Entre nous and tete a tete, as the French say.
But I came to see you for a reason, Comrade Shukin."
"I'll be extremely pleased to help you."
"Grand merci!.
It's a piddling matter.
Your wife asked me to stop by and collect this chair.
She said she needed it to make a pair.
And she intends sending you instead an armchair."
"Certainly," exclaimed Ernest Pavlovich. "Only too happy.
But why should you bother yourself?
I can take it for you.
I can do it today."
"No, no.
It's no bother at all for me.
I live nearby."
The engineer fussed about and saw the smooth operator as far as the door, beyond which he was afraid to go, despite the fact that the key had been carefully placed in the pocket of his wet slacks.
Former student Ivanopulo was presented with another chair.
The upholstery was admittedly somewhat the worse for wear, but it was nevertheless a splendid chair and exactly like the first one.
Ostap was not worried by the failure of the chair, the fourth in line.
He was familiar with all the tricks of fate.
It was the chair that had vanished into the goods yard of October Station which cut like a huge dark mass through the well-knit pattern of his deductions.
His thoughts about that chair were depressing and raised grave doubts.
The smooth operator was in the position of a roulette player who only bets on numbers; one of that breed of people who want to win thirty-six times their stake all at once.
The situation was even worse than that. The concessionaires were playing a kind of roulette in which zero could come up eleven out of twelve times.
And, what was more, the twelfth number was out of sight, heaven knows where, and possibly contained a marvellous win.
The chain of distressing thoughts was interrupted by the advent of the director-in-chief.
His appearance alone aroused forebodings in Ostap.
"Oho!" said the technical adviser. "I see you're making progress.
Only don't joke with me.
Why have you left the chair outside?
To have a laugh at my expense? "
"Comrade Bender," muttered the marshal.
"Why are you trying to unnerve me?
Bring it here at once.
Don't you see that the new chair that I am sitting on has made your acquisition many times more valuable? "
Ostap leaned his head to one side and squinted.
"Don't torment the child," he said at length in his deep voice. "Where's the chair?
Why haven't you brought it?"
Ippolit Matveyevich's muddled report was interrupted by shouts from the floor, sarcastic applause and cunning questions.
Vorobyaninov concluded his report to the unanimous laughter of his audience.
"What about my instructions?" said Ostap menacingly. "How many times have I told you it's a sin to steal.
Even back in Stargorod you wanted to rob my wife, Madame Gritsatsuyev; even then I realized you had the character of a petty criminal.
The most this propensity will ever get you is six months inside.
For a master-mind, and father of Russian democracy, your scale of operations isn't very grand.
And here are the results.
The chair has slipped through your fingers.
Not only that, you've spoiled an easy job.
Just try making another visit there.
That Absalom will tear your head off.
It's lucky for you that you were helped by that ridiculous fluke, or else you'd have been behind bars, misguidedly waiting for me to bring you things.