"Guess," said Gavril Afanassievitch.
"Dear brother," replied the old lady, "how can we guess? There are many gentlemen at court. Any one of them would be delighted to marry your Natasha. Is it Dolgoruki?"
"No, not Dolgoruki."
"The Lord be with him, he is so haughty. Shein? Troekuroff?"
"Neither of them."
"I don't care for them either. They are flighty and too German. Then it is Miloslavsky?"
"No, not he."
"God be with him, he is rich and stupid. Who then? Is it Eletsky, Lvof? It cannot be Ragusinski? Well, I cannot imagine. Then whom does the Tzar wish Natasha to marry?"
"The Negro Ibrahim."