"My business is none of your business," said I, "Forget it! Better tell me if I can have some beer? Go on, cookie, lay it out. Don't be so stingy!"
The stubborn woman would not give it to me, until I took her gently around the waist and pinched her arm with all of my force,—that's the way to get cook's sympathies; it's astonishing how it works! I got some beer.
Then I was invited in: "Come in, you scabby devil."
"You will have to take this," said the Princess, giving me a letter so that she wouldn't touch my hand, "and be sure they don't catch you with the letter. Be careful, don't drink, Alexei. It's bad to drink; when you come back we'll give you 500 rubles."
"Je né le tolère pas," she said to the Prince, "il a l'air si commun! Il nous vendrait tous, s'il etait assez intelligent!"
The Prince did not answer (I guess he knows more than her Highness) and looked aside, grumbling something just to calm his better half.
I stared at her, just to scare this bad female, from under my eyebrows.
"Vous voyez," the Princess almost cried, "Vous voyez! Mon Dieu! Quel type horrible! J'ai peur de lui! C'est un dégénéré! il nous trahira!" She complimented me in this manner for a while, and then started to give me some silly instructions,—how to get there, etc.
Finally, I left the house, went to Schmelin and got his permission in a minute, and tonight—I am leaving.
My house and all in it will be taken good care of,—Schmelin promised to look after it.