PART IV
5. CHAPTER V.
(continued)
The two sisters hurriedly went after her.
The prince and the general were the only two persons left in the
room.
"It's--it's really--now could you have imagined anything like it,
Lef Nicolaievitch?" cried the general. He was evidently so much
agitated that he hardly knew what he wished to say. "Seriously
now, seriously I mean--"
"I only see that Aglaya Ivanovna is laughing at me," said the
poor prince, sadly.
"Wait a bit, my boy, I'll just go--you stay here, you know. But
do just explain, if you can, Lef Nicolaievitch, how in the world
has all this come about? And what does it all mean? You must
understand, my dear fellow; I am a father, you see, and I ought
to be allowed to understand the matter--do explain, I beg you!"
"I love Aglaya Ivanovna--she knows it,--and I think she must have
long known it."
The general shrugged his shoulders.
"Strange--it's strange," he said, "and you love her very much?"
"Yes, very much."
"Well--it's all most strange to me. That is--my dear fellow, it
is such a surprise--such a blow--that... You see, it is not
your financial position (though I should not object if you were a
bit richer)--I am thinking of my daughter's happiness, of course,
and the thing is--are you able to give her the happiness she
deserves? And then--is all this a joke on her part, or is she in
earnest? I don't mean on your side, but on hers."
At this moment Alexandra's voice was heard outside the door,
calling out "Papa!"
"Wait for me here, my boy--will you? Just wait and think it all
over, and I'll come back directly," he said hurriedly, and made
off with what looked like the rapidity of alarm in response to
Alexandra's call.
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