"Tolstoy, Leo - Albert" - читать интересную книгу автора (Tolstoy Leo)

"Excuse me if I am frank with you," he said, "your talent interests me so
much. It seems to me you are not in good circumstances."

Albert looked now at Delesov and now at his hostess who had entered the
room.

"Allow me to offer you my services," continued Delesov. "If you are in need
of anything I should be glad if you would stay with me for a time. I am
living alone and could perhaps be of use to you."

Albert smiled and made no reply.

"Why don't you thank him?" said the hostess. "Of course it is a godsend for
you. Only I should not advise you to," she continued, turning to Delesov
and shaking her head disapprovingly.

"I am very grateful to you!" said Albert, pressing Delesov's hand with his
own moist ones -- "Only let us have some music now, please."

But the other visitors were preparing to leave, and despite Albert's
endeavours to persuade them to stay they went out into the hall.

Albert took leave of the hostess, put on his shabby broad-brimmed hat and
old summer cloak, which was his only winter clothing, and went out into the
porch with Delesov.

When Delesov had seated himself with his new acquaintance in his carriage,
and became aware of the unpleasant odour of drunkenness and uncleanness
which emanated so strongly from the musician, he began to repent of his
action and blamed himself for childish softheartedness and imprudence.
Besides, everything Albert said was so stupid and trivial, and the fresh
air suddenly made him so disgustingly drunk that Delesov was repelled.
"What am I to do with him?" he thought.

When they had driven for a quarter of an hour Albert grew silent, his hat
fell down at his feet, and he himself tumbled into a corner of the carriage
and began to snore. The wheels continued to creak monotonously over the
frozen snow; the feeble light of dawn hardly penetrated the frozen windows.

Delesov turned and looked at his companion. The long body covered by the
cloak lay lifelessly beside him. The long head with its big black nose
seemed to sway on that body, but looking closer Delesov saw that what he
had taken for nose and face was hair, and that the real face hung lower. He
stooped and was able to distinguish Albert's features. Then the beauty of
the forehead and calmly closed lips struck him again.

Under the influence of tired nerves, restlessness from lack of sleep at
that hour of the morning, and of the music he had heard, Delesov, looking
at that face, let himself again be carried back to the blissful world into
which he had glanced that night; he again recalled the happy and