shadow of which hundreds of small footpaths ran up…
Winding on the narrow streets of the village lying between houses, sheds, sheds, Ilina convulsively looked around as if being afraid of a meeting with someone. Faithful Tomasz followed it, keeping to the left.
The huge shed in which residents of the village stored the hay mown for the cattle for the winter was under protection of family of rich men and therefore it was brought on the fenced territory. Ilina slowly pulled on herself the gate conducting in a domonical garden, trying to make so that that did not creak. Suddenly Tomasz darted off and with loud modulating bark rushed forth, having slipped in a narrow crack between a fence and the opening gate.
– Tomasz! Tomasz! To me! – the voice was heard suddenly.
Ilina slipped in a gate after a dog and hid behind the next tree. Having recovered the breath to calm without restraint the heart clogged into breasts, the girl slowly turned back and looked out of the shelter.
Tomasz, joyfully wagging a tail stump, a trot hurried to the shed. Ilina blinked the eyes. Indeed, from darkness of the shed the high, strong figure slowly separated and went forward, cutting off the course to a dog.
The young man, years twenty five, wide movement threw the taken-off shirt through a shoulder. In lines of his face there was nothing remarkable, but nevertheless he was extraordinary beautiful. Soft fair-haired, slightly longish hair fell down locks on a high forehead. The gray irises of eyes outlined at the edges by a bright green border always shone cheerfulness and some person, sharp attentiveness. Over dense black eyebrows the superficial wrinkle becoming more noticeable when the man became angry lay or deliberated over something. On the big shoulders golden-black from suntan, strips of powerful muscles clearly acted. All its figure, appear, represented thinly calculated texture of incredible force and health, but at the same time and majestic grace which was inherent in each movement of the man.
– Tomasz! To me! – the man repeated, digging in a pocket of wide trousers.
The dog, joyfully ran up to the man, having licked his hands why Shandor modulatingly burst out laughing with the velvety chest voice. The man sat down and stretched to a dog a small piece of air-dried meat which the dog immediately devoured, having with pleasure licked lips.
– The hostess returned? – the man asked, scratching long harmonious fingers a neck of a dog.
The dog began to wag a tail again.
– It is good, – the man stretched, erasing the palm back the sweat which was flowing down from a forehead on eyes.
Ilina hemmed and, having sharply darted off, hurried to curtail on the next footpath to get to an entrance to the house, without passing by the shed. Fallen leaves softly rustled underfoot and the dress hem which was easily sliding on the ground. Thick trunks of the century trees growing here probably still long before the house Viera was built, hid the girl from public eyes, and she could go quietly on a footpath, without being afraid to be noticed. Suddenly behind hasty steps were heard. The girl’s heart was clogged quicker again. She sharply turned back and going to curtail for other footpath as suddenly saw the white dog who is hasty hurrying to return to the hostess.
– Old cheat, – Ilina muttered, quickening the pace.
One of the side doors conducting to the house was located directly in a garden. The girl perfectly knew that it is an entrance to kitchen. Having carefully knocked, it pulled on itself a door and in a moment it appeared in the building. Here it was dark – at all the wealth Viera were avaricious on excess expenditure.
Suddenly from the side door conducting in a closet the very young girl hasty ran out.
– Anka, hostess of the house? – Ilina asked.
– What? – the girl asked again, turning around.
– Huo … – began Ilin, but did not manage to finish.
– Anka! Where do you dig?! – the dissatisfied voice from the wide ladder beginning at once behind a corridor was heard.
Ilina hurried on a voice. Having left a corridor in the spacious outer entrance hall which is at once behind a main entrance, the girl face to face faced the hostess.
– Ilina? – Bogn’s doamna was surprised, – What you do here?
– Taleyta ordered to tell that your stockings are finished, – the girl told, having bowed and stretching to the woman a snow-white knitted cloth.
– The right, magnificent! – the woman gasped, touching soft wool, then got the small rag purse hanging on rather short chain on a neck because of a cape top.
Having stretched to the girl money, Bogna was going to leave…
– Here superfluous, – Ilina told loudly, sipping several coins back to the woman.
– Take, it is more necessary to you, – the hostess of the house answered.
– We do not need money which we did not earn honestly, – the girl answered through clenched teeth, but nevertheless trying to give to the tone goodwill and humility.
– That … – Bogna shrugged shoulders, taking away money and putting them back in a purse.
Ilina bowed and going to leave through a side exit as suddenly:
– And why through kitchen? – Bogna was surprised.
– In a week forgot where in your house the main exit, – smiled, having bowed Ilin and crossed an outer entrance hall, having approached an exit door.
Hoping that the hostess will leave, the girl hesitated several seconds. But Bogna remained on a ladder and watched closely movements of the guest.
– See you soon, Ilina, – chilly smiled Bogn’s doamna.
– See you soon, the doamna, – bowed in reply the girl.
Having become angry in soul about sticktoitiveness of the hostess, Ilina pulled a door and, having stepped through a threshold, was on street.
Already absolutely darkened. The gloom gently shrouded vicinities, having painted trees and houses in grayish-black paints. In the sky among the dissipating clouds looked through the first evening asterisks. Having deeply inhaled the exciting evening air which burned lungs with the cold, the girl looked back to the village lying clearly in front of the house Viera. From the accurate lodges which were closely reaped to each other in the center of the village, and scattered far apart on the outskirts smoke streams rose up. Soft, yellowish light flew from windows. But the look of the girl slid over straw roofs of houses, it was directed there where on the rocky mountain towering over the settlement the ancient temple attracting mysterious blinking of colored glass in stained-glass windows was located.
– What is done by a fine domnishoara here such late hour, – the voice behind was distributed, the short pause after which the same voice added hung then, – one?
Ilina slowly turned back. In the dim light flowing from windows of rooms of the servants living constantly in the house, the girl clearly distinguished the men’s figure which separated from a front stairs, slow steps approaching her.
