And thus, hard and erect, Father Ignatius reached the burial ground, and in the same manner he returned. Only at the door of his wife`s chamber did his spine relax a little, but this may have been due to the fact that the height of the door was inadequate to admit his tall figure.
The change from broad daylight made it difficult for him to distinguish the face of his wife, but, after scrutiny, he was astonished at its calmness and because the eyes showed no tears. And there was neither anger, nor sorrow in the eyes they were dumb, and they kept silent with difficulty, reluctantly, as did the entire plump and helpless body, pressing against the feather bedding.
Well, how do you feel?” inquired Father Ignatius.
Cold and moist
The lips, however, were dumb; the eyes also were silent. Father Ignatius laid his hand on her forehead; it was cold and moist, and Olga Stepanovna did not show in any way that she had felt the hand`s contact. When Father Ignatius removed his hand there gazed at him, immobile two deep gray eyes, seeming almost entirely dark from the dilated pupils, and there was neither sadness in them, nor anger.
I am going into my own room,” said Father Ignatius, who began to feel cold and terror.
He passed through the drawing-room, where everything appeared neat and in order, as usual, and where, attired in white covers, stood tall chairs, like corpses in their shrouds. Over one window hung an empty wire cage, with the door open.
“Nastasya!” shouted Father Ignatius, and his voice seemed to him coarse, and he felt ill at ease because he raised his voice so high in these silent rooms, so soon after his daughter`s funeral. “Nastasya!” he called out in a lower tone of voice, “where is the canary?”
“She flew away, to be sure.”
“Why did you let it out?”
Nastasya began to weep, and wiping her face with the edges of her calico handkerchief, said through her tears:
“It was my young mistress`s soul. Was it right to hold it?”
And it seemed to Father Ignatius that the yellow, happy little can- ary, always singing with inclined head, was really the soul of Vera, and if it had not flown away it wouldn`t have been possible to say that Vera had died. He became even more incensed at the maidservant, and’ shouted:
“Off with you!”
And when Nastasya did not find the door at once he added: “Fool!”
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