And you'd told me to look after Markovitch. If ever he'd wanted
looking after it was now! I could see that Vera hated the idea of
Semyonov coming, but after Markovitch had spoken she never said a word.
So then it was all settled."
"What did Nina do?" I asked.
"Nina? She never said anything either. At the end she went up to
Semyonov and took his hand and said, 'I'm so glad you're coming, Uncle
Alexei,' and looked at Vera. Oh! they're all as queer as they can be, I
tell you!"
"What happened next?" I asked eagerly.
"Everything's happened and nothing's happened," he replied. "Nina's run
away. Of course you know that. What she did it for I can't imagine.
Fancy going to a fellow like Grogoff! Lawrence has been coming every day
and just sitting there, not saying anything. Semyonov's amiable to
everybody--especially amiable to Markovitch. But he's laughing at him
all the time I think. Anyway he makes him mad sometimes, so that I think
Markovitch is going to strike him. But of course he never does.... Now
here's a funny thing. This is really what I want to ask you most about."
He drew his chair closer to my bed and dropped his voice as though he
were going to whisper a secret to me.
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