But from that day she became even more sullen and silent, and didn’t speak to me at all. It is true I caught two or three glances university financial assistance stolen at me on the sly, and there
was such tenderness in those glances. But this passed, together with the moment that called forth that sudden tenderness, and as though in opposition to this impulse
Nellie grew every hour more gloomy even with the doctor, who was amazed at the change in her character. Meanwhile she had almost completely recovered, and the
doctor, at last allowed her to go for a walk in the open air, but only for a very short time. It was settled weather, warm and bright. It was Passion Week, which
fell that year very late; I went out in the morning; I was obliged to be at Natasha’s and I intended to return earlier in order to take Nellie out for a walk.
Meantime I left her alone at home.
I cannot describe what a blow was awaiting me at home. I hurried back. When I arrived I saw that the key was sticking in the outside of the lock. I went in. There
was no one there. I was numb with horror. I looked, and on the table was a piece of paper, and written in pencil in a big, uneven handwriting:
“I have gone away, and I shall never come back to you. But I love you very much. —— Your faithful Nellie.”
I uttered a cry of horror and rushed out of the flat.
Part 4 Chapter 4
BEFORE I had time to run out into the street, before I had time to consider how to act, or what to do, I suddenly saw a droshky standing at the gate of our
buildings, and Alexandra Semyonovna getting out of it leading. She was holding her tightly as though she were afraid she might run away again. I
rushed up to them.
“Nellie, what’s the matter?” I cried, “where have you been, why did you go?”
“Stop a minute, don’t be in a hurry; let’s make haste upstairs. There you shall hear all about it,” twittered Alexandra Semyonovna. “The things I have to tell
you, Ivan Petrovitch,” she whispered hurriedly on the way. “One can only wonder . . . Come along, you shall hear immediately.”
Her face showed that she had extremely important news.
“Go along, Nellie, go along. Lie down a little,” she said as soon as we got into the room, “you’re tired, you know; it’s no joke running about so far, and it’s
too much after an illness; lie down, darling, lie down. And we’ll go out of the room for a little, we won’t get in her way; let her have a sleep.”
And she signed to me to go into the kitchen with her.
But Nellie didn’t lie down, she sat down on the sofa and hid her face in her hands.
We went into the other room, and Alexandra Semyonovna told me briefly what had happened. Afterwards I heard about it more in detail. This is how it had been .