l tell you all about him some day.... What do
you think of Nastasia Philipovna? She is beautiful, isn't she? I
had never seen her before, though I had a great wish to do so. She
fascinated me. I could forgive Gania if he were to marry her for love,
but for money! Oh dear! that is horrible!"

"Yes, your brother does not attract me much."

"I am not surprised at that. After what you... But I do hate that way
of looking at things! Because some fool, or a rogue pretending to be a
fool, strikes a man, that man is to be dishonoured for his whole life,
unless he wipes out the disgrace with blood, or makes his assailant beg
forgiveness on his knees! I think that so very absurd and tyrannical.
Lermontoff's Bal Masque is based on that idea--a stupid and unnatural
one, in my opinion; but he was hardly more than a child when he wrote
it."

"I like your sister very much."

"Did you see how she spat in Gania's face! Varia is afraid of no one.
But you did not follow her example, and yet I am sure it was not through
cowardice. Here she comes! Speak of a wolf and you see his tail! I felt
sure that she would come. She is very generous, though of course she has
her faults."

Varia pounced upon her brother.

"This is not the place for you," said she. "Go to father. Is he plaguing
you, prince?"

"Not in the least; on the contrary, he interests me."

"Scolding as usual, Varia! It is the worst thing about her. After all,
I believe father may have started off with Rogojin. No doubt he is sorry
now. Perhaps I had better go and see what he is doing," added Colia,
running off.

"Thank God, I have got mother away, and put her to bed without another
scene! Gania is worried--and ashamed--not without reason! What a
spectacle! I have come to thank you once more, prince, and to ask you if
you knew Nastasia Philipovna before?"

"No, I have never known her."

"Then what did you mean, when you said straight out to her that she was
not really 'like that'? You guessed right, I fancy. It is quite possible
she was not herself at the moment, though I cannot fathom her meaning.
Evidently she meant to hurt and insult us. I have heard curious tales
about her before now, but if she came to invite us to her house, why
did she behave so to my mother? Ptitsin knows her very well; he says he
could not understand her today. With Rogojin, too! No one with a spark
of self-respect could have talked like that in the house of her...
Mother is extremely vexed