Besides, you love her." Stepan Trofimovitch felt giddy.

The walls were going round.

There was one terrible idea underlying this to which he could not reconcile himself.
_"Excellente amie,"_ his voice quivered suddenly.

"I could never have conceived that you would make up your mind to give me in marriage to another...

woman." "You're not a girl, Stepan Trofimovitch.