ed him back and he
stopped.

"Then you think Aglaya Ivanovna herself intends to go to Nastasia
Philipovna's tonight?" he asked, and bright hectic spots came out on his
cheeks and forehead.

"I don't know absolutely for certain; but in all probability it is so,"
replied Hippolyte, looking round. "Nastasia would hardly go to her; and
they can't meet at Gania's, with a man nearly dead in the house."

"It's impossible, for that very reason," said the prince. "How would she
get out if she wished to? You don't know the habits of that house--she
COULD not get away alone to Nastasia Philipovna's! It's all nonsense!"

"Look here, my dear prince, no one jumps out of the window if they can
help it; but when there's a fire, the dandiest gentleman or the finest
lady in the world will skip out! When the moment comes, and
there's nothing else to be done--our young lady will go to Nastasia
Philipovna's! Don't they let the young ladies out of the house alone,
then?"

"I didn't mean that exactly."

"If you didn't mean that, then she has only to go down the steps and
walk off, and she need never come back unless she chooses: Ships are
burned behind one sometimes, and one doesn't care to return whence one
came. Life need not consist only of lunches, and dinners, and Prince
S's. It strikes me you take Aglaya Ivanovna for some conventional
boarding-school girl. I said so to her, and she quite agreed with me.
Wait till seven or eight o'clock. In your place I would send someone
there to keep watch, so as to seize the exact moment when she steps out
of the house. Send Colia. He'll play the spy with pleasure--for you at
least. Ha, ha, ha!"

Hippolyte went out.

There was no reason for the prince to set anyone to watch, even if he
had been capable of such a thing. Aglaya's command that he should stay
at home all day seemed almost explained now. Perhaps she meant to call
for him, herself, or it might be, of course, that she was anxious to
make sure of his not coming there, and therefore bade him remain at
home. His head whirled; the whole room seemed to be turning round. He
lay down on the sofa, and closed his eyes.

One way or the other the question was to be decided at last--finally.

Oh, no, he did not think of Aglaya as a boarding-school miss, or a young
lady of the conventional type! He had long since feared that she might
take some such step as this. But why did she wish to see Nastasia?

He shivered all over as he lay; he was