them: this, propriety demands. Now they have satisfied propriety,—they have spoken about this interesting fact. Marya Alekséyevna has said that, as a loving mother, she was grieved; Lopukhóf has said that she, as a loving mother, had no need of being grieved; and having fulfilled the measure of propriety, by a discourse of suitable length about feelings, they took up another point, also demanded by propriety, to wit: that she had always wished her daughter to be happy. This was said on one side; and on the other side the reply was made that this was a thing that could never be doubted. When the conversation had been prolonged to a suitable length on this point also, they began to take leave of each other, also with explanations of such a length, as is demanded by propriety among gentlefolk, and the result of it all proved that Lopukhóf, understanding the sorrow of a mother's heart, did not ask Marya Alekséyevna's consent for her daughter to come to see her, because, maybe it would be hard for a mother's heart; but when Marya Alekséyevna should have heard that Viérotchka was living happily, which, of course, was Marya Alekséyevna's sole desire, then her maternal heart would be entirely calmed; consequently, then she would be able to see her daughter without being grieved.
Thus they came to this wise conclusion, and separated peacefully.
"Well, he's a keen one,"[1] said Marya Alekséyevna to herself, as she escorted her son-in-law to the door.
That night she dreamed a dream of this nature: she was sitting at the window, and saw on the street an elegant carriage passing along the street, and the carriage stopped, and from the carriage stepped a handsomely dressed lady and a man, and they came into her room, and the lady said, "Look, mamasha, how well my husband dresses me!" and this lady was Viérotchka. And Marya Alekséyevna seemed to see that the stuff of which the dress was made was of the very best, and Viérotchka said: "The material alone cost five hundred silver rubles, and that is a trifle for us, mamasha; and I have a whole dozen of dresses like this! and this, mamasha, cost more,—here, look at my fingers!" Marya Alekséyevna looked at Viérotchka's fingers; and on her fingers were rings with large diamonds. "This ring, mamasha, is worth two thousand rubles; and this one here,
- ↑ Nu, razboïnnik, literally, highwayman, murderer.
