quite
a pleasant half-hour while I waited for you. Now then, my dear Lef
Nicolaievitch, this is what's the matter. I've arranged it all with
Moloftsoff, and have just come in to relieve your mind on that score.
You need be under no apprehensions. He was very sensible, as he should
be, of course, for I think he was entirely to blame himself."

"What Moloftsoff?"

"The young fellow whose arms you held, don't you know? He was so wild
with you that he was going to send a friend to you tomorrow morning."

"What nonsense!"

"Of course it is nonsense, and in nonsense it would have ended,
doubtless; but you know these fellows, they--"

"Excuse me, but I think you must have something else that you wished to
speak about, Evgenie Pavlovitch?"

"Of course, I have!" said the other, laughing. "You see, my dear fellow,
tomorrow, very early in the morning, I must be off to town about this
unfortunate business (my uncle, you know!). Just imagine, my dear sir, it
is all true--word for word--and, of course, everybody knew it excepting
myself. All this has been such a blow to me that I have not managed to
call in at the Epanchins'. Tomorrow I shall not see them either, because
I shall be in town. I may not be here for three days or more; in a word,
my affairs are a little out of gear. But though my town business is,
of course, most pressing, still I determined not to go away until I had
seen you, and had a clear understanding with you upon certain points;
and that without loss of time. I will wait now, if you will allow me,
until the company departs; I may just as well, for I have nowhere else
to go to, and I shall certainly not do any sleeping tonight; I'm far too
excited. And finally, I must confess that, though I know it is bad form
to pursue a man in this way, I have come to beg your friendship, my
dear prince. You are an unusual sort of a person; you don't lie at every
step, as some men do; in fact, you don't lie at all, and there is a
matter in which I need a true and sincere friend, for I really may claim
to be among the number of bona fide unfortunates just now."

He laughed again.

"But the trouble is," said the prince, after a slight pause for
reflection, "that goodness only knows when this party will break up.
Hadn't we better stroll into the park? I'll excuse myself, there's no
danger of their going away."

"No, no! I have my reasons for wishing them not to suspect us of being
engaged in any specially important conve