ugged his shoulders.

"How strange everyone, yourself included, has become of late," said
he. "I was telling you that I cannot in the least understand Lizabetha
Prokofievna's ideas and agitations. She is in hysterics up there, and
moans and says that we have been 'shamed and disgraced.' How? Why? When?
By whom? I confess that I am very much to blame myself; I do not conceal
the fact; but the conduct, the outrageous behaviour of this woman, must
really be kept within limits, by the police if necessary, and I am just
on my way now to talk the question over and make some arrangements.
It can all be managed quietly and gently, even kindly, and without the
slightest fuss or scandal. I foresee that the future is pregnant with
events, and that there is much that needs explanation. There is intrigue
in the wind; but if on one side nothing is known, on the other side
nothing will be explained. If I have heard nothing about it, nor have
YOU, nor HE, nor SHE--who HAS heard about it, I should like to know? How
CAN all this be explained except by the fact that half of it is mirage
or moonshine, or some hallucination of that sort?"

"SHE is insane," muttered the prince, suddenly recollecting all that had
passed, with a spasm of pain at his heart.

"I too had that idea, and I slept in peace. But now I see that their
opinion is more correct. I do not believe in the theory of madness! The
woman has no common sense; but she is not only not insane, she is artful
to a degree. Her outburst of this evening about Evgenie's uncle proves
that conclusively. It was VILLAINOUS, simply jesuitical, and it was all
for some special purpose."

"What about Evgenie's uncle?"

"My goodness, Lef Nicolaievitch, why, you can't have heard a single
word I said! Look at me, I'm still trembling all over with the dreadful
shock! It is that that kept me in town so late. Evgenie Pavlovitch's
uncle--"

"Well?" cried the prince.

"Shot himself this morning, at seven o'clock. A respected, eminent old
man of seventy; and exactly point for point as she described it; a sum
of money, a considerable sum of government money, missing!"

"Why, how could she--"

"What, know of it? Ha, ha, ha! Why, there was a whole crowd round her
the moment she appeared on the scenes here. You know what sort of people
surround her nowadays, and solicit the honour of her 'acquaintance.'
Of course she might easily have heard the news from someone coming from
town. All Petersburg, if