us. Why do
you keep babbling all sorts of things? I'm going."

"Oh, what a pity!" cried Liputin with a candid smile, "or I'd have
amused you with another little story, Stepan Trofimovitch. I came,
indeed, on purpose to tell you, though I dare say you've heard it
already. Well, till another time, Alexey Nilitch is in such a hurry.
Good-bye for the present. The story concerns Varvara Petrovna. She
amused me the day before yesterday; she sent for me on purpose. It's
simply killing. Good-bye."

But at this Stepan Trofimovitch absolutely would not let him go. He
seized him by the shoulders, turned him sharply back into the room, and
sat him down in a chair. Liputin was positively scared.

"Why, to be sure," he began, looking warily at Stepan Trofimovitch from
his chair, "she suddenly sent for me and asked me 'confidentially' my
private opinion, whether Nikolay Vsyevolodovitch is mad or in his right
mind. Isn't that astonishing?"

"You're out of your mind!" muttered Stepan Trofimovitch, and suddenly,
as though he were beside himself: "Liputin, you know perfectly well that
you only came here to tell me something insulting of that sort and...
something worse!"

In a flash, I recalled his conjecture that Liputin knew not only more
than we did about our affair, but something else which we should never
know.

"Upon my word, Stepan Trofimovitch," muttered Liputin, seeming greatly
alarmed, "upon my word..."

"Hold your tongue and begin! I beg you, Mr. Kirillov, to come back too,
and be present. I earnestly beg you! Sit down, and you, Liputin, begin
directly, simply and without any excuses."

"If I had only known it would upset you so much I wouldn't have begun at
all. And of course I thought you knew all about it from Varvara Petrovna
herself."

"You didn't think that at all. Begin, begin, I tell you."

"Only do me the favour to sit down yourself, or how can I sit here
when you are running about before me in such excitement. I can't speak
coherently."

Stepan Trofimovitch restrained himself and sank impressively into an
easy chair. The engineer stared gloomily at the floor. Liputin looked at
them with intense enjoyment,

"How am I to begin?... I'm too overwhelmed...."

VI

The day before yesterday a servant was suddenly sent to me: 'You are
asked to call at twelve o'clock,' said he. Can you fancy such a thing? I
threw aside my work, and precisely at midday yesterday I was ringing at
the bell. I was let into the