, Varvara Petrovna... and only fancy, just when
I was so longing to make the personal acquaintance of one of the
most remarkable and independent intellects of Russia--and here Stepan
Trofimovitch suddenly talks of deserting us."

"Your compliment is uttered so audibly that I ought to pretend not to
hear it," Stepan Trofimovitch said neatly, "but I cannot believe that
my insignificant presence is so indispensable at your fete to-morrow.
However, I..."

"Why, you'll spoil him!" cried Pyotr Stepanovitch, bursting into the
room. "I've only just got him in hand--and in one morning he has been
searched, arrested, taken by the collar by a policeman, and here ladies
are cooing to him in the governor's drawing-room. Every bone in his body
is aching with rapture; in his wildest dreams he had never hoped for
such good fortune. Now he'll begin informing against the Socialists
after this!"

"Impossible, Pyotr Stepanovitch! Socialism is too grand an idea to
be unrecognised by Stepan Trofimovitch." Yulia Mihailovna took up the
gauntlet with energy.

"It's a great idea but its exponents are not always great men, _et
brisons-la, mon cher,_" Stepan Trofimovitch ended, addressing his son and
rising gracefully from his seat.

But at this point an utterly unexpected circumstance occurred. Von
Lembke had been in the room for some time but seemed unnoticed by
anyone, though every one had seen him come in. In accordance with her
former plan, Yulia Mihailovna went on ignoring him. He took up his
position near the door and with a stern face listened gloomily to the
conversation. Hearing an allusion to the events of the morning, he
began fidgeting uneasily, stared at the prince, obviously struck by his
stiffly starched, prominent collar; then suddenly he seemed to start on
hearing the voice of Pyotr Stepanovitch and seeing him burst in; and no
sooner had Stepan Trofimovitch uttered his phrase about Socialists than
Lembke went up to him, pushing against Lyamshin, who at once skipped out
of the way with an affected gesture of surprise, rubbing his shoulder
and pretending that he had been terribly bruised.

"Enough!" said Von Lembke to Stepan Trofimovitch, vigorously gripping
the hand of the dismayed gentleman and squeezing it with all his might
in both of his. "Enough! The filibusters of our day are unmasked. Not
another word. Measures have been taken...."

He spoke loudly enough to be heard by all the room, and concluded with
energy. The