Part 29 (2/2)

”Certainly, Excellenz,” she stairl changed quickly, and surveyed herself in the pier glass at the end of the roo but horrible There caitated Maria entered

”He has sent for you, my little dove,” she said ”Come, take ood reatest irl's arm, but Irene waved her aside, and walked swiftly frorand saloon She wanted the ordeal over as soon as possible

The rooreat glass chandelier were not in working order and a broken fuse had put half the wall brackets in darkness, the light was al This wonderful saloon, where ten Czars had eaten bread and salt with ten generations of Yaroslavs, was thick with humanity Some of the men were in uniform, some were in a nondescript costu-dress and diplo-jacket and a white waistcoat with a perfectly starched shi+rt, over uniform trousers and top-boots The women were as weirdly clothed Sos, a feore court dresses of the approved pattern, and there was one woman dressed like a man, who smoked all the ti with sound

As she came into the saloon soorous applause, not for her, she knew, nor for the name she bore, but for the novelty and the ”beauty” of her wedding gown

At the farther end of the room was a table covered with a red cloth, and behind it sat a nized as one of the newly-appointed ed behind by Maria, shecoh for her to hear

”What a little beauty! Too good for a blind man, eh?”

”We have knelt for her many times, now she shall kneel for us”

”Such a dress! This Boolba is a wonderful fellow”

She halted before the table, her hands clasped lightly in front of her

Her head was high, and she lance steadily and disdainfully

The clock struck a quarter after ten when Boolba made his entrance amidst a storm of applause

They had never seen hiht it was a new costume which had been sanctioned by the supreme Soviet for its Commissaries; others that it had been planned especially for the e Irene alone knew it, and a cold, disdainful smile lit for a moment her expressionless face

She had seen Boolba in knee-breeches and white silk stockings before; she knew the coat of green and gold which the retainers of the house of Yaroslav wore on state occasions Boolba was eance

The cerees, though they had not altogether been banned, were regarded by the official Russia as unnecessary, and a new ned, which confined the ceremony to the space of a few ether had been strenuously opposed, not so much by the public women ere on the innumerable councils and committees, but by the wives of the anization

Boolba was led to her side, and reached out his hand gropingly, and in very pity of his blindness she took it Questions were asked him, to which he responded and similar questions were asked her, to which she reed to it only because it gave her a little extra tiistrate pronounced the formula which made them, in the eyes of the Soviet law at any rate, man and wife, Boolba never loosened his hold of her

He held her hand in his own big, hot palroup to group theyspace of the saloon, the revellers stepped aside to allow the man to pass She noticed that in the main they confined themselves to country dances, some of which were new to her And all the time Boolba kept up a continuous conversation in an undertone, pinching her hand gently whenever he wanted to attract her attention

”Tell eon of God, what are they doing now?

Do you see Mishka Gurki? She is a silly woman Tell me, my little pet, if you see her Watch her well, and tell me how she looks at me That woman is an enemy of the Revolution and a friend of Sophia Kensky

Ah! it is sad about your poor friends”

The girl turned cold and clenched her teeth to take the nehich was co