Shuo Yu Liu Jin Wang

"So, do you see?" Grushnitski continued. "We set off, taking with us a gun, loaded with blank cartridge, so as just to give him a fright. We waited in the garden till two o'clock. At length -- goodness knows, indeed, where he ap- peared from, but he must have come out by the glass door which is behind the pillar; it was not out of the window that he came, because the window had remained unopened -- at length, I say, we saw someone getting down from the balcony. . . What do you think of Princess Mary -- eh? Well, I admit, it is hardly what you might expect from Moscow ladies! After that what can you believe? We were going to seize him, but he broke away and darted like a hare into the shrubs. Thereupon I fired at him."

There was a general murmur of incredulity.

"You do not believe it?" he continued. "I give you my word of honour as a gentleman that it is all perfectly true, and, in proof, I will tell you the man's name if you like."

"Tell us, tell us, who was he?" came from all sides.

"Pechorin," answered Grushnitski.

At that moment he raised his eyes -- I was stand- ing in the doorway opposite to him. He grew terribly red. I went up to him and said, slowly and distinctly:

"I am very sorry that I did not come in before you had given your word of honour in confirma- tion of a most abominable calumny: my presence would have saved you from that further act of baseness."

Grushnitski jumped up from his seat and seemed about to fly into a passion.