36 LIFE OF ELIE METCHNIKOFF 



holidays. He admired her from afar, and tried to 

 contrive opportunities of meeting her ; she was the 

 object of his dreams for the whole of one term. 



But he was presently to be seized by a more serious 

 feeling. When he was in the third class at the Lycee 

 he came as usual to Panassovka for the summer 

 holidays and found there a new inmate, his elder 

 brother's young wife. Soon, to his own astonish- 

 ment, he found that the image of his last winter's 

 passion was being effaced by that of his sister-in-law. 

 She, a pretty, fashionable girl, was bored with country 

 life ; she criticised the simple habits at Panassovka 

 which formed a sharp contrast with her tastes ; she 

 soon became very unpopular and, feeling lonely and 

 bored, tried to attract her young brother-in-law. 

 Elie, at first a willing comrade, soon found himself 

 harbouring a more tender feeling for his sister-in-law ; 

 she complained to him of the family's hostility, 

 declared herself misunderstood, and easily excited 

 the pity and sympathy of the sensitive boy. He 

 became her ardent defender and went so far as to 

 fight her battles, even with his mother, whom he 

 reproached with fancied injustice. For nearly four 

 years he remained under his sister-in-law's sentimental 

 influence. He afterwards freed himself completely 

 from it, but the fact remains that she was the first 

 woman who inspired real sentiment in his youthful 

 manhood. 



