"Certainly, your excellency; tea to be served in the study?" Alexey Alexandrovitch ordered tea to be brought to the study, and playing with the massive paper-knife, he moved to his easy chair, near which there had been placed ready for him a lamp and the French work on Egyptian hieroglyphics that he had begun.

Over the easy chair there hung in a gold frame an oval portrait of Anna, a fine painting by a celebrated artist.

Alexey Alexandrovitch glanced at it.

The unfathomable eyes gazed ironically and insolently at him.

Insufferably insolent and challenging was the effect in Alexey Alexandrovitch's eyes of the black lace about the head, admirably touched in by the painter, the black hair and handsome white hand with one finger lifted, covered with rings.