s than yours. And I can
send the baby to a foundling asylum to-morrow, if you like, and then to
be brought up in the country, and that's all it will mean. And meantime
you'll grow strong again, take up some rational work, and in a very
short time you'll repay Shatov for sheltering you and for the expense,
which will not be so great."

"It's not that... I've no right to be a burden...."

"Rational feelings and worthy of a citizen, but you can take my word for
it, Shatov will spend scarcely anything, if he is willing to become ever
so little a man of sound ideas instead of the fantastic person he is.
He has only not to do anything stupid, not to raise an alarm, not to run
about the town with his tongue out. If we don't restrain him he will be
knocking up all the doctors of the town before the morning; he waked
all the dogs in my street. There's no need of doctors I've said already.
I'll answer for everything. You can hire an old woman if you like
to wait on you, that won't cost much. Though he too can do something
besides the silly things he's been doing. He's got hands and feet, he
can run to the chemist's without offending your feelings by being too
benevolent. As though it were a case of benevolence! Hasn't he brought
you into this position? Didn't he make you break with the family in
which you were a governess, with the egoistic object of marrying you? We
heard of it, you know... though he did run for me like one possessed and
yell so all the street could hear. I won't force myself upon anyone and
have come only for your sake, on the principle that all of us are bound
to hold together! And I told him so before I left the house. If you
think I am in the way, good-bye, I only hope you won't have trouble
which might so easily be averted."

And she positively got up from the chair. Marie was so helpless, in such
pain, and--the truth must be confessed--so frightened of what was before
her that she dared not let her go. But this woman was suddenly hateful
to her, what she said was not what she wanted, there was something quite
different in Marie's soul. Yet the prediction that she might possibly
die in the hands of an inexperienced peasant woman overcame her
aversion. But she made up for it by being more exacting and more
ruthless than ever with Shatov. She ended by forbidding him not only to
look at her but even to stand facing her. Her pains became more violent.
Her curses, her abuse became more and more frantic.

"Ec