It was in this guise and engaged in this innocent occupation that he was surprised by the police. The scene which followed may easily be imagined. Olga flung her arms round his neck, and poured forth a stream of broken words, exclamations, excuses, and complaints of these men who had arrested her because she wished to call upon her milliner. In the midst, however, of these exclamations, she whispered in his ear, “Have you not been warned?” “Yes,” he replied in the same manner, everything is in order. “Don’t be alarmed.” Meanwhile he played the part of an affectionate husband mortified by this scandal. After a little scolding and then a little consolation, he turned to the _pristav_ and asked him for an explanation, as he could not quite understand what had happened from the disconnected words of his wife. The _pristav_ politely told the whole story. The engineer appeared greatly surprised and grieved, and could not refrain from somewhat bitterly censuring his wife for her unpardonable imprudence. The _pristav_, who was evidently reassured by the aspect of the husband and of the whole household, declared nevertheless that he must make a search. “I hope you will excuse me, sir,” he added, “but I am obliged to do it; it is my duty.” “I willingly submit to the law,” nobly replied the engineer. Thereupon he pointed to the room, so as to indicate that the _pristav_ was free to search it thoroughly, and having lit a candle with his own hand, for at that hour in St. Petersburg it was already dark, he quietly opened the door of the adjoining room, which was his own little place. The search was made. Certainly not a single scrap of paper was found, written or printed, which smelt of Nihilism. “By rights I ought to take the lady to prison,” said the _pristav_, when he had finished his search, “especially as her previous behavior was anything but what it ought to have been; but I won’t do that. I will simply keep you under arrest here until your passports have been verified. You see, sir,” he added, “we police officers are not quite so bad as the Nihilists make us out.” “There are always honest men in every occupation,” replied the engineer with a gracious bow. More compliments of the same kind, which I need not repeat, were exchanged between them, and the _pristav_ went away with most of his men, well impressed with such a polite and pleasant reception. He left, however, a guard in the kitchen, with strict injunctions not to lose sight of the host and hostess, until further orders.