gh to justify his
fears.

He was so frightened at seeing Shatov that he at once slammed the
casement and jumped back into bed. Shatov began furiously knocking and
shouting.

"How dare you knock like that in the middle of the night?" shouted
Lyamshin, in a threatening voice, though he was numb with fear, when at
least two minutes later he ventured to open the casement again, and was
at last convinced that Shatov had come alone.

"Here's your revolver for you; take it back, give me fifteen roubles."

"What's the matter, are you drunk? This is outrageous, I shall simply
catch cold. Wait a minute, I'll just throw my rug over me."

"Give me fifteen roubles at once. If you don't give it me, I'll knock
and shout till daybreak; I'll break your window-frame."

"And I'll shout police and you'll be taken to the lock-up."

"And am I dumb? Can't I shout 'police' too? Which of us has most reason
to be afraid of the police, you or I?"

"And you can hold such contemptible opinions! I know what you are
hinting at.... Stop, stop, for God's sake don't go on knocking! Upon my
word, who has money at night? What do you want money for, unless you are
drunk?"

"My wife has come back. I've taken ten roubles off the price, I haven't
fired it once; take the revolver, take it this minute!"

Lyamshin mechanically put his hand out of the casement and took the
revolver; he waited a little, and suddenly thrusting his head out of the
casement, and with a shiver running down his spine, faltered as though
he were beside himself.

"You are lying, your wife hasn't come back to you.... It's... it's
simply that you want to run away."

"You are a fool. Where should I run to? It's for your Pyotr Verhovensky
to run away, not for me. I've just been to the midwife, Madame
Virginsky, and she consented at once to come to me. You can ask them. My
wife is in agony; I need the money; give it me!"

A swarm of ideas flared up in Lyamshin's crafty mind like a shower of
fireworks. It all suddenly took a different colour, though still panic
prevented him from reflecting.

"But how... you are not living with your wife?"

"I'll break your skull for questions like that."

"Oh dear, I understand, forgive me, I was struck all of a heap.... But I
understand, I understand... is Arina Prohorovna really coming? You said
just now that she had gone? You know, that's not true. You see, you see,
you see what lies you tell at every step."

"By now, she must be with