SECRET UNION OF SWORD AND PLOUGH
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‘ Mean ? It means that you are very slow, my friend,' ‘ Why ? ’ ‘ Because 1 Forgive me if I ask you a prosaic question, but how much money have you got ? ’ ‘ What sort of money ? ’ ‘ Any money, including aU your small change.’ ‘ Thirty-five roubles.’ ' And do you mean to say that you thought you could pay for aU the expenses of our enterprise ? ’ Hippolyte could not think what to say. ‘ Now then, my dear patron, I think you are begin ning to see dayhght. You’ll have to play the giant of thought for an hour and pretend that you are a person close to the Tsar.’ ‘Why? ’ ' Because we need working capital. I am to be married to-morrow. I am not a beggar. I wish to feast on that important day.’ ‘ What do you want me to do ? ’ groaned Hippolyte. ' You’re to be silent, and every now and then, for the sake of making an impression, just blow out your cheeks.’ ‘ But that is . . . cheating.’ ‘ Who says so ? Tolstoy or Darwin ? No. I hear this from the lips of a man who only last night was thinking of climbing into Madam Gritsatsuev’s house to steal the poor widow’s furniture. Don’t worry ; just keep silent and don’t forget to blow out your cheeks.’ ‘ Why start such a dangerous business ? We may be reported.’ ‘ Oh ! don’t worry about that. The matter will be conducted in such a way that no one will understand anything. Let us have some tea.’ While Bender and Hippolyte were drinking tea the guests began to arrive. Nicholas and Vladimir, the two young men, came in with the locksmith. They were not introduced to
