Aksiúsha jumped down from the door-sill; and the two girls, hand in hand, hurried out of the gates. Shortening their steps, they walked by the coach, and stared in at the lowered window. The invalid bent her head toward them; but when she saw their inquisitiveness, she frowned and turned away.
"Oh, de-e-ar!" said the superintendent's daughter, vigorously shaking her head.... "How wonderfully pretty she used to be, and how she has changed! It is terrible! Did you see? Did you see, Aksiúsha?"
"Yes, but how thin she is!" assented Aksiúsha. "Let us go by and look again; we'll make believe go to the well. Did you see, she turned away from us; still I got a good view of her. Isn't it too bad, Masha?"
"Yes, but what terrible mud!" replied Masha, and both of them started to run back within the gates.
"It's evident that I have become a fright," thought the sick woman.... "But we must hurry, hurry, and get abroad, and there I shall soon get well."
"Well, and how are you, my dear?" inquired the husband, coming to the carriage with still a morsel of something in his mouth.
"Always one and the same question," thought the sick woman, "and he's even eating!"
"It's no consequence," she murmured between her teeth.
"Do you know, my dear, I am afraid that this journey in such weather will only make you worse. Eduard Ivánovitch says the same thing. Hadn't we better turn back?"
"The weather will improve maybe, the roads will become good, and that would be better for you; then at least we could start all together."
"Pardon me. If I had not listened to you so long, I should at this moment be at Berlin and have entirely recovered."
"What's to be done, my angel? it was impossible, as you know. But now if you would wait a month, you would be ever so much better; I could finish up my business, and we could take the children with us."
"But just see here, my love, if in this weather you should grow worse on the road.... At least we should be at home."
"What is the use of being at home?... _Die_ at home?" replied the invalid peevishly.
But the word _die_ evidently startled her, and she turned upon her husband a supplicating and inquiring look. He dropped his eyes, and said nothing.
The sick woman's mouth suddenly contracted in a childish fashion, and the tears sprang to her eyes. Her husband covered his face with his handkerchief, and silently turned from the carriage.