ourse, an
absolute fabrication, though when he spoke of Nina Alexandrovna he wept!
She's a grand woman, is Nina Alexandrovna, though she is very angry with
me!"

"Are you acquainted with her?"

"Well, hardly at all. I wish I were, if only for the sake of justifying
myself in her eyes. Nina Alexandrovna has a grudge against me for, as
she thinks, encouraging her husband in drinking; whereas in reality I
not only do not encourage him, but I actually keep him out of harm's
way, and out of bad company. Besides, he's my friend, prince, so that
I shall not lose sight of him, again. Where he goes, I go. He's quite
given up visiting the captain's widow, though sometimes he thinks sadly
of her, especially in the morning, when he's putting on his boots. I
don't know why it's at that time. But he has no money, and it's no
use his going to see her without. Has he borrowed any money from you,
prince?"

"No, he has not."

"Ah, he's ashamed to! He MEANT to ask you, I know, for he said so. I
suppose he thinks that as you gave him some once (you remember), you
would probably refuse if he asked you again."

"Do you ever give him money?"

"Prince! Money! Why I would give that man not only my money, but my
very life, if he wanted it. Well, perhaps that's exaggeration; not life,
we'll say, but some illness, a boil or a bad cough, or anything of that
sort, I would stand with pleasure, for his sake; for I consider him a
great man fallen--money, indeed!"

"H'm, then you DO give him money?"

"N-no, I have never given him money, and he knows well that I will never
give him any; because I am anxious to keep him out of intemperate
ways. He is going to town with me now; for you must know I am off to
Petersburg after Ferdishenko, while the scent is hot; I'm certain he is
there. I shall let the general go one way, while I go the other; we have
so arranged matters in order to pop out upon Ferdishenko, you see, from
different sides. But I am going to follow that naughty old general and
catch him, I know where, at a certain widow's house; for I think it will
be a good lesson, to put him to shame by catching him with the widow."

"Oh, Lebedeff, don't, don't make any scandal about it!" said the prince,
much agitated, and speaking in a low voice.

"Not for the world, not for the world! I merely wish to make him ashamed
of himself. Oh, prince, great though this misfortune be to myself, I
cannot help thinking of his morals! I have a great favour