"Good-morning, Dmitri Ivanovitch."

"Good-morning, Agraphena Petrovna. What is it you want?"

Nekhludoff asked.

"A letter from the princess; either from the mother or the

daughter. The maid brought it some time ago, and is waiting in my

room," answered Agraphena Petrovna, handing him the letter with a

significant smile.

"All right! Directly!" said Nekhludoff, taking the letter and

frowning as he noticed Agraphena Petrovna's smile.

That smile meant that the letter was from the younger Princess

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Korchagin, whom Agraphena Petrovna expected him to marry. This

supposition of hers annoyed Nekhludoff.

"Then I'll tell her to wait?" and Agraphena Petrovna took a crumb

brush which was not in its place, put it away, and sailed out of

the room.

Nekhludoff opened the perfumed note, and began reading it.

The note was written on a sheet of thick grey paper, with rough

edges; the writing looked English. It said: Having assumed the task of acting as your memory, I take the

liberty of reminding you that on this the 28th day of April you

have to appear at the Law Courts, as juryman, and, in

consequence, can on no account accompany us and Kolosoff to the

picture gallery, as, with your habitual flightiness, you promised

yesterday; _a moins que vous ne soyez dispose a payer la cour

d'assise les 300 roubles d'amende que vous vous refusez pour

votre cheval,_ for not appearing in time. I remembered it last

night after you were gone, so do not forget.

Princess M. Korchagin.

On the other side was a postscript.

_Maman vous fait dire que votre convert vous attendra jusqu'a

la nuit. Venez absolument a quelle heure que cela soit._ M. K.

Nekhludoff made a grimace. This note was a continuation of that

skilful manoeuvring which the Princess Korchagin had already

practised for two months in order to bind him closer and closer

with invisible threads. And yet, beside the usual hesitation of

men past their youth to marry unless they are very much in love,

Nekhludoff had very good reasons why, even if he did make up his

mind to it, he could not propose at once. It was not that ten

years previously he had betrayed and forsaken Maslova; he had

quite forgotten that, and he would not have considered it a

reason for not marrying. No! The reason was that he had a liaison

with a married woman, and, though he considered it broken off,

she did not.

Nekhludoff was rather shy with women, and his very shyness

awakened in this married woman, the unprincipled wife of the

marechal de noblesse of a district where Nekhludoff was present

at an election, the desire of vanquishing him. This woman drew

him into an intimacy which entangled him more and more, while it

daily became more distasteful to him. Having succumbed to the

temptation, Nekhludoff felt guilty, and had not the courage to

break the tie without her consent. And this was the reason he did

not feel at liberty to propose to Korchagin even if he had wished

to do so. Among the letters on the table was one from this

woman's husband. Seeing his writing and the postmark, Nekhludoff

flushed, and felt his energies awakening, as they always did when

he was facing any kind of danger.




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