Gatrina’s visit resulted in little more than a fiasco, owing to the interruption of Prince Albrevics. I re-entered the house in a quite fit mood to quarrel with Elma for having brought him upon the scene as she had.
Nikolitch had come out in search of me, however, and was speaking to her in the hall, so that I could say nothing.
“You will not be long, Bergwyn?” he asked.
“I am ready now.”
“I will wait while you despatch your business with Colonel Petrosch, Mr. Bergwyn,” said Elma, readily. “I am in no hurry.”
“I regret I can give you no time to-day, Baroness,” I said, bluntly intending it as her dismissal. But she laughed it away.
“You can come and tell me so when he has gone,” she answered, and turned into one of the rooms, contriving to convey a most irritating suggestion that she was quite at home and perfectly accustomed to humour my whims.
“How did she know Petrosch was here?” asked Nikolitch. “She is a wonderful woman. She knows everything. She will understand why he has come.”
“Let her,” said I, with a shrug. “It makes no difference;” and with that we went back to the Colonel.
The rest of the business was soon despatched. I handed him the undertaking I had drawn up and thus stood pledged to support the cause of the army on the conditions I had already specified. When the Colonel had gone Nikolitch remained, and when we had fixed up an engagement to dine together that night, he said: