to her that women were not a chance, not
a simple subject of conversation. They were the object of his new
enthusiasm, or, as he said himself, his new faith! For the first
time in her life she saw a man carried away, fervently believing.
With his gesticulations, with his flashing eyes he seemed to her
mad, frantic, but there was a feeling of such beauty in the fire
of his eyes, in his words, in all the movements of his huge body,
that without noticing what she was doing she stood facing him as
though rooted to the spot, and gazed into his face with delight.

"Take my mother," he said, stretching out his hand to her with an
imploring expression on his face, "I poisoned her existence, according
to her ideas disgraced the name of Liharev, did her as much harm
as the most malignant enemy, and what do you think? My brothers
give her little sums for holy bread and church services, and outraging
her religious feelings, she saves that money and sends it in secret
to her erring Grigory. This trifle alone elevates and ennobles the
soul far more than all the theories, all the clever sayings and the
35,000 species. I can give you thousands of instances. Take you,
even, for instance! With tempest and darkness outside you are going
to your father and your brother to cheer them with your affection
in the holiday, though very likely they have forgotten and are not
thinking of you. And, wait a bit, and you will love a man and follow
him to the North Pole. You would, wouldn't you?"

"Yes, if I loved him."

"There, you see," cried Liharev delighted, and he even stamped with
his foot. "Oh dear! How glad I am that I have met you! Fate is kind
to me, I am always meeting splendid people. Not a day passes but
one makes acquaintance with somebody one would give one's soul for.
There are ever so many more good people than bad in this world.
Here, see, for instance, how openly and from our hearts we have
been talking as though we had known each other a hundred years.
Sometimes, I assure you, one restrains oneself for ten years and
holds one's tongue, is reserved with one's friends and one's wife,
and meets some cadet in a train and babbles one's whole soul out
to him. It is the first time I have the honour of seeing you, and
yet I have confessed to you as I have never confessed in my life.
Why is it?"

Rubbing his hands and smiling good-humouredly Liharev walked up and
down the room, and fell to talking about women again. Meanwhile
they be