does not love you, he only loves your money. He told me so himself,
and so did Aglaya Ivanovna, and I have come on purpose to warn you"--but
even that did not seem quite a legitimate or practicable thing to do.
Then, again, there was another delicate question, to which he could not
find an answer; dared not, in fact, think of it; but at the very idea
of which he trembled and blushed. However, in spite of all his fears and
heart-quakings he went in, and asked for Nastasia Philipovna.

Nastasia occupied a medium-sized, but distinctly tasteful, flat,
beautifully furnished and arranged. At one period of these five years
of Petersburg life, Totski had certainly not spared his expenditure upon
her. He had calculated upon her eventual love, and tried to tempt her
with a lavish outlay upon comforts and luxuries, knowing too well how
easily the heart accustoms itself to comforts, and how difficult it is
to tear one's self away from luxuries which have become habitual and,
little by little, indispensable.

Nastasia did not reject all this, she even loved her comforts and
luxuries, but, strangely enough, never became, in the least degree,
dependent upon them, and always gave the impression that she could do
just as well without them. In fact, she went so far as to inform Totski
on several occasions that such was the case, which the latter gentleman
considered a very unpleasant communication indeed.

But, of late, Totski had observed many strange and original features
and characteristics in Nastasia, which he had neither known nor reckoned
upon in former times, and some of these fascinated him, even now, in
spite of the fact that all his old calculations with regard to her were
long ago cast to the winds.

A maid opened the door for the prince (Nastasia's servants were all
females) and, to his surprise, received his request to announce him to
her mistress without any astonishment. Neither his dirty boots, nor his
wide-brimmed hat, nor his sleeveless cloak, nor his evident confusion of
manner, produced the least impression upon her. She helped him off with
his cloak, and begged him to wait a moment in the ante-room while she
announced him.

The company assembled at Nastasia Philipovna's consisted of none but her
most intimate friends, and formed a very small party in comparison with
her usual gatherings on this anniversary.

In the first place there were present Totski, and General Epanchin.
They were both highly amiable, but