I'm richer than
you are now."

But Rogojin understood how things were tending, at last. An
inexpressibly painful expression came over his face. He wrung his hands;
a groan made its way up from the depths of his soul.

"Surrender her, for God's sake!" he said to the prince.

All around burst out laughing.

"What? Surrender her to YOU?" cried Daria Alexeyevna. "To a fellow who
comes and bargains for a wife like a moujik! The prince wishes to marry
her, and you--"

"So do I, so do I! This moment, if I could! I'd give every farthing I
have to do it."

"You drunken moujik," said Daria Alexeyevna, once more. "You ought to be
kicked out of the place."

The laughter became louder than ever.

"Do you hear, prince?" said Nastasia Philipovna. "Do you hear how this
moujik of a fellow goes on bargaining for your bride?"

"He is drunk," said the prince, quietly, "and he loves you very much."

"Won't you be ashamed, afterwards, to reflect that your wife very nearly
ran away with Rogojin?"

"Oh, you were raving, you were in a fever; you are still half
delirious."

"And won't you be ashamed when they tell you, afterwards, that your wife
lived at Totski's expense so many years?"

"No; I shall not be ashamed of that. You did not so live by your own
will."

"And you'll never reproach me with it?"

"Never."

"Take care, don't commit yourself for a whole lifetime."

"Nastasia Philipovna." said the prince, quietly, and with deep emotion,
"I said before that I shall esteem your consent to be my wife as a great
honour to myself, and shall consider that it is you who will honour
me, not I you, by our marriage. You laughed at these words, and others
around us laughed as well; I heard them. Very likely I expressed myself
funnily, and I may have looked funny, but, for all that, I believe I
understand where honour lies, and what I said was but the literal truth.
You were about to ruin yourself just now, irrevocably; you would
never have forgiven yourself for so doing afterwards; and yet, you
are absolutely blameless. It is impossible that your life should be
altogether ruined at your age. What matter that Rogojin came bargaining
here, and that Gavrila Ardalionovitch would have deceived you if he
could? Why do you continually remind us of these facts? I assure you
once more that very few could find it in them to act as you have acted
this day. As for your wish to go with Rogojin, that was simply the idea
of a delirious and suf