[With greedy fingers that pretend to caress, NASTASIA seizes her savagely and suddenly at the end of this speech and draws her to the door. MASHA cries out "FEDYA! FEDYA!" as she exits R. IVAN (alongside). You open your mouth again and I'll smash you dumb. (To FEDYA.) Good-bye, your worship. [All exit R. I. [FEDYA sits as though stupefied. The gypsies exit noisily. There is a pause. He drinks; then PRINCE SERGIUS appears, very quiet and dignified, at the door. PRINCE. Excuse me. I'm afraid I'm intruding upon a rather painful scene. FEDYA (getting up). With whom have I the honor---- (recognizing the Prince). Ah, Prince Sergius, how do you do? [They shake hands. PRINCE (in a distinguished manner). I repeat that I am afraid to be most inopportune. I would rather not have heard, but since I have, it's my duty to say so. When I arrived I knocked several times, but I presume you could not have heard through such uproar. FEDYA. Do sit down. (PRINCE sits chair R.C.) Thanks for telling me you heard. (Sits on bed up C.) It gives me a chance to explain it all. Forgive me for saying your opinion of me can't concern me, but I want to tell you that the way her parents talked to that young girl, that gypsy singer, was absolutely unjust. She's as pure as your own mother. My relations with her are simply friendly ones. Possibly there is a ray of poetry in them, but that could hardly degrade her. However, what can I do for you? PRINCE SERGIUS. Well, to begin---- FEDYA (interrupting). Excuse me, Prince, but my present social position hardly warrants a visit from you. [Smiling. PRINCE SERGIUS. I know that, but I ask you to believe that your changed position does not influence me in what I am about to tell you. FEDYA (interrogatively). Then? PRINCE SERGIUS. To be as brief as possible, Victor Karenin, the son of my old friend, Sophia Karenina, and she herself, have asked me to discover from you personally what your present relations are with your wife, and what intentions you have regarding them. FEDYA. My relations with my wife--I should say my former wife--are several. PRINCE SERGIUS. As I thought, and for this reason accepted my somewhat difficult mission. FEDYA (quickly). I wish to say first of all that the fault was entirely mine. She is, just as she always was, absolutely stainless, faultless. PRINCE SERGIUS. Victor Karenin and especially his mother are anxious to know your exact intentions regarding the future. FEDYA. I've got no intentions. I've given her full freedom. I know she loves Victor Karenin, let her. Personally, I think he is a bore, but he is a good bore. So they'll probably be very happy together, at least in the ordinary sense and que le bon Dieu les benisse. PRINCE SERGIUS. Yes, but we----