Mikhail Bulgakov. The Master and Margarita -
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is that the professor is ... well, let's be frank . . . he's in league with
the powers of evil . . . and it's not so easy to catch someone like him.'
The orderlies stretched their hands down their trouser-seams and stared
even harder at Ivan.
'Yes,' went on Ivan. ' He's in league with them. There's no arguing
about it. He once talked to Pontius Pilate. It's no good looking at me like
that, I'm telling you the truth! He saw it all --the balcony, the palm
trees. He was actually with Pontius Pilate, I'll swear it.'
'Well, now . . .'
'So, as I was saying, I pinned the ikon to my chest and ran .,.'
Here the clock struck twice.
'Oh, my God! ' exclaimed Ivan and rose from the divan. ' It's two
o'clock and here am I wasting time talking to you! Would you mind--where's
the telephone? '
'Show him the telephone,' the doctor said to the orderlies.
As Ivan grasped the receiver the woman quietly asked Ryukhin:
'Is he married? '
'No, he's a bachelor,' replied Ryukhin, startled.
'Is he a union member? '
'Yes.'
'Police? ' shouted Ivan into the mouthpiece. ' Police? Is that the
duty officer? Sergeant, please arrange to send five motor cycles with
sidecars, armed with machine-guns to arrest the foreign professor. What?
Take me with you, I'll show you where to go. . . . This is Bezdomny, I'm a
poet, and I'm speaking from the lunatic asylum. . . . What's your address? '
Bezdomny whispered to the doctor, covering the mouthpiece with his palm, and
then yelled back into the receiver: ' Are you listening? Hullo! . . . Fools!
. . .' Ivan suddenly roared, hurling the receiver at the wall. Then he
turned round to the doctor, offered him his hand, said a curt goodbye and
started to go.
'Excuse me, but where are you proposing to go?' said the doctor,
looking Ivan in the eye. ' At this hour of night, in your underwear . . .