weapon which caused me to decide against an attempt at
"I do not agree with you," I answered: "he is more youthful-looking still in his uniform."
That was a blow which Grushnitski could not bear: like all boys, he has pretensions to being an old man; he thinks that the deep traces of passions upon his countenance take the place of the lines scored by Time. He cast a furious glance at me, stamped his foot, and took himself off.
"Confess now," I said to Princess Mary: "that although he has always been most ridiculous, yet not so long ago he seemed to you to be inter- esting . . . in the grey cloak?" . . .
She cast her eyes down and made no reply.
Grushnitski followed the Princess about during the whole evening and danced either with her or vis-a-vis. He devoured her with his eyes, sighed, and wearied her with prayers and reproaches. After the third quadrille she had begun to hate him.
"I did not expect this from you," he said, coming up to me and taking my arm.
"You are going to dance the mazurka with her?" he asked in a solemn tone. "She ad- mitted it" . . .
"Well, what then? It is not a secret, is it"?
*