‘Bah! Mazeppa! to dally with Mazeppa means nothing, for every woman is the same to him; all are toys, to play with and to forget in a day! Now see here, Chelminsky, kill me this detestable Praskovia and I am still yours, only ten times more than before. I swear I will marry you at once, and we will go where you please; there, I am serious.’
‘And why do you want her killed?’ I asked, with difficulty restraining my laughter.
‘Because I hate her: is that reason enough? If you will have more, because she has been chosen Tsaritsa over my head; and, last reason, she is my enemy—she has insulted me before the Regent. Is that enough for thee? Come, thy answer?’
‘But why should I kill the girl?’ I asked. ‘What harm has she ever done me?’
‘Have I not said that I will marry you for doing me this service? I have asked you to do it because of all men I know I think you are the most to be trusted, and because I believe that you love me well enough to do my will, seeing that the prize offered is one for which any man would surely sell his soul—and that is myself!’
‘And thou wilt give thyself, then, to any man who will rid thee of this enemy?’
‘I did not say that. I offer the prize to thee, and thee only. Come, look at me well, Chelminsky—am not I worth winning?’
‘You may be that—I did not deny or assert anything. I have won thee once and found the prize elusive. Once bitten, I am careful to avoid dogs.’
‘This time I should keep my troth: I tell you the other was an exceptional case. A maiden invited to the bride-choosing of the Tsar is not her own mistress; she must go whether she will or no. Come, Chelminsky, am I less to be loved than before? Are my eyes smaller or dimmer? Am I shorter? Is my figure less shapely? Am I not still the kind of maiden for whom a man would barter his soul?’
She came nearer to me and placed her face close to mine, so that I could feel her breath as she spoke. ‘Come, Chelminsky, look at me well,’ she said; ‘am I less than I was?’