THE SHADOWS FAI.L 549
slipped over her leg and had furfowed a crooked, jagged
line. Convulsively crumpling her apron, Dunia was the
first to go up to Daria, to cover her with a sack ripped down
the seams. With methodical haste Pantaleimon rolled up
his trousers and pulled the boat up the bank. A wagon drove
up^a minute or two later, and Daria was carried to the
Melekhovs' hut. m
Mastering her fear and feeling of disgust, Dunia helped
her mother to wash the cold body, which still retained the
iciness of the deep Don current. There was something
unfamiliar and stern about Daria's slightly swollen face, the
faded gleam of the eyes glazed by immersion in the water.
Silver river sand sparkled in her hair, the moist threads of
water-weed were vividly green against her cheeks, and in
the outflung arms hanging helplessly from the bench was
such terrible repose that as Dunia glanced at them she
hurriedly fell back, amazed and horrified at the complete
lack of resemblance between this dead woman and the jesting,
laughing Daria who had been so much in love with life.
Afterward, as she recalled the stony clamminess of Dana's
breasts and belly, the springiness of the stiffened limbs,
Dunia long shook convulsively and tried her utmost to forget
it all. She was afraid the dead woman would visit her in her
sleep at night, and for a week she slept in Ilinichna's bed and,
before getting in, prayed to God, asking • (t Lord, don't let
me dream of her ! Cover me, Lord ! "
If it had not been for the Obnizov women, who had heard
Daria shout: " Good-bye, women ! " she would have been
buried quietly and without fuss. But when he heard of this
last shout, which clearly indicated that Daria had intended
to take her own life, father Vissarion resolutely declared that
he would not bury the suicide. Pantaleimon was furious.
tf What d'you mean. you won't bury her ? Is she
unbaptized, or what ? "
" I can't bury suicides ; the law won't allow it."
tf Then how is she to be buried, in your opinion ? Like a
dog?" .
" In my opinion, how and where you like, except in the
cemetery, where honest Christians are buried."
** But please do have some pity ! " Pantaleimon tried
persuasions. " We've never had such a disgrace in our
family."