Page 837 - the-idiot

na’s face, of a sudden. It became obstinate-looking, hard,
and full of hatred; but she did not take her eyes off her visi-
tors for a moment.
Aglaya was clearly confused, but not frightened. On en-
tering she had merely glanced momentarily at her rival, and
then had sat still, with her eyes on the ground, apparently
in thought. Once or twice she glanced casually round the
room. A shade of disgust was visible in her expression; she
looked as though she were afraid of contamination in this
place.
She mechanically arranged her dress, and fidgeted un-
comfortably, eventually changing her seat to the other
end of the sofa. Probably she was unconscious of her own
movements; but this very unconsciousness added to the of-
fensiveness of their suggested meaning.
At length she looked straight into Nastasia’s eyes, and in-
stantly read all there was to read in her rival’s expression.
Woman understood woman! Aglaya shuddered.
‘You know of course why I requested this meeting?’ she
said at last, quietly, and pausing twice in the delivery of this
very short sentence.
‘No—I know nothing about it,’ said Nastasia, drily and
abruptly.
Aglaya blushed. Perhaps it struck her as very strange and
impossible that she should really be sitting here and waiting
for ‘that woman’s’ reply to her question.
At the first sound of Nastasia’s voice a shudder ran
through her frame. Of course ‘that woman’ observed and
took in all this.

The Idiot