You just called me perfection; a fine perfection, if just for the sake of boasting that I've trampled on a million and a princely title, I go off to a thieves' den!
What kind of wife am I for you after that?
Afanasy Ivanych, I've really thrown a million out the window!
How could you think I'd consider myself lucky to marry Ganechka and your seventy-five thousand?
Keep the seventy-five thousand, Afanasy Ivanych (you didn't even get up to a hundred, Rogozhin outdid you!); as for Ganechka, I'll comfort him myself, I've got an idea.
And now I want to carouse, I'm a streetwalker!
I sat in prison for ten years, now comes happiness!
What's wrong, Rogozhin?
Get ready, let's go!"
"Let's go!" bellowed Rogozhin, nearly beside himself with joy. "Hey, you . . . whoever . . . wine!
Ohh! . . ."
"Lay in more wine, I'm going to drink.
And will there be music?"
"There will, there will!
Keep away!" Rogozhin screamed in frenzy, seeing Darya Alexeevna approaching Nastasya Filippovna.
"She's mine! It's all mine!
A queen!
The end!"
He was breathless with joy; he circled around Nastasya Filippovna and cried out to everyone: "Keep away!"
His whole company had already crowded into the drawing room.
Some were drinking, others were shouting and guffawing, they were all in a most excited and uninhibited state.
Ferdyshchenko began trying to sidle up to them.
The general and Totsky made another move to disappear quickly.
Ganya also had his hat in his hand, but he stood silently and still seemed unable to tear himself away from the picture that was developing before him.
"Keep away!" cried Rogozhin.
"What are you yelling for?" Nastasya Filippovna laughed loudly at him. "I'm still the mistress here; if I want, I can have you thrown out.
I haven't taken your money yet, it's right there; give it to me, the whole packet!
So there's a hundred thousand in this packet?
Pah, how loathsome!
What's wrong, Darya Alexeevna?
Should I have ruined him?" (She pointed to the prince.) "How can he get married, he still needs a nursemaid himself; so the general will be his nursemaid—look how he dangles after him!
See, Prince, your fiancee took the money because she's dissolute, and you wanted to marry her!
Why are you crying?
Bitter, is it?
No, but laugh, as I do!" Nastasya Filippovna went on, with two big tears glistening on her own cheeks.
"Trust in time—everything will pass!
Better to change your mind now than later . . . But why are you all crying— here's Katya crying!
What's wrong, Katya, dear?
I've left a lot to you and Pasha, I've already made the arrangements, and now goodbye!
I've made an honest girl like you wait on a dissolute one like me . . . It's better this way, Prince, truly better, you'd start despising me tomorrow, and there'd be no happiness for us!
Don't swear, I won't believe you!
And it would be so stupid . . .
No, better let's part nicely, because I'm a dreamer myself, there'd be no use!
As if I haven't dreamed of you myself?
You're right about that, I dreamed for a long time, still in the country, where he kept me for five years, completely alone, I used to think and think, dream and dream— and I kept imagining someone like you, kind, honest, good, and as silly as you are, who would suddenly come and say,
'You're not guilty, Nastasya Filippovna, and I adore you!'
And I sometimes dreamed so much that I'd go out of my mind . . . And then this one would come: he'd stay for two months a year, dishonor me, offend me, inflame me, debauch me, leave me—a thousand times I wanted to drown myself in the pond, but I was base, I had no courage—well, but now . . . Rogozhin, are you ready?"
"Ready!
Keep away!"
"Ready!" several voices rang out.