“It wasn’t exactly for that,” she said, in a low voice.  She had the air of some one confronted by an unpleasant task.

“Am I to understand that you must communicate with Mr. Razumov this evening?”

Natalia Haldin moved her head affirmatively; then, after a glance at the door of the drawing-room, said in French—­

“C’est maman,” and remained perplexed for a moment.  Always serious, not a girl to be put out by any imaginary difficulties, my curiosity was suspended on her lips, which remained closed for a moment.  What was Mr. Razumov’s connexion with this mention of her mother?  Mrs. Haldin had not been informed of her son’s friend’s arrival in Geneva.

“May I hope to see your mother this evening?” I inquired.

Miss Haldin extended her hand as if to bar the way.

“She is in a terrible state of agitation.  Oh, you would not he able to detect....  It’s inward, but I who know mother, I am appalled.  I haven’t the courage to face it any longer.  It’s all my fault; I suppose I cannot play a part; I’ve never before hidden anything from mother.  There has never been an occasion for anything of that sort between us.  But you know yourself the reason why I refrained from telling her at once of Mr. Razumov’s arrival here.  You understand, don’t you?  Owing to her unhappy state.  And—­there—­I am no actress.  My own feelings being strongly engaged, I somehow....  I don’t know.  She noticed something in my manner.  She thought I was concealing something from her.  She noticed my longer absences, and, in fact, as I have been meeting Mr. Razumov daily, I used to stay away longer than usual when I went out.  Goodness knows what suspicions arose in her mind.  You know that she has not been herself ever since....  So this evening she—­who has been so awfully silent:  for weeks-began to talk all at once.  She said that she did not want to reproach me; that I had my character as she had her own; that she did not want to pry into my affairs or even into my thoughts; for her part, she had never had anything to conceal from her children...cruel things to listen to.  And all this in her quiet voice, with that poor, wasted face as calm as a stone.  It was unbearable.”

Miss Haldin talked in an undertone and more rapidly than I had ever heard her speak before.  That in itself was disturbing.  The ante-room being strongly lighted, I could see under the veil the heightened colour of her face.  She stood erect, her left hand was resting lightly on a small table.  The other hung by her side without stirring.  Now and then she caught her breath slightly.