ng care.
I'm not a boy, and I'm not mad, and I beg you to leave off looking
after me."

The deacon came in, and seeing Laevsky pale and gesticulating,
addressing his strange speech to the portrait of Prince Vorontsov,
stood still by the door as though petrified.

"This continual prying into my soul," Laevsky went on, "is insulting
to my human dignity, and I beg these volunteer detectives to give
up their spying! Enough!"

"What's that . . . what did you say?" said Samoylenko, who had
counted up to a hundred. He turned crimson and went up to Laevsky.

"It's enough," said Laevsky, breathing hard and snatching up his
cap.

"I'm a Russian doctor, a nobleman by birth, and a civil councillor,"
said Samoylenko emphatically. "I've never been a spy, and I allow
no one to insult me!" he shouted in a breaking voice, emphasising
the last word. "Hold your tongue!"

The deacon, who had never seen the doctor so majestic, so swelling
with dignity, so crimson and so ferocious, shut his mouth, ran out
into the entry and there exploded with laughter.

As though through a fog, Laevsky saw Von Koren get up and, putting
his hands in his trouser-pockets, stand still in an attitude of
expectancy, as though waiting to see what would happen. This calm
attitude struck Laevsky as insolent and insulting to the last degree.

"Kindly take back your words," shouted Samoylenko.

Laevsky, who did not by now remember what his words were, answered:

"Leave me alone! I ask for nothing. All I ask is that you and German
upstarts of Jewish origin should let me alone! Or I shall take steps
to make you! I will fight you!"

"Now we understand," said Von Koren, coming from behind the table.
"Mr. Laevsky wants to amuse himself with a duel before he goes away.
I can give him that pleasure. Mr. Laevsky, I accept your challenge."

"A challenge," said Laevsky, in a low voice, going up to the zoologist
and looking with hatred at his swarthy brow and curly hair. "A
challenge? By all means! I hate you! I hate you!"

"Delighted. To-morrow morning early near Kerbalay's. I leave all
details to your taste. And now, clear out!"

"I hate you," Laevsky said softly, breathing hard. "I have hated
you a long while! A duel! Yes!"

"Get rid of him, Alexandr Daviditch, or else I'm going," said Von
Koren. "He'll bite me."

Von Koren's cool tone calmed the doctor; he seemed suddenly to come
to himself, to recover his reason; he put both arms round Laevsky's
waist,