give
expression to such patriotic sentiments as those you have just heard
from the lips of your beau-frere! I shall be delighted, my dear Boris,"
he added, turning to Sipiagin, "to tell the minister of your noble
action. But with whom is this Nejdanov staying at the factory?"

Sipiagin frowned.

"With a certain Mr. Solomin, the chief engineer there, Mr. Paklin says."

It seemed to afford Sipiagin some peculiar pleasure in tormenting poor
Sila. He made him pay dearly for the cigar he had given him and the
playful familiarity of his behaviour.

"This Solomin," Kollomietzev put in, "is an out-and-out radical and
republican. It would be a good thing if your excellency were to turn
your attention to him too."

"Do you know these gentlemen... Solomin, and what's his name. ..
Nejdanov?" the governor asked Markelov, somewhat authoritatively.

Markelov distended his nostrils malignantly.

"Do you know Confucius and Titus Livius, your excellency?"

The governor turned away.

"Il n'y a pas moyen de causer avec cette homme," he said, shrugging his
shoulders. "Baron, come here, please."

The adjutant went up to him quickly and Paklin seized the opportunity of
limping over to Sipiagin.

"What are you doing?" he asked in a whisper. "Why do you want to ruin
your niece? Why, she's with him, with Nejdanov!"

"I am not ruining any one, my dear sir," Sipiagin said loudly, "I am
only doing what my conscience bids me do, and--"

"And what your wife, my sister, bids you do; you dare not stand up
against her!" Markelov exclaimed just as loudly.

Sipiagin took no notice of the remark; it was too much beneath him!

"Listen," Paklin continued, trembling all over with agitation, or may
be from timidity; there was a malignant light in his eyes and the tears
were nearly choking him--tears of pity for them and rage at himself;
"listen, I told you she was married--it wasn't true, I lied! but they
must get married--and if you prevent it, if the police get there--there
will be a stain on your conscience which you'll never be able to wipe
out--and you--"

"If what you have just told me be true," Sipiagin interrupted him
still more loudly, "then it can only hasten the measures which I
think necessary to take in this matter; and as for the purity of my
conscience, I beg you not to trouble about that, my dear sir.

"It's been polished," Markelov put in again; "there is a coat of St.
Petersburg varnish upon it; no amount of washing will