As Yourii pressed her limbs closer to his, it appeared to him that she
had at once the sumptuous proportions of a woman and the soft, slight
figure of a child.

Down below, under the trees, it was dark, and here Yourii placed the
girl, seating himself next to her. As the ground was sloping, they
seemed to be lying side by side. In the dim light Yourii's lips
fastened on hers with wild passionate longing. She did not struggle,
but only trembled violently.

"Do you love me?" she murmured, breathlessly. Her voice sounded like
some mysterious whisper from the woods.

Then in amazement, Yourii asked himself: "What am I doing?"

The thought was like ice to his burning brain. In a moment everything
seemed grey and void as a day in winter, lacking force and life. Her
eyelids half-closed, she turned to him with a questioning look. Then,
suddenly she saw his face, and overwhelmed with shame, shrank from his
embrace. Yourii was beset by countless conflicting sensations. He felt
that to stop now would be ridiculous. In a feeble, awkward way he again
commenced to caress her, while she as feebly, and awkwardly resisted
him. To Yourii the situation now seemed so absolutely absurd, that he
released Sina, who was panting like some hunted wild animal.

There was a painful silence, suddenly, he said: "Forgive me ... I must be mad."

Her breath came quicker, and he felt that he should not have spoken
thus, as it must have hurt her. Involuntarily he stammered out all
sorts of excuses which he knew were false, his one wish being to get
away from her, as the situation had become intolerable.