had accomplished their work. Vaska bowed to the two ladies and glanced at them, but only for a second. He followed Safo into the drawing-room, and he followed her through the drawing-room, as if he had been tied to her, and he kept his brilliant eyes fastened on her as if he wished to devour her. Safo Stoltz was a blond with black eyes. She wore shoes with enormously high heels, and she came in with slow, vigorous steps, and shook hands with the ladies energetically, like a man.
Anna had never before met with this new celebrity, and was struck, not only by her beauty, but by the extravagance of her toilet and the boldness of her manners. On her head was a veritable scaffolding of false and natural hair of a lovely golden hue, and of a height corresponding to the mighty proportions of her protuberant and very visible bosom. Her dress was so tightly pulled back, that at every movement it outlined the shape of her knees and thighs; and involuntarily the question arose: Where, under this enormous, tottering mountain, did her neat little body, so exposed above, and so tightly laced below, really end?
Betsy made haste to introduce her to Anna.
"Can you imagine it? We almost ran over two soldiers," she instantly began to relate, winking, smiling, and kicking back her train, which she in turn threw too far over to the other side. "I was coming with Vaska .... oh, yes! You are not acquainted." And she introduced the young man by his family name, laughing heartily at her mistake in calling him Vaska before strangers. Vaska bowed a second time to Anna, but said nothing to her. He turned to Safo.
"The wager is lost. We came first," said he, smiling. "You must pay."
Safo laughed still more gayly.
"Not now, though," said she.
"All right; I'll take it by and by."
"Very well, very well! Oh, by the way!" she suddenly cried out to the hostess. "I .... forgot ....stupid that I was! I bring you a guest; here he is."
The young guest whom Safo presented, after having
