Uncle's Dream / Дядюшкин сон

How sorry I am that my husband happens to be in the country on such an occasion! How happy he would have been to see you! He esteems you so highly, Prince; he is so sincerely attached to you!”

“Your husband? dear me! So you have a h-husband, too!” observed the old man.

“Oh, prince, prince! how forgetful you are! Why, you have quite, quite forgotten the past! My husband, Afanassy Matveyevitch, surely you must remember him? He is in the country: but you have seen him thousands of times before! Don’t you remember – Afanassy Matveyevitch!”

“Afanassy Matveyevitch.

Dear me! – and in the co-country! how very charming! So you have a husband! dear me, I remember a vaudeville very like that, something about —

“The husband’s here,

And his wife at Tvere.”

Charming, charming – such a good rhyme too; and it’s a most ri-diculous story! Charming, charming; the wife’s away, you know, at Jaroslaf or Tv… or somewhere, and the husband is… is… Dear me! I’m afraid I’ve forgotten what we were talking about! Yes, yes – we must be going, my boy! Au revoir, madame; adieu, ma charmante demoiselle[2 - Au revoir, madame; adieu, ma charmante demoiselle – Goodbye, Madame; farewell, my lovely lady]” he added, turning to Zina, and putting the ends of her fingers to his lips.

“Come back to dinner, – to dinner, prince! don’t forget to come back here quick!” cried Maria Alexandrovna after them as they went out; “be back to dinner!”

Chapter V

“Nastasia Petrovna, I think you had better go and see what is doing in the kitchen!” observed Maria Alexandrovna, as she returned from seeing the prince off.

“I’m sure that rascal Nikitka will spoil the dinner! Probably he’s drunk already!” The widow obeyed.

As the latter left the room, she glanced suspiciously at Maria Alexandrovna, and observed that the latter was in a high state of agitation. Therefore, instead of going to look after Nikitka, she went through the “Salon,” along the passage to her own room, and through that to a dark box-room, where the old clothes of the establishment and such things were stored.

There she approached the locked door on tiptoe; and stifling her breath, she bent to the keyhole, through which she peeped, and settled herself to listen intently. This door, which was always kept shut, was one of the three doors communicating with the room where Maria Alexandrovna and Zina were now left alone.