"It's the first time I've been to aplace like this in America."

He smiled at her. "You know, youlook very pretty tonight."

She looked across at him. He was staringat her. Her hair was down and she had put on lipstick and makeup and she worethe black dress she had worn the first night she had met him in New York.

"Is this where you come to findgirlfriends?"

He smiled and shook his head."Hardly, it's only my second time." He looked across and said,"Tell me about yourself, Anna."

"What do you want to know?"

He sipped his beer and put down theglass. "Anything you want to tell me,"

"No," she said. "First youtell me about - Yourself.

He raised his eyes, faintly startled, alittle amused, and suddenly he seemed more at ease. "There isn't much totell. Maybe it's better if you ask me what you want to know."

"How did you come to live inAmerica?"

He toyed with his glass as if he seemedto be wondering how much to tell her. He didn't look at her directly when hespoke.

"My family lived in a village nearSmolensk. When my parents died my younger brother and sister and myself weresent to an orphanage in Moscow. I was twelve. I hated the place. It was coldand heartless. So I made up my mind for us to escape. A relative of my father'slived in Leningrad and I thought he'd take US in. The night we planned toescape we were caught. But I managed to get away alone and climbed aboard atrain at the Leningrad Station. When I reached Leningrad the relative wasn'tvery pleased and wanted to hand me back. I wandered the streets until I foundmyself at the docks looking at a ship. I didn't know where it was going and Idon't think I much cared. But I knew that ship was destiny waiting forme." He smiled briefly. "You know what the Russians say. The seeds ofwhat we'll do are sown in all of us. So I stowed away on board."

"What happened afterwards?"

@"Two weeks later I was on the docksin Boston, cold and very hungry."

"For a boy of twelve what you didwas remarkable."

He shook his head. "Not soremarkable. I didn't know it until I landed in Boston but there were four otherstowaways on the same ship. In those days it was a lot easier to escape,"

"How did you end up withVassily?"

Stanski smiled. "I proved a littletroublesome after I arrived in Boston. They sent me to an orphanage just likein Moscow, only the food was better and the people were kinder. But it didn'thelp. And then someone had the bright idea to send me up here."

"He's a good man, Vassily."

"The very best type of Russian. Goodand kind."

"And your brother and sister, whathappened to them?"

He didn't reply and as Anna looked at himshe realized it was the first time she had seen any real sign of emotion in hisface. There was a flash of pain but he seemed to want to suppress it as heleaned forward and the smile came back again. "Now it's your turn."

"What do you want to know?"

"Do you like Massey?"

The question surprised her. She hesitatedand looked away a moment. When she looked back she said, "He was the firstgood man I met when I escaped to Finland. The first honest and caring humanbeing I'd known in a long time. He trusted me and helped me. They would havesent me back to Russia had it not been for him. For that I'll always be grateful."

"Were you ever married, Anna?"Suddenly she wanted to tell him the truth, but she said, "Do we have totalk about it now?"

"Not if you don't want to."

"Then I don't want to." Shechanged the subject. "Do you trust Popov?"

He laughed. "Of course."

The Ukrainians were the worst beasts inthe SS. They killed women and children without reguard, without so much as asecond thought. How can you trust him?"

"Is that why you kicked him betweenthe legs?"

"He got what he deserved. He shouldhave taken heed of his own advice."

"You really don't like him, do you,Anna?"

"Men like him were traitors. ]'heybetrayed their own people by fighting for the Germans. They raped, theymurdered."

He heard the anger in her voice and said,"You're wrong about Popov, Anna. And you're neglecting an essential truth.In Russian schools they teach you a very biased history. The Ukraine was notalways a part of the Soviet Union. Lenin subdued the country with hisBolsheviks. Then Stalin. He had almost five million Ukrainians killed or sentto Siberia. Men, women, children. Whole families uprooted and massacred. Youhave no idea of the scale of it and Soviet history books never tell thetruth."

"And Popov is different?"

"He wasn't a war criminal. He was acamp instructor, and a good one. Besides, he hates the Reds."

@"Why?"

"During the kulak wars when Stalinstole all the grain from the Ukraine his people perished in the famine. Whatthe Germans did was terrible, but what the Russians did to the Ukraine wasworse."

He looked at her but she didn't speak. Heput down his napkin as if to change the Subject and stood and held out hishand.

"Come on. Let's dance. This isgetting too serious."

"But it's a long time since Idanced."

"It's never too late to startagain."

He led her onto the floor just as theband changed to a slow dance. He held her close and as they danced he said,"What happened at the ridge ... I owe you an apology."

She looked up at his face for a moment."You don't have to apologize."

"But I do. You were right, I didn'twant you along, but not for the reasons you thought. I just didn't want you tobe hurt getting involved in this."

"And do you still think it would bebetter if I didn't come along?"

He smiled. "Now I'm not sosure."

They danced two sets, and she was awareof Stanski holding her tight and how comforting it felt. There was some livelymusic at the end which had people kicking their legs in the air as a man playeda fiddle. The dancing made her warm when they came back to the table some morepeople came over to say hello and she saw several women nearby give her enviousglances.

Stanski smiled. "You know you'regoing to ruin my bachelor reputation in this town?"

"Does it bother you?"

"Not one little bit."

It had been a long time since she haddanced with a man. She remembered the night Ivan had danced with her on thebanks of the Moscow River and suddenly it seemed a long time ago and she felt alittle sad.

When they finished the meal they walkedback to the car, and Stanski draped his coat around her shoulders to keep outthe cold.

As they climbed into the pickup neitherof them noticed the dark blue Ford sedan parked across the street, the two meninside watching them.

Massey's car was parked outside the housewhen they got back. He was sitting at the table drinking coffee with Vassilywhen they went in and when he saw Anna he smiled.

"it looks like you two have beenenjoying yourselves." Stanski said, "All part of the training, Jake.Where's Popov?"

"Gone to bed. He's starting earlyback to Boston tomorrow. Pull up a chair."

They sat and talked for ten minutes overcoffee, and then Vassily went to bed. Anna said good night shortly thereafter.Massey waited until she had gone upstairs and said, "Something's differentabout her tonight."

"Like what?"

"A look in her eyes. What have youtwo been up to?"

Stanski found the bottle of bourbon andpoured them one each. "A dance and @ meal and a few drinks. It did hergood."