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Show TS 'I‘Itl'. t).\IIl\' I'ORICS'I‘ A group of soldiers round the wood tire were motion less, their t'aees glowing. their hodies dark. (lur wagons, drawn up together. resemhled iu the twilight strange heasts : the two Sisters lay down on one wagon. Seniyonov, Andre y Yassilieviteh. 'l‘reuehard and I on another. My irritated mood had returned. I had heen the last to oliml) on to the straw and the others had so settled themselves that I had no room to lie tlat. Seniyonov‘s big body oeeupied halt the wagon, Andrey Vassilieviteh's hoots touched my head and at intervals his whole body gave nervous jerks. It was also quite hitterly cold. which was curious enough after the warmth ot‘ the earlier nights. And always. at what seemed to he regular inteiwals. there came, from the forest, the hanging of the iron door. I felt a passionate irritation against Andrey Vassilieviteh. \Vhy could he not keep quiet ? "Illflt, after all, was he doing here? I could hear that he was dreaming. He muttered some woman's name: "Sasha . . . Sasha . . . Sasha. . . ." "Can‘t you keep still ‘3" I whispered to him, but in the cold I myself was trembling. The dawn came at last with reluctance, flushing the air With colour, then withdrawing into cold grey clouds, then stealing out once more behind the forest in scattered strips of pale green gold, then suddenly sending up into the heaven a flock of pink clouds like a flight of birds, that spread in extending lines to the horizon, covering at last a sky now faintly blue, with rosy bars. THE INVISIBLE BATTLE 79 chard like a child who slept after a scolding. I felt intense loneliness. I wanted some one to comfort me. to reassure me against life which seemed to me suddenly now perilous and remorseless; moreover some one seemed to he reviewing my life for me and displaying it to me, laying hare all its uselessness and insignificanee. "But I'm in no way a fine fellow," I could t'aney myself crying. <‘l'm sleepy and eold and hungry. If you'll remove Andrey Vassilieviteli's hoots for me I'll lie flat on this wagon and you can let loose every shrapnel in the world over my head and I'll never stir. I thought I was interested in your war, and I‘m not. . . . I thought, no discomfort mattered to me, but I find that I dislike so much heing cold and hungry that it outweighs all heroism, all sense of danger . . . let me alone!‘7 Then something occurred. Looking down over the side of the cart I saw, to my great surprise, Marie lvanovna. "You!" I whispered. "Hush l" she answered. "(.‘oine down." I let myself down and at once she put her hand into mine. "Walk with me, just a little way," she whispered, "to those trees and back." I had noticed at once that, her \‘oit'u trembled; now I perceived that her whole body was shah ing: her hand gave little startled quivers under mine. "You‘re cold." I said. "No, I'm not cold." she answered still in a whisper, al- The flame of the soldiers' fire grew faint, white mists rose though we Were now some way from the wagons. in the fields, the cannon in the forest ceased and the birds began. I sat up on the cart, looked at my sleeping companions. frightened. Mr. Durward. that‘s what's the matter~desper- and thought how unpleasant they looked. Seniyonov like :1 dead man, Andrey Vassilievitch like a happy pig, Tren- "I‘m ately frightened." "Nonsense." Never!" "But I am. I answered her. "You! Frightened! I've been terribly frvfrightened all night |