strovsky's play and Sadovsky's
acting afforded him but little pleasure, and he felt bitter at heart.
When suddenly, Oh wonder! During one of the intervals, his neighbour
on the left, not the glittering general, but the other with no marks
of distinction on his breast, addressed him politely and kindly, but
somewhat timidly. He asked him what he thought of Ostrovsky's play,
wanted to know his opinion of it as a representative of the new
generation. Nejdanov, overwhelmed and half frightened, his heart beating
fast, answered at first curtly, in monosyllables, but soon began to be
annoyed with his own excitement. "After all," he thought, "am I not
a man like everybody else?" And began expressing his opinions quite
freely, without any restraint. He got so carried away by his subject,
and spoke so loudly, that he quite alarmed the order-bedecked general.
Nejdanov was a strong admirer of Ostrovsky, but could not help feeling,
in spite of the author's great genius, his evident desire to throw a
slur on modern civilisation in the burlesqued character of Veherov, in
"Never Sit in Another Man's Sledge".

His polite neighbour listened to him attentively, evidently interested
in what he said. He spoke to him again in the next interval, not about
the play this time, but about various matters of everyday life, about
science, and even touched upon political questions. He was decidedly
interested in his eloquent young companion. Nejdanov did not feel in
the least constrained as before, but even began to assume airs, as if
saying, "If you really want to know, I can satisfy your curiosity!" The
general's annoyance grew to indignation and even suspicion.

After the play Sipiagin took leave of Nejdanov very courteously, but did
not ask his name, neither did he tell him his own. While waiting for his
carriage, he ran against a friend, a certain Prince G., an aide-de-camp.

"I watched you from my box," the latter remarked, through a perfumed
moustache. "Do you know whom you were speaking to?"

"No. Do you? A rather clever chap. Who is he?"

The prince whispered in his ear in French. "He is my brother.. ..
illegitimate.... His name is Nejdanov. I will tell you all about it
someday. My father did not in the least expect that sort of thing, that
was why he called him Nejdanov. [The unexpected.] But he looked after
him all right. Il lui a fait un sort. We make him an allowance to live
on. He is not stupid. Had quite a good education, thanks t