“Why, you are bound to Spasov, too, then?” cried Stepan Trofimovitch, starting.

It appeared that a lady had the day before told her to wait at Hatovo and had promised to take her to Spasov, and now this lady had not turned up after all.

“What am I to do now?” repeated Sofya Matveyevna.

“ Mais, ma chère et nouvelle amie , I can take you just as well as the lady to that village, whatever it is, to which I’ve hired horses, and tomorrow⁠—well, tomorrow, we’ll go on together to Spasov.”

“Why, are you going to Spasov too?”

“ Mais que faire, et je suis enchanté! I shall take you with the greatest pleasure; you see they want to take me, I’ve engaged them already. Which of you did I engage?” Stepan Trofimovitch suddenly felt an intense desire to go to Spasov.