Part 14 (1/2)
Gleb's ass had co down at his master's whistle and now stood broadside-on in the irl pulled up her horse with a jerk and, half-turning her head to her attendant, she called The man rode forward
”Get your donkey out of the way, fool,” he boo man, broad-shouldered and stout Like most Russian domestic servants, his face was clean-shaven, but Malcol the scene idly, observed only this about him--that he had a crooked nose and that his hair was a fiery red
”Gently, gently” It was the girl who spoke and she addressed her restive horse in English
As for Gleb, the peasant, he stood, his hands clasped before hi, incapable of h Malcolm jumped down from the bank, seized the donkey by his bridle and drew hiirl's horse had been curveting and prancing nervously, so that it brought her to within a few paces of Malcolhter was this who spoke in English to her horseonly once before had he seen her in the light of day
The face was not pale, yet the colour that was in her cheeks so delicately toned with the ivory-white of forehead and neck that she looked pale The eyes, set wide apart, were so deep a grey that in contrast with the creamy pallor of brow they appeared black
A firle of dark brown hair; but neither sight of her nor sound of her tired drawling voice, gave her such permanence in his mind as the indefinite sense of womanliness that clothed her like an aurora
He responded wonderfully to some mysterious call she made upon thehis view If he had met her in the dark, and had neither seen nor heard; if she had been a bare-legged peasant girl on her way to the fields; if he had met her anywhere, anyhow--she would have been divine
She, for her part, saw a tall young -jacket and battered Stetson hat She saw a good forehead and an unruly mop of hair, and beneath two eyes, noe-stricken by her feuessed) rather than by her exalted rank They were eyes with a capacity for ht, and wished Russian men had eyes like those
”My horse is afraid of your donkey, I think,” she shed again frankly at his embarrasshtened neigh her horse leapt sideways toward hi back to avoid the horse's hoofs and heard her little exclamation of dis and held out his arms to catch her For a ainst his, the overpowering fragrance of her presence taking his breath away Then she gently disengaged herself and stepped back There was colour in her face now and soht have been mischief, or annoyance, or sheer amusement, in her eyes
”Thank you,” she said
Her tone was even and did not encourage further advances on his part
”I lost my balance Will you hold , with a proud little inclination of her head, was picking a way down the steep hill before he realized what had happened He gazed after her, hoping at least that feminine curiosity would induce her to turn and look back, but in this he was disappointed
The peasant, Gleb, still stood by the side of the road, his hands clasped, his head bent as though in a trance
”Wake up, little monkey,” said Malcolm testily ”Why did you not hold the horse for the lady whilst I helped her to mount?”
”_Dudushka_, it is forbidden, _Zaprestcheno_,” said the man huskily
”She is _Kazioasped Malcolh in Russia to have ie
”Little nificence, the Grand duchess Irene Yaroslav”
”The Grand----!” Malcolnized her!
Long after the peasant had departed he stood on the spot where he had held her, like a htful when he picked up the reins of his horse and swung himself into the saddle
Kieff is built uponsteeper roads than any other city in Europe He was on his way to the Grand Hotel, and this necessitated his passing through Podol, crossing the Hill of the Cliff, and descending into the valley beyond
Considering it was a feast day the streets were strangely deserted He arb and supposed that the majority of the people were at the shrines in which Kieff abounds He passed through the poorer Jewish quarter, and did not reo into the Street of Black Mud until he had turned into that thoroughfare