Liza was not surprised to see Velchaninoff alone. She only smiled bitterly, and turned her hot face to the wall. She made no reply to his passionate promises to bring her father down to-morrow without fail, or to his timid attempts at consolation.
As soon as Velchaninoff left the sick child's presence, he burst into tears.
The doctor did not arrive until evening. On seeing the patient he frightened everybody by his very first remark, observing that it was a pity he had not been sent for before.
When informed that the child had only been taken ill last night, he could not believe it at first.
“Well, it all depends upon how this night is passed,” he decided at last.
Having made all necessary arrangements, he took his departure, promising to come as early as possible next morning.
Velchaninoff was anxious to stay the night, but Claudia Petrovna begged him to try once more “to bring down that brute of a man.”
“Try once more!” cried Velchaninoff, passionately; “why, I'll tie him hand and foot and bring him along myself!”
The idea that he would tie Pavel Pavlovitch up and carry him down in his arms overpowered Velchaninoff, and filled him with impatience to execute his frantic desire.
“I don't feel the slightest bit guilty before him any more,” he said to Claudia Petrovna, at parting, “and I withdraw all my servile, abject words of yesterday—all I said to you,” he added, wrathfully.