"Yes, sir,"--returned the lackey, and grinned. Lavretzky shrugged his shoulders, and followed him. XLIII Marya Dmitrievna was sitting alone, in her boudoir, in a sofa-chair, and sniffing eau de Cologne; a glass of orange-flower water was standing beside her, on a small table. She was excited, and seemed to be timorous. Lavretzky entered. "You wished to see me,"--he said, saluting her coldly. "Yes,"--returned Marya Dmitrievna, and drank a little of the water. "I heard that you went straight up-stairs to aunty; I gave orders that you should be requested to come to me: I must have a talk with you. Sit down, if you please."--Marya Dmitrievna took breath.--"You know,"--she went on:--"that your wife has arrived?" "That fact is known to me,"--said Lavretzky. "Well, yes,--that is, I meant to say, she came to me, and I received her; that is what I wish to have an explanation about with you now, Feodor Ivanitch. I, thank God, have won universal respect, I may say, and I would not do anything improper for all the world. Although I foresaw that it would be disagreeable to you, still, I could not make up my mind to refuse her, Feodor Ivanitch; she is my relative--through you: put yourself in my place--what right had I to turn her out of my house?--You agree with me?" "There is no necessity for your agitating yourself, Marya Dmitrievna,"--returned Lavretzky: "you have behaved very well indeed; I am not in the least angry. I have not the slightest intention of depriving Varvara Pavlovna of the right to see her acquaintances; I only refrained from entering your apartments to-day because I wished to avoid meeting her,--that was all." "Akh, how delighted I am to hear that from you, Feodor Ivanitch,"--exclaimed Marya Dmitrievna:--"however, I always expected this from your noble sentiments. But that I should feel agitated, is not wonderful: I am a woman and a mother. And your wife ... of course, I cannot judge between her and you--I told her so myself; but she is such an amiable lady, that she cannot cause anything but pleasure." Lavretzky laughed, and played with his hat. "And this is what I wished to say to you, Feodor Ivanitch,"--went on Marya Dmitrievna, moving a little nearer to him:--"if you had only seen how modestly, how respectfully she behaves!--Really, it is touching. But if you had heard how she speaks of you! 'I am wholly culpable with regard to him,' she says; 'I did not know how to appreciate him,' she says; 'he is an angel,' she says, 'not a man.' Truly, she did say that, 'an angel.' She is so penitent.... I never beheld such penitence, I give you my word!" "Well, Marya Dmitrievna,"--said Lavretzky:--"permit me to ask you a question: I am told that Varvara Pavlovna has been singing for you; did she sing during her repentance--or how?"...