d with half a dozen cane chairs, and two small card-tables,
Madame Terentieff, in the shrill tones habitual to her, continued her
stream of invectives.

"Are you not ashamed? Are you not ashamed? You barbarian! You tyrant!
You have robbed me of all I possessed--you have sucked my bones to the
marrow. How long shall I be your victim? Shameless, dishonourable man!"

"Marfa Borisovna! Marfa Borisovna! Here is... the Prince Muishkin!
General Ivolgin and Prince Muishkin," stammered the disconcerted old
man.

"Would you believe," said the mistress of the house, suddenly addressing
the prince, "would you believe that that man has not even spared my
orphan children? He has stolen everything I possessed, sold everything,
pawned everything; he has left me nothing--nothing! What am I to do with
your IOU's, you cunning, unscrupulous rogue? Answer, devourer I answer,
heart of stone! How shall I feed my orphans? with what shall I nourish
them? And now he has come, he is drunk! He can scarcely stand. How, oh
how, have I offended the Almighty, that He should bring this curse upon
me! Answer, you worthless villain, answer!"

But this was too much for the general.

"Here are twenty-five roubles, Marfa Borisovna... it is all that I
can give... and I owe even these to the prince's generosity--my noble
friend. I have been cruelly deceived. Such is... life... Now... Excuse
me, I am very weak," he continued, standing in the centre of the
room, and bowing to all sides. "I am faint; excuse me! Lenotchka... a
cushion... my dear!"

Lenotchka, a little girl of eight, ran to fetch the cushion at once, and
placed it on the rickety old sofa. The general meant to have said much
more, but as soon as he had stretched himself out, he turned his face to
the wall, and slept the sleep of the just.

With a grave and ceremonious air, Marfa Borisovna motioned the prince to
a chair at one of the card-tables. She seated herself opposite, leaned
her right cheek on her hand, and sat in silence, her eyes fixed on
Muishkin, now and again sighing deeply. The three children, two little
girls and a boy, Lenotchka being the eldest, came and leant on the
table and also stared steadily at him. Presently Colia appeared from the
adjoining room.

"I am very glad indeed to have met you here, Colia," said the prince.
"Can you do something for me? I must see Nastasia Philipovna, and I
asked Ardalion Alexandrovitch just now to take me to her house, but he
has gone to s