Chapter 39: Mari d’Elle

Mari d’Elle It was a free night. Natalya Andreyevna Bronin (her married name was Nikitin), the opera singer, is lying in her bedroom, her whole being abandoned to repose. She lies, deliciously drowsy, thinking of her little daughter who lives somewhere far away with her grandmother or aunt. … The child is more precious to her than the public, bouquets, notices in the papers, adorers … and she would be glad to think about her till morning. She is happy, at peace, and all she longs for is n…