eyes on Nejdanov,
seeming to say: "There, this is for you! Make what you like of it! I
mean this for you! And there's a lot more to come yet!" The latter,
no longer able to contain himself, objected at last, and began in a
slightly unsteady tone of voice (not due to fear, of course) defending
the ideals, the hopes, the principles of the modern generation.
Kollomietzev soon went into a squeak--his anger always expressed itself
in falsetto--and became abusive. Sipiagin, with a stately air, began
taking Nejdanov's part; Valentina Mihailovna, of course, sided with her
husband; Anna Zaharovna tried to distract Kolia's attention, looking
furiously at everybody; Mariana did not move, she seemed turned to
stone.

Nejdanov, hearing the name of Ladislas pronounced at least for the
twentieth time, suddenly flared up and thumping the palm of his hand on
the table burst out:

"What an authority! As if we do not know who this Ladislas is! A born
spy, nothing more!"

"W-w-w-what--what--did you say?" Kollomietzev stammered cut, choking
with rage. "How dare you express yourself like that of a man who is
respected by such people as Prince Blasenkramf and Prince Kovrishkin!"

Nejdanov shrugged his shoulders.

"A very nice recommendation! Prince Kovrishkin, that enthusiastic
flunky--"

"Ladislas is my friend," Kollomietzev screamed, "my comrade--and I--"

"So much the worse for you," Nejdanov interrupted him. "It means that
you share his way of thinking, in which case my words apply to you too."

Kollomietzev turned deadly pale with passion.

"W-what? How? You--ought to be--on the spot--"

"What would you like to do with me ON THE SPOT?" Nejdanov asked with
sarcastic politeness. Heaven only knows what this skirmish between these
two enemies might have led to, had not Sipiagin himself put a stop to it
at the very outset. Raising his voice and putting on a serious air, in
which it was difficult to say what predominated most, the gravity of an
important statesman or the dignity of a host, he announced firmly that
he did not wish to hear at his table such immoderate expressions, that
he had long ago made it a rule, a sacred rule, he added, to respect
every sort of conviction, so long as (at this point he raised his
forefinger ornamented with a signet ring) it came within the limits of
decent behaviour; that if he could not help, on the one hand, condemning
Mr. Nejdanov's intemperate words, for which only his extreme youth could
b