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Sappho smoking a cigarette went off into the garden with the two

young men. Betsy and Stremov remained at the tea-table.

"What, bored!" said Betsy. "Sappho says they did enjoy themselves

tremendously at your house last night."

"Ah, how dreary it all was!" said Liza Merkalova. "We all drove

back to my place after the races. And always the same people,

always the same. Always the same thing. We lounged about on sofas

all the evening. What is there to enjoy in that? No; do tell me

how you manage never to be bored?" she said, addressing Anna

again. "One has but to look at you and one sees, here's a woman

who may be happy or unhappy, but isn't bored. Tell me how you do

it?"

"I do nothing," answered Anna, blushing at these searching

questions.