. A reserved man--even when
he is strongly moved."

Unable to forget---or even to forgive--the bass-toned expansiveness of
Peter Ivanovitch, the Archpatron of revolutionary parties, I said that
I took this for a favourable trait of character. It was associated with
sincerity--in my mind.

"And, besides, we had not much time," she added.

"No, you would not have, of course." My suspicion and even dread of the
feminist and his Egeria was so ineradicable that I could not help asking
with real anxiety, which I made smiling--

"But you escaped all right?"

She understood me, and smiled too, at my uneasiness.

"Oh yes! I escaped, if you like to call it that. I walked away quickly.
There was no need to run. I am neither frightened nor yet fascinated,
like that poor woman who received me so strangely."

"And Mr.--Mr. Razumov...?"

"He remained there, of course. I suppose he went into the house after I
left him. You remember that he came here strongly recommended to Peter
Ivanovitch--possibly entrusted with important messages for him."

"Ah yes! From that priest who..."

"Father Zosim--yes. Or from others, perhaps."

"You left him, then. But have you seen him since, may I ask?"

For some time Miss Haldin made no answer to this very direct question,
then--

"I have been expecting to see him here to-day," she said quietly.

"You have! Do you meet, then, in this garden? In that case I had better
leave you at once."

"No, why leave me? And we don't meet in this garden. I have not seen Mr.
Razumov since that first time. Not once. But I have been expecting
him...."

She paused. I wondered to myself why that young revolutionist should
show so little alacrity.

"Before we parted I told Mr. Razumov that I walked here for an hour
every day at this time. I could not explain to him then why I did not
ask him to come and see us at once. Mother must be prepared for such a
visit. And then, you see, I do not know myself what Mr. Razumov has to
tell us. He, too, must be told first how it is with poor mother. All
these thoughts flashed through my mind at once. So I told him hurriedly
that there was a reason why I could not ask him to see us at home, but
that I was in the habit of walking here.... This is a public place,
but there are never many people about at this hour. I thought it would
do very well. And it is so near our apartments. I don't like to be very
far away from mother. Our servant knows where I am in case I shou