ou, came up to me and told me that, at ten o'clock in
the evening, he had seen somebody creeping into the Ligovskis' house. I
must observe that Princess Ligovski was here, and Princess Mary at home.
So he and I set off to wait beneath the windows and waylay the lucky
man."

I confess I was frightened, although my companion was very busily
engaged with his breakfast: he might have heard things which he would
have found rather displeasing, if Grushnitski had happened to guess the
truth; but, blinded by jealousy, the latter did not even suspect it.

"So, do you see?" Grushnitski continued. "We set off, taking with us a
gun, loaded with blank cartridge, so as just to give him a fright.
We waited in the garden till two o'clock. At length--goodness knows,
indeed, where he appeared from, but he must have come out by the glass
door which is behind the pillar; it was not out of the window that he
came, because the window had remained unopened--at length, I say, we saw
someone getting down from the balcony... What do you think of Princess
Mary--eh? Well, I admit, it is hardly what you might expect from Moscow
ladies! After that what can you believe? We were going to seize him, but
he broke away and darted like a hare into the shrubs. Thereupon I fired
at him."

There was a general murmur of incredulity.

"You do not believe it?" he continued. "I give you my word of honour as
a gentleman that it is all perfectly true, and, in proof, I will tell
you the man's name if you like."

"Tell us, tell us, who was he?" came from all sides.

"Pechorin," answered Grushnitski.

At that moment he raised his eyes--I was standing in the doorway
opposite to him. He grew terribly red. I went up to him and said, slowly
and distinctly:

"I am very sorry that I did not come in before you had given your word
of honour in confirmation of a most abominable calumny: my presence
would have saved you from that further act of baseness."

Grushnitski jumped up from his seat and seemed about to fly into a
passion.

"I beg you," I continued in the same tone: "I beg you at once to retract
what you have said; you know very well that it is all an invention. I
do not think that a woman's indifference to your brilliant merits should
deserve so terrible a revenge. Bethink you well: if you maintain your
present attitude, you will lose the right to the name of gentleman and
will risk your life."

Grushnitski stood before me in violent agitation, his eyes