Page 376 - the-idiot

tently, and panted for breath; it looked as though he had but
a few weeks more to live. He was nearly dead with fatigue,
and fell, rather than sat, into a chair. The rest bowed as they
came in; and being more or less abashed, put on an air of
extreme self-assurance. In short, their attitude was not that
which one would have expected in men who professed to
despise all trivialities, all foolish mundane conventions,
and indeed everything, except their own personal interests.
‘Antip Burdovsky,’ stuttered the son of Pavlicheff.
‘Vladimir Doktorenko,’ said Lebedeff’s nephew briskly,
and with a certain pride, as if he boasted of his name.
‘Keller,’ murmured the retired officer.
‘Hippolyte Terentieff,’ cried the last-named, in a shrill
voice.
They sat now in a row facing the prince, and frowned,
and played with their caps. All appeared ready to speak,
and yet all were silent; the defiant expression on their faces
seemed to say, ‘No, sir, you don’t take us in!’ It could be felt
that the first word spoken by anyone present would bring a
torrent of speech from the whole deputation.