“But of course it’s my business,” he answered.  “I’m looking after her now.”

“Since when?” I asked.

“What does that matter?...  She is going to live with me.”

“We’ll see about that,” I said.

I knew that it was foolish to take this kind of tone.  It could do no good, and I was not the sort of man to carry it through.

But he was not at all annoyed.

“See, Ivan Andreievitch,” he said, smiling.  “What is there to discuss?  Nina and I have long considered living together.  She is a grown-up woman.  It’s no one’s affair but her own.”

“Are you going to marry her?” I asked.

“Certainly not,” he answered; “that would not suit either of us.  It’s no good your bringing your English ideas here, Ivan Andreievitch.  We belong to the new world, Nina and I.”

“Well, I want to speak to her,” I answered.

“So you shall, certainly.  But if you hope to influence her at all you are wasting your time, I assure you.  Nina has acted very rightly.  She found the home life impossible.  I’m sure I don’t wonder.  She will assist me in my work.  The most important work, perhaps, that man has ever been called on to perform....”

He raised his voice here as though he were going to begin a speech.  But at that moment Nina came in.  She stood in the doorway looking across at me with a childish mixture of hesitation and boldness, of anger and goodwill in her face.  Her cheeks were pale, her eyes heavy.  Her hair was done in two long plaits.  She looked about fourteen.

She came up to me, but she didn’t offer me her hand.  Boris said: 

“Nina dear, Ivan Andreievitch has come to give you a message from your family.”  There was a note of scorn in his voice as he repeated my earlier sentence.

“What is it?” she asked, looking at me defiantly.

“I’d like to give it you alone,” I said.

“Whatever you say to me it is right that Boris should hear,” she answered.

I tried to forget that Grogoff was there.  I went on: 

“Well then, Nina, you must know what I want to say.  They are heartbroken at your leaving them.  You know of course that they are.  They beg you to come back....  Vera and Nicholas too.  They simply won’t know what to do without you.  Vera says that you have been angry with her.  She doesn’t know why, but she says that she will do her very best if you come back, so that you won’t be angry any more....  Nina, dear, you know that it is they whom you really love.  You never can be happy here.  You know that you cannot....  Come back to them!  Come back!  I don’t know what it was that Alexei Petrovitch said to you, but whatever it was you should not listen to it.  He is a bad man and only means harm to your family.  He does indeed....”

I paused.  She had never moved whilst I was speaking.  Now she only said, shaking her head, “It’s no good, Ivan Andreievitch....  It’s no good.”