wly.

"It is easy to see from your very words, from your whole behaviour.
Today, for instance, at Golushkin's, who said that he failed to see any
elements that we could rely on? You! Who demanded to have them pointed
out to him? You again! And when that friend of yours, that grinning
buffoon, Mr. Paklin, stood up and declared with his eyes raised to
heaven that not one of us was capable of self-sacrifice, who approved of
it and nodded to him encouragingly? Wasn't it you? Say what you like of
yourself...think what you like of yourself, you know best... that is
your affair, but I know people who could give up everything that is
beautiful in life--even love itself--to serve their convictions, to be
true to them! Well, YOU... couldn't have done that, today at any rate!"

"Today? Why not today in particular?"

"Oh, don't pretend, for heaven's sake, you happy Don Juan, you
myrtle-crowned lover!" Markelov shouted, quite forgetting the coachman,
who, though he did not turn round on the box, must have heard every
word. It is true the coachman was at that moment more occupied with the
road than with what the gentlemen were saying behind him. He loosened
the shaft-horse carefully, though somewhat nervously, she shook her
head, backed a little, and went down a slope which had no business there
at all.

"I'm afraid I don't quite understand you," Nejdanov observed.

Markelov gave a forced, malicious laugh.

"So you don't understand me! ha, ha, ha! I know everything, my dear sir!
I know whom you made love to yesterday, whom you've completely conquered
with your good looks and honeyed words! I know who lets you into her
room... after ten o'clock at night!"

"Sir!" the coachman exclaimed suddenly, turning to Markelov, "hold the
reins, please. I'll get down and have a look. I think we've gone off the
track. There seems a sort of ravine here."

The carriage was, in fact, standing almost on one side. Markelov seized
the reins which the coachman handed to him and continued just as loudly:

"I don't blame you in the least, Alexai Dmitritch! You took advantage
of.... You were quite right. No wonder that you're not so keen about
our cause now... as I said before, you have something else on your mind.
And, really, who can tell beforehand what will please a girl's heart or
what man can achieve what she may desire?"

"I understand now," Nejdanov began; "I understand your vexation and can
guess... who spied on us and lost no time in let