[Vania]

Suddenly Liza heard the sound of oars; she looked toward the river and saw a boat, and in the boat - Erast.

Her heart began to beat faster, and not from fear, of course. She stood up and wanted to go, but she could not. Erast jumped out onto the bank, approached Liza, and—her dream was partially fulfilled; for he looked at her tenderly and took her hand... But Liza, Liza stood with her eyes cast down, with flaming cheeks, and with a fluttering heart—she could not take her hand away from him—she could not turn away when he came close to her with his rosy lips... Oh! he kissed her, kissed her with such ardor that the whole universe seemed to her to be blazing on fire! "Dear Liza!" said Erast. "Dear Liza! I love you!" And these words resounded in the depths of her soul, like heavenly, exquisite music; she scarcely dared believe her ears and... But I must put down my brush. I will say only that at this moment of ecstasy Liza's shyness disappeared - Erast learned that he was loved, loved passionately by a new, pure, and open heart.

They sat on the grass, and in such a way that not much space remained between them—they looked into each other's eyes, said to each other: Love me! and two hours seemed to them only an instant. Finally Liza remembered that her mother might worry about her. They had to part, 'Oh, Erast!" she said, "will you love me always?"—"Always, dear Liza, always!" he answered. "And can you swear to this for me?"— "I can, dearest Liza, I can!"—"No! I don't need an oath. I believe you, Erast, I do. Could you ever deceive poor Liza? Would this not be impossible?"—"Impossible, impossible, dear Liza!"—"How happy I am! And how Mother will be overjoyed when she learns that you love me!"—"Oh, no, Liza! There's no need to tell her anything" - "But why?" - "Old people are often suspicious. She would imagine something bad."—"That could never happen."-—"Nonetheless, I ask you not to say a word to her about this."—"All right; I must obey you, although I would rather not keep anything from her". They took leave of each other, kissed for the last time, and promised to meet every evening, either on the bank of the river or in the birch grove, or somewhere near Liza's cabin; only, they had to see each other without fail. Liza left, but her eyes turned back a hundred times to Erast, who remained standing on the bank, watching after her.

Liza returned to the cabin in a completely different mood from that in which she had left. A heartfelt joy manifested itself on her face and in all her movements. He loves me! she thought, and was carried away by the idea. "Oh, Mother dear!" Liza said to her mother who had just awakened. "Oh, Mother! What a beautiful morning! Everything is so gay in the fields! The skylarks have never sung so well; the sun has never shone so brightly; and the flowers have never smelted so pleasant !". The old woman, leaning on her crutch, went out into the meadow to enjoy the morning Liza had described in such delightful colors. Indeed, it did seem to her exceptionally pleasant; her dear daughter with her joyousness had brightened all Nature for her. "Oh, Liza!" she said, "everything of the Lord God's is so good! I have lived to threescore years on this earth and I still cannot look upon the Lord's works enough. I cannot see enough of the clear sky that seems like a high tent, nor of the earth that every year is covered with new grass and new flowers. The Heavenly King must have loved man very much when He furnished this world so well for him. Oh, Liza! Who would ever want to die, if only there were a few times when we would have no grief?... Obviously it has to be this way. Perhaps we would forget our soul if tears were never to fall from our eyes." But Liza thought, Oh! I would sooner forget my soul than ever forget my dear friend !

After this, Erast and Liza, fearing lest they break their word, saw each other every evening (after Liza's mother had gone to bed) either on the bank of the river or in the birch grove, but most often in the shade of the century-old oaks (about a hundred and seventy yards from the cabin), oaks that overshadowed the deep, clear pond that had been dug in ancient times. There, through the green branches, the beams of the silent moon oftentimes silvered Liza's light hair, which was ruffled by the zephyrs and the hand of her dear friend; often these beams caught in tender Liza's eyes a sparkling tear of love, which a kiss from Erast never failed to dry. They embraced—but chaste, shy Cynthia did not hide from them behind a cloud; their embraces were pure and sinless. "When you," Liza said to Erast, "when you tell me, 'I love you, my friend,' when you clasp me to your heart and gaze at me with your tender eyes, oh! then I feel so good, so good, that I forget myself, forget everything, everything except—Erast. It's a wonder, a wonder, my friend, that I could have lived quietly and happily before I knew you! Right now I can't understand it; now I think that without you life is not life, but sorrow and boredom. Without your eyes the bright moon is dark; without your voice the singing nightingale is tedious; without your breath the breeze seems unpleasant." Erast was carried away with his shepherdess—as he called Liza—and, seeing how much she loved him, he seemed more amiable to himself. All the sparkling amusements of high society appeared worthless in comparison to those pleasures with which the passionate friendship of a pure soul nourished his heart. With revulsion he thought back to the despicable sensuousness with which he had sated his feelings before. I shall live with Liza as brother with sister, he thought; I shall never misuse her love and I will always be happy! Foolish young man! Do you know your own heart? Can you always answer for your actions? Does reason always rule your emotions ?

Liza demanded that Erast visit her mother often. "I love her," she would say, "and I want what is good for her; it seems to me that seeing you is a great blessing for anyone". And in fact the old woman was always happy when she saw himv She loved to talk with him about her late husband and tell of the days of her youth: how she met her sweet Ivan for the first time, how he fell in love with her, and how he lived with her in such love and harmony. "Oh! We could never gaze at each other enough—right up to the hour when cruel death cut him down. He died in my arms !". Erast listened to her with unfeigned pleasure. He bought Liza's work from her and always wanted to pay ten times the price she asked. But the old woman never took any extra.

Several weeks passed in this manner. One evening Erast waited a long time for his Liza. Finally she arrived, but she was so sad that he became frightened; her eyes were red from tears. "Liza, Liza! What has happened to you?"—"Oh, Erast! I have been weeping !" - "Over what? What is it?"—"I must tell you everything. They have found a husband for me, the son of a rich peasant from the neighboring village; Mother wants me to marry him", — "Are you willing?"—"You cruel thing! Need you even ask? And I am sorry for Mother; she weeps and says that I don't desire her peace of mind, that death will torment her if I do not marry while she is still alive. Oh! My mother doesn't know that I have such a dear friend". Erast kissed Liza and said that her happiness was dearer to him than anything in the world; that after her mother's death he would take her into his home and he would live with her never to part, in the country and in the thickforests, as in paradise. "But you can never be my husband!" said Liza with a quiet sigh. "Why not?"—"I am a peasant girl."—"You insult me! Most important of all for your friend is the soul, a sensitive, pure soul—and Liza will always be nearest my heart".

She threw herself into his arms—and this was to be the fatal hour for her purity! Erast felt an unusual excitement in bis blood—Liza had never seemed so delightful—her caresses had never touched him so strongly—her kisses had never been so inflamed—she knew nothing, suspected nothing, feared nothing—the blackness of the night fed desire—not a single star showed in the sky—-no ray of light could illumine the error. Erast felt himself trembling—Liza did too, not knowing the cause - not knowing what was happening to her... Oh, Liza, Liza ! Where is your Guardian Angel ? Where is—your innocence !

The error took only a moment. Liza did not understand her emotions; she was astonished and kept asking questions. Erast was silent - he searched for words and did not find them. "Oh! I am afraid", said Liza, "I am afraid of what has happened to us! I feel as if I were dying, that my soul... No, I cannot say that !... You are silent, Erast? Are you sighing?... My God! What is this?" Meanwhile lightning flashed and thunder rolled. Liza began to tremble all over. "Erast, Erast!" she said, "I am frightened! I am afraid that the thunder will kill me like a criminal!" The storm raged menacingly ; rain poured from the black clouds—it seemed that Nature was lamenting the loss of Liza's purity. Erast tried to calm Liza, and he took her to the cabin. Tears rolled from her eyes as she parted with him. "Oh, Erast! Assure me that we shall be just as happy as always!"—"We shall, Liza, we shall!" he answered. "God grant it so! I can do nothing but believe your words: after all, I love you! Only, in my heart... But enough of this! Farewell! Tomorrow, tomorrow we'll see each other".

Their meetings continued—but how everything had changed! Erast was no longer able to be satisfied only by the innocent caresses of his Liza—only by her gazes filled with love—only by the touch of a hand, by kisses, by pure embraces. He wanted more, more, and finally he was unable to desire anything—and whoever knows his own heart, whoever has pondered the nature of its tender pleasures, will certainly agree with me that the fulfillment of all desires is the most dangerous temptation of love. Liza was no longer for Erast that angel of purity who previously had inflamed his imagination and delighted his soul. Platonic love had given way to those feelings of which he could not be proud, and which were no longer hew to him. As concerns Liza, having given herself to him completely, she lived and breathed for him alone, and like a lamb she submitted to his will in everything and found her happiness in his pleasure. She saw a change in him and often said: "You were gayer before; we were more at ease and happier before; and I was never before so afraid of losing your love!" Sometimes in parting he would say to her: "Tomorrow, Liza, I cannot meet you; some important business has come up." And each time Liza sighed at these words.

Finally she did not see him for five days in a row, and was greatly disturbed; on the sixth day he came with a downcast expression and said to her: "My dear Liza! I must say farewell to you for a while. You know that we are at war; I am in the service; my regiment is going on a campaign." Liza grew pale and almost fainted.

Erast caressed her; he said that he would always love his dear Liza and that upon his return he hoped never to part with her again. For a long while she was silent; then she burst into bitter tears, grasped his arm and, gazing at him with all the tenderness of love, asked, "You cannot stay?"—"I can," he answered, "but only with the greatest ignominy, with the greatest blemish on my honor. Everyone would despise me and shun me as a coward, as an unworthy son of my fatherland."—"Oh! Since that's the case," said Liza, "then go, go wherever God wills! But they might kill you".—"Death for the Fatherland is not terrible, dear Liza."—"I shall die just as soon as you leave this earth."—"But why think like this? I hope to stay alive, I hope to return to you, to my friend."— "God grant, God grant it so! Each day, each hour I shall pray for it. Oh! Why do I not know how to read or Write! You would inform me of everything that happens to you; and I would write to you—of my tears."—"No, spare yourself, Liza; spare yourself for your friend. I don't want you to weep without me."—"You cruel man! You would think to deprive me of even this comfort! No! I shall cease weeping after we part only when my heart dries up."—"Think of that pleasant moment when we shall again see each other."—"I shall, I shall think of it! Oh! If only it would come soon! My dear, kind Erast! Remember, remember your poor Liza, who loves you even more than herself!".

But I am unable to describe all that they said on this occasion. The next day was to be their last meeting.

Erast wanted to bid farewell to Liza's mother, who could not hold back her tears when she heard that her kind, handsome gentleman had to go to war. He forced her to take some money from him, saying: "During my absence I do not want Liza to sell her work, which we agreed belongs to me." The old woman showered him with blessings. "God grant that you return safely to us," she said, "and that I shall see you once more in this life! Perhaps my Liza will find herself a desirable bridegroom by that time. How I would thank God if you could come to our wedding! And when Liza has children, you know, sir, that you must be their godfather! Oh, how I want to live until then!" Liza stood alongside her mother and did not dare to glance at her. The reader can easily imagine what she was feeling at this moment.