Sanine

"Oho!" said Sanine with comic gravity, as he opened his mouth wide.

"Yes, sir," continued Tanaroff, frowning slightly. "He considers that

your behaviour towards him was not--er--quite ..."

"Yes, yes, I understand," interrupted Sanine, losing patience.

"I very nearly kicked him out of the house, so that 'not--er--quite' is

hardly the right way of putting it."

The speech was lost upon Tanaroff, who went on: "Well, sir, he insists on your taking back your words."

"Yes, yes," chimed in the lanky Von Deitz, who kept shifting the

position of his feet, like a stork.

Sanine smiled.

"Take them back? How can I do that? 'As uncaged bird is spoken word!'"

Too perplexed to reply, Tanaroff looked Sanine full in the face.

"What evil eyes he has!" thought the latter.

"This is no joking matter," began Tanaroff, looking flushed and angry.

"Are you prepared to retract your words, or are you not?"

Sanine at first was silent.

"What an utter idiot!" he thought, as he took a chair and sat down.

"Possibly I might be willing to retract my words in order to please and

pacify Sarudine," he began, speaking seriously, "the more so as I

attach not the slightest importance to them. But, in the first place,

Sarudine, being a fool, would not understand my motive, and, instead of

holding his tongue, would brag about it. In the second place, I

thoroughly dislike Sarudine, so that, under these circumstances, I

don't see that there is any sense in my retractation."

"Very well, then..." hissed Tanaroff through his teeth.

Von Deitz stared in amazement, and his long face turned yellow.

"In that case..." began Tanaroff, in a louder and would-be threatening

tone.

Sanine felt fresh hatred for the fellow as he looked at his narrow

forehead and his tight breeches.

"Yes, yes, I know all about it," he interrupted. "But one thing, let me

tell you; I don't intend to fight Sarudine."

Von Deitz turned round sharply.

Tanaroff drew himself up, and said in a tone of contempt.

"Why not, pray?"

Sanine burst out laughing. His hatred had vanished as swiftly as it had

come.

"Well, this is why. First of all, I have no wish to kill Sarudine, and

secondly, I have even less desire to be killed myself."

"But ..." began Tanaroff scornfully.

"I won't, and there's an end of it!" said Sanine, as he rose. "Why,

indeed? I don't feel inclined to give you any explanation. That were

too much to expect, really!"