As they wandered about the summer mansion of the Pauloffs, where the family stayed on so as to be near Alexis, by adroit questioning Irma got from Jack the whole of his history; not that Jack wanted much coaxing, as it proved a convenient topic on which to talk.
The mansion had very extensive grounds, which were surrounded by a high wall in which were several gates, one opening out into the forest, which on one side came right down to the walls. In this forest, Irma and Jack had many a gallop on horseback, an exercise in which, on one or two occasions when he was able to snatch a day’s leave, they were joined by the count. Always, however, whether he accompanied them or not, a sort of retainer of the family, a head servant named Sergius, rode behind them.
Sergius was devoted to his young master and to Irma. For Jack he seemed to have a genuine regard; but, like the true Russian domestic, he never betrayed his feelings either one way or the other. It was a noticeable fact, though, that whenever he rode abroad with Jack he carried both sword and pistols, not that Jack, despite his longing to be again with his comrades in the field, ever thought of repaying the kindness he had received from the Pauloffs by trying to escape from their custody.
In the evenings they had cards or music, and Jack, being a very fair performer on the pianoforte, played duets with Irma or sang some of the songs which had been popular in England before the war. Then there were lessons from Irma in Russian and lessons from Jack in English, so that time passed like a dream.
But Jack knew the life of idleness and luxury he was leading would unfit him for those duties which he would have to perform when he got back to the regiment; and, spite of the terrible sufferings which he heard the others were undergoing, he wished he were back again among them, sharing the danger and the glory. Once or twice he had led up to this subject with Count Pauloff; but the latter had always adroitly turned the conversation.
A few days after his last attempt, a dinner-party was given at the château, and the young count brought several officers from Sebastopol. Among others was a Hussar in a magnificent crimson uniform, having a dark-green pelisse richly laced with gold. The count, in introducing Jack, alluded to him as ‘My cousin, Colonel Vladimir Sominoff.’
Jack immediately recognised him as the Hussar who had been with Kirchoff on the night he had been captured; but Sominoff, hardly giving Jack a glance, just nodded slightly and passed him by. Jack was relieved to think he had not been recognised; but presently he heard Count Pauloff relating how Jack had saved his life at the Alma, how later he had been captured by Kirchoff, and how the count had rescued him.
Then Colonel Sominoff favoured Jack with a long, cold stare.
During the evening Sominoff paid Irma very great attention. She, however, received his advances with great coolness. The handsome Hussar stroked his moustache and pretended not to notice this treatment; but there was a look in his eye that Jack did not like, and later on in the evening, when Irma seated herself on a divan in one corner of the room with him, and told him who all the people were, he glanced up to see Colonel Sominoff regarding him with a look that quite made him start.
Seeing Colonel Sominoff glaring at Jack, Irma said, ‘Oh, that’s my cousin Vladimir; he pesters me to death with his odious attentions, but I hate him. Alexis says he is careful to keep as far from danger as he can, which means he is a coward, and I am sure he is a bully as well, in spite of his cat-like manners.’