be no merit in it—but happiness, happiness. . .,' Marianna broke off; but her eyes—fixed eagerly on the distant horizon, not that which spread out before her, but another unseen, unknown horizon perceived by her—her eyes glowed.. . .
Nezhdanov bent down before her.
'O Marianna!' he whispered, 'I'm not worthy of you!'
She suddenly shook herself.
'It's time to go home, high time!' she said, 'or they'll be looking for us again directly. Though Valentina Mihalovna, I think, has given me up. In her eyes I'm ruined!'
Marianna uttered this word with such a bright and happy face, that Nezhdanov could not help smiling too as he looked at her, and repeated, 'Ruined!'
'But she's terribly offended,' Marianna went on,'that you're not at her feet. But that's all of no consequence, there's something I must talk of.. . . You see, it will be impossible for me to stay here. . . . I shall have to run away.'
'Run away?' repeated Nezhdanov.
'Yes, run away.. . . You're not going to stay, are you? We will go together—we must work together.. . . You'll come with me, won't you?'
'To the ends of the earth!' cried Nezhdanov, and there was a sudden ring of emotion and a
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