"First of all, may I return something that belongs to you," he said, and, taking the red case from his pocket, he carefully put it down on the table. "To be sure, it does credit to your taste, but we earnestly request that no further surprises of this kind shall be sprung on us."
"Please forgive me.
I know I'm very much at fault," whispered Zheltkov, flushing, his eyes on the floor. "Wouldn't you like a glass of tea?"
"You see, Mr. Zheltkov," Nikolai Nikolayevich went on, as if he had not heard Zheltkov's last words. "I'm very glad to see you are a gentleman, who can take a hint.
I believe we shall reach agreement promptly.
If I'm not mistaken, you have been pursuing Princess Vera Nikolayevna for the last seven or eight years?"
"Yes," answered Zheltkov softly, and lowered his eyelashes in awe.
"But so far we haven't taken any action against you, although you'll concede that we could and, indeed, should have done so.
Don't you agree?"
"Yes."
"Yes.
But by your last act, namely, by sending this garnet bracelet, you overstepped the limit of our forbearance.
Do you understand? The limit.
I shall not conceal from you that our first thought was to refer the matter to the authorities, but we didn't do so, and I'm glad we didn't, because — I'll say it again — I saw at once that you are an honourable man."
"I beg your pardon.
What was that you said?" Zheltkov asked suddenly, and laughed. "You were about to refer the matter to the authorities?
Did I understand you rightly?"
He put his hands in his pockets, made himself comfortable in a corner of the sofa, took out his cigarette-case and matches, and lighted a cigarette.
"So you said you were about to refer the matter to the authorities?
You will pardon my sitting, Prince?" he said to Sheyin. "Well, go on."
The prince pulled a chair up to the table and sat down.
Mystified and eager, he gazed fixedly at the face of the strange man.
"It's open to us to take that step at any time, my good man," Nikolai Nikolayevich continued, with some insolence. "Butting into la stranger's family — "
"I beg to interrupt you — "
"No, I beg to interrupt you, " all but shouted the assistant prosecutor.
"As you wish.
Go on.
I'm listening.
But I want a word with Prince Vasily Lvovich."
And paying no more attention to Tuganovsky, he said,
"This is the most difficult moment of my life.
And I must speak without any regard for convention.
Will you listen to me?"
"I'm listening," said Sheyin. "Be quiet, Kolya, please!" he said impatiently as he saw Tuganovsky make an angry gesture. "Yes?"
For a few seconds Zheltkov's breathing came in choking gasps, and suddenly he burst out in a torrent of words.
He spoke with only his jaws; his lips were a ghastly white, and rigid like a dead man's.
"It's hard to utter those words — to say that I love your wife.
But seven years of hopeless and unassuming love give me some right to it.
I'll own that at first, while Vera Nikolayevna was still unmarried, I wrote her foolish letters and even expected her to answer them.
I agree that my last step, namely, sending the bracelet, was an even more foolish thing to do.
But — I look you straight in the eyes and I feel that you'll understand me.
I know it's beyond my power ever to stop loving her.
Tell me, Prince — supposing you resent the whole thing — tell me what you would do to break off that feeling?
Would you have me transported to some other town, as Nikolai Nikolayevich suggested?
But there I would go on loving Vera Nikolayevna as much as I do here.
Put me in jail?
But there, too, I'd find means to remind her of my existence.
So the only solution is death.
If you so desire I'll accept death in any form."
"Instead of talking business, here we are up to our necks in melodrama," said Nikolai Nikolayevich, putting on his hat. "The point is quite clear: either you cease completely persecuting Princess Vera Nikolayevna or, if you don't, we shall take such measures as are available to men of our standing, our influence, and so on."