flashing at him, as though they wouldgladly annihilate him then and there.
“That’s a kind-hearted man, if you like,” said Daria Alexeyevna, whosewrath was quickly evaporating.
“A refined man, but--lost,” murmured the general.
Totski took his hat and rose to go. He and the general exchangedglances, making a private arrangement, thereby, to leave the housetogether.
“Thank you, prince; no one has ever spoken to me like that before,” began Nastasia Philipovna. “Men have always bargained for me, beforethis; and not a single respectable man has ever proposed to marry me. Doyou hear, Afanasy Ivanovitch? What do _you_ think of what the prince hasjust been saying? It was almost immodest, wasn’t it? You, Rogojin, waita moment, don’t go yet! I see you don’t intend to move however. PerhapsI may go with you yet. Where did you mean to take me to?”
“To Ekaterinhof,” replied Lebedeff. Rogojin simply stood staring, withtrembling lips, not daring to believe his ears. He was stunned, asthough from a blow on the head.
“What are you thinking of, my dear Nastasia?” said Daria Alexeyevna inalarm. “What are you saying?” “You are not going mad, are you?”
Nastasia Philipovna burst out laughing and jumped up from the sofa.
“You thought I should accept this good child’s invitation to ruinhim, did you?” she cried. “That’s Totski’s way, not mine. He’s fond ofchildren. Come along, Rogojin, get your money ready! We won’t talk aboutmarrying just at this moment, but let’s see the money at all events.Come! I may not marry you, either. I don’t know. I suppose you thoughtyou’d keep the money, if I did! Ha, ha, ha! nonsense! I have no sense ofshame left. I tell you I have been Totski’s concubine. Prince, youmust marry Aglaya Ivanovna, not Nastasia Philipovna, or this fellowFerdishenko will always be pointing the finger of scorn at you. Youaren’t afraid, I know; but I should always be afraid that I had ruinedyou, and that you would reproach me for it. As for what you say aboutmy doing you honour by marrying you--well, Totski can tell you all aboutthat. You had your eye on Aglaya, Gania, you know you had; and you mighthave married her if you had not come bargaining. You are all likethis. You should choose, once for all, between disreputable women, andrespectable ones, or you are sure to get mixed. Look at the general, howhe’s staring at me!”
“This is too horrible,” said the general, starting to his feet. All werestanding up now. Nastasia was absolutely beside herself.
“I am very proud, in spite of what I am,” she continued. “You called me‘perfection’ just now, prince. A nice sort of perfection to throw up aprince and a million and a half of roubles in order to be able to boastof the fact afterwards! What sort of a wife should I make for you, afterall I have said? Afanasy Ivanovitch, do you observe I have really andtruly thrown away a million of roubles? And you thought that I shouldconsider your wretched seventy-five thousand, with Gania thrown in for ahusband, a paradise of bliss! Take your seventy-five thousand back, sir;you did not reach the hundred thousand. Rogojin cut a better dash thanyou did. I’ll console Gania myself; I have an idea about that. But now Imust be off! I’ve been in prison for ten years. I’m free at last! Well,Rogojin, what are you waiting for? Let’s get ready and go.”
“Come along!” shouted Rogojin, beside himself with joy. “Hey! all of youfellows! Wine! Round with it! Fill the glasses!”
“Get away!” he shouted frantically, observing that Daria Alexeyevnawas approaching to protest against Nastasia’s conduct. “Get away, she’smine, everything’s mine! She’s a queen, get away!”
He was panting with ecstasy. He walked round and round NastasiaPhilipovna and told everybody to “keep their distance.”
All the Rogojin company were now collected in the drawing-room; somewere drinking, some laughed and talked: all were in the highest andwildest spirits. Ferdishenko was doing his best to unite himself tothem; the general and Totski again made an attempt to go. Gania, toostood hat in hand ready to go; but seemed to be unable to tear his eyesaway from the scene before him.
“Get out, keep your distance!” shouted Rogojin.
“What are you shouting about there!” cried Nastasia “I’m not yours yet.I may kick you out for all you know I haven’t taken your money yet;there it all is on the table. Here, give me over that packet! Is there ahundred thousand roubles in that one packet? Pfu! what abominable stuffit looks! Oh! nonsense, Daria Alexeyevna; you surely did not expect meto ruin _him?_” (indicating the prince). “Fancy him nursing me! Why, heneeds a nurse himself! The general, there, will be his nurse now, you’llsee. Here, prince, look here! Your bride is accepting money. What adisreputable woman she must be! And you wished to marry her! What areyou crying about? Is it a bitter dose? Never mind, you shall laugh yet.Trust to time.” (In spite of these words there were two large tearsrolling down Nastasia’s own cheeks.) “It’s far better to think twiceof it now than afterwards. Oh! you mustn’t cry like that! There’s Katiacrying, too. What is it, Katia, dear? I shall leave you and Pasha a lotof things, I’ve laid them out for you already; but good-bye, now. I madean honest girl like you serve a low woman like myself. It’s better so,prince, it is indeed. You’d begin to despise me afterwards--we shouldnever be happy. Oh! you needn’t swear, prince, I shan’t believe you, youknow. How foolish it would be, too! No, no; we’d better say good-bye andpart friends. I am a bit of a dreamer myself, and I used to dream of youonce. Very often during those five years down at his estate I used todream and think, and I always imagined just such a good, honest, foolishfellow as you, one who should come and say to me: ‘You are an innocentwoman, Nastasia Philipovna, and I adore you.’ I dreamt of you often. Iused to think so much down there that I nearly went mad; and then thisfellow here would come down. He would stay a couple of months out of thetwelve, and disgrace and insult and deprave me, and then go; so that Ilonged to drown myself in the pond a thousand times over; but I did notdare do it. I hadn’t the heart, and now--well, are you ready, Rogojin?”
“Ready--keep your distance, all of you!”
“We’re all ready,” said several of his friends. “The troikas [Sledgesdrawn by three horses abreast.] are at the door, bells and all.”
Nastasia Philipovna seized the packet of bank-notes.
“Gania, I have an idea. I wish to recompense you--why should youlose all? Rogojin, would he crawl for three roubles as far as theVassiliostrof?”
“Oh, wouldn’t he just!”
“Well, look here, Gania. I wish to look into your heart once more, forthe last time. You’ve worried me for the last three months--now it’s myturn. Do you see this packet? It contains a hundred thousand roubles.Now, I’m going to throw it into the fire, here--before all thesewitnesses. As soon as the fire catches hold of it, you put your handsinto the fire and pick it out--without gloves, you know. You must havebare hands, and you must turn your sleeves up. Pull it out, I say, andit’s all yours. You may burn your fingers a little, of course; but thenit’s a hundred thousand roubles, remember--it won’t take you long to layhold of it and snatch it out. I shall so much admire you if you put yourhands into the fire for my money. All here present may be witnesses thatthe whole packet of money is yours if you get it out. If you don’t getit out, it shall burn. I will let no one else come; away--get away, allof you--it’s my money! Rogojin has bought me with it. Is it my money,Rogojin?”
“Yes, my queen; it’s your own money, my joy.”
“Get away then, all of you. I shall do as I like with my own--don’tmeddle! Ferdishenko, make up the fire, quick!”
“Nastasia Philipovna, I can’t; my hands won’t obey me,” saidFerdishenko, astounded and helpless with bewilderment.
“Nonsense,” cried Nastasia Philipovna, seizing the poker and raking acouple of logs together. No sooner did a tongue of flame burst out thanshe threw the packet of notes upon it.
Everyone gasped; some even crossed themselves.
“She’s mad--she’s mad!” was the cry.
“Oughtn’t-oughtn’t we to secure her?” asked the general of Ptit
sin, ina whisper; “or shall we send for the authorities? Why, she’s mad, isn’tshe--isn’t she, eh?”
“N-no, I hardly think she is actually mad,” whispered Ptitsin, who wasas white as his handkerchief, and trembling like a leaf. He could nottake his eyes off the smouldering packet.
“She’s mad surely, isn’t she?” the general appealed to Totski.
“I told you she wasn’t an ordinary woman,” replied the latter, who wasas pale as anyone.
“Oh, but, positively, you know--a hundred thousand roubles!”
“Goodness gracious! good heavens!” came from all quarters of the room.
All now crowded round the fire and thronged to see what was going on;everyone lamented and gave vent to exclamations of horror and woe. Somejumped up on chairs in order to get a better view. Daria Alexeyevnaran into the next room and whispered excitedly to Katia and Pasha. Thebeautiful German disappeared altogether.
“My lady! my sovereign!” lamented Lebedeff, falling on his knees beforeNastasia Philipovna, and stretching out his hands towards the fire;“it’s a hundred