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76 you thought yet of setting up a family?—I mean, have you found a girl yet?"

What does she mean? The tutor had almost forgotten about his ideal bride, and he had it on his lips to say, "I have no one in view as yet"; but he suddenly remembered. Akh! of course she overheard! It put him into a ridiculous dilemma. What a piece of work I made of it! Why did I make up such an allegory when it wasn't in the least necessary? Nu vot! go to! they say that it's dangerous to take part in a propaganda; now here, how my propaganda influenced Viéra Pavlovna, though her heart is pure and disposed to no ill. Nu! she must have overheard and understood; but what business is that of mine? "Yes, I have a girl in view!"

"Are you engaged to her yet?"

"I am."

"Are you formally engaged, or is it only a tacit understanding between you?"

"We are formally engaged."

Poor Marya Alekséyevna! She had caught the words, "my bride," "your bride," "I love her very much," "she is a beauty," and her solicitude lest the tutor were flirting with her daughter was allayed; and so during the second quadrille she was able entirely to put her mind on the care of preparing the supper. But she wanted to hear the details of this reassuring story more circumstantially and particularly. She kept on with her cross-examination. All people like such reassuring conversation; at all events it satisfies curiosity, and one likes to know everything. The tutor gave satisfactory answers, though, according to his wont, they were very brief.

"Is your bride pretty?"

"Uncommonly."

"Has she a dowry?"

"A very large one."

"How large?"

"Very large!"

"As much as a hundred thousand?"

"Much more than that."

"How much more?"

"There's no use telling that; it is large enough."

"In cash?"

"Some of it in money."