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'Yes; that's the best way... in such cases. I acted savagely, savagely, he repeated. We were both silent. Each of us felt that the other was ashamed; but it was easier for me; I was not ashamed of myself. 'I would break every bone in that Viktor's body now, pursued Fustov, clenching his teeth, 'if I didn't recognise that I'm in fault.
If Viktor attacked and had his fleet blown to Em-See-Square, Xochitl would lie open and unprotected, and there was enough loot on Xochitl to cram everybody's ships. Everybody's ships who had ships when the Battle of Tanith was over, of course. He was apologetic to Princess Bentrik: "I'm very sorry you jumped out of Zaspar Makann's frying pan into Prince Viktor's fire," he began.
"Inside a year, four or five of these small planet-holders like Gratham and the Everrards would combine against us and make a slag-pile out of Tanith." Harkaman nodded agreement. "Since we warned him the first time, Viktor's kept his ships away from our planets. If we attacked Xochitl now, without provocation, nobody'd know what to expect from us.
There had been five ships on orbit or landed at Viktor's spaceport beside the usual Gilgameshers and itinerant traders, two of them Viktor's own, and a big armed freighter had come in from Haulteclere as the Black Star was leaving. There was considerable activity at the shipyards and around the spaceport, as though in preparation for something on a large scale.
Three thousand hours had passed since the first warning had reached Tanith, that made five thousand since Viktor's ships were supposed to have left Xochitl. There were those, Boake Valkanhayn among them, who doubted, now, if he ever had. "The whole thing's just a big Gilgamesher lie," he was declaring.
Viktor related to us, omitting no detail, how he had in a certain 'gay' house met this officer of the guards, a very nice chap and of good family, only without a hap'orth of brains; how they had made friends, how he, the officer that is, had suggested as a joke a game of 'fools' with Viktor with some old cards, for next to nothing, and with the condition that the officer's winnings should go to the benefit of Wilhelmina, but Viktor's to his own benefit; how afterwards they had got on to betting on the games.
'You hear, Viktor's calling for the horses, he said, hurriedly pointing his finger first to the door, then to the window. 'Please, do see to it, as quick as possible! Der Kerl schreit so! 'Der Viktor schreit immer, Ivan Demianitch, Sie wissen wohl, responded Eleonora Karpovna, 'and I have spoken to the coachman myself, but he's taken it into his head to give the horses oats.
'Directly, directly, Ivan Demianitch responded nervously. 'Eleonora Karpovna! Leonora! Lenchen! come here! There was a sound of something ponderous moving the other side of the door, and at the same instant I heard Viktor's imperious call: 'Why on earth don't they put the horses in? You don't catch me trudging off to the police on foot! 'Directly, directly, Ivan Demianitch faltered again.
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