must follow her very
quietly. His heart froze within him. He wouldn't, he COULDN'T confess
her to be a criminal, and yet he felt that something dreadful would
happen the next moment, something which would blast his whole life.

She seemed to wish to show him something, not far off, in the park.

He rose from his seat in order to follow her, when a bright, clear peal
of laughter rang out by his side. He felt somebody's hand suddenly in
his own, seized it, pressed it hard, and awoke. Before him stood Aglaya,
laughing aloud.

VIII.

SHE laughed, but she was rather angry too.

"He's asleep! You were asleep," she said, with contemptuous surprise.

"Is it really you?" muttered the prince, not quite himself as yet,
and recognizing her with a start of amazement. "Oh yes, of course," he
added, "this is our rendezvous. I fell asleep here."

"So I saw."

"Did no one awake me besides yourself? Was there no one else here? I
thought there was another woman."

"There was another woman here?"

At last he was wide awake.

"It was a dream, of course," he said, musingly. "Strange that I should
have a dream like that at such a moment. Sit down--"

He took her hand and seated her on the bench; then sat down beside her
and reflected.

Aglaya did not begin the conversation, but contented herself with
watching her companion intently.

He looked back at her, but at times it was clear that he did not see her
and was not thinking of her.

Aglaya began to flush up.

"Oh yes!" cried the prince, starting. "Hippolyte's suicide--"

"What? At your house?" she asked, but without much surprise. "He was
alive yesterday evening, wasn't he? How could you sleep here after
that?" she cried, growing suddenly animated.

"Oh, but he didn't kill himself; the pistol didn't go off." Aglaya
insisted on hearing the whole story. She hurried the prince along, but
interrupted him with all sorts of questions, nearly all of which were
irrelevant. Among other things, she seemed greatly interested in every
word that Evgenie Pavlovitch had said, and made the prince repeat that
part of the story over and over again.

"Well, that'll do; we must be quick," she concluded, after hearing all.
"We have only an hour here, till eight; I must be home by then without
fail, so that they may not find out that I came and sat here with you;
but I've come on business. I have a great deal to say to you. But you
have bowled me over considerably with your news. As to