aid Nastasia, in some
surprise.

"If you wished to preserve your good name, why did you not give up
your--your 'guardian,' Totski, without all that theatrical posturing?"
said Aglaya, suddenly a propos of nothing.

"What do you know of my position, that you dare to judge me?" cried
Nastasia, quivering with rage, and growing terribly white.

"I know this much, that you did not go out to honest work, but went away
with a rich man, Rogojin, in order to pose as a fallen angel. I don't
wonder that Totski was nearly driven to suicide by such a fallen angel."

"Silence!" cried Nastasia Philipovna. "You are about as fit to
understand me as the housemaid here, who bore witness against her lover
in court the other day. She would understand me better than you do."

"Probably an honest girl living by her own toil. Why do you speak of a
housemaid so contemptuously?"

"I do not despise toil; I despise you when you speak of toil."

"If you had cared to be an honest woman, you would have gone out as a
laundress."

Both had risen, and were gazing at one another with pallid faces.

"Aglaya, don't! This is unfair," cried the prince, deeply distressed.

Rogojin was not smiling now; he sat and listened with folded arms, and
lips tight compressed.

"There, look at her," cried Nastasia, trembling with passion. "Look at
this young lady! And I imagined her an angel! Did you come to me without
your governess, Aglaya Ivanovna? Oh, fie, now shall I just tell you why
you came here today? Shall I tell you without any embellishments? You
came because you were afraid of me!"

"Afraid of YOU?" asked Aglaya, beside herself with naive amazement that
the other should dare talk to her like this.

"Yes, me, of course! Of course you were afraid of me, or you would not
have decided to come. You cannot despise one you fear. And to think that
I have actually esteemed you up to this very moment! Do you know why
you are afraid of me, and what is your object now? You wished to satisfy
yourself with your own eyes as to which he loves best, myself or you,
because you are fearfully jealous."

"He has told me already that he hates you," murmured Aglaya, scarcely
audibly.

"Perhaps, perhaps! I am not worthy of him, I know. But I think you are
lying, all the same. He cannot hate me, and he cannot have said so. I am
ready to forgive you, in consideration of your position; but I confess
I thought better of you. I thought you were wiser, and more beautifu