FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   75   76   77   78   79   80   81   82   83   84   85   86   87   88   89   90   91   92   93   94   95   96   97   98   99  
100   101   102   103   104   105   106   107   108   109   110   111   112   113   114   115   116   117   118   119   120   121   122   123   124   >>   >|  
hoped that you... (Volintsev made a movement of impatience). ... Excuse me, I will say no more of this. Reflecting upon it all, I see indeed, you are right, you could not have behaved otherwise. Good-bye, and allow me, at least once more, for the last time, to assure you of the purity of my intentions.... I am convinced of your discretion.' 'That is too much!' cried Volintsev, shaking with anger, 'I never asked for your confidence; and so you have no right whatever to reckon on my discretion!' Rudin was about to say something, but he only waved his hands, bowed and went away, and Volintsev flung himself on the sofa and turned his face to the wall. 'May I come in?' Alexandra Pavlovna's voice was heard saying at the door. Volintsev did not answer at once, and stealthily passed his hand over his face. 'No, Sasha,' he said, in a slightly altered voice, 'wait a little longer.' Half an hour later, Alexandra Pavlovna again came to the door. 'Mihailo Mihailitch is here,' she said, 'will you see him?' 'Yes,' answered Volintsev, 'let them show him up here.' Lezhnyov came in. 'What, aren't you well?' he asked, seating himself in a chair near the sofa. Volintsev raised himself, and, leaning on his elbow gazed a long, long while into his friend's face, and then repeated to him his whole conversation with Rudin word for word. He had never before given Lezhnyov a hint of his sentiments towards Natalya, though he guessed they were no secret to him. 'Well, brother, you have surprised me!' Lezhnyov said, as soon as Volintsev had finished his story. 'I expected many strange things from him, but this is----Still I can see him in it.' 'Upon my honour!' cried Volintsev, in great excitement, 'it is simply insolence! Why, I almost threw him out of the window. Did he want to boast to me or was he afraid? What was the object of it? How could he make up his mind to come to a man----?' Volintsev clasped his hands over his head and was speechless. 'No, brother, that's not it,' replied Lezhnyov tranquilly; 'you won't believe me, but he really did it from a good motive. Yes, indeed. It was generous, do you see, and candid, to be sure, and it would offer an opportunity of speechifying and giving vent to his fine talk, and, of course, that's what he wants, what he can't live without. Ah! his tongue is his enemy. Though it's a good servant to him too.' 'With what solemnity he came in and talked, you can't imagine!' '
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   75   76   77   78   79   80   81   82   83   84   85   86   87   88   89   90   91   92   93   94   95   96   97   98   99  
100   101   102   103   104   105   106   107   108   109   110   111   112   113   114   115   116   117   118   119   120   121   122   123   124   >>   >|  



Top keywords:

Volintsev

 

Lezhnyov

 

Pavlovna

 
Alexandra
 
brother
 

discretion

 
strange
 

Though

 

things

 

simply


insolence
 

excitement

 

tongue

 

honour

 

finished

 
Natalya
 

guessed

 

solemnity

 

talked

 
sentiments

secret

 
expected
 

surprised

 

servant

 

window

 

speechless

 

replied

 
imagine
 

clasped

 

tranquilly


motive

 

generous

 

candid

 

afraid

 

giving

 

speechifying

 

opportunity

 

object

 

Mihailo

 

confidence


reckon

 

shaking

 

convinced

 

turned

 

intentions

 

Reflecting

 
Excuse
 

impatience

 

movement

 

behaved