l we be happy, shall we?"

"I believe we shall, Lise."

Alyosha thought it better not to go in to Madame Hohlakov and was going
out of the house without saying good-by to her. But no sooner had he
opened the door than he found Madame Hohlakov standing before him. From
the first word Alyosha guessed that she had been waiting on purpose to
meet him.

"Alexey Fyodorovitch, this is awful. This is all childish nonsense and
ridiculous. I trust you won't dream--It's foolishness, nothing but
foolishness!" she said, attacking him at once.

"Only don't tell her that," said Alyosha, "or she will be upset, and
that's bad for her now."

"Sensible advice from a sensible young man. Am I to understand that you
only agreed with her from compassion for her invalid state, because you
didn't want to irritate her by contradiction?"

"Oh, no, not at all. I was quite serious in what I said," Alyosha declared
stoutly.

"To be serious about it is impossible, unthinkable, and in the first place
I shall never be at home to you again, and I shall take her away, you may
be sure of that."

"But why?" asked Alyosha. "It's all so far off. We may have to wait
another year and a half."

"Ah, Alexey Fyodorovitch, that's true, of course, and you'll have time to
quarrel and separate a thousand times in a year and a half. But I am so
unhappy! Though it's such nonsense, it's a great blow to me. I feel like
Famusov in the last scene of _Sorrow from Wit_. You are Tchatsky and she
is Sofya, and, only fancy, I've run down to meet you on the stairs, and in
the play the fatal scene takes place on the staircase. I heard it all; I
almost dropped. So this is the explanation of her dreadful night and her
hysterics of late! It means love to the daughter but death to the mother.
I might as well be in my grave at once. And a more serious matter still,
what is this letter she has written? Show it me at once, at once!"

"No, there's no need. Tell me, how is Katerina Ivanovna now? I must know."

"She still lies in delirium; she has not regained consciousness. Her aunts
are here; but they do nothing but sigh and give themselves airs.
Herzenstube came, and he was so alarmed that I didn't know what to do for
him. I nearly sent for a doctor to look after him. He was driven home in
my carriage. And on the top of it all, you and this letter! It's true
nothing can happen for a year and a half. In the name of all that's holy,
in the name of your dying elder, show me th