Mikhail Bulgakov. The Master and Margarita -
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yesterday.' Here he turned and was immediately handed Ivan's questionnaire.
' Yesterday, while in search of an unknown man, who had introduced himself
as a friend of Pontius Pilate, you did the following: ' Here Stravinsky
began ticking off the points on his long fingers, glancing back and forth
from the paper to Ivan. ' You pinned an ikon to your chest. Right? '
'Right,' Ivan agreed sulkily.
'You fell off a fence and scratched your face. Right? You appeared in
a restaurant carrying a lighted candle, wearing only underpants, and you hit
somebody in the restaurant. You were tied up and brought here, where you
rang the police and asked them to send some machine-guns. You then attempted
to throw yourself out of the window. Right? The question--is that the way to
set about catching or arresting somebody? If you're normal you're bound to
reply--no, it isn't. You want to leave here? Very well. But where, if you
don't mind my asking, do you propose to go? ' ' To the police, of course,'
replied Ivan, although rather less firmly and slightly disconcerted by the
professor's stare.
'Straight from here? '
'Mm'hh.'
'Won't you go home first? ' Stravinsky asked quickly.
'Why should I go there? While I'm going home he might get away!'
'I see. And what will you tell the police? '
'I'll tell them about Pontius Pilate,' replied Ivan Nikolayich, his
eyes clouding.
'Splendid! ' exclaimed Stravinsky, defeated, and turning to the man
with the beard he said: ' Fyodor Vasilievich, please arrange for citizen
Bezdomny to be discharged. But don't put anybody else in this room and don't
change the bedclothes. Citizen Bezdomny will be back here again in two
hours. Well,' he said to the poet, ‘I won't wish you success because I see
no chance whatever of your succeeding. See you soon!' He got up and his
retinue started to go.