The legs of the Spartan gave way beneath him when Mikhalevitch conducted
him into the rather shabbily furnished drawing-room of the Korobyns, and
presented him to the master and mistress of the house. But the feeling of
timidity which had taken possession of him promptly disappeared: in the
General the kindliness of nature innate in all Russians was greatly
increased by that special sort of courtesy which is peculiar to all
besmirched people; the Generaless soon disappeared, somehow; as for
Varvara Pavlovna, she was so calm and self-possessedly amiable, that
any one would immediately have felt himself at home in her presence;
moreover, from the whole of her enchanting person, from her smiling eyes,
from her innocently-sloping shoulders and faintly-rosy hands, from her
light and, at the same time, rather languid gait, from the very sound of
her voice, which was low and sweet,--there breathed forth an insinuating
charm, as intangible as a delicate perfume, a soft and as yet modest
intoxication, something which it is difficult to express in words, but
which touched and excited,--and, of course, excited something which was
not timidity. Lavretzky turned the conversation on the theatre, on the
performance of the preceding evening; she immediately began, herself, to
speak of Motchaloff, and did not confine herself merely to exclamations
and sighs, but uttered several just and femininely-penetrating remarks
concerning his acting. Mikhalevitch alluded to music; without any
affectation she seated herself at the piano, and played with precision
several mazurkas by Chopin, which had only just come into fashion. The
dinner-hour arrived; Lavretzky made a motion to depart, but they kept
him; at table, the General treated him to good claret, for which the
General's lackey had galloped in a cab to Depre's. Late at night,
Lavretzky returned home, and sat for a long time, without undressing,
his eyes covered with his hand, in dumb enchantment. It seemed to him,
that only now had he come to understand why life was worth living; all
his hypotheses, his intentions, all that nonsense and rubbish, vanished
instantaneously; his whole soul was merged in one sentiment, in one
desire, in the desire for happiness, possession, love, the sweet love of
woman. From that day forth, he began to go often to the Korobyns'. Six
months later, he declared himself to Varvara Pavlovna, and offered her
his hand. His proposal was accepted; the General had long since, almost
on the eve of his first visit, inquired of Mikhalevitch how many serfs
he, Lavretzky, had; and Varvara Pavlovna also, who, during the whole
period of the young man's courtship and even at the moment of his
declaration, had preserved her habitual tranquillity and clearness of
soul,--Varvara Pavlovna also was well aware that her lover was rich;
and Kalliope Karlovna said to herself: "Meine Tochter macht eine
schoene Partie"--and bought herself a new turban.