"Why not?"
"I said that thou wert toiling, and for that reason did not appear. Let the affair between thee and Pelski be decided in her mind, in her conscience and heart. Thy marriage is an external event which would decide the matter definitely on his side."
Yosef approached Augustinovich and fixed his fingers in his arm.
"Listen!" said he, violently; "but if I should win in this battle?"
"Go to the devil! and do not pinch me so hard. I throw the same question at thee: If thou shouldst win in this battle?"
They looked at each other, eye to eye; some kind of hostile feeling pressed their hearts.
At last Yosef dropped Augustinovich's arm, and hiding his face in his hands threw himself on the bed.
Augustinovich looked at him threateningly, then less threateningly, and still less threateningly; finally he pushed down to him and stroked him with his hand. He drew him by the skirt, and his voice now was soft and full of emotion.
"Old man!"
Yosef did not answer.