You see, he thinks of me.
'Explain to her,' he writes; 'soothe her and comfort her,' eh?"
Her heart beat quickly but boldly, and her head whirled slightly
from excitement.
"Your son's a splendid man! I respect and love him very much."
"I tell you what--let's think of something in regard to Rybin,"
she suggested.
She wanted to do something forthwith--go somewhere, walk till she
dropped from exhaustion, and then fall asleep, content with the
day's work.
"Yes--very well!" said Nikolay, pacing through the room. "Why not?
We ought to have Sashenka here!"
"She'll be here soon. She always comes on my visiting day to Pasha."
Thoughtfully drooping his head, biting his lips and twisting his
beard, Nikolay sat on the sofa by the mother's side.
"I'm sorry my sister isn't here. She ought to occupy herself with
Rybin's case."
"It would be well to arrange it at once, while Pasha is there. It
would be pleasant for him."
The bell rang. They looked at each other.
"That's Sasha," Nikolay whispered.
"How will you tell her?" the mother whispered back.
"Yes--um!--it's hard!"
"I pity her very much."
The bell rang again, not so loud, as if the person on the other side
of the door had also fallen to thinking and hesitated.
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