“Does he insult you?”
“No, it would be wicked to say such a thing. But he is so restless and peculiar that I am afraid of him.”
She rocked the child in her arms, and Raisky looked curiously under the straw covering. Suddenly Mark’s tangled hair and beard emerged and the woman vanished into the hut as he cried, “Fool, you don’t know how to receive visitors.”
“Good-day! What has brought you here?” cried Mark as he crawled out of the telega and stretched himself. “A visit, perhaps.”
“I was taking a walk out of sheer boredom.”
“Bored! with two beautiful girls at home. You, an artist, and you are taking a walk out of sheer boredom. Don’t your affections prosper?” he winked. “They are lovely children, especially Vera?”
“How do you know my cousins, and in what way do they concern you?” asked Raisky drily.
“Don’t be vexed. Come into my drawing-room.”
“Tell me rather why you sleep in the telega. Are you playing at Diogenes?”
“Yes, because I must.”