“He knows it even better than we do, and yet he goes on lying to the women.”

“Perhaps he does it to relieve their anxiety.”

My aunt grew angrier still.

“Relieve their anxiety! fiddlesticks! they would not have had any anxiety if he had not sold it.  Do not defend him, it is of no use.  Everybody blames him.  Chwastowski was wild about it.  He had looked into the affairs, and says that without any ready money he could have cleared the estate himself in a few years.  I would have given the money and so would you, would you not? and now it is too late.”

Presently I inquired about Aniela’s health, with a strange, troubled foreboding I might hear something which, though perfectly natural and in the order of things, would give a shock to my nerves.  My aunt caught the drift of my thoughts and replied with as much acerbity as before:—­

“There is nothing whatever the matter with her.  All he could do he did; that was to sell his wife’s estate.  No, there is nothing expected.”

I turned the conversation to something else.  I told my aunt I had arrived together with the celebrated pianist Miss Hilst, who, having considerable means of her own, wished to give a few concerts gratis.  My aunt is a queer mixture of eccentricities.  She began by abusing Miss Hilst for not coming in winter, when the time for concerts was more propitious; presently began considering that it was not too late yet, and wanted to go and call upon her at once.  I could scarcely persuade her to put off her visit until I had told Miss Hilst about it.  My aunt is a patroness of several charitable institutions, and it is with her a point of honor to get for them as much as she can at the expense of other institutions, consequently was afraid somebody else might forestall her with the artist.

When leaving me she asked, “When are you coming to stay at Ploszow?”

I replied that I was not going to stay there at all.  I had thought of that during the journey and came to the conclusion that it would be better to have my headquarters at Warsaw.  Ploszow is only six miles from here, and I can go there in the morning and stay as long as I like.  It is indifferent to me where I live, and my living here will prevent people talking.  Besides, I do not want Pani Kromitzka to think I am anxious to dwell under the same roof with her.  I spoke of this to Sniatynski, and saw that he fully agreed with me; he seemed anxious to discuss Aniela with me.  Sniatynski is a very intelligent man, but he does not seem to understand that changed circumstances mean changed relations, even between the best of friends.  He came to me as if I were the same Leon Ploszowski who, shaking in every limb, asked for his help at Cracow; he approached me with the same abrupt sincerity, desiring to plunge his hand up to his elbow under my ribs.  I pulled him up sharply, and he seemed surprised and somewhat angry.  Presently he fell in with my humor, and