Full resolution (JPEG) - On this page / på denna sida - Sidor ...
<< prev. page << föreg. sida << >> nästa sida >> next page >>
Below is the raw OCR text
from the above scanned image.
Do you see an error? Proofread the page now!
Här nedan syns maskintolkade texten från faksimilbilden ovan.
Ser du något fel? Korrekturläs sidan nu!
This page has never been proofread. / Denna sida har aldrig korrekturlästs.
RECOLLECTIONS OF CHILDHOOD 73
genuine friendship existed between us, yet I was
generally glad to have her come, the more so as, in honor
of the occasion, I was freed from my lessons, and
given a whole holiday.
But now, when I saw Olya, my first thought was,
" How will it be after dinner ?" The greatest charm
of my conversation with my uncle consisted precisely
in the fact that we were left alone together, that I had
him all to myself, and I had a presentiment that the
presence of stupid little Olya would spoil everything.
Consequently I greeted my friend with much less
pleasure than usual. "Won’t they take her away
earlier to-day?" flashed across my mind constantly,
with secret hope, in the course of the morning. But
no! it appeared that Olya was not to go until låte in
the evening. What was to be done? I steeled my
heart, and determined to speak frankly to my friend
and beg her not to interfere with me.
"Listen, Olya," I said to her, in an insinuating
voice," I will play with you all day, and do even-thing
you like, but, in return, do me the favor to go off
somewhere after dinner and leave me in peace. I
always talk with my uncle after dinner, and we don’t
want you at all."
Olya agreed to my proposal, and I honorably
fulfilled my part of the agreement all day long. I played
all the games that she could invent, assumed all the
parts which she assigned to me, turned from a lady
into a cook, and from a cook back into a lady, at her
first word of command. At last we were called to
dinner. At dinner I sat as on needles. " Will Olya keep
her word ?" I pondered, and I cast uneasy, furtive
glances at my friend, reminding her of our compact
by significant looks.
After dinner I kissed papa’s and mama’s hands as
<< prev. page << föreg. sida << >> nästa sida >> next page >>
