III
As she came nearer I saw that she was intensely preoccupied. She waslooking straight in front of her but seeing nothing. It was only whenshe was quite close to me that I saw that she was crying. She was makingno sound. Her mouth was closed; the tears were slowly, helplessly,rolling down her cheeks.
She was very near to me indeed before she saw me; then she looked at meclosely before she recognised me. When she saw that it was I, shestopped, fumbled for her handkerchief, which she found, wiped her eyes,then turned away from me and looked out over the river.
"Nina, dear," I said, "what's the matter?"
She didn't answer; at length she turned round and said:
"You've been ill again, haven't you?"
One cheek had a dirty tear-stain on it, which made her inexpressiblyyoung and pathetic and helpless.
"Yes," I said, "I have."
She caught her breath, put out her hand, and touched my arm.
"Oh, you _do_ look ill!... Vera went to ask, and there was arough-looking man there who said that no one could see you, but that youwere all right.... One of us ought to have forced a way in--M. Bohunwanted to--but we've all been thinking of ourselves."
"What's the matter, Nina?" I asked. "You've been crying."
"Nothing's the matter. I'm all right."
"No, you're not. You ought to tell me. You trusted me once."
"I don't trust any one," she answered fiercely. "Especially notEnglishmen."
"What's the matter?" I asked again.
"Nothing.... We're just as we were. Except," she suddenly looked up atme, "Uncle Alexei's living with us now."
"Semyonov!" I cried out sharply, "living with you!"
"Yes," she went on, "in the room where Nicholas had his inventions isUncle Alexei's bedroom."
"Why, in Heaven's name?" I cried.
"Uncle Alexei wanted it. He said he was lonely, and then he just came. Idon't know whether Nicholas likes it or not. Vera hates it, but sheagreed at once."
"And do you like it?" I asked.
"I like Uncle Alexei," she answered. "We have long talks. He shows mehow silly I've been."
"Oh!" I said... "and what about Nicholas' inventions?"
"He's given them up for ever." She looked at me doubtfully, as thoughshe were wondering whether she could trust me. "He's so funnynow--Nicholas, I mean. You know he was so happy when the Revolutioncame. Now he's in a different mood every minute. Something's happened tohim that we don't know about."
"What kind of thing?" I asked.
"I don't know. He's seen something or heard something. It's some secrethe's got. But Uncle Alexei knows."
"How can you tell?"
"Because he's always saying things that make Nicholas angry, and wecan't see anything in them at all.... Uncle Alexei's very clever."
"Yes, he is," I agreed. "But you haven't told me why you were cryingjust now."
She looked at me. She gave a little shiver. "Oh, you do look ill!...Everything's going wrong together, isn't it?"
And with that she suddenly left me, hurrying away from me, leaving memiserable and apprehensive of some great trouble in store for all of us.
The Secret City Page 39