to the factory and caught sight of the faithful Pavel in the doorway
of his little dwelling.

XXVI

SOLOMIN'S refusal greatly offended Sipiagin; so much so, that he
suddenly found that this home-bred Stevenson was not such a wonderful
engineer after all, and that though he was not perhaps a complete poser,
yet gave himself airs like the plebeian he was. "All these Russians when
they imagine they know a thing become insufferable! Au fond Kollomietzev
was right!" Under the influence of such hostile and irritable
sensations, the statesman--en herbe--was even more unsympathetic and
distant in his intercourse with Nejdanov. He told Kolia that he need
not take lessons that day and that he must try to be more independent in
future. He did not, however, dismiss the tutor himself as the latter had
expected, but continued to ignore him. But Valentina Mihailovna did not
ignore Mariana. A dreadful scene took place between them.

About two hours before dinner they suddenly found themselves alone in
the drawing-room. They both felt that the inevitable moment for the
battle had arrived and, after a moment's hesitation, instinctively drew
near to one another. Valentina Mihailovna was slightly smiling, Mariana
pressed her lips firmly together; both were pale. When walking across
the room, Valentina Mihailovna looked uneasily to the right and left
and tore off a geranium leaf. Mariana's eyes were fixed straight on the
smiling face coming towards her. Madame Sipiagina was the first to stop,
and drumming her finger-tips on the back of a chair began in a free and
easy tone:

"Mariana Vikentievna, it seems that we have entered upon a
correspondence with one another... Living under the same roof as we do
it strikes me as being rather strange. And you know I am not very fond
of strange things."

"I did not begin the correspondence, Valentina Mihailovna."

"That is true. As it happens, I am to blame in that. Only I could not
think of any other means of arousing in you a feeling... how shall I
say? A feeling--"

"You can speak quite plainly, Valentina Mihailovna. You need not be
afraid of offending me."

"A feeling... of propriety."

Valentina Mihailovna ceased; nothing but the drumming of her fingers
could be heard in the room.

"In what way do you think I have failed to observe the rules of
propriety?" Mariana asked.

Valentina Mihailovna shrugged her shoulders.

"Ma chere, vous n'etes plus un enfant--I think you know w