"It's something very important."
"What is it?"
"It's a book. I tell you, brother, the things in it——Oh! oh!" said Jakov, with a terrified air.
"Bother your books! I'd rather know why your father always scowls at me now."
But Jakov had no mind for realities.
At Ilya's question he looked astonished, as though he hardly understood, and said:
"Eh? I don't know. That is, once I heard him speaking to your uncle about it; something about your passing false money; but he only said it chaffing."
"How do you know he was only chaffing?"
"Why, what a thing to say—false money," he interrupted Ilya with a gesture as though to wave the subject away. "But won't you talk to me? No time?"
"About your book?"