Chapter 13 - Page 2

entirely out of danger? If Natacha were innocent, as
Rouletabille still wished to believe, such an attitude was simply
incomprehensible. And the girl could not but be aware she would
increase Koupriane's suspicions. The reporter had a vital reason
for seeing her immediately, a vital reason for all concerned, above
all in this moment when the Nihilists were culminating their plans,
a vital reason for her and for him, equally menaced with death, to
talk with her and to renew the propositions he had made a few
minutes before the poisoning and which she had not wished to hear
him talk about, in fearful pity for him or in defiance of him.
Where was Natacha? He thought maybe she was trying to rejoin
Annouchka, and there were reasons for that, both if she were innocent
and if she were guilty. But where was Annouchka? Who could say!
Gounsovski perhaps. Rouletabille jumped into an isvo, returning
from the Point empty, and gave Gounsovski's address. He deigned
then to recall that he had been invited that same day to dine with
the Gounsovskis. They would no longer be expecting him. He blamed
himself.

They received him, but they had long since finished dinner.

Monsieur and Madame Gounsovski were playing a game of draughts
under the lamp. Rouletabille as he entered the drawing-room
recognized the shining, fattish bald head of the terrible man.
Gounsovski came to him, bowing, obsequious, his fat hands held out.
He was presented to Madame Gounsovski, who was besprinkled with
jewels over her black silk gown. She had a muddy skin and
magnificent eyes. She also was tentatively effusive. "We waited
for you, monsieur," she said, smirking timidly, with the careful
charm of a woman a little along in years who relies still on
infantine graces. As the recreant young man offered his apologies,
"Oh, we know you are much occupied, Monsieur Rouletabille. My
husband said that to me only a moment ago. But he knew you would
come finally. In the end one always accepts my husband's
invitation." She said this with a fat smile of importance.

Rouletabille turned cold at this last phrase. He felt actual fear
in the presence of these two figures, so actrociously commonplace,
in their horrible, decent little drawing-room.

Madame continued:

"But you have had rather a bad dinner already, through that dreadful
affair at General Trebassof's. Come into the dining-room."
"Ah, so someone has told you?" said Rouletabille. "No, no, thanks;
I don't need anything more. You know what has happened?"

"If you had come to dinner, perhaps nothing would have happened at
all, you know," said Gounsovski tranquilly, seating himself again
on the cushions and considering his game of draughts through his
glasses. "Anyway,