One day in the fall, in mid-September, I was sitting in a birch grove and admiring a fine day. Unbeknownst to myself, I fell asleep. When I woke up, I saw a peasant girl, she was sitting 20 steps away from me with a bunch of wildflowers in her hand, her head bowed thoughtfully. The girl was not bad by herself. Her thick blond ash-colored hair was held in a narrow scarlet bandage pulled over a white forehead. She did not raise her eyes, but I saw her thin, high eyebrows and long wet eyelashes. On one of her cheeks, a trace of tears shone in the sun. Her expression was meek, simple and sad, full of childish bewilderment before this sadness.
She was waiting for someone. Something crunched in the forest, and her eyes flashed in the shade, large, bright and shy, like a doe's. In the distance, steps were heard, and a young man came out into the clearing, whom the girl met, trembling with joy. By all indications, it was the spoiled valet of a rich master. His clothes exposed the claim to taste and dandy negligence. His red and crooked fingers were decorated with silver and gold rings with forget-me-nots from turquoise. His face, rosy, fresh and impudent, belonged to those persons who are often liked by women. He was unbearably grimacing, trying to give his stupid face a contemptuous and bored expression.
I overheard their conversation. This was the last meeting between Viktor Aleksandrovich and Akulina - tomorrow his master left for service in St. Petersburg. Akulina gave him a bunch of blue cornflowers. Victor twirled flowers in his fingers with thoughtful importance, and Akulina looked at him with reverent humility and love. On his face through feigned indifference peered satiated pride.
Soon Victor was about to leave. Akulina began to cry. She was afraid that she would be extradited for the dear. Victor was annoyed by her tears. He stated that he could not marry her. Moreover, he strongly emphasized that she was not educated, and therefore unworthy of him. The girl wanted to hear an affectionate word from her beloved goodbye, but she did not wait for it. She fell face down into the grass and wept bitterly. Victor stood over her, shrugged annoyingly and left.
She jumped up to run after him, but her legs gave way and she fell to her knees. I could not stand it and rushed to her. Seeing me, she screamed weakly and ran away, leaving the scattered flowers on the ground. I returned home, but the image of poor Akulina did not go out of my head for a long time. Her cornflowers are still kept with me.
