Page 760 - the-idiot

‘Oh, you cruel little girl! How will you treat us all next,
I wonder?’ she said, but she spoke with a ring of joy in her
voice, and as though she breathed at last without the op-
pression which she had felt so long.
‘Cruel?’ sobbed Aglaya. ‘Yes, I AM cruel, and worthless,
and spoiled—tell father so,—oh, here he is—I forgot Father,
listen!’ She laughed through her tears.
‘My darling, my little idol,’ cried the general, kissing and
fondling her hands (Aglaya did not draw them away); ‘so
you love this young man, do you?’
‘No, no, no, can’t BEAR him, I can’t BEAR your young
man!’ cried Aglaya, raising her head. ‘And if you dare say
that ONCE more, papa—I’m serious, you know, I’m,—do
you hear me—I’m serious!’
She certainly did seem to be serious enough. She had
flushed up all over and her eyes were blazing.
The general felt troubled and remained silent, while Liza-
betha Prokofievna telegraphed to him from behind Aglaya
to ask no questions.
‘If that’s the case, darling—then, of course, you shall do
exactly as you like. He is waiting alone downstairs. Hadn’t
I better hint to him gently that he can go?’ The general tele-
graphed to Lizabetha Prokofievna in his turn.
‘No, no, you needn’t do anything of the sort; you mustn’t
hint gently at all. I’ll go down myself directly. I wish to apol-
ogize to this young man, because I hurt his feelings.’
‘Yes, SERIOUSLY,’ said the general, gravely.
‘Well, you’d better stay here, all of you, for a little, and I’ll
go down to him alone to begin with. I’ll just go in and then