."

"My father's name was Nicolai Lvovitch."

"Lvovitch," repeated the general without the slightest haste, and with
perfect confidence, just as though he had not committed himself the
least in the world, but merely made a little slip of the tongue. He sat
down, and taking the prince's hand, drew him to a seat next to himself.

"I carried you in my arms as a baby," he observed.

"Really?" asked the prince. "Why, it's twenty years since my father
died."

"Yes, yes--twenty years and three months. We were educated together; I
went straight into the army, and he--"

"My father went into the army, too. He was a sub-lieutenant in the
Vasiliefsky regiment."

"No, sir--in the Bielomirsky; he changed into the latter shortly before
his death. I was at his bedside when he died, and gave him my blessing
for eternity. Your mother--" The general paused, as though overcome with
emotion.

"She died a few months later, from a cold," said the prince.

"Oh, not cold--believe an old man--not from a cold, but from grief for
her prince. Oh--your mother, your mother! heigh-ho! Youth--youth! Your
father and I--old friends as we were--nearly murdered each other for her
sake."

The prince began to be a little incredulous.

"I was passionately in love with her when she was engaged--engaged to my
friend. The prince noticed the fact and was furious. He came and woke me
at seven o'clock one morning. I rise and dress in amazement; silence on
both sides. I understand it all. He takes a couple of pistols out of his
pocket--across a handkerchief--without witnesses. Why invite witnesses
when both of us would be walking in eternity in a couple of minutes? The
pistols are loaded; we stretch the handkerchief and stand opposite one
another. We aim the pistols at each other's hearts. Suddenly tears start
to our eyes, our hands shake; we weep, we embrace--the battle is one of
self-sacrifice now! The prince shouts, 'She is yours;' I cry, 'She is
yours--' in a word, in a word--You've come to live with us, hey?"

"Yes--yes--for a while, I think," stammered the prince.

"Prince, mother begs you to come to her," said Colia, appearing at the
door.

The prince rose to go, but the general once more laid his hand in a
friendly manner on his shoulder, and dragged him down on to the sofa.

"As the true friend of your father, I wish to say a few words to you,"
he began. "I have suffered--there was a catastrophe. I suffered without
a trial; I had no tria