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"THERE ENTERED IVAN FÉODOR VASSILITCH."
"To Russia." He spoke the truth.
"Ah!" Instantly she became serious. "And you returned——?"
"Yesterday."
"Will you sit down, monsieur?" She spoke with a palpable effort. Some emotion had robbed her of breath.
"Shall we go straight to our subject?" asked Vassilitch, perfectly controlled, as he always was.
"For what else are you here?"
"My first thought was that I should see you; my second was that I had a more definite errand."
He bore her sudden coldness so steadily that she was compelled to relent. "Well," she said, "I am very pleased to see you, monsieur."