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"
Although in the others this speech roused a certain instinctive
curiosity, they all felt ill at ease. Sarudine, who thought himself
more intelligent and tactful than the rest, deemed it his duty to
dispel this vague feeling of embarrassment.
"Well, what do you think the young lady ought to do? Get married?
Pursue a course of study, or let her talent be lost? That would be a
crime against nature that had endowed her with its fairest gift."
"Oh!" exclaimed Sanine, with undisguised sarcasm, "till now the idea of
such a crime had never entered my head."
Novikoff laughed maliciously, but replied politely enough to Sarudine.
"Why a crime? A good mother or a female doctor is worth a thousand
times more than an actress."
"Not at all!" said Tanaroff, indignantly.
"Don't you find this sort of talk rather boring?" asked Sanine.
Sarudine's rejoinder was lost in a fit of coughing. They all of them
really thought such a discussion tedious and unnecessary; and yet they
all felt somewhat offended. An unpleasant silence reigned.
Lida and Maria Ivanovna appeared on the verandah.


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