As a matter of fact Vera was very angry indeed. Constantine had returned to her shy and shamefaced.
"Well--is he coming? What did he say?" she had asked.
"His vanity is terrible," said Constantine, "and his manners are even worse."
"How--what do you mean--does he recognise me and refuse to renew our acquaintance?"
"Oh no, he did not suspect who you were. He said you were a mere child and hinted that he had no time to waste upon children."
"Children!" repeated Vera indignantly; "and I in my seventeenth year! Bah--he has, as you say, no manners. So he has refused to be presented."
"Not quite that! 'I will come, if I can, later,' he said; I think he is much absorbed, at present, by the lady at his side; it is a different one, with him, every month."
"I will wait for half an hour, and then, if he comes not, you shall take me away, Constantine," said Vera; and though the lad at her side protested against her doing Maximof so much honour, she insisted upon staying.
Presently, however, seeing that Sasha showed signs of crossing the room in order to approach her, she said quickly:--
"See, Constantine, now he comes; when it is quite clear that his intention is to speak to me, I will rise and you shall give me your hand to escort me away!"
"Good," exclaimed her cousin delightedly. "Yes, that's the way he should be treated--see, he is approaching--come!"
The two young cousins rose and passed down the room, almost meeting Sasha Maximof, who stopped, obviously expecting them to do the same. "Demidof," he said, "be so kind as to present me to your friend."
Vera passed on, taking no notice whatever. Constantine looked round, over his shoulder.
"You will have to wait now, my friend, until she is a little older," he said, and Vera pinched his arm with delight.
"Bravo, cousin," she said, "that was splendid."
"It was rather daring," said Constantine, somewhat ruefully, "to a senior cadet; I don't know what will happen to me."
Sasha returned to his charmer, who, unfortunately, had witnessed his discomfiture.
"You've met your match, my friend!" she laughed; "she's decidedly pretty, too, when one sees her closely."
"She's an impudent little minx at any rate," said Sasha, laughing also, though somewhat artificially, and at the same time flushing hotly; he was not used to rebuffs from the fair sex. "By such conduct--revealing a tendency to bad manners--she commits _felo de se_ as regards--well--a certain object she has in view."