"What a fine girl your sister, Katerina Fedosievna is," remarked Velchaninoff to Nadia.
"Katia? I should think so! there is no better girl in the world. She"s our family angel! I"m in love with her myself!" replied Nadia enthusiastically.
At last, dinner was announced, and a very good dinner it was, several courses being added for the benefit of the guests: a bottle of tokay made its appearance, and champagne was handed round in honour of the occasion.
The good humour of the company was general, old Zachlebnikoff was in high spirits, having partaken of an extra gla.s.s of wine this evening. So infectious was the hilarity that even Pavel Pavlovitch took heart of grace and made a pun. From the end of the table where he sat beside the lady of the house, there suddenly came a loud laugh from the delighted girls who had been fortunate enough to hear the virgin attempt.
"Papa, papa, Pavel Pavlovitch has made a joke!" cried several at once: "he says that there is quite a "galaxy of gals" here!"
"Oho! _he"s_ made a pun too, has he?" cried the old fellow. "Well, what is it, let"s have it!" He turned to Pavel Pavlovitch with beaming face, prepared to roar over the latter"s joke.
"Why, I tell you, he says there"s quite a "galaxy of gals." "
"Well, go on, where"s the joke?" repeated papa, still dense to the merits of the pun, but beaming more and more with benevolent desire to see it.
"Oh, papa, how stupid you are not to see it. Why "gals" and "galaxy,"
don"t you see?-he says there"s quite a gal-axy of gals!"
"Oh! oh!" guffawed the old gentleman, "Ha-ha! Well, we"ll hope he"ll make a better one next time, that"s all."
"Pavel Pavlovitch can"t acquire all the perfections at once," said Maria Nikitishna. "Oh, my goodness! he"s swallowed a bone-look!" she added, jumping up from her chair.
The alarm was general, and Maria"s delight was great.
Poor Pavel Pavlovitch had only choked over a gla.s.s of wine, which he seized and drank to hide his confusion; but Maria declared that it was a fishbone-that she had seen it herself, and that people had been known to die of swallowing a bone just like that.
"Clap him on the back!" cried somebody.
It appeared that there were numerous kind friends ready to perform this friendly office, and poor Pavel protested in vain that it was nothing but a common choke. The belabouring went on until the coughing fit was over, and it became evident that mischievous Maria was at the bottom of it all.
After dinner old Mr. Zachlebnikoff retired for his post-prandial nap, bidding the young people enjoy themselves in the garden as best they might.
"You enjoy yourself, too!" he added to Pavel Pavlovitch, tapping the latter"s shoulder affably as he went by.
When the party were all collected in the garden once more, Pavel suddenly approached Velchaninoff: "One moment," he whispered, pulling the latter by the coat-sleeve.
The two men went aside into a lonely by-path.
"None of that _here_, please; I won"t allow it here!" said Pavel Pavlovitch in a choking whisper.
"None of what? Who?" asked Velchaninoff, staring with all his eyes.
Pavel Pavlovitch said nothing more, but gazed furiously at his companion, his lips trembling in a desperate attempt at a pretended smile. At this moment the voices of several of the girls broke in upon them, calling them to some game. Velchaninoff shrugged his shoulders and re-joined the party.
Pavel followed him.
"I"m sure Pavel Pavlovitch was borrowing a handkerchief from you, wasn"t he? He forgot his handkerchief last time too. Pavel Pavlovitch has forgotten his handkerchief again, and he has a cold as usual!" cried Maria.
"Oh, Pavel Pavlovitch, why didn"t you say so?" cried Mrs. Zachlebnikoff, making towards the house; "you shall have one at once."
In vain poor Pavel protested that he had two of those necessary articles, and was _not_ suffering from a cold. Mrs. Zachlebnikoff was glad of the excuse for retiring to the house, and heard nothing. A few moments afterwards a maid pursued Pavel with a handkerchief, to the confusion of the latter gentleman.
A game of "proverbs" was now proposed. All sat down, and the young man with spectacles was made to retire to a considerable distance and wait there with his nose close up against the wall and his back turned until the proverb should have been chosen and the words arranged. Velchaninoff was the next in turn to be the questioner.
Then the cry arose for Pavel Pavlovitch, and the latter, who had more or less recovered his good humour by this time, proceeded to the spot indicated; and, resolved to do his duty like a man, took his stand with his nose to the wall, ready to stay there motionless until called. The red-haired young lady was detailed to watch him, in case of fraud on his part.
No sooner, however, had the wretched Pavel taken up his position at the wall, than the whole party took to their heels and ran away as fast as their legs could carry them.
"Run quick!" whispered the girls to Velchaninoff, in despair, for he had not started with them.
"Why, what"s happened? What"s the matter?" asked the latter, keeping up as best he could.
"Don"t make a noise! we want to get away and let him go on standing there-that"s all."
Katia, it appeared, did not like this practical joke. When the last stragglers of the party arrived at the end of the garden, among them Velchaninoff, the latter found Katia angrily scolding the rest of the girls.
"Very well," she was saying, "I won"t tell mother this time; but I shall go away myself: it"s too bad! What will the poor fellow"s feelings be, standing all alone there, and finding us fled!"
And off she went. The rest, however, were entirely unsympathizing, and enjoyed the joke thoroughly. Velchaninoff was entreated to appear entirely unconscious when Pavel Pavlovitch should appear again, just as though nothing whatever had happened. It was a full quarter of an hour before Pavel put in an appearance, two thirds, at least, of that time he must have stood at the wall. When he reached the party he found everyone busy over a game of _Gorielki_, laughing and shouting and making themselves thoroughly happy.
Wild with rage, Pavel Pavlovitch again made straight for Velchaninoff, and tugged him by the coat-sleeve.
"One moment, sir!"
"Oh, my goodness! he"s always coming in with his "one moments"!" said someone.
"A handkerchief wanted again probably!" shouted someone else after the pair as they retired.
"Come now, this time it was you! You were the originator of this insult!"
muttered Pavel, his teeth chattering with fury.
Velchaninoff interrupted him, and strongly recommended Pavel to bestir himself to be merrier.
"You are chaffed because you get angry," he said; "if you try to be jolly instead of sulky you"ll be let alone!"
To his surprise these words impressed Pavel deeply; he was quiet at once, and returned to the party with a guilty air, and immediately began to take part in the games engaged in once more. He was not further bullied at present, and within half an hour his good humour seemed quite re-established.
To Velchaninoff"s astonishment, however, he never seemed to presume to speak to Nadia, although he kept as close to her, on all occasions, as he possibly could. He seemed to take his position as quite natural, and was not put out by her contemptuous air towards him.
Pavel Pavlovitch was teased once more, however, before the evening ended.
A game of "Hide-and-seek" was commenced, and Pavel had hidden in a small room in the house. Being observed entering there by someone, he was locked in, and left there raging for an hour. Meanwhile, Velchaninoff learned the "special reason" for Nadia"s joy at his arrival. Maria conducted him to a lonely alley, where Nadia was awaiting him alone.
"I have quite convinced myself," began the latter, when they were left alone, "that you are not nearly so great a friend of Pavel Pavlovitch as he gave us to understand. I have also convinced myself that you alone can perform a certain great service for me. Here is his horrid bracelet" (she drew the case out of her pocket)-"I wish to ask you to be so kind as to return it to him; I cannot do so myself, because I am quite determined never to speak to him again all my life. You can tell him so from me, and better add that he is not to worry me with any more of his nasty presents.
I"ll let him know something else I have to say through other channels.
Will you do this for me?"
"Oh, for goodness sake, spare me!" cried Velchaninoff, almost wringing his hands.
"How spare you?" cried poor Nadia. Her artificial tone put on for the occasion had collapsed at once before this check, and she was nearly crying. Velchaninoff burst out laughing.