and talked: all were in the highest and
wildest spirits. Ferdishenko was doing his best to unite himself to
them; the general and Totski again made an attempt to go. Gania, too
stood hat in hand ready to go; but seemed to be unable to tear his eyes
away from the scene before him.

"Get out, keep your distance!" shouted Rogojin.

"What are you shouting about there!" cried Nastasia "I'm not yours yet.
I may kick you out for all you know I haven't taken your money yet;
there it all is on the table Here, give me over that packet! Is there a
hundred thousand roubles in that one packet? Pfu! what abominable stuff
it looks! Oh! nonsense, Daria Alexeyevna; you surely did not expect me
to ruin HIM?" (indicating the prince). "Fancy him nursing me! Why, he
needs a nurse himself! The general, there, will be his nurse now, you'll
see. Here, prince, look here! Your bride is accepting money. What a
disreputable woman she must be! And you wished to marry her! What are
you crying about? Is it a bitter dose? Never mind, you shall laugh yet.
Trust to time." (In spite of these words there were two large tears
rolling down Nastasia's own cheeks.) "It's far better to think twice
of it now than afterwards. Oh! you mustn't cry like that! There's Katia
crying, too. What is it, Katia, dear? I shall leave you and Pasha a lot
of things, I've laid them out for you already; but good-bye, now. I made
an honest girl like you serve a low woman like myself. It's better so,
prince, it is indeed. You'd begin to despise me afterwards--we should
never be happy. Oh! you needn't swear, prince, I shan't believe you, you
know. How foolish it would be, too! No, no; we'd better say good-bye and
part friends. I am a bit of a dreamer myself, and I used to dream of you
once. Very often during those five years down at his estate I used to
dream and think, and I always imagined just such a good, honest, foolish
fellow as you, one who should come and say to me: 'You are an innocent
woman, Nastasia Philipovna, and I adore you.' I dreamt of you often. I
used to think so much down there that I nearly went mad; and then this
fellow here would come down. He would stay a couple of months out of the
twelve, and disgrace and insult and deprave me, and then go; so that I
longed to drown myself in the pond a thousand times over; but I did not
dare do it. I hadn't the heart, and now--well, are you ready, Rogojin?"

"Ready--keep your distance, all of you!"

"We're all ready,"