Leonid Nikolayevich Andreyev

“ His head was heavy, as if filled with lead, he could not move it, and the whole of his body was sore, but especially his back. No bones were broken. Niemoviecki sat down, and for a long while looked upwards without either thinking or recollecting anything. High above him swung a berth with wide, black leaves, through which pierced the fading sun. Clouds were gliding through the sky, no rain fell, and therefore the air was dry and light, and above, in the middle of the sky, rose the moon with transparent rims. ”

“ The clouds were continually rolling heavily, and slowly changing their shapes into monsters, and unwillingly moving forward, yielding to some terrible and invisible power.
Only one light, transparent, small cloud, feeble and frightened, having torn itself from the rest, was solitarily wandering in every direction.
II.
Tenaida became pale, her lips red, almost purple, the pupils of her eyes dilated perceptibly, darkening her eyes, and she began to whisper very softly:
“I am afraid of something. Here it is so quiet; have we not lost our way?” ”

“ With the deepest tenderness and cautious prudence Niemoviecki endeavoured to put in order the torn pieces of her dress, and the conflicting impression, produced first by the cloth of her dress and then that excited by the exposure of her uncovered body, was for his mind sharp like a knife, incomprehensible as frenzy. Could he be both defender and assailant at the same time? He looked for help from the surrounding forest, but all was darkness. Neither forest nor atmosphere could offer him any help. ”

“ Niemoviceki had known such kind of women. However, Tenaida, who nearly touched them with her neat brown dress, experienced a something hateful and painful, and at the same time wicked, and this experience lived for a while in the dark recesses of her soul.
But after some minutes this impression wore off, like the shadow of a cloud running swiftly over green meadows. A couple now passed by them, a man wearing a hat and coat, but barefooted, and an ill-clad woman with him. ”

“ In the forest it was quite dark, but now and again as light rays of the moon pierced through and illuminated the white trunks of the trees, then the forest seemed to be full of motionless, silent people, nobody knew why. ”

“ And then we noticed that his eyes, for the first time, were dry; but we all, without exception, were weeping, and our burning tears were like the fire, from which wild beasts run away.
He died—and we sang over him the—“Marseillaise.” With our young strong voices we sang the great song of liberty, and the ocean accompanied in a severe key, and over the ridges of its waves carried to our dear Fatherland pale terror and bloody hope! And for ever this soul became to us a symbol.
He—this miserable creature with the hare’s body and the stupidity of the ploughing ox—with the elevated soul of man. ”

“ The big red-bearded fellow having thrown Niemoviecki into the ditch waited with his companion for a while listening to what was going on down below.
As their faces were turned towards this spot they lost sight of Tenaida. All at once rose a loud, deafening shout of a woman, then as suddenly it was hushed and the big fellow cried out furiously—
“You wretch! You touch her only and you are a dead man!” ”

“ The last objects he saw were a piece of a red beard, which almost came in his mouth, and then the darkness of the the forest... and finally the skirts of a running girl. She ran silently and as swiftly as if acting in the play of “The Cat and Mouse,” and in order to overtake her the clean-shaved man continued to run. Niemoviecki now experienced nothing but a blank; he fell heavily on the ground, losing his presence of mind. ”

“ He pressed her soft unresisting body to his bosom. Its very inertness awoke in him a wild passion, he was wringing his hands, whispering low, and showing nothing of the man, except a capacity for lying.
“I love you. We will not tell anybody. Nobody will know it. I will marry you to-morrow if you like. I love you so much that I cannot resist the temptation to possess you as mine. I will kiss you till you answer me. Well, Tenaida? ”

“ The prominent eyes became more and more piercing. When Niemoviecki eluded their gaze the big fellow lagged behind, and from beneath struck him a blow on the chin with his fists. The student became dizzy, his teeth chattered, his cap slipped over his forehead and he fell back unconscious. Tenaida looked behind and then took flight with all the speed she could use. ”

“ Would everyone could have such a woman....”
And somewhat hoarsely they all began to laugh.
“Sir, wait a little, I wish to say something to you!” roared one of the three with a bass voice, when, at a glance from him, his companions rolled to their feet.
Niemoviecki, without looking behind, went farther on.
“You ought to stop if they ask you,” said the red-bearded man, “because you might get a good drubbing.”
“They are calling you!” shouted the big fellow, and in two strides he overtook the young couple. His massive hand fell on Niemoviecki’s neck and seized him. ”

“ Now, although these distorted spectres were sad, yet, in spite of their grief, brighter and purer appeared love. Great as the world, light like the sun, and as exquisitely beautiful, it fixed itself before their eyes, for nothing can be more fascinating or powerful than love!
“Could you die for one whom you love?” asked Tenaida, looking at her childlike hand.
“Yes, I could,” decidedly answered Niemoviceki, looking at her openly and fondly. “And you?” ”

“ From the very beginning he was pushed out of his right place and ordered to write the court reports to the newspaper Kurjer. He had no clients for lack of time. Scarcely had he led one civil lawsuit, without losing in all respects.
In 1898 he had written one novel, but acting on the advice of the secretary of the newspaper Kurjer, from that time he worked at many kinds of literature, relating just what occurred in court reports, writing feuilletons, novels, and so on. Maxim Gorky helped his fellow author very greatly with his advice. ”

“ Petersburg he often starved, but not so much out of real poverty as from lack of experience. Sometimes he went without food for two days. At that period he wrote his first narration about a hungry student. He was affected to tears while writing it, and when the editor returned him his MS. his colleagues laughed at the author.
He finished his education at the University of Moscow, where he became more successful. His companions commenced helping him; also “the Committee of Help” rendered him some assistance. But Andreyeff says that he recollects with more pleasure his career at St. ”