lionovitch, turning
to Burdovsky, who sat looking at him with wide-open eyes, perplexed and
astonished. You will not deny, seriously, that you were born just two
years after your mother's legal marriage to Mr. Burdovsky, your father.
Nothing would be easier than to prove the date of your birth from
well-known facts; we can only look on Mr. Keller's version as a work of
imagination, and one, moreover, extremely offensive both to you and your
mother. Of course he distorted the truth in order to strengthen your
claim, and to serve your interests. Mr. Keller said that he previously
consulted you about his article in the paper, but did not read it to you
as a whole. Certainly he could not have read that passage. ....

"As a matter of fact, I did not read it," interrupted the boxer, "but
its contents had been given me on unimpeachable authority, and I..."

"Excuse me, Mr. Keller," interposed Gavrila Ardalionovitch. "Allow me to
speak. I assure you your article shall be mentioned in its proper place,
and you can then explain everything, but for the moment I would rather
not anticipate. Quite accidentally, with the help of my sister, Varvara
Ardalionovna Ptitsin, I obtained from one of her intimate friends,
Madame Zoubkoff, a letter written to her twenty-five years ago,
by Nicolai Andreevitch Pavlicheff, then abroad. After getting
into communication with this lady, I went by her advice to Timofei
Fedorovitch Viazovkin, a retired colonel, and one of Pavlicheff's oldest
friends. He gave me two more letters written by the latter when he was
still in foreign parts. These three documents, their dates, and the
facts mentioned in them, prove in the most undeniable manner, that
eighteen months before your birth, Nicolai Andreevitch went abroad,
where he remained for three consecutive years. Your mother, as you are
well aware, has never been out of Russia.... It is too late to read the
letters now; I am content to state the fact. But if you desire it, come
to me tomorrow morning, bring witnesses and writing experts with you,
and I will prove the absolute truth of my story. From that moment the
question will be decided."

These words caused a sensation among the listeners, and there was a
general movement of relief. Burdovsky got up abruptly.

"If that is true," said he, "I have been deceived, grossly deceived, but
not by Tchebaroff: and for a long time past, a long time. I do not
wish for experts, not I, nor to go to see you. I belie