"of course, i have!" said the other, laughing. "you see, my dear fellow, tomorrow, very early in the morning, i must be off to town about this unfortunate business (my uncle, you know!). just imagine, my dear sir, it is all true word for word and, of course, everybody knew it excepting myself. all this has been such a blow to me that i have not managed to call in at the epanchins’. tomorrow i shall not see them either, because i shall be in town. i may not be here for three days or more; in a word, my affairs are a little out of gear. but though my town business is, of course, most pressing, still i determined not to go away until i had seen you, and had a clear understanding with you upon certain points; and that without loss of time. i will wait now, if you will allow me, until the company departs; i may just as well, for i have nowhere else to go to, and i shall certainly not do any sleeping tonight; i’m far too excited. and finally, i must confess that, though i know it is bad form to pursue a man in this way, i have come to beg your friendship, my dear prince. you are an unusual sort of a person; you don’t lie at every step, as some men do; in fact, you don’t lie at all, and there is a matter in which i need a true and sincere friend, for i really may claim to be among the number of bona fide unfortunates just now."