efore by
the spiteful and treacherous trick she had played on Katerina Ivanovna. He
was greatly surprised to find her now altogether different from what he
had expected. And, crushed as he was by his own sorrow, his eyes
involuntarily rested on her with attention. Her whole manner seemed
changed for the better since yesterday, there was scarcely any trace of
that mawkish sweetness in her speech, of that voluptuous softness in her
movements. Everything was simple and good-natured, her gestures were
rapid, direct, confiding, but she was greatly excited.

"Dear me, how everything comes together to-day!" she chattered on again.
"And why I am so glad to see you, Alyosha, I couldn't say myself! If you
ask me, I couldn't tell you."

"Come, don't you know why you're glad?" said Rakitin, grinning. "You used
to be always pestering me to bring him, you'd some object, I suppose."

"I had a different object once, but now that's over, this is not the
moment. I say, I want you to have something nice. I am so good-natured
now. You sit down, too, Rakitin; why are you standing? You've sat down
already? There's no fear of Rakitin's forgetting to look after himself.
Look, Alyosha, he's sitting there opposite us, so offended that I didn't
ask him to sit down before you. Ugh, Rakitin is such a one to take
offense!" laughed Grushenka. "Don't be angry, Rakitin, I'm kind to-day.
Why are you so depressed, Alyosha? Are you afraid of me?" She peeped into
his eyes with merry mockery"

"He's sad. The promotion has not been given," boomed Rakitin.

"What promotion?"

"His elder stinks."

"What? You are talking some nonsense, you want to say something nasty. Be
quiet, you stupid! Let me sit on your knee, Alyosha, like this." She
suddenly skipped forward and jumped, laughing, on his knee, like a
nestling kitten, with her right arm about his neck. "I'll cheer you up, my
pious boy. Yes, really, will you let me sit on your knee? You won't be
angry? If you tell me, I'll get off?"

Alyosha did not speak. He sat afraid to move, he heard her words, "If you
tell me, I'll get off," but he did not answer. But there was nothing in
his heart such as Rakitin, for instance, watching him malignantly from his
corner, might have expected or fancied. The great grief in his heart
swallowed up every sensation that might have been aroused, and, if only he
could have thought clearly at that moment, he would have realized that he
had now the strongest armor to prote