o draw? According to the lines she quoted:

"'From his face he never lifted That eternal mask of steel.'"

"What sort of a face was I to draw? I couldn't draw a mask."

"I don't know what you are driving at; what mask do you mean?" said
Mrs. Epanchin, irritably. She began to see pretty clearly though what
it meant, and whom they referred to by the generally accepted title of
"poor knight." But what specially annoyed her was that the prince was
looking so uncomfortable, and blushing like a ten-year-old child.

"Well, have you finished your silly joke?" she added, "and am I to be
told what this 'poor knight' means, or is it a solemn secret which
cannot be approached lightly?"

But they all laughed on.

"It's simply that there is a Russian poem," began Prince S., evidently
anxious to change the conversation, "a strange thing, without beginning
or end, and all about a 'poor knight.' A month or so ago, we were all
talking and laughing, and looking up a subject for one of Adelaida's
pictures--you know it is the principal business of this family to find
subjects for Adelaida's pictures. Well, we happened upon this 'poor
knight.' I don't remember who thought of it first--"

"Oh! Aglaya Ivanovna did," said Colia.

"Very likely--I don't recollect," continued Prince S.

"Some of us laughed at the subject; some liked it; but she declared
that, in order to make a picture of the gentleman, she must first see
his face. We then began to think over all our friends' faces to see
if any of them would do, and none suited us, and so the matter stood;
that's all. I don't know why Nicolai Ardalionovitch has brought up
the joke now. What was appropriate and funny then, has quite lost all
interest by this time."

"Probably there's some new silliness about it," said Mrs. Epanchin,
sarcastically.

"There is no silliness about it at all--only the profoundest respect,"
said Aglaya, very seriously. She had quite recovered her temper; in
fact, from certain signs, it was fair to conclude that she was delighted
to see this joke going so far; and a careful observer might have
remarked that her satisfaction dated from the moment when the fact of
the prince's confusion became apparent to all.

"'Profoundest respect!' What nonsense! First, insane giggling, and then,
all of a sudden, a display of 'profoundest respect.' Why respect? Tell
me at once, why have you suddenly developed this 'profound respect,'
eh?"

"Because," replied Aglaya grave