But do you know why you're afraid of me and what your main purpose is now?
You wanted to find out personally whether he loves me more than you or not, because you're terribly jealous . . ."
"He has already told me that he hates you . . ." Aglaya barely murmured.
"Maybe; maybe I'm not worthy of him, only . . . only I think you're lying!
He can't hate me, and he couldn't have said that!
However, I'm prepared to forgive you . .. considering your position . . . only all the same I did think better of you; I thought you were more intelligent, yes, and even better-looking, by God! . . .
Well, so take your treasure . . . here he is, looking at you, unable to collect his wits, take him for yourself, but on one condition: get out right now!
This minute! . . ."
She fell into an armchair and dissolved in tears.
But suddenly something new began to gleam in her eyes; she looked intently and fixedly at Aglaya and got up from her seat:
"Or if you like, my girl, right now . . . I'll or-der him, do you hear? I'll simply or-der him, and he'll drop you at once and stay with me forever, and marry me, and you'll run home alone!
Would you like that, my girl, would you?" she cried like a crazy woman, perhaps almost not believing herself that she could utter such words.
Aglaya rushed to the door in fear, but stopped in the doorway as if rooted there and listened.
"Would you like me to throw Rogozhin out?
You thought, my girl, that I was going to up and marry Rogozhin for your good pleasure?
Now I'll shout in front of you:
'Go, Rogozhin!' and say to the prince: 'Remember what you promised?'
Lord!
Why did I humiliate myself so before them?
Didn't you assure me yourself, Prince, that you'd follow me whatever happened and never leave me; that you loved me, and forgave me everything, and re . . . resp . . . Yes, you said that, too! And I ran away from you only in order to unbind you, but now I don't want to!
Why did she treat me like a loose woman?
Ask Rogozhin how loose I am, he'll tell you!
Now, when she has disgraced me, and that right in front of you, are you going to turn away from me and go out arm in arm with her?
Then may you be cursed for that, because you're the only one I trusted.
Go, Rogozhin, I don't need you!" she cried, almost oblivious, struggling to free the words from her breast, her face distorted and her lips parched, obviously not believing one drop of her own bravado, but at the same time wishing to prolong the moment if only for a second and deceive herself.
The impulse was so strong that she might have died, or so at least it seemed to the prince.
"Here he is, look, my girl!" she finally cried out to Aglaya, pointing at the prince with her hand. "If he doesn't come to me right now, if he doesn't take me and drop you, then you can have him, I give him up, I don't need him! . . ."
Both she and Aglaya stopped as if in expectation, and they both gave him mad looks.
But he may not have understood all the force of this challenge, even certainly did not, one may say.
He only saw before him the desperate, insane face, because of which, as he had once let slip to Aglaya, "his heart was forever pierced."
He could no longer bear it and with entreaty and reproach turned to Aglaya, pointing to Nastasya Filippovna:
"It's not possible! She's ... so unhappy!"
But that was all he managed to say, going dumb under Aglaya's terrible look.
That look expressed so much suffering, and at the same time such boundless hatred, that he clasped his hands, cried out, and rushed to her, but it was already too late!
She could not bear even a moment of hesitation in him, covered her face with her hands, cried: "Oh, my God!"—and rushed out of the room, Rogozhin going after her to unlock the street door.
The prince also ran, but arms seized him on the threshold.
Nastasya Filippovna's stricken, distorted face looked at him point-blank, and her blue lips moved, saying:
"After her?
After her? . . ."
She fell unconscious in his arms.
He picked her up, brought her into the room, laid her in an armchair, and stood over her in dull expectation.
There was a glass of water on the table; Rogozhin, who had returned, snatched it up and sprinkled her face with water; she opened her eyes and for a moment understood nothing; but suddenly she looked around, gave a start, cried out, and rushed to the prince.
"Mine!
Mine!" she cried. "Is the proud young lady gone? Ha, ha, ha!" she laughed hysterically, "ha, ha, ha!
I wanted to give him to that young lady!
But why? What for?
Madwoman!
Madwoman! . . .
Get out, Rogozhin, ha, ha, ha!"
Rogozhin looked at them intently, did not say a word, took his hat, and left.