Near Dmitrovka the friends separated, and Yartsev went on to his lodging in Nikitsky Street.  He sat half dozing, swaying from side to side, and pondering on the play.  He suddenly imagined a terrible din, a clanging noise, and shouts in some unknown language, that might have been Kalmuck, and a village wrapped in flames, and forests near covered with hoarfrost and soft pink in the glow of the fire, visible for miles around, and so clearly that every little fir-tree could be distinguished, and savage men darting about the village on horseback and on foot, and as red as the glow in the sky.

“The Polovtsy,” thought Yartsev.

One of them, a terrible old man with a bloodstained face all scorched from the fire, binds to his saddle a young girl with a white Russian face, and the girl looks sorrowful, understanding.  Yartsev flung back his head and woke up.

“My friend, my tender friend . . .” he hummed.

As he paid the cabman and went up his stairs, he could not shake off his dreaminess; he saw the flames catching the village, and the forest beginning to crackle and smoke.  A huge, wild bear frantic with terror rushed through the village. . . .  And the girl tied to the saddle was still looking.

When at last he went into his room it was broad daylight.  Two candles were burning by some open music on the piano.  On the sofa lay Polina Razsudin wearing a black dress and a sash, with a newspaper in her hand, fast asleep.  She must have been playing late, waiting for Yartsev to come home, and, tired of waiting, fell asleep.

“Hullo, she’s worn out,” he thought.

Carefully taking the newspaper out of her hands, he covered her with a rug.  He put out the candles and went into his bedroom.  As he got into bed, he still thought of his historical play, and the tune of “My friend, my tender friend” was still ringing in his head. . . .

Two days later Laptev looked in upon him for a moment to tell him that Lida was ill with diphtheria, and that Yulia Sergeyevna and her baby had caught it from her, and five days later came the news that Lida and Yulia were recovering, but the baby was dead, and that the Laptevs had left their villa at Sokolniki and had hastened back to Moscow.

XIV

It had become distasteful to Laptev to be long at home.  His wife was constantly away in the lodge declaring that she had to look after the little girls, but he knew that she did not go to the lodge to give them lessons but to cry in Kostya’s room.  The ninth day came, then the twentieth, and then the fortieth, and still he had to go to the cemetery to listen to the requiem, and then to wear himself out for a whole day and night thinking of nothing but that unhappy baby, and trying to comfort his wife with all sorts of commonplace expressions.  He went rarely to the warehouse now, and spent most of his time in charitable work, seizing upon every pretext requiring his attention, and he was glad when he had for some trivial reason to be out for the whole day.  He had been intending of late to go abroad, to study night-refuges, and that idea attracted him now.