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We never thought of such a husband as THAT for our Aglaya!" Of course, the last argument was the chief one. The maternal heart trembled with indignation to think of such an absurdity, although in that heart there rose another voice, which said: "And WHY is not the prince such a husband as you would have desired for Aglaya?"
Aglaya behaved very graciously to him, and chatted and laughed merrily. Evgenie Pavlovitch begged the prince's leave to introduce their friend to him. The prince hardly realized what was wanted of him, but the introduction came off; the two men bowed and shook hands.
He smiled absently at her; then suddenly he felt a burning sensation in his ear as an angry voice whispered: "If you do not turn those dreadful people out of the house this very instant, I shall hate you all my life all my life!" It was Aglaya. She seemed almost in a frenzy, but she turned away before the prince could look at her.
He told me so himself, and so did Aglaya Ivanovna, and I have come on purpose to warn you" but even that did not seem quite a legitimate or practicable thing to do. Then, again, there was another delicate question, to which he could not find an answer; dared not, in fact, think of it; but at the very idea of which he trembled and blushed.
Do you know why you are afraid of me, and what is your object now? You wished to satisfy yourself with your own eyes as to which he loves best, myself or you, because you are fearfully jealous." "He has told me already that he hates you," murmured Aglaya, scarcely audibly. "Perhaps, perhaps! I am not worthy of him, I know. But I think you are lying, all the same.
"I meant to say I only meant to say," said the prince, faltering, "I merely meant to explain to Aglaya Ivanovna to have the honour to explain, as it were that I had no intention never had to ask the honour of her hand. I assure you I am not guilty, Aglaya Ivanovna, I am not, indeed.
"This man assures me," said Aglaya, scornfully, when the prince had finished reading the letter, "that the words 'break off everything' do not commit me to anything whatever; and himself gives me a written guarantee to that effect, in this letter. Observe how ingenuously he underlines certain words, and how crudely he glosses over his hidden thoughts.
True enough, he had not remarked where he was coming to when he set out with Aglaya; he had not been in a condition to remark anything at all. Had he been more careful to observe his companion, he would have seen that for the last quarter of an hour Aglaya had also been glancing around in apparent anxiety, as though she expected to see someone, or something particular, among the crowd of people.
Undoubtedly the fact that he might now come and see Aglaya as much as he pleased again was quite enough to make him perfectly happy; that he might come and speak to her, and see her, and sit by her, and walk with her who knows, but that all this was quite enough to satisfy him for the whole of his life, and that he would desire no more to the end of time?
It seemed clear to the prince that Aglaya forgave him, and that he might go there again this very evening; and in his eyes that was not only the main thing, but everything in the world. "What children we are still, Colia!" he cried at last, enthusiastically, "and how delightful it is that we can be children still!"
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