tly prepared. Peter Ivanovitch suddenly
remembered this against the poor woman, and flew out at her. It was most
astonishing. I stood as if rooted."

"Do you mean to say that the great feminist allowed himself to be
abusive to a woman?" I asked.

"Oh, not that! It was something you have no conception of. It was an
odious performance. Imagine, he raised his hat to begin with. He made
his voice soft and deprecatory. 'Ah! you are not kind to us--you will
not deign to remember....' This sort of phrases, that sort of tone.
The poor creature was terribly upset. Her eyes ran full of tears.
She did not know where to look. I shouldn't wonder if she would have
preferred abuse, or even a blow."

I did not remark that very possibly she was familiar with both on
occasions when no one was by. Miss Haldin walked by my side, her head up
in scornful and angry silence.

"Great men have their surprising peculiarities," I observed inanely.
"Exactly like men who are not great. But that sort of thing cannot
be kept up for ever. How did the great feminist wind up this very
characteristic episode?"

Miss Haldin, without turning her face my way, told me that the end
was brought about by the appearance of the interviewer, who had been
closeted with Madame de S--.

He came up rapidly, unnoticed, lifted his hat slightly, and paused to
say in French: "The Baroness has asked me, in case I met a lady on my
way out, to desire her to come in at once."

After delivering this message, he hurried down the drive. The _dame de
compagnie_ flew towards the house, and Peter Ivanovitch followed her
hastily, looking uneasy. In a moment Miss Haldin found herself alone
with the young man, who undoubtedly must have been the new arrival
from Russia. She wondered whether her brother's friend had not already
guessed who she was.

I am in a position to say that, as a matter of fact, he had guessed.
It is clear to me that Peter Ivanovitch, for some reason or other, had
refrained from alluding to these ladies' presence in Geneva. But Razumov
had guessed. The trustful girl! Every word uttered by Haldin lived in
Razumov's memory. They were like haunting shapes; they could not be
exorcised. The most vivid amongst them was the mention of the sister.
The girl had existed for him ever since. But he did not recognize her
at once. Coming up with Peter Ivanovitch, he did observe her; their eyes
had met, even. He had responded, as no one could help responding, to
the ha