Page 172 - the-idiot

seized her hand and lifted it to her lips.
‘He guessed quite right. I am not that sort of woman,’ she
whispered hurriedly, flushing red all over. Then she turned
again and left the room so quickly that no one could imag-
ine what she had come back for. All they saw was that she
said something to Nina Alexandrovna in a hurried whisper,
and seemed to kiss her hand. Varia, however, both saw and
heard all, and watched Nastasia out of the room with an ex-
pression of wonder.
Gania recollected himself in time to rush after her in or-
der to show her out, but she had gone. He followed her to
the stairs.
‘Don’t come with me,’ she cried, ‘Au revoir, till the eve-
ning—do you hear? Au revoir!’
He returned thoughtful and confused; the riddle lay
heavier than ever on his soul. He was troubled about the
prince, too, and so bewildered that he did not even observe
Rogojin’s rowdy band crowd past him and step on his toes,
at the door as they went out. They were all talking at once.
Rogojin went ahead of the others, talking to Ptitsin, and
apparently insisting vehemently upon something very im-
portant
‘You’ve lost the game, Gania’ he cried, as he passed the
latter.
Gania gazed after him uneasily, but said nothing.

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