And, above all, above all, not a word to Yulia Mihailovna.

It's a secret.

May it be a secret ?" "What ?" cried Lembke, opening wide his eyes.

"Do you mean to say you said nothing of this to Yulia Mihailovna ?" "To her?
Heaven forbid! Ech, Andrey Antonovitch! You see, I value her friendship and I have the highest respect for her...

and all the rest of it...