"I had it from a friend of mine who was passing just as they
stuck him in the stomach. He saw it all; they dragged him out of his
house and stuck him in the stomach--"
"They say the Czar's been shot," said another officer, a fat, red-faced
man with very bright red trousers, "and that Rodziancko's formed a
government..."
I heard on every side such words as "People--Rodziancko
--Protopopoff--Freedom," and the officer telling his tale again. "And
they stuck him in the stomach just as he was passing his house..."
Through all this tale Vera never moved. I saw, to my surprise, that
Lawrence was there now, standing near her but never speaking. Semyonov
stood on the stairs watching.
Suddenly I saw that she wanted me.
"Ivan Andreievitch," she said, "will you do something for me?" She spoke
very low, and her eyes did not look at me, but beyond us all out to the
door.
"Certainly," I said.
"Will you keep Alexei Petrovitch here? Mr. Lawrence and Mr. Bohun can
see us home. I don't want him to come with us. Will you ask him to wait
and speak to you?"
I went up to him. "Semyonov," I said, "I want a word with you, if I
may--"
"Certainly," he said, with that irritating smile of his, as though he
knew exactly of what I was thinking.
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