other and marry and go and live at Milasláv, and then we others might
have a little peace and calm!"

"Marry him," and Tamara raised herself in bed. "One might as well marry
a panther in a jungle, it would be quite as safe!" she said.

But the Princess shook her head. "There you are altogether wrong," she
replied. "Once there were no continuous obstacles to his will, he would
be gentle and adoring, he would be as tender and thoughtful as he is to
me when I am ill."

Then into Tamara's brain there rushed visions of the unutterable
pleasure this tenderness would mean, and she said:

"Don't let us talk;--I want to sleep, Marraine."

And in the morning they arrived at Moscow.




CHAPTER XVI


The whole day of the sight-seeing passed with comparative smoothness,
Tamara persistently remained with Sonia's husband or Stephen Strong,
when any moment came that she should be alone with any man.

She was apparently indifferent to Gritzko,--considering that she was
throbbing with interest in his every movement and inwardly longing to