"I really don't know myself what can have happened to him to-day!" said Maria Alexandrovna, interrupting her conversation with Mrs. Antipova and Natalia, and laughing merrily; "he is so _dreadfully_ uncommunicative! He has scarcely said a word even to _me_, all day! Why don't you answer Felisata Michaelovna, Afana.s.sy? What did you ask him?"

"But, but-why, mammy, you told me yourself"-began the bewildered and lost Afana.s.sy. At this moment he was standing at the fireside with one hand placed inside his waistcoat, in an artistic position which he had chosen deliberately, on mature reflection,-and he was sipping his tea. The questions of the ladies had so confused him that he was blushing like a girl.

When he began the justification of himself recorded above, he suddenly met so dreadful a look in the eyes of his infuriated spouse that he nearly lost all consciousness, for terror!

Uncertain what to do, but anxious to recover himself and win back her favour once more, he said nothing, but took a gulp of tea to restore his scattered senses.

Unfortunately the tea was too hot; which fact, together with the hugeness of the gulp he took-quite upset him. He burned his throat, choked, sent the cup flying, and burst into such a fit of coughing that he was obliged to leave the room for a time, awakening universal astonishment by his conduct.

In a word, Maria Alexandrovna saw clearly enough that her guests knew all about it, and had a.s.sembled with malicious intent! The situation was dangerous! They were quite capable of confusing and overwhelming the feeble-minded old prince before her very eyes! They might even carry him off bodily-after stirring up a quarrel between the old man and herself!

_Anything_ might happen.

But fate had prepared her one more surprise. The door opened and in came Mosgliakoff-who, as she thought, was far enough away at his G.o.dfather's, and would not come near her to-night! She shuddered as though something had hurt her.

Mosgliakoff stood a moment at the door, looking around at the company. He was a little bewildered, and could not conceal his agitation, which showed itself very clearly in his expression.

"Why, it's Paul Alexandrovitch! and you told us he had gone to his G.o.dfather's, Maria Alexandrovna. We were told you had hidden yourself away from us, Paul Alexandrovitch!" cried Natalia.

"Hidden myself?" said Paul, with a crooked sort of a smile. "What a strange expression! Excuse me, Natalia Dimitrievna, but I never hide from anyone; I have no cause to do so, that I know of! Nor do I ever hide anyone else!" he added, looking significantly at Maria Alexandrovna.

Maria Alexandrovna trembled in her shoes.

"Surely this fool of a man is not up to anything disagreeable!" she thought. "No, no! that would be worse than anything!" She looked curiously and anxiously into his eyes.

"Is it true, Paul Alexandrovitch, that you have just been politely dismissed?-the Government service, I mean, of course!" remarked the daring Felisata Michaelovna, looking impertinently into his eyes.

"Dismissed! How dismissed? I'm simply changing my department, that's all!

I am to be placed at Petersburg!" Mosgliakoff answered, drily.

"Oh! well, I congratulate you!" continued the bold young woman. "We were alarmed to hear that you were trying for a-a place down here at Mordasoff.

The berths here are wretched, Paul Alexandrovitch-no good at all, I a.s.sure you!"

"I don't know-there's a place as teacher at the school, vacant, I believe," remarked Natalia.

This was such a crude and palpable insinuation that even Mrs. Antipova was ashamed of her friend, and kicked her, under the table.

"You don't suppose Paul Alexandrovitch would accept the place vacated by a wretched little schoolmaster!" said Felisata Michaelovna.

But Paul did not answer. He turned at this moment, and encountered Afana.s.sy Matveyevitch, just returning into the room. The latter offered him his hand. Mosgliakoff, like a fool, looked beyond poor Afana.s.sy, and did not take his outstretched hand: annoyed to the limits of endurance, he stepped up to Zina, and muttered, gazing angrily into her eyes:

"This is all thanks to you! Wait a bit; you shall see this very day whether I am a fool or not!"

"Why put off the revelation? It is clear enough already!" said Zina, aloud, staring contemptuously at her former lover.

Mosgliakoff hurriedly left her. He did not half like the loud tone she spoke in.

"Have you been to your G.o.dfather's?" asked Maria Alexandrovna at last, determined to sound matters in this direction.

"No, I've just been with uncle."

"With your uncle! What! have you just come from the prince now?"

"Oh-oh! and we were told the prince was asleep!" added Natalia Dimitrievna, looking daggers at Maria Alexandrovna.

"Do not be disturbed about the prince, Natalia Dimitrievna," replied Paul, "he is awake now, and quite restored to his senses. He was persuaded to drink a good deal too much wine, first at your house, and then here; so that he quite lost his head, which never was too strong. However, I have had a talk with him, and he now seems to have entirely recovered his judgment, thank G.o.d! He is coming down directly to take his leave, Maria Alexandrovna, and to thank you for all your kind hospitality; and to-morrow morning early we are off to the Hermitage. Thence I shall myself see him safe home to Donchanovo, in order that he may be far from the temptation to further excesses like that of to-day. There I shall give him over into the hands of Stepanida Matveyevna, who must be back at home by this time, and who will a.s.suredly never allow him another opportunity of going on his travels, I'll answer for that!"

So saying, Mosgliakoff stared angrily at Maria Alexandrovna. The latter sat still, apparently dumb with amazement. I regret to say-it gives me great pain to record it-that, perhaps for the first time in her life, my heroine was decidedly alarmed.

"So the prince is off to-morrow morning! Dear me; why is that?" inquired Natalia Dimitrievna, very sweetly, of Maria Alexandrovna.

"Yes. How is that?" asked Mrs. Antipova, in astonishment.

"Yes; dear me! how comes that, I wonder!" said two or three voices. "How can that be? When we were told-dear me! How very strange!"

But the mistress of the house could not find words to reply in.

However, at this moment the general attention was distracted by a most unwonted and eccentric episode. In the next room was heard a strange noise-sharp exclamations and hurrying feet, which was followed by the sudden appearance of Sophia Petrovna, the fidgety guest who had called upon Maria Alexandrovna in the morning.

Sophia Petrovna was a very eccentric woman indeed-so much so that even the good people of Mordasoff could not support her, and had lately voted her out of society. I must observe that every evening, punctually at seven, this lady was in the habit of having, what she called, "a snack," and that after this snack, which she declared was for the benefit of her liver, her condition was well _emanc.i.p.ated_, to use no stronger term. She was in this very condition, as described, now, as she appeared flinging herself into Maria Alexandrovna's salon.

"Oho! so this is how you treat me, Maria Alexandrovna!" she shouted at the top of her voice. "Oh! don't be afraid, I shall not inflict myself upon you for more than a minute! I won't sit down. I just came in to see if what they said was true! Ah! so you go in for b.a.l.l.s and receptions and parties, and Sophia Petrovna is to sit at home alone, and knit stockings, is she? You ask the whole town in, and leave me out, do you? Yes, and I was _mon ange_, and 'dear,' and all the rest of it when I came in to warn you of Natalia Dimitrievna having got hold of the prince! And now this very Natalia Dimitrievna, whom you swore at like a pickpocket, and who was just about as polite when she spoke of you, is here among your guests? Oh, don't mind _me_, Natalia Dimitrievna, _I_ don't want your _chocolat a la sante_ at a penny the ounce, six cups to the ounce! thanks, I can do better at home; t'fu, a good deal better."

"Evidently!" observed Natalia Dimitrievna.

"But-goodness gracious, Sophia Petrovna!" cried the hostess, flushing with annoyance; "what is it all about? Do show a little common sense!"

"Oh, don't bother about me, Maria Alexandrovna, thank you! I know all about it-oh, dear me, yes!-_I_ know all about it!" cried Sophia Petrovna, in her shrill squeaky voice, from among the crowd of guests who now surrounded her, and who seemed to derive immense satisfaction from this unexpected scene. "Oh, yes, I know all about it, I a.s.sure you! Your friend Nastasia came over and told me all! You got hold of the old prince, made him drunk and persuaded him to make an offer of marriage to your daughter Zina-whom n.o.body else will marry; and I daresay you suppose you are going to be a very great lady, indeed-a sort of d.u.c.h.ess in lace and jewellery.

Tfu! Don't flatter yourself; you may not be aware that I, too, am a colonel's lady! and if you don't care to ask me to your betrothal parties, you needn't: I scorn and despise you and your parties too! I've seen honester women than you, you know! I have dined at Countess Zalichvatsky's; a chief commissioner proposed for my hand! A lot _I_ care for your invitations. Tfu!"

"Look here, Sophia Petrovna," said Maria Alexandrovna, beside herself with rage; "I a.s.sure you that people do not indulge in this sort of sally at respectable houses; especially in _the condition you are now in_! And let me tell you that if you do not immediately relieve me of your presence and eloquence, I shall be obliged to take the matter into my own hands!"

"Oh, I know-you'll get your people to turn me out! Don't trouble yourself-I know the way out! Good-bye,-marry your daughter to whom you please, for all I care. And as for _you_, Natalia Dimitrievna, I will thank you not to laugh at me! I may not have been asked here, but at all events _I_ did not dance a can-can for the prince's benefit. What may _you_ be laughing at, Mrs. Antipova? I suppose you haven't heard that your _great friend_ Lushiloff has broken his leg?-he has just been taken home.

Tfu! Good-bye, Maria Alexandrovna-good luck to you! Tfu!"

Sophia Petrovna now disappeared. All the guests laughed; Maria Alexandrovna was in a state of indescribable fury.

"I think the good lady must have been drinking!" said Natalia Dimitrievna, sweetly.

"But what audacity!"

"_Quelle abominable femme!_"

"What a raving lunatic!"

"But really, what excessively improper things she says!"

"Yes, but what _could_ she have meant by a 'betrothal party?' What sort of a betrothal party is this?" asked Felisata Michaelovna innocently.

"It is too bad-too bad!" Maria Alexandrovna burst out at last. "It is just such abominable women as this that sow nonsensical rumours about! it is not the fact that there _are_ such women about, Felisata Michaelovna, that is so surprising; the astonishing part of the matter is that ladies can be found who support and encourage them, and believe their abominable tales, and--"