Page 218 - the-idiot

ranged the matter with herself.
‘This baseness on her part of course aroused my young
blood to fever heat; I jumped up, and away I flew.
‘I arrived at the old woman’s house beside myself. She
was sitting in a corner all alone, leaning her face on her
hand. I fell on her like a clap of thunder. ‘You old wretch!’ I
yelled and all that sort of thing, in real Russian style. Well,
when I began cursing at her, a strange thing happened. I
looked at her, and she stared back with her eyes starting out
of her head, but she did not say a word. She seemed to sway
about as she sat, and looked and looked at me in the strang-
est way. Well, I soon stopped swearing and looked closer at
her, asked her questions, but not a word could I get out of
her. The flies were buzzing about the room and only this
sound broke the silence; the sun was setting outside; I didn’t
know what to make of it, so I went away.
‘Before I reached home I was met and summoned to the
major’s, so that it was some while before I actually got there.
When I came in, Nikifor met me. ‘Have you heard, sir, that
our old lady is dead?’ ‘DEAD, when?’ ‘Oh, an hour and a
half ago.’ That meant nothing more nor less than that she
was dying at the moment when I pounced on her and began
abusing her.
‘This produced a great effect upon me. I used to dream
of the poor old woman at nights. I really am not supersti-
tious, but two days after, I went to her funeral, and as time
went on I thought more and more about her. I said to myself,
‘This woman, this human being, lived to a great age. She had
children, a husband and family, friends and relations; her

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