“Very well. I’ll go,” I agree. My wife gets up, pleased with me, and walks to the door; but immediately returns: “By-the bye, I’ve one more favour to ask. I know you’ll be angry; but it’s my duty to warn you.... Forgive me, Nicolai,--but all our neighbours have begun to talk about the way you go to Katy’s continually. I don’t deny that she’s clever and educated. It’s pleasant to spend the time with her. But at your age and in your position it’s rather strange to find pleasure in her society.... Besides she has a reputation enough to....” All my blood rushes instantly from my brain. My eyes flash fire. I catch hold of my hair, and stamp and cry, in a voice that is not mine: “Leave me alone, leave me, leave me....” My face is probably terrible, and my voice strange, for my wife suddenly gets pale, and calls aloud, with a despairing voice, also not her own. At our cries rush in Liza and Gnekker, then Yegor. My feet grow numb, as though they did not exist. I feel that I am falling into somebody’s arms. Then I hear crying for a little while and sink into a faint which lasts for two or three hours. Now for Katy. She comes to see me before evening every day, which of course must be noticed by my neighbours and my friends. After a minute she takes me with her for a drive. She has her own horse and a new buggy she bought this summer. Generally she lives like a princess. She has taken an expensive detached bungalow with a big garden, and put into it all her town furniture. She has two maids and a coachman. I often ask her: “Katy, what will you live on when you’ve spent all your father’s money?” “We’ll see, then,” she answers. “But this money deserves to be treated more seriously, my dear. It was earned by a good man and honest labour.” “You’ve told me that before. I know.” First we drive by the field, then by a young pine forest, which you can see from my window. Nature seems to me as beautiful as she used, although the devil whispers to me that all these pines and firs, the birds and white clouds in the sky will not notice my absence in three or four months when I am dead. Katy likes to take the reins, and it is good that the weather is fine and I am sitting by her side. She is in a happy mood, and does not say bitter things. “You’re a very good man, Nicolai,” she says. “You are a rare bird. There’s no actor who could play your part. Mine or Mikhail’s, for instance--even a bad actor could manage, but yours--there’s nobody. I envy you, envy you terribly! What am I? What?” She thinks for a moment, and asks: “I’m a negative phenomenon, aren’t I?” “Yes,” I answer. “H’m ... what’s to be done then?” What answer can I give? It’s easy to say “Work,” or “Give your property to the poor,” or “Know yourself,” and because it’s so easy to say this I don’t know what to answer.