"Your humble servant till death and after,
"G.S.Z."
"Shall I show it to Vasya or not?
If so, when?
Now or after the guests have left?
No, I'd better do it later — now I'd look as silly as this poor man."
While debating thus with herself Princess Vera could not take her eyes off the five blood-red lights glowing inside the five garnets.
VI
It was only with great difficulty that Colonel Ponamaryov was induced to play poker.
He said that he knew nothing about the game, that he did not gamble even for fun and that the only game he cared for and had any skill in was vint.
But in the end he gave in.
At first they had to teach and prompt him, but soon he had mastered the rules of the game, and within half an hour he had all the chips piled in front of him.
"That isn't fair!" said Anna in mock reproach. "You , might have allowed us a little more of the excitement."
Vera did not know how to entertain three of the guests — Speshnikov, the colonel and the vice-governor, a doltish, respectable and dull German.
She got up a game of vint for them and invited Gustav Ivanovich to make a fourth.
Anna thanked her by lowering her eyelids, and her sister at once understood.
Everybody knew that unless Gustav Ivanovich was disposed of by suggesting a game of cards he would hang about his wife all evening, baring the rotten teeth in his skull-face and making a perfect nuisance of himself.
Now things went smoothly, in an easy and lively atmosphere.
Vasyuchok, accompanied by Jennie Reiter, sang in an undertone Italian folk canzonets and Oriental songs by Rubinstein.
He had a light but pleasant voice, responsive and true.
Jennie Reiter, a very exacting musician, was always willing to accompany him; but then it was said that he was courting her.
Sitting on a couch in a corner, Anna was flirting audaciously with the Hussar.
Vera walked over and listened with a smile.
"Oh, please don't laugh," said Anna gaily, narrowing her lovely, mischievous Tatar eyes at the officer. "Of course, you think it's a feat to gallop at the head of a squadron, or to clear hurdles at races.
But look at our feats.
We've just finished a lottery.
Do you think that's easy?
Fie!
The place was so crowded and full of tobacco smoke, there were porters and cabbies and God knows who else, and they all pestered me with complaints and grievances.
I didn't have a moment's rest all day.
And that isn't all, either, for now there's to be a concert in aid of needy gentlewomen, and then comes a charity ball — "
"At which you will not refuse me a mazurka, I hope?" Bakhtinsky put in and, bending slightly forward, clicked his heels under the arm-chair.
"Thank you.
But the saddest case is our children's home.
You know what I mean — a home for vicious children."
"Oh, I see.
That must be very amusing."
"Don't, you should be ashamed of laughing at things like that.
But do you know what the trouble is?
We'd like to give shelter to those unfortunate children, whose souls are corrupted by inherited vice and bad example, we'd like to give them warmth and comfort — "
"Humph!"
" — to improve their morality, land instil in them a sense of duty.
Do you see my point?
And every day hundreds and thousands of children are brought to us, but there isn't a single vicious child among them!
If you ask the parents whether their child is vicious they take offence — can you imagine that?
And so the home has been opened and dedicated, everything is ready and waiting, but it hasn't a single inmate!
We're almost at the stage of offering a prize for every vicious child brought in."
"Anna Nikolayevna," the Hussar interrupted her, with insinuating earnestness. "Why offer a prize?
Take me free.
Upon my honour, you couldn't find a more vicious child than I am."