As Anna Evauovna opened the drawer herself, Masha made the sign of the cross furtively.
The old woman turning sharply, caught the gesture, and the girl’s head drooped in confusion.
Anna Evauovna’s eyes twinkled. She shuffled the cards and began to deal them out on the table, glancing now and then at Masha, who sat opposite, the light of the lamp falling on her round good-natured face, fair hair, and solemn blue eyes.
“Ah! there you are,” said Anna Evauovna, as the queen of hearts fell. “And there is a dark man near you—the king of clubs. Now mark, you are nearer to him in thought than he to you. Ah! ah! ah! I thought so. Here she comes, there lies the cause. The queen of clubs, a dark woman, lies between you and him. She separates you.”
Masha bent forward breathless.
“And will she succeed, Njania?”
“We shall see. Who comes here? The king of diamonds—and near the queen of clubs. Here is one who is away, very far away, but coming nearer. He is thinking of the queen of clubs. ‘Is she waiting for me, is she waiting for me,’ he is thinking. Look for yourself, Masha. The queen of spades, emblem of all that is bad, lies across him, and thus it is easy to see that he is worrying about the dark woman, your rival. Once more I will lay the cards. Now see; the king of diamonds is thinking of a journey and of home. The dark woman is restless, she thinks of the king of diamonds, and then of the king of clubs. But how is this? The king of diamonds is close to your dark rival, and the nine and ten of diamonds on either side. A marriage!”
Masha clasped her hands.
“And does that leave the king of clubs to me, Anna Evauovna?”
Anna Evauovna swept the cards into a heap.