That, at least, was until death.
There arose then in these days of the wounded at M----a strange relationship between myself and Nikitin.

Friendship, I have said, I may not call it.

Nikitin afterwards told me it was my interest in the study of human character that led to his frankness--as though he had said, "Here is a man who likes to play a certain game.

I also enjoy it.

We will play it together, but when the game is finished we separate." Although discussions as to the characters of one or another of us were continuous and, to an Englishman at any rate, most strangely public, I do not think that the Russians in our Otriad were really interested in human psychology.