"What's that? Beautiful? Ha! Ha!" laughed Sarudine, showing his white,
shining teeth. "We are at best but the modest frame that serves to
heighten the dazzling splendour of your beauty."

"I say, what eloquence, to be sure!" exclaimed Sanine, in surprise.
There was a slight shade of irony in his tone.

"Lidia Petrovna would make anybody eloquent," said Tanaroff the silent,
as he tried to help Lida to take off her hat, and in so doing ruffled
her hair. She pretended to be vexed, laughing all the while.

"What?" drawled Sanine. "Are you eloquent too?"

"Oh! let them be!" whispered Novikoff, hypocritically, though secretly
pleased.

Lida frowned at Sanine, to whom her dark eyes plainly said:

"Don't imagine that I cannot see what these people are. I intend to
please myself. I am not a fool any more than you are, and I know what I
am about."

Sanine smiled at her.

At last the hat was removed, which Tanaroff solemnly placed on the
table.

"Look! Look what you've done to me, Andrei Pavlovitch!" cried Lida half
peevishly, half coquettishly. "You've got my hair into such a tangle!