The two men felt that they had much that was important to say to each
other. Yourii would have liked to ask: "Do you love Lialia? Really and truly? It would be sad, and indeed
shameful, if you were to betray her; she's so pure, so innocent!"
And Riasantzeff would have liked to answer: "Yes, I love your sister deeply; who could do anything else but love
her? Look how pure and sweet, and charming she is; how fond she is of
me; and what a pretty dimple she's got!"
But instead of all this, Yourii said nothing, and Riasantzeff asked: "Have you been expelled for long?"
"For five years," was Yourii's answer.
At these words Nicolai Yegorovitch, who was pacing up and down the
room, stopped for a moment and then, recollecting himself, he continued
his walk with the regular, precise steps of an old soldier. As yet he
was ignorant of the details of his son's exile, and this unexpected
news came as a shock.
"What the devil does it all mean?" he muttered to himself.
Lialia understood this movement of her father's. She was afraid of
scenes, and tried to change the conversation.
"How foolish of me," she thought, "not to have remembered to tell
Anatole!"
But Riasantzeff did not know the real facts, and, replying to Lialia's
invitation to have some tea, he again began to question Yourii.
"And what do you think of doing now?"
Nicolai Yegorovitch frowned, and said nothing. Yourii at once knew what
his father's silence meant; and before he had reflected upon the
consequences of such an answer he replied, defiantly and with
irritation, "Nothing for the moment."
"How do you mean--nothing?" asked Nicolai Yegorovitch, stopping short.
He had not raised his voice, but its tone clearly conveyed a hidden
reproach.
"How can you say such a thing? As if I were obliged always to have you
round my neck! How can you forget that I am old, and that it is high
time that you earned your own living? I say nothing. Live as you like!
But can't you yourself understand?" The tone implied all this. And the
more it made Yourii feel that his father was right in thinking as he
did, the more he took offence.
"Yes, nothing! What do you expect me to do?" he asked provocatively.
Nicolai Yegorovitch was about to make a cutting retort, but said
nothing, merely shrugging his shoulders and with measured tread
resuming his march from one corner of the room to the other. He was too
well-bred to wrangle with his son on the very day of his arrival.
Yourii watched him with flashing eyes, being hardly able to control
himself and ready on the slightest chance to open the quarrel. Lialia
was almost in tears. She glanced imploringly from her brother to her
father. Riasantzeff at last understood the situation, and he felt so
sorry for Lialia, that, clumsily enough, he turned the talk into
another channel.