"I need not have let him beat me," she said. "I did not want to defend
myself."
"So you love the old grey cat as much as that?" grinned Serejka, puffing
out a cloud of smoke. "I thought better of you than that."
"I love none of you," she said, again indifferent and wafting the smoke
away with her hand.
"But if you don't love him, why did you let him beat you?"
"Do you suppose I know? Leave me alone."
"It's funny," said Serejka, shaking his head.
Both remained silent.
Night was falling. The shadows came down from the slow-moving clouds to
the seas beneath. The waves murmured.
Vassili's fire had gone out on the distant headland, but Malva continued
to gaze in that direction.
* * * * *
The father and son were seated in the cabin facing each other, and
drinking brandy which the youth had brought with him to conciliate the
old man and so as not to be weary in his company.
Serejka had told Iakov that his father was angry with him on account of
Malva, and that he had threatened to beat Malva until she was half dead.
He also said that was the reason she resisted Iakov's advances.
This story had excited Iakov's resentment against his father.
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