews cried plaintively on the further bank, and in one of the bushes on the nearest side a nightingale was trilling loudly, taking no notice of the crowd of officers.  The officers stood round the bush, touched it, but the nightingale went on singing.