“Hans,” the German corrected her meekly.
“Pardon me ... Your Hans surely does not rejoice greatly over the fact that you are living here, and that you betray him every day?”
Elsa looked at her with sincere, lively amazement.
“But gnadige Frau ... I have never yet betrayed him! It is other lost wenches, especially Russian, who have lovers for themselves, on whom they spend their hard-earned money. But that I should ever let myself go as far as that? Pfui!”
“A greater fall I have not imagined!” said Rovinskaya loudly and with aversion, getting up. “Pay gentlemen, and let’s go on from here.”
When they had gone out into the street, Volodya took her arm and said in an imploring voice:
“For God’s sake, isn’t one experiment enough for you?”
“Oh, what vulgarity! What vulgarity!”
“That’s why I’m saying, let’s drop this experiment.”
“No, in any case I am going through with it to the finish. Show me something simpler, more of the medium.”