his head . . . some one was knocking at his door.
'Come in!' called Sanin.
The waiter came in and answered that a lady very particularly wished to see him.
'Gemma!' flashed into his head . . . but the lady turned out to be her mother, Frau Lenore.
Directly she came in, she dropped at once into a chair and began to cry.
'What is the matter, my dear, good Madame Roselli?' began Sanin, sitting beside her and softly touching her hand. 'What has happened? calm yourself, I entreat you.'
'Ah, Herr Dimitri, I am very . . . very miserable!'
'You are miserable?'
'Ah, very! Could I have foreseen such a thing? All of a sudden, like thunder from a clear sky . . .'
She caught her breath.
'But what is it? Explain! Would you like a glass of water?'
'No, thank you.' Frau Lenore wiped her eyes with her handkerchief and began to cry with renewed energy. 'I know all, you see! All!'
'All? that is to say?'
'Everything that took place to-day! And
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