These were only the preliminary soundings.  They lasted with variations for a quarter of an hour.  First Mrs. Shaldin narrated a few incidents of the trip, then Mrs. Zarubkin gave a report of some of the chief happenings in the life of the regiment.  When the conversation was in full swing, and the samovar was singing on the table, and the pancakes were spreading their appetising odour, the captain’s wife suddenly cried: 

“I wonder what the fashions are abroad now.  I say, you must have feasted your eyes on them!”

Mrs. Shaldin simply replied with a scornful gesture.

“Other people may like them, but I don’t care for them one bit.  I am glad we here don’t get to see them until a year later.  You know, Tatyana Grigoryevna, you sometimes see the ugliest styles.”

“Really?” asked the captain’s wife eagerly, her eyes gleaming with curiosity.  The great moment of complete revelation seemed to have arrived.

“Perfectly hideous, I tell you.  Just imagine, you know how nice the plain skirts were.  Then why change them?  But no, to be in style now, the skirts have to be draped.  Why?  It is just a sign of complete lack of imagination.  And in Lyons they got out a new kind of silk—­but that is still a French secret.”

“Why a secret?  The silk is certainly being worn already?”

“Yes, one does see it being worn already, but when it was first manufactured, the greatest secret was made of it.  They were afraid the Germans would imitate.  You understand?”

“Oh, but what is the latest style?”

“I really can’t explain it to you.  All I know is, it is something awful.”

“She can’t explain!  That means she doesn’t want to explain.  Oh, the cunning one.  What a sly look she has in her eyes.”  So thought the captain’s wife.  From the very beginning of the conversation, the two warm friends, it need scarcely be said, were mutually distrustful.  Each had the conviction that everything the other said was to be taken in the very opposite sense.  They were of about the same age, Mrs. Shaldin possibly one or two years younger than Mrs. Zarubkin.  Mrs. Zarubkin was rather plump, and had heavy light hair.  Her appearance was blooming.  Mrs. Shaldin was slim, though well proportioned.  She was a brunette with a pale complexion and large dark eyes.  They were two types of beauty very likely to divide the gentlemen of the regiment into two camps of admirers.  But women are never content with halves.  Mrs. Zarubkin wanted to see all the officers of the regiment at her feet, and so did Mrs. Shaldin.  It naturally led to great rivalry between the two women, of which they were both conscious, though they always had the friendliest smiles for each other.

Mrs. Shaldin tried to give a different turn to the conversation.

“Do you think the ball will be interesting this year?”

“Why should it be interesting?” rejoined the captain’s wife scornfully.  “Always the same people, the same old humdrum jog-trot.”