Pagina 285 de 2288

For a moment she regained her self-possession, and realized that

the thin peasant who had come in wearing a long overcoat, with

buttons missing from it, was the stoveheater, that he was looking

at the thermometer, that it was the wind and snow bursting in

after him at the door; but then everything grew blurred again....

That peasant with the long waist seemed to be gnawing something

on the wall, the old lady began stretching her legs the whole

length of the carriage, and filling it with a black cloud; then

there was a fearful shrieking and banging, as though someone were

being torn to pieces; then there was a blinding dazzle of red

fire before her eyes and a wall seemed to rise up and hide

everything. Anna felt as though she were sinking down. But it was

not terrible, but delightful. The voice of a man muffled up and

covered with snow shouted something in her ear. She got up and

pulled herself together; she realized that they had reached a

station and that this was the guard.