She felt such a
strength, such a pride, such a defiance, as she had not known belonged
to human power. She had, for many weeks, been hesitating before the
gates. Now, suddenly, she had swept through. His death now was not the
terror that it had been only an hour before. Nina's accusation had shown
her, as a flash of lightning flings the mountains into view, that now
she could never lose him, were he with her or no, and that beside that
truth nothing mattered.
Something of her bravery and grandeur and beauty must have been felt by
them all at that moment. Nina realised it.... She told me that her own
fear left her altogether when she saw how Vera was facing them. She was
suddenly calm and quiet and very amused.
The student officer seemed now to be quite at home. He had taken a great
many notes down in a little book, and looked very important as he did
so. His chubby face expressed great self-satisfaction. He talked half to
himself and half to Vera. "Yes... Yes... quite so. Exactly. And your
husband is not yet at home, Madame Markovitch.... _Nu da...._ Of course
these are very troublesome times, and as you say things have to move in
a hurry.
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