rsation. There are gentry
present who are a little too much interested in us. You are not aware of
that perhaps, prince? It will be a great deal better if they see that
we are friendly just in an ordinary way. They'll all go in a couple of
hours, and then I'll ask you to give me twenty minutes-half an hour at
most."

"By all means! I assure you I am delighted--you need not have entered
into all these explanations. As for your remarks about friendship with
me--thanks, very much indeed. You must excuse my being a little absent
this evening. Do you know, I cannot somehow be attentive to anything
just now?"

"I see, I see," said Evgenie, smiling gently. His mirth seemed very near
the surface this evening.

"What do you see?" said the prince, startled.

"I don't want you to suspect that I have simply come here to deceive
you and pump information out of you!" said Evgenie, still smiling, and
without making any direct reply to the question.

"Oh, but I haven't the slightest doubt that you did come to pump me,"
said the prince, laughing himself, at last; "and I dare say you are
quite prepared to deceive me too, so far as that goes. But what of that?
I'm not afraid of you; besides, you'll hardly believe it, I feel
as though I really didn't care a scrap one way or the other, just
now!--And-and-and as you are a capital fellow, I am convinced of that, I
dare say we really shall end by being good friends. I like you very much
Evgenie Pavlovitch; I consider you a very good fellow indeed."

"Well, in any case, you are a most delightful man to have to deal with,
be the business what it may," concluded Evgenie. "Come along now, I'll
drink a glass to your health. I'm charmed to have entered into alliance
with you. By-the-by," he added suddenly, "has this young Hippolyte come
down to stay with you?"

"Yes."

"He's not going to die at once, I should think, is he?"

"Why?"

"Oh, I don't know. I've been half an hour here with him, and he--"

Hippolyte had been waiting for the prince all this time, and had never
ceased looking at him and Evgenie Pavlovitch as they conversed in the
corner. He became much excited when they approached the table once more.
He was disturbed in his mind, it seemed; perspiration stood in large
drops on his forehead; in his gleaming eyes it was easy to read
impatience and agitation; his gaze wandered from face to face of those
present, and from object to object in the room, apparently without aim.
He h