of Jewesses, and a very good friend of Viéra Pavlovna's, towards whom Rachel had proved herself absolutely honest, as almost all the small retail dealers among the Hebrews are, whether men or women, when they have to do with respectable people. Rachel and Masha had to stop at their city apartment to collect the remainder of the clothes and things, and on their way to stop at the furrier's, where Viéra Pavlovna's shubas were stored away for the summer, and then to come back to their summer datcha with the whole collection, so that Rachel might put a valuation on the things, and buy them all at once.
After Masha left the gate, she was met by Rakhmétof, who had been prowling for half an hour around the datcha.
"Are you going away, Masha? For long?"
"Yes; probably I shan't get back before late this evening; I have a great deal to attend to."
"Is Viéra Pavlovna all alone by herself?"
"She is alone."
"Then I will step in and stay with her, in your place, in case I can do anything to help her."
"If you only would; and I tremble on her account. And I forgot entirely, Mr. Rakhmétof; call some of the neighbors. There is a cook and a nurse-girl, friends of mine, to get dinner; for she has not had anything to eat yet."
"All right! I have not had any dinner myself. We'll help ourselves. Have you had your dinner?"
"Yes; Viéra Pavlovna would not let me go without it."
"Well, that's good. I imagined she would have forgotten this on account of her own trouble."
Except Masha, and those who were her equals or superiors in the simplicity of soul and dress, all people were rather afraid of Rakhmétof. Lopukhóf and Kirsánof, and all those who feared nobody and nothing, felt in his presence, at times, some trepidation. Towards Viéra Pavlovna he was very distant. She found him very tiresome. He never sought her society. But Masha liked him, though he was less sociable and polite to her than were any other of their visitors.
"I came without being invited, Viéra Pavlovna," he began. "But I have seen Aleksandr Matvéitch, and I know all, and so I came to the conclusion that I might be useful to you in some way; and I am going to spend the evening here."
His services might have been very useful, even now, to
