And if you will give me your word never to forget that I have spoken to you in confidence, you may reckon upon my always being ready to seize every opportunity in the future to show my gratitude.’ Well, what do you say to that?”

“You have⁠ ⁠… so amazed me⁠ ⁠…” faltered Stepan Trofimovitch, “that I don’t believe you.”

“Yes, observe, observe,” cried Liputin, as though he had not heard Stepan Trofimovitch, “observe what must be her agitation and uneasiness if she stoops from her grandeur to appeal to a man like me, and even condescends to beg me to keep it secret. What do you call that? Hasn’t she received some news of Nikolay Vsyevolodovitch, something unexpected?”

“I don’t know⁠ ⁠… of news of any sort⁠ ⁠… I haven’t seen her for some days, but⁠ ⁠… but I must say⁠ ⁠…” lisped Stepan Trofimovitch, evidently hardly able to think clearly, “but I must say, Liputin, that if it was said to you in confidence, and here you’re telling it before everyone⁠ ⁠…”