Book 2 Chapter 18 Officialdom

As they were going to start, a footman met Nekhludoff in the
ante-room, and handed him a note from Mariette: _Pour vous faire plaisir, f'ai agi tout a fait contre mes
principes et j'ai intercede aupres de mon mari pour votre
protegee. Il se trouve que cette personne pout etre relaxee
immediatement. Mon mari a ecrit au commandant. Venez donc
disinterestedly. Je vous attends._ _M._ "Just fancy!" said Nekhludoff to the advocate. "Is this not
dreadful? A woman whom they are keeping in solitary confinement
for seven months turns out to be quite innocent, and only a word
was needed to get her released."

"That's always so. Well, anyhow, you have succeeded in getting
what you wanted."

"Yes, but this success grieves me. Just think what must be going
on there. Why have they been keeping her?"

"Oh, it's best not to look too deeply into it. Well, then, I
shall give you a lift, if I may," said the advocate, as they left
the house, and a fine carriage that the advocate had hired drove
up to the door. "It's Baron Vorobioff you are going to see?"

The advocate gave the driver his directions, and the two good
horses quickly brought Nekhludoff to the house in which the Baron
lived. The Baron was at home. A young official in uniform, with a
long, thin neck, a much protruding Adam's apple, and an extremely
light walk, and two ladies were in the first room.

"Your name, please?" the young man with the Adam's apple asked,
stepping with extreme lightness and grace across from the ladies
to Nekhludoff.