door into the passage I caught sight of our footman, Fyodor. He was making signs to me. Mechanically I went out to him.
'What do you want?' I asked.
'Your mamma has sent for you,' he said in a whisper. 'She is angry that you have not come back with the answer.'
'Why, have I been here long?'
'Over an hour.'
'Over an hour!' I repeated unconsciously, and going back to the drawing-room I began to make bows and scrape with my heels.
'Where are you off to?' the young princess asked, glancing at me from behind the hussar.
'I must go home. So I am to say,' I added, addressing the old lady, 'that you will come to us about two.'
'Do you say so, my good sir.'
The princess hurriedly pulled out her snuff-box and took snuff so loudly that I positively jumped. 'Do you say so,' she repeated, blinking tearfully and sneezing.
I bowed once more, turned, and went out of the room with that sensation of awkwardness in my spine which a very young man feels when he knows he is being looked at from behind.
'Mind you come and see us again, M'sieu Voldemar,' Zinaïda called, and she laughed again.
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