Aglaya. Oh! my God, my God! You spoke just now of Aglaya's face at the
moment when she ran away. Oh, my God! I remember it! Come along,
come along--quick!" He pulled at Evgenie's coat-sleeve nervously and
excitedly, and rose from his chair.

"Where to?"

"Come to Aglaya--quick, quick!"

"But I told you she is not at Pavlofsk. And what would be the use if she
were?"

"Oh, she'll understand, she'll understand!" cried the prince, clasping
his hands. "She would understand that all this is not the point--not a
bit the real point--it is quite foreign to the real question."

"How can it be foreign? You ARE going to be married, are you not? Very
well, then you are persisting in your course. ARE you going to marry her
or not?"

"Yes, I shall marry her--yes."

"Then why is it 'not the point'?"

"Oh, no, it is not the point, not a bit. It makes no difference, my
marrying her--it means nothing."

"How 'means nothing'? You are talking nonsense, my friend. You are
marrying the woman you love in order to secure her happiness, and Aglaya
sees and knows it. How can you say that it's 'not the point'?"

"Her happiness? Oh, no! I am only marrying her--well, because she wished
it. It means nothing--it's all the same. She would certainly have
died. I see now that that marriage with Rogojin was an insane idea. I
understand all now that I did not understand before; and, do you know,
when those two stood opposite to one another, I could not bear Nastasia
Philipovna's face! You must know, Evgenie Pavlovitch, I have never told
anyone before--not even Aglaya--that I cannot bear Nastasia Philipovna's
face." (He lowered his voice mysteriously as he said this.) "You
described that evening at Nastasia Philipovna's (six months since) very
accurately just now; but there is one thing which you did not mention,
and of which you took no account, because you do not know. I mean her
FACE--I looked at her face, you see. Even in the morning when I saw her
portrait, I felt that I could not BEAR to look at it. Now, there's Vera
Lebedeff, for instance, her eyes are quite different, you know. I'm
AFRAID of her face!" he added, with real alarm.

"You are AFRAID of it?"

"Yes--she's mad!" he whispered, growing pale.

"Do you know this for certain?" asked Evgenie, with the greatest
curiosity.

"Yes, for certain--quite for certain, now! I have discovered it
ABSOLUTELY for certain, these last few days."

"What are you doing, then?" cried Evgenie,