“What line?” said Mark laughing, as he looked at Raisky. “They asked me whose books they were, and where I had got them, and I said from you; some you had brought with you; others, Voltaire, for instance, I had found in your library.”
“I’m much obliged. Why did you put this honour on me?”
“Nobody will meddle with you, since you are in his Excellency’s favour. Then you are not living here under official compulsion. But I shall be sent off to a third place of exile; this is already the second. At any other time this would be a matter of indifference to me, but just now, for the time being, at least, I should like to stay here.”
“And what else?”
“Nothing. I only wanted to tell you what I have done, and to ask whether you will take it on yourself or not.”
“But what if I won’t, and I don’t intend to.”
“Then instead of your name I will give Koslov’s. He is growing mouldy here. Let him go to prison. He can take up his Greeks again later.”
“No, he will never take them up again if he is robbed of his position, and of his bread and butter.”
“There you are right, my conclusions were illogical. It would be better for you to take it on yourself.”
“What are you to me that I should do so?”