f refusal at the last
moment.

It soon became clear to Gania, after scenes of wrath and quarrellings
at the domestic hearth, that his family were seriously opposed to the
match, and that Nastasia was aware of this fact was equally evident. She
said nothing about it, though he daily expected her to do so.

There were several rumours afloat, before long, which upset Totski's
equanimity a good deal, but we will not now stop to describe them;
merely mentioning an instance or two. One was that Nastasia had entered
into close and secret relations with the Epanchin girls--a most unlikely
rumour; another was that Nastasia had long satisfied herself of the fact
that Gania was merely marrying her for money, and that his nature was
gloomy and greedy, impatient and selfish, to an extraordinary degree;
and that although he had been keen enough in his desire to achieve a
conquest before, yet since the two friends had agreed to exploit his
passion for their own purposes, it was clear enough that he had begun to
consider the whole thing a nuisance and a nightmare.

In his heart passion and hate seemed to hold divided sway, and although
he had at last given his consent to marry the woman (as he said), under
the stress of circumstances, yet he promised himself that he would "take
it out of her," after marriage.

Nastasia seemed to Totski to have divined all this, and to be preparing
something on her own account, which frightened him to such an extent
that he did not dare communicate his views even to the general. But at
times he would pluck up his courage and be full of hope and good spirits
again, acting, in fact, as weak men do act in such circumstances.

However, both the friends felt that the thing looked rosy indeed when
one day Nastasia informed them that she would give her final answer on
the evening of her birthday, which anniversary was due in a very short
time.

A strange rumour began to circulate, meanwhile; no less than that
the respectable and highly respected General Epanchin was himself so
fascinated by Nastasia Philipovna that his feeling for her amounted
almost to passion. What he thought to gain by Gania's marriage to
the girl it was difficult to imagine. Possibly he counted on Gania's
complaisance; for Totski had long suspected that there existed some
secret understanding between the general and his secretary. At all
events the fact was known that he had prepared a magnificent present of
pearls for Nastasia's bi