You must ask Nastasya; she knows all about it better than I do.
J'etais surexcite, voyez-vous.
Il parlait, il parlait... un tas de chases; he said very little though, it was I said all that.... I told him the story of my life, simply from that point of view, of course. J'etais surexcite, mais digne, je vous assure....
I am afraid, though, I may have shed tears.
They got the barrow from the shop next door."
"Oh, heavens! how could all this have happened?
But for mercy's sake, speak more exactly, Stepan Trofimovitch. What you tell me sounds like a dream."
"Cher, I feel as though I were in a dream myself.... Savez-vous! Il a prononce le nom de Telyatnikof, and I believe that that man was concealed in the entry.
Yes, I remember, he suggested calling the prosecutor and Dmitri Dmitritch, I believe... qui me doit encore quinze roubles I won at cards, soit dit en passant.
Enfin, je n'ai pas trop compris.
But I got the better of them, and what do I care for Dmitri Dmitritch?
I believe I begged him very earnestly to keep it quiet; I begged him particularly, most particularly. I am afraid I demeaned myself, in fact, comment croyez-vous?
Enfin il a consenti.
Yes, I remember, he suggested that himself—that it would be better to keep it quiet, for he had only come 'to have a look round' et rien de plus, and nothing more, nothing more... and that if they find nothing, nothing will happen.
So that we ended it all en amis, je suis tout a fait content."
"Why, then he suggested the usual course of proceedings in such cases and regular guarantees, and you rejected them yourself," I cried with friendly indignation.
"Yes, it's better without the guarantees.
And why make a scandal?
Let's keep it en amis so long as we can. You know, in our town, if they get to know it... mes ennemis, et puis, a quoi bon, le procureur, ce cochon de notre procureur, qui deux fois m'a manque de politesse et qu'on a rosse a plaisir l'autre annee chez cette charmante et belle Natalya Pavlovna quand il se cacha dans son boudoir.
Et puis, mon ami, don't make objections and don't depress me, I beg you, for nothing is more unbearable when a man is in trouble than for a hundred friends to point out to him what a fool he has made of himself.
Sit down though and have some tea. I must admit I am awfully tired.... Hadn't I better lie down and put vinegar on my head? What do you think?"
"Certainly," I cried, "ice even.
You are very much upset.
You are pale and your hands are trembling.
Lie down, rest, and put off telling me.
I'll sit by you and wait."
He hesitated, but I insisted on his lying down.
Nastasya brought a cup of vinegar. I wetted a towel and laid it on his head.
Then Nastasya stood on a chair and began lighting a lamp before the ikon in the corner.
I noticed this with surprise; there had never been a lamp there before and now suddenly it had made its appearance.
"I arranged for that as soon as they had gone away," muttered Stepan Trofimovitch, looking at me slyly. "Quand on a de ces choses-la dans sa chambre et qu'on vient vous arreter it makes an impression and they are sure to report that they have seen it...."
When she had done the lamp, Nastasya stood in the doorway, leaned her cheek in her right hand, and began gazing at him with a lachrymose air.
"Eloignez-la on some excuse," he nodded to me from the sofa. "I can't endure this Russian sympathy, et puis ca m'embete."
But she went away of herself.
I noticed that he kept looking towards the door and listening for sounds in the passage.
"Il faut etre pret, voyez-vous," he said, looking at me significantly, "chaque moment... they may come and take one and, phew!—a man disappears."
"Heavens! who'll come?
Who will take you?"
"Voyez-vous, mon cher, I asked straight out when he was going away, what would they do to me now."
"You'd better have asked them where you'd be exiled!" I cried out in the same indignation.
"That's just what I meant when I asked, but he went away without answering.
Voyez-vous: as for linen, clothes, warm things especially, that must be as they decide; if they tell me to take them—all right, or they might send me in a soldier's overcoat.
But I thrust thirty-five roubles" (he suddenly dropped his voice, looking towards the door by which Nastasya had gone out) "in a slit in my waistcoat pocket, here, feel.... I believe they won't take the waistcoat off, and left seven roubles in my purse to keep up appearances, as though that were all I have.
You see, it's in small change and the coppers are on the table, so they won't guess that I've hidden the money, but will suppose that that's all.
For God knows where I may have to sleep to-night!"
I bowed my head before such madness.
It was obvious that a man could not be arrested and searched in the way he was describing, and he must have mixed things up.
It's true it all happened in the days before our present, more recent regulations.
It is true, too, that according to his own account they had offered to follow the more regular procedure, but he "got the better of them" and refused.... Of course not long ago a governor might, in extreme cases.... But how could this be an extreme case?
That's what baffled me.