The whole world was holding its breath. Great
events were occurring, but we were removed from them all. The ice
quivered under the sun and the snowclouds rose higher and higher into
the blue, and once and again a bell chimed and jangled.... There was an
amazing peace. Through this peaceful world Nina and Lawrence walked. His
mind must, I know, have been very far away from Nina, probably he saw
nothing of her little attempts at friendship; her gasping sentences
that seemed to her so daring and significant he scarcely heard. His only
concern was to endure the walk as politely as possible and return to
Vera.
Perhaps if she had not had that conversation with her uncle she would
have realised more clearly how slight a response was made to her, but
she thought only that this was his English shyness and gaucherie--she
must go slowly and carefully. He was not like a Russian. She must not
frighten him. Ah, how she loved him as she walked beside him, seeing and
not seeing the lovely frozen colours of the winter day, the quickly
flooding saffron sky! The first bright star, the great pearl-grey cloud
of the Neva as it was swept into the dark.
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