“It does not interest me in the least, sir. It only makes one foolish marriage the more in the world—that’s all. But what is this urgent matter to which I am indebted for the pleasure of your visit?”
“Ugh! you cursed director of a department!” Paklin thought, “I’ll soon make you pull a different face!” “Your wife’s brother,” he said aloud, “Mr. Markelov, has been seized by the peasants whom he had been inciting to rebellion, and is now under arrest in the governor’s house.”
Sipiagin jumped up a second time.
“What ... what did you say?” he blurted out, not at all in his accustomed ministerial baritones, but in an extremely undignified manner.
“I said that your brother-in-law has been seized and is in chains. As soon as I heard of it, I procured horses and came straight away to tell you. I thought that I might be rendering a service to you and to the unfortunate man whom you may be able to save!”
“I am extremely grateful to you,” Sipiagin said in the same feeble tone of voice, and violently pressing a bell, shaped like a mushroom, he filled the whole house with its clear metallic ring. “I am extremely grateful to you,” he repeated more sharply, “but I must tell you that a man who can bring himself to trample under foot all laws, human and divine, were he a hundred times related to me—is in my eyes not unfortunate; he is a criminal!”
A footman came in quickly.
“Your orders, sir?”
“The carriage! the carriage and four horses this minute! I am going to town. Philip and Stepan are to come with me!” The footman disappeared. “Yes, sir, my brother-in-law is a criminal! I am going to town not to save him! Oh, no!”
“But, your excellency—”