have to move in
a hurry.

"You've heard perhaps that Nicholas Romanoff has abdicated entirely--and
refused to allow his son to succeed. Makes things simpler.... Yes....
Very pleasant pictures you have--and Ostroffsky--six volumes. Very
agreeable. I have myself acted in Ostroffsky at different times. I find
his plays very enjoyable. I am sure you will forgive us, Madame, if we
walk through your charming flat."

But indeed by this time the soldiers themselves had begun to roam about
on their own account. Nina remembers one soldier in especial--a large
dirty fellow with ragged moustache--who quite frankly terrified her. He
seemed to regard her with particular satisfaction, staring at her, and,
as it were, licking his lips over her. He wandered about the room
fingering things, and seemed to be immensely interested in Nicholas's
little den, peering through the glass window that there was in the door
and rubbing the glass with his finger. He presently pushed the door open
and soon they were all in there.

Then a characteristic thing occurred. Apparently Nicholas's
inventions--his little pieces of wood and bark and cloth, his glass
bottles, and tubes--seemed to them highly suspicious. There was laughter
at first, and then sudden silence. Nina could see part of the room
through the open door and she watched them as they gathered round the
little table, talking together in excited whispers. The tall,
rough-looking fellow who had frightened her before picked up one of the
tubes, and then, whether by accident or intention, let it fall, and the
tinkling smash of the glass frightened them all so precipitately that
they came tumbling out into the larger room. The big fellow whispered
something to the student, who at once became more self-important than
ever, and said very seriously to Vera:

"That is your husband's room, Madame, I understand?"

"Yes," said Vera quietly, "he does his work in there."

"What kind of work?"

"He is an inventor."

"An inventor of what?"

"Various things.... He is working at present on something to do with the
making of cloth."

Unfortunately this serious view of Nicholas's inventions suddenly seemed
to Nina so ridiculous that she tittered. She could have done nothing
more regrettable. The student obviously felt that his dignity was
threatened. He looked at her very severely:

"This is no laughing matter," he said. He himself then got up and went
into the inner room. He was there for some t