ing.

"Arson! The Shpigulin men!" roared the crowd.

I remember some very characteristic exclamations:

"I've had a presentiment in my heart that there'd be arson, I've had a
presentiment of it these last few days!"

"The Shpigulin men, the Shpigulin men, no one else!"

"We were all lured here on purpose to set fire to it!"

This last most amazing exclamation came from a woman; it was an
unintentional involuntary shriek of a housewife whose goods were
burning. Every one rushed for the door. I won't describe the crush in
the vestibule over sorting out cloaks, shawls, and pelisses, the shrieks
of the frightened women, the weeping of the young ladies. I doubt
whether there was any theft, but it was no wonder that in such disorder
some went away without their wraps because they were unable to find
them, and this grew into a legend with many additions, long preserved in
the town. Lembke and Yulia Mihailovna were almost crushed by the crowd
at the doors.

"Stop, every one! Don't let anyone out!" yelled Lembke, stretching out
his arms menacingly towards the crowding people.

"Every one without exception to be strictly searched at once!"

A storm of violent oaths rose from the crowd.

"Andrey Antonovitch! Andrey Antonovitch!" cried Yulia Mihailovna in
complete despair.

"Arrest her first!" shouted her husband, pointing his finger at her
threateningly. "Search her first! The ball was arranged with a view to
the fire...."

She screamed and fell into a swoon. (Oh, there was no doubt of its being
a real one.) The general, the prince, and I rushed to her assistance;
there were others, even among the ladies, who helped us at that
difficult moment. We carried the unhappy woman out of this hell to her
carriage, but she only regained consciousness as she reached the house,
and her first utterance was about Andrey Antonovitch again. With the
destruction of all her fancies, the only thing left in her mind was
Andrey Antonovitch. They sent for a doctor. I remained with her for a
whole hour; the prince did so too. The general, in an access of generous
feeling (though he had been terribly scared), meant to remain all night
"by the bedside of the unhappy lady," but within ten minutes he fell
asleep in an arm-chair in the drawing-room while waiting for the doctor,
and there we left him.

The chief of the police, who had hurried from the ball to the fire, had
succeeded in getting Andrey Antonovitch out of the hall after us, and