“I have never seen her, but I’ve heard that she’s lame. I heard it yesterday,” I said with hurried readiness, and also in a whisper.
“I must see her, absolutely. Could you arrange it to-day?”
I felt dreadfully sorry for her.
“That’s utterly impossible, and, besides, I should not know at all how to set about it,” I began persuading her. “I’ll go to Shatov.…”
“If you don’t arrange it by to-morrow I’ll go to her by myself, alone, for Mavriky Nikolaevitch has refused. I rest all my hopes on you and I’ve no one else; I spoke stupidly to Shatov.… I’m sure that you are perfectly honest and perhaps ready to do anything for me, only arrange it.”
I felt a passionate desire to help her in every way.
“This is what I’ll do,” I said, after a moment’s thought. “I’ll go myself to-day and will see her for sure, for sure. I will manage so as to see her. I give you my word of honour. Only let me confide in Shatov.”
“Tell him that I do desire it, and that I can’t wait any longer, but that I wasn’t deceiving him just now. He went away perhaps because he’s very honest and he didn’t like my seeming to deceive him. I wasn’t deceiving him, I really do want to edit books and found a printing-press.…”
“He is honest, very honest,” I assented warmly.
“If it’s not arranged by to-morrow, though, I shall go myself whatever happens, and even if every one were to know.”