But we will leave the past, and we will pass to the present. The woman went on a path at Patriarchal ponds. It went slowly as if floated over a path. Here she saw the tall person in the cylinder. He went on a path and looking at the sky of the full moon and flickering stars waved a club and cheerfully whistled something. It is obvious how it was already written to a wound it had excellent high spirits. But here he stopped, and began to peer in dark light, quiet and so pacifying a human look – the sky. It reminded it rest and silence. Silence and sweet love which he felt once on service of His Most Reverend Eminence Knyazya Razbultylkova to his daughter Katerina Razbultylkova. What those were fine times! They were together. Together in night. Whereas and now the full moon shone. Brightly got dark stars. Then, their last night it seemed to them that the whole world before them clearly. Here it is the world of serene beauty love. World of rest and sincere balance. Here it is the world. World of full beauty and temptations. He looked at the sky and to it it became for some reason sad. Sadly because he sees this beauty so seldom now. Only two times a year or four. Who knows how often we see this beauty of the real nature. The nature – life. One moment released to us on it. Agree, every second looking at something, we see it differently. Nothing happens identical. Even simple second. Not to catch it. The moment, is also not present it. And all over again. We look for this lost second, and it further and further from us. Minutes, hours, centuries, centuries. There somewhere it. Got lost among a scope space open spaces. Look for, you will not find. The missed second will never come back, only with time to turn into a moment of life. Already it is time for life which flew by as a moment and to think of death. And looking back you understand that so we in this life achieved nothing. We made nothing in life, and to make – any more there is no time. Here so. Second – life a moment. Will depart you will not catch. This is the person in the cylinder, and with a monocle knew. Now remembering the past he understood that everything is lost. You will not return the past. He heaved a deep sigh, and unexpected for himself heard behind himself to Bol a voice familiar to it. This there was a female gentle voice. That voice that he did not hear already much any more – many years. Centuries of centuries. Passed before his eyes as one moment. The female voice told:

– Hello Mikhail Petrovich. – then she added. – How are you?

The person in the cylinder froze. For a long time nobody called it by name: "Mikhail Petrovich" quite so he was called during lifetime. Mikhail Petrovich Katts. Mikhail Petrovich turned back. He could not believe that he will see Katerina Razbultylkova now. That Katerina whom he so strongly once loved, and with whom could not be together. As her father Razbultylkov killed him, and brought the daughter to suicide. It is unlikely it is possible to compare on cruelty and cruelty of whom that or from parents. And it is impossible to compare. It is simply impossible. For the life I saw cruelty, but the cruelty of parents to the offsprings is just some madness from their party. Katts trembling because that just about he will see that woman whom did not see already much – many years. On his body ran a chill of small fear. He was afraid to see now that beauty Katerina – his love, and already постаревшею from a grief the woman. He was afraid not to recognize her. He was afraid to see in it something that will frighten him. He did not know that he was afraid? But having looked at the woman who called to him, and having seen that he is faced not by who other as that Katerina, he sighed a full breast. From his heart went away. As if pood of very heavy freight slept from his heart. He saw before himself that Katerina whom he knew many years. Which he lost many years ago. Which he did not hope to meet sometime again. In his eyes it did not change at all. Did not grow old. On the contrary, she became even more beautiful and more beautiful. It is unlikely somebody could tell that to it it is a lot of years. So many years old as far as it looked were it. And she looked it is young. I will not speak, how young, let it will remain a riddle. Nobody wants to disclose true age. Even in an extreme old age we always or almost always remain are young. Are young at heart. We flit on life wings, and we laugh at those who want to make old us before our time. "The person – he over anybody is not imperious, only over by itself". Also the one who thinks differently is silly. Only death is inevitable. It creeps imperceptibly, and takes away us to other world. World of rest and silence. World of love and pacification. The world – where wait for us. Our far and close relatives wait. The world – the happy world of my and your childhood. But we will return to Mikhail Petrovich Katts and Katerina. Katts looked at Katerina and could not believe the eyes. He thought that he lost it forever, and she here, faces him, on Patriarchal ponds, looks at him a tender look of the woman in love. Good-natured smiling. It seeing Mikhail Petrovich's indecision and his full confusion, a tender gentle voice said:

Текст предоставлен ООО «ЛитРес».

Прочитайте эту книгу целиком, купив полную легальную версию на ЛитРес.

Безопасно оплатить книгу можно банковской картой Visa, MasterCard, Maestro, со счета мобильного телефона, с платежного терминала, в салоне МТС или Связной, через PayPal, WebMoney, Яндекс.Деньги, QIWI Кошелек, бонусными картами или другим удобным Вам способом.