'That was not always your opinion of him, Valentina Mihalovna.'
'Oh, mercy on us, my dear, let me alone.. . . Pas tant d'esprit que ça, je vous prie. It is you we are discussing—you and your future. Fancy! what sort of a match is it for you?'
'I must confess, Valentina Mihalovna, I had not thought of it in that light.'
'Eh? What? What am I to understand by that? You have followed the dictates of your heart, we are to suppose.. . . But all that is bound to end in marriage, isn't it?'
'I don't know. . . . I have not thought about that.'
'You have not thought about that? Why, you must be mad!'
Marianna turned slightly away.
'Let us make an end of this conversation, Valentina Mihalovna. It can lead to nothing. We shall never understand one another.'
Valentina Mihalovna got up impulsively.
'I cannot, I ought not to make an end of this conversation! It is too important. . . . I have to answer for you to . . .' Valentina Mihalovna had meant to say 'to God,' but she faltered, and said, 'to the whole world. I cannot be silent when I hear such senselessness! And why cannot I understand you? The insufferable conceit of these young people! No!
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