He deposed that he was Pëtr Egorych Urbenin, nobleman, fifty years of age, belonging to the Orthodox Faith. That he owned an estate in the neighbouring K—— district where he belonged to the electorate, and had served for the last triennials as honorary magistrate. Being ruined, he had mortgaged his estate and had considered it necessary to go into service. He had entered the Count's service as bailiff six years ago. Liking agriculture, he was not ashamed of being in the service of a private individual, and considered that it was only the foolish who were ashamed of work. He received his salary from the Count regularly, and he had nothing to complain of. He had a son and daughter from his first marriage, etc., etc., etc.
He had married Olga because he was passionately in love with her. He had struggled long and painfully with his feelings, but neither common sense nor the logic of a practical elderly mind—in fact, nothing had effect: he was obliged to succumb to his feelings and he got married. He knew that Olga did not marry him for love, but considering her to be moral in the highest degree, he decided to content himself with her faithfulness and friendship, which he had hoped to merit.
When he came to the place where his disenchantment and the wrongs done to his grey hairs began, Urbenin asked permission not to speak of “the past which God will forgive her” or at least to defer the conversation about that to a future time.
“I can't.… It's hard.… Besides, you yourself saw it.”
“Very well, let us leave it for another time.… Only tell me now, did you beat your wife? It is reported that one day, finding a note from the Count in her possession, you struck her.…”
“That is not true.… I only seized her by the arm, she began to cry, and that same evening she went to complain.…”
“Did you know of her connexion with the Count?”
“I have begged that this subject should be deferred.… And what is the use of it?”
“Answer me only this one question, which is of great importance.… Was your wife's connexion with the Count known to you?”
“Undoubtedly.…”