However, perhaps you, Volodya, are of the race of
cowards?"
Chaplinsky flared up:
"Oh, no, no, Ellena Victorovna. I forewarned you only out of love
for you. But if you command, then I'm ready to go where you will.
Not only on this dubious undertaking, but even very death itself."
By this time they had already driven up to the most luxurious
establishment in the Yamkas--Treppel's. Ryazanov the lawyer said,
smiling with his usual ironic smile:
"And so, the inspection of the menagerie begins."
They were led into a cabinet with crimson wall paper, and on the
wall paper was repeated, in the "empire" style, a golden design in
the form of small laurel wreaths. And at once Rovinskaya
recognized, with the keen memory of an artiste, that exactly the
same paper had also been in that cabinet in which they had just
been sitting.
Four German women from the Baltic provinces came out. All of them
stout, full-breasted, blonde, powdered, very important and
respectful. The conversation did not catch on at first. The girls
sat immovable, like carvings of stone, in order to pretend with
all their might that they were respectable ladies.
Pages:
253
254
255
256
257
258
259
260
261
262
263
264
265
266
267
268
269
270
271
272
273
274
275
276
277