d then said, without taking the trouble to conceal the irony of
his tone:

"There you are, mother, you are always like that. You begin by promising
that there are to be no reproaches or insinuations or questions, and
here you are beginning them at once. We had better drop the subject--we
had, really. I shall never leave you, mother; any other man would cut
and run from such a sister as this. See how she is looking at me at this
moment! Besides, how do you know that I am blinding Nastasia Philipovna?
As for Varia, I don't care--she can do just as she pleases. There,
that's quite enough!"

Gania's irritation increased with every word he uttered, as he walked up
and down the room. These conversations always touched the family sores
before long.

"I have said already that the moment she comes in I go out, and I shall
keep my word," remarked Varia.

"Out of obstinacy" shouted Gania. "You haven't married, either, thanks
to your obstinacy. Oh, you needn't frown at me, Varvara! You can go at
once for all I care; I am sick enough of your company. What, you are
going to leave us are you, too?" he cried, turning to the prince, who
was rising from his chair.

Gania's voice was full of the most uncontrolled and uncontrollable
irritation.

The prince turned at the door to say something, but perceiving in
Gania's expression that there was but that one drop wanting to make the
cup overflow, he changed his mind and left the room without a word.
A few minutes later he was aware from the noisy voices in the drawing
room, that the conversation had become more quarrelsome than ever after
his departure.

He crossed the salon and the entrance-hall, so as to pass down the
corridor into his own room. As he came near the front door he heard
someone outside vainly endeavouring to ring the bell, which was
evidently broken, and only shook a little, without emitting any sound.

The prince took down the chain and opened the door. He started back in
amazement--for there stood Nastasia Philipovna. He knew her at once from
her photograph. Her eyes blazed with anger as she looked at him. She
quickly pushed by him into the hall, shouldering him out of her way, and
said, furiously, as she threw off her fur cloak:

"If you are too lazy to mend your bell, you should at least wait in
the hall to let people in when they rattle the bell handle. There, now,
you've dropped my fur cloak--dummy!"

Sure enough the cloak was lying on the ground. Nastasia