Part 4 (1/2)
”He is in the same house with her, would you have him avoid her?”
”When the lady Vaninka returns late, and when perchance Mr. Foedor has not accompanied you, whatever the hour Mr. Foedor is there, ready, to help her out of the carriage.”
”Foedor attends me, it is his duty,” said the general, beginning to believe that the serf's suspicions were founded on slight grounds. ”He waits for me,” he, continued, ”because when I return, at any hour of the day or night, I may have orders to give him.”
”Not a day pa.s.ses without Mr. Foedor going into my lady Vaninka's room, although such a favour is not usually granted to a young man in a house like that of your excellency.”
”Usually it is I who send him to her,” said the general.
”Yes, in the daytime,” replied Gregory, ”but at night?”
”At night!” cried the general, rising to his feet, and turning so pale that, after a moment, he was forced to lean for support on a table.
”Yes, at night, your excellency,” answered Gregory quietly; ”and since, as you say, I have begun to mix myself up in a bad business, I must go on with it; besides, even if there were to result from it another punishment for me, even more terrible than that I have already endured, I should not allow so good, a master to be deceived any longer.”
”Be very careful about what you are going to say, slave; for I know the men of your nation. Take care, if the accusation you are making by way of revenge is not supported by visible, palpable, and positive proofs, you shall be punished as an infamous slanderer.”
”To that I agree,” said Gregory.
”Do you affirm that you have seen Foedor enter my daughter's chamber at night?”
”I do not say that I have seen him enter it, your excellency. I say that I have seen him come out.”
”When was that?”
”A quarter of an hour ago, when I was on my way to your excellency.”
”You lie!” said the general, raising his fist.
”This is not our agreement, your excellency,” said the slave, drawing back. ”I am only to be punished if I fail to give proofs.”
”But what are your proofs?”
”I have told you.”
”And do you expect me to believe your word alone?”
”No; but I expect you to believe your own eyes.”
”How?”
”The first time that Mr. Foedor is in my lady Vaninka's room after midnight, I shall come to find your excellency, and then you can judge for yourself if I lie; but up to the present, your excellency, all the conditions of the service I wish to render you are to my disadvantage.”
”In what way?”
”Well, if I fail to give proofs, I am to be treated as an infamous slanderer; but if I give them, what advantage shall I gain?”
”A thousand roubles and your freedom.”
”That is a bargain, then, your excellency,” replied Gregory quietly, replacing the razors on the general's toilet-table, ”and I hope that before a week has pa.s.sed you will be more just to me than you are now.”