whole
truth; I have tried to explain; more than once I have begun, but you
have not allowed me to go on..."

The prince gave no answer, and sat deep in thought. Evidently he was
struggling to decide.

"Very well! Tell me the truth," he said, dejectedly.

"Aglaya Ivanovna..." began Lebedeff, promptly.

"Be silent! At once!" interrupted the prince, red with indignation, and
perhaps with shame, too. "It is impossible and absurd! All that has been
invented by you, or fools like you! Let me never hear you say a word
again on that subject!"

Late in the evening Colia came in with a whole budget of Petersburg and
Pavlofsk news. He did not dwell much on the Petersburg part of it, which
consisted chiefly of intelligence about his friend Hippolyte, but passed
quickly to the Pavlofsk tidings. He had gone straight to the Epanchins'
from the station.

"There's the deuce and all going on there!" he said. "First of all about
the row last night, and I think there must be something new as well,
though I didn't like to ask. Not a word about YOU, prince, the whole
time! The most interesting fact was that Aglaya had been quarrelling
with her people about Gania. Colia did not know any details, except that
it had been a terrible quarrel! Also Evgenie Pavlovitch had called, and
met with an excellent reception all round. And another curious thing:
Mrs. Epanchin was so angry that she called Varia to her--Varia was
talking to the girls--and turned her out of the house 'once for all' she
said. I heard it from Varia herself--Mrs. Epanchin was quite polite,
but firm; and when Varia said good-bye to the girls, she told them
nothing about it, and they didn't know they were saying goodbye for the
last time. I'm sorry for Varia, and for Gania too; he isn't half a bad
fellow, in spite of his faults, and I shall never forgive myself for not
liking him before! I don't know whether I ought to continue to go to the
Epanchins' now," concluded Colia--"I like to be quite independent of
others, and of other people's quarrels if I can; but I must think over
it."

"I don't think you need break your heart over Gania," said the prince;
"for if what you say is true, he must be considered dangerous in the
Epanchin household, and if so, certain hopes of his must have been
encouraged."

"What? What hopes?" cried Colia; "you surely don't mean Aglaya?--oh,
no!--"

"You're a dreadful sceptic, prince," he continued, after a moment's
silence. "I have observed o