Paul and Trevisa seated themselves in the vehicle and since each declared that he must have Katina beside him, that maiden was laughingly compelled to take her place between them.
"Do not travel to-night, my little masters," said the istvostchik as he watched these preparations. "Ill-fortune will attend you."
Katina gave the reins a scornful shake.
Trevisa laughed pleasantly.
Paul looked grave; to his mind there was something strangely impressive in the quiet dignity of this old man as he stood on the steps of the inn-door, his cap doffed and his eyes raised to the star-lit sky.
CHAPTER VII
WHAT HAPPENED IN RUSSOGRAD
Though Katina was an avowed foe of all Muscovites, she nevertheless possessed a characteristic in common with them,—a passion for furious driving.
With a stamp of her pretty red shoes, and with cries that sounded somewhat wild on the night air, she urged the horses to their full speed. She carried a short-handed whip with a long leathern thong, but she used it only to lash the air.
Amid the tintinnabulation of a peal of silvery bells hung from the duga, the spirited coursers plunged forward, as if each were holding a race with the other, Katina handling the team with a dexterity that evoked Paul's admiration.