to her to come away.

Prince S. ran up to her and persuaded her, at last, to come home with
them.

Lizabetha Prokofievna saw that she returned in such a state of agitation
that it was doubtful whether she had even heard their calls. But only a
couple of minutes later, when they had reached the park, Aglaya suddenly
remarked, in her usual calm, indifferent voice:

"I wanted to see how the farce would end."

III.

THE occurrence at the Vauxhall had filled both mother and daughters with
something like horror. In their excitement Lizabetha Prokofievna and the
girls were nearly running all the way home.

In her opinion there was so much disclosed and laid bare by the episode,
that, in spite of the chaotic condition of her mind, she was able to
feel more or less decided on certain points which, up to now, had been
in a cloudy condition.

However, one and all of the party realized that something important
had happened, and that, perhaps fortunately enough, something which had
hitherto been enveloped in the obscurity of guess-work had now begun to
come forth a little from the mists. In spite of Prince S.'s assurances
and explanations, Evgenie Pavlovitch's real character and position were
at last coming to light. He was publicly convicted of intimacy with
"that creature." So thought Lizabetha Prokofievna and her two elder
daughters.

But the real upshot of the business was that the number of riddles to
be solved was augmented. The two girls, though rather irritated at their
mother's exaggerated alarm and haste to depart from the scene, had been
unwilling to worry her at first with questions.

Besides, they could not help thinking that their sister Aglaya probably
knew more about the whole matter than both they and their mother put
together.

Prince S. looked as black as night, and was silent and moody. Mrs.
Epanchin did not say a word to him all the way home, and he did not seem
to observe the fact. Adelaida tried to pump him a little by asking, "who
was the uncle they were talking about, and what was it that had happened
in Petersburg?" But he had merely muttered something disconnected about
"making inquiries," and that "of course it was all nonsense." "Oh, of
course," replied Adelaida, and asked no more questions. Aglaya, too, was
very quiet; and the only remark she made on the way home was that they
were "walking much too fast to be pleasant."

Once she turned and observed the prince hurrying after them. Notici