had thrown it
off her towards the prince, expecting him to catch it, but the prince
had missed it.

"Now then--announce me, quick!"

The prince wanted to say something, but was so confused and astonished
that he could not. However, he moved off towards the drawing-room with
the cloak over his arm.

"Now then, where are you taking my cloak to? Ha, ha, ha! Are you mad?"

The prince turned and came back, more confused than ever. When she burst
out laughing, he smiled, but his tongue could not form a word as yet. At
first, when he had opened the door and saw her standing before him, he
had become as pale as death; but now the red blood had rushed back to
his cheeks in a torrent.

"Why, what an idiot it is!" cried Nastasia, stamping her foot with
irritation. "Go on, do! Whom are you going to announce?"

"Nastasia Philipovna," murmured the prince.

"And how do you know that?" she asked him, sharply.

"I have never seen you before!"

"Go on, announce me--what's that noise?"

"They are quarrelling," said the prince, and entered the drawing-room,
just as matters in there had almost reached a crisis. Nina Alexandrovna
had forgotten that she had "submitted to everything!" She was defending
Varia. Ptitsin was taking her part, too. Not that Varia was afraid of
standing up for herself. She was by no means that sort of a girl; but
her brother was becoming ruder and more intolerable every moment. Her
usual practice in such cases as the present was to say nothing, but
stare at him, without taking her eyes off his face for an instant. This
manoeuvre, as she well knew, could drive Gania distracted.

Just at this moment the door opened and the prince entered, announcing:

"Nastasia Philipovna!"

IX.

Silence immediately fell on the room; all looked at the prince as though
they neither understood, nor hoped to understand. Gania was motionless
with horror.

Nastasia's arrival was a most unexpected and overwhelming event to all
parties. In the first place, she had never been before. Up to now she
had been so haughty that she had never even asked Gania to introduce her
to his parents. Of late she had not so much as mentioned them. Gania was
partly glad of this; but still he had put it to her debit in the account
to be settled after marriage.

He would have borne anything from her rather than this visit. But one
thing seemed to him quite clear-her visit now, and the present of her
portrait on this particular day, pointed o