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Show 50 TH l". DARK FOREST THE SFHOOL-HOUSE 51 kindest-hearted men I have ever met-he eould be quite Anna Maria ? anxious to do everything. anythinggand then, ruthless in dismissal or rebuke when oeeasion arrived. when it came to it, not. even the simplest bandage. He had a great gift of the Russian irony and he could be, also. Nikitin's a good man," he added, "one of the best doetors like all Russians, a ehild at an instant's eall, it something pleased him or it he simply felt that the times were good in Petrograd. and the sun was shining. I only ouee. in a moment that I shall have, later on, to describe, saw him depressed and out of heart. He was always a most courteous gentleman. I drove now with him in a trap at the head of the Oboz, as our long train, with our tents, provisions, boxes and beds, was called. \Ve were a fine eompany now and my heart was proud as I looked back up the shining road and saw the long winding procession of carts and "sanitars" and remembered how tiny an aitair we had been in the beginning. "\Vell." said Molozov, "and what of your Englishman ?" "Oh, I like him," I said rather hurriedly. "He'll do." "I'm glad you think so-very glad. I was not sure last night. . . . He doesn't speak Russian very well, does he? He was tired last night. I'm very glad that he should come, of course, but it's unpleasant . . . this engagement . . . the Sister told me. It's a little difficult for all of us." "They were engaged the evening before they left." "I know . . . nothing to do about it, but it would have \Ve've no dot-tors of our own now, you know -exeept of course Alexei I'etroviteh. '7 from the. Division "Ah, Semyonov l" I said. The others are all "How is he l" .'\t that moment he rode up to us. Seen on horsebaek Alexei l'etroviteh Semyonov appeared a large man: he, was, in reality, of middle height but his back was broad. his whole figure thiekly-set and niusenlar. He wore a thiek square-(alt heard of so fair a shade that it was almost white! His whole eolour was pale and yet, in some way. expressive of immense health and vitality. His lips showed through his beard and numstaehe red and very thiek. llis every movement showed great self-possession and eontidenee. lle had. indeed, far more personality than any other member of our (ltriad. Although he was an extremely eapable doetor his main business in life, seemed to be sell'-indulgenee. lle apparently did not know the meaning of the word "restraint." 'l‘he serious questions in lite to him were food, drink, women. been better otherwise. And Andrey Vassilievitehl What- ever put it into Anna Mihailovna's head to send him 1 He's a tiresome little man-I've known him earlier in I'etrogradl He's on my nerves already with his chatter. No, it's t0" bad. What can he do with us ?" "He has a very good business head," I said. not really a had little man. "And he's And he's very anxious to do everything." ' , 3 . . moot to leave him. He was a surgeon ot' the first order not loved his profession. lle was a man now of titty. but but never married, preferring a long slit‘t'ess'ioil ol' mi+ "All; I k110W those people who are ‘anxious to do every thing. He believed in no woman's virtue and no man's sineerity. lle hailed any one as a friend but it he eonsidered some, one a bad he said so innnediati-ly. lle eont-ealed his opiir ions from no one. When he was at work his. indulgenee seemed tor the mo~ Don't I know? . Don't you remember Sister tomes" women who had loved him, at whom he had always . l'iilabt'd. to whom he had been kind in a careless lashlon it |