And the expression of unappeased hunger disappeared from his eyes.

Aksinya remained upstairs with Vaska, coming down only to eat, to have tea, or to fetch something for the patient. The other girls did not talk to her, asked her no questions, nor did the proprietress prevent her from nursing the sick man, and in the evening she did not call her out to the guests. Generally Aksinya sat at the window in Vaska’s room and looked out at the snow-covered roofs, the trees white with hoarfrost, the smoke which rose in opal clouds to the sky. When she was tired of looking out, she fell asleep right there in the chair, with her elbows on the table. At night she slept on the floor, near Vaska’s bed.

There was almost no talk between them. Vaska would ask for water or something else, she would bring it to him, look at him, sigh, and go over to the window.

Thus four days passed. The proprietress was trying her best to place Vaska in a hospital, but for the time being there was no bed for him there.

One evening when the shadows had already crowded into Vaska’s room, he lifted his head and asked:

“Aksinya, are you there, eh?”

She was dozing off, but his question woke her.

“Where should I be?” she replied.

“Come here.…”

She went over to the bed and halted, as usual weaving her braid around her neck and holding on to the end of it.

“What do you want?”

“Take a chair, sit down here.…”

With a sigh she went over to the window to get the chair, brought it over to the bed, and sat down.

“Well?”

“Nothing, I.…Sit down here awhile.…”

On the wall hung Vaska’s big silver watch, ticking away rapidly. A sleigh drove by in the street, and one could hear the crunching of the runners. Downstairs the girls were laughing, and one of them was singing in a high-pitched voice:

“A hungry student had my heart.…”

“Aksinya!” said Vaska.

“What?”

“See here…let’s live together.”

“Don’t we now?” the girl answered lazily.

“No, wait, let’s do it properly.…”

“All right,” she agreed.

“That’s good.…”