S. was laughing now, too, so was Evgenie Pavlovitch, so was
Colia, and so was the prince himself, who caught the infection as he
looked round radiantly upon the others.

"Come along, let's go out for a walk!" cried Adelaida. "We'll all go
together, and the prince must absolutely go with us. You needn't go
away, you dear good fellow! ISN'T he a dear, Aglaya? Isn't he, mother? I
must really give him a kiss for--for his explanation to Aglaya just now.
Mother, dear, I may kiss him, mayn't I? Aglaya, may I kiss YOUR prince?"
cried the young rogue, and sure enough she skipped up to the prince and
kissed his forehead.

He seized her hands, and pressed them so hard that Adelaida nearly cried
out; he then gazed with delight into her eyes, and raising her right
hand to his lips with enthusiasm, kissed it three times.

"Come along," said Aglaya. "Prince, you must walk with me. May he,
mother? This young cavalier, who won't have me? You said you would NEVER
have me, didn't you, prince? No-no, not like that; THAT'S not the way
to give your arm. Don't you know how to give your arm to a lady yet?
There--so. Now, come along, you and I will lead the way. Would you like
to lead the way with me alone, tete-a-tete?"

She went on talking and chatting without a pause, with occasional little
bursts of laughter between.

"Thank God--thank God!" said Lizabetha Prokofievna to herself, without
quite knowing why she felt so relieved.

"What extraordinary people they are!" thought Prince S., for perhaps
the hundredth time since he had entered into intimate relations with the
family; but--he liked these "extraordinary people," all the same. As for
Prince Lef Nicolaievitch himself, Prince S. did not seem quite to like
him, somehow. He was decidedly preoccupied and a little disturbed as
they all started off.

Evgenie Pavlovitch seemed to be in a lively humour. He made Adelaida and
Alexandra laugh all the way to the Vauxhall; but they both laughed
so very really and promptly that the worthy Evgenie began at last to
suspect that they were not listening to him at all.

At this idea, he burst out laughing all at once, in quite unaffected
mirth, and without giving any explanation.

The sisters, who also appeared to be in high spirits, never tired of
glancing at Aglaya and the prince, who were walking in front. It was
evident that their younger sister was a thorough puzzle to them both.

Prince S. tried hard to get up a conversation with Mrs. Epa