"That made you think?" said Tamara, surprised.

"Well--never mind, good little angel. And now good-bye," and he kissed
her hand lightly and jumped out; they had arrived at his house.

Tamara drove on to the Serguiefskaia with a great desire to see him
again in her heart.

* * * * *

And so the days passed and the hours flew. Tamara had been in Russia
almost three weeks; and since the blessing of the waters the time had
been taken up with a continual round of small entertainments. The Court
mourning prevented as yet any great balls; but there were receptions,
and "bridges" and dinners, and night after night they saw the same
people, and Tamara got to know them fairly well. But after the
excursion to Tsarsköi-Sélo for several days she did not see the
Prince. His military duties took up his whole time, her godmother said.
And when at last he did come it was among a crowd, and there was no
possible chance of speech.

"This bores me," he announced when he found the room full of people,
and he left in ten minutes, and they did not see him again for a week,
when they met him at a dinner at the English Embassy.

Then he seemed cool and respectful and almost commonplace, and Tamara
felt none of the satisfaction she should have done from this changed
order of things.