, dear maman, you mustn't be frightened if I break both my
legs. It may so easily happen to me; you say yourself that I ride so
recklessly every day. Mavriky Nikolaevitch, will you go about with me
when I'm lame?" She began giggling again. "If it does happen I won't let
anyone take me about but you, you can reckon on that.... Well, suppose I
break only one leg. Come, be polite, say you'll think it a pleasure."

"A pleasure to be crippled?" said Mavriky Nikolaevitch, frowning
gravely.

"But then you'll lead me about, only you and no one else."

"Even then it'll be you leading me about, Lizaveta Nikolaevna,"
murmured Mavriky Nikolaevitch, even more gravely.

"Why, he's trying to make a joke!" cried Liza, almost in dismay.
"Mavriky Nikolaevitch, don't you ever dare take to that! But what an
egoist you are! I am certain that, to your credit, you're slandering
yourself. It will be quite the contrary; from morning till night you'll
assure me that I have become more charming for having lost my leg.
There's one insurmountable difficulty--you're so fearfully tall, and
when I've lost my leg I shall be so very tiny.. How will you be able to
take me on your arm; we shall look a strange couple!"

And she laughed hysterically. Her jests and insinuations were feeble,
but she was not capable of considering the effect she was producing.

"Hysterics!" Pyotr Stepanovitch whispered to me. "A glass of water, make
haste!"

He was right. A minute later every one was fussing about, water was
brought. Liza embraced her mother, kissed her warmly, wept on her
shoulder, then drawing back and looking her in the face she fell to
laughing again. The mother too began whimpering. Varvara Petrovna made
haste to carry them both off to her own rooms, going out by the same
door by which Darya Pavlovna had come to us. But they were not away
long, not more than four minutes.

I am trying to remember now every detail of these last moments of that
memorable morning. I remember that when we were left without the ladies
(except Darya Pavlovna, who had not moved from her seat), Nikolay
Vsyevolodovitch made the round, greeting us all except Shatov, who still
sat in his corner, his head more bowed than ever. Stepan Trofimovitch
was beginning something very witty to Nikolay Vsyevolodovitch, but the
latter turned away hurriedly to Darya Pavlovna. But before he reached
her, Pyotr Stepanovitch caught him and drew him away, almost violently,
towards the window,