“I don’t blame you in the least, Alexai Dmitritch! You took advantage of.... You were quite right. No wonder that you’re not so keen about our cause now ... as I said before, you have something else on your mind. And, really, who can tell beforehand what will please a girl’s heart or what man can achieve what she may desire?”
“I understand now,” Nejdanov began; “I understand your vexation and can guess ... who spied on us and lost no time in letting you know—”
“It does not seem to depend on merit,” Markelov continued, pretending not to have heard Nejdanov, and purposely drawling out each word in a sing-song voice, “no extraordinary spiritual or physical attractions.... Oh no! It’s only the damned luck of all ... bastards!”
The last sentence Markelov pronounced abruptly and hurriedly, but suddenly stopped as if turned to stone.
Nejdanov felt himself grow pale in the darkness and tingled all over. He could scarcely restrain himself from flying at Markelov and seizing him by the throat. “Only blood will wipe out this insult,” he thought.
“I’ve found the road!” the coachman cried, making his appearance at the right front wheel, “I turned to the left by mistake—but it doesn’t matter, we’ll soon be home. It’s not much farther. Sit still, please!”
He got onto the box, took the reins from Markelov, pulled the shaft-horse a little to one side, and the carriage, after one or two jerks, rolled along more smoothly and evenly. The darkness seemed to part and lift itself, a cloud of smoke could be seen curling out of a chimney, ahead some sort of hillock, a light twinkled, vanished, then another.... A dog barked.
“That’s our place,” the coachman observed. “Gee up, my pretties!”
The lights became more and more numerous as they drove on.
“After the way in which you insulted me,” Nejdanov said at last, “you will quite understand that I couldn’t spend the night under your roof, and I must ask you, however unpleasant it may be for me to do so, to be kind enough to lend me your carriage as soon as we get to your house to take me back to the town. Tomorrow I shall find some means of getting home, and will then communicate with you in a way which you doubtless expect.”