Her face said: "Why ask? Why doubt what you cannot but know? Why speak, when words cannot express what one feels?" She drew near to him and stopped.

He took her hand and kissed it.

"Do you love me?" "Yes, yes!" Natasha murmured as if in vexation.

Then she sighed loudly and, catching her breath more and more quickly, began to sob.

"What is it? What's the matter?" "Oh, I am so happy!" she replied, smiled through her tears, bent over closer to him, paused for an instant as if asking herself whether she might, and then kissed him.