“Ah, the letter? Yes⁠ ⁠…” replied the prince peevishly. “Yes⁠ ⁠… yes⁠ ⁠…” His face suddenly took on a morose expression. He paused. “Yes, he writes that the French were beaten at⁠ ⁠… at⁠ ⁠… what river is it?”

Dessalles dropped his eyes.

“The prince says nothing about that,” he remarked gently.

“Doesn’t he? But I didn’t invent it myself.”

No one spoke for a long time.

“Yes⁠ ⁠… yes⁠ ⁠… Well, Mikháil Ivánovich,” he suddenly went on, raising his head and pointing to the plan of the building, “tell me how you mean to alter it.⁠ ⁠…”

Mikháil Ivánovich went up to the plan, and the prince after speaking to him about the building looked angrily at Princess Márya and Dessalles and went to his own room.