XIV.
NÁSTENKA'S STORY.
On the next day, early in the morning, Nástenka came to Viéra Pavlovna.
"I want to tell you about what you saw yesterday, Viéra Pavlovna," she said; but for some time she was at a loss how to go on. "I would not want you to think ill of him, Viéra Pavlovna."
"What do you mean? You must have a poor opinion of me, Nastasia Borísovna."
"No; if it were some one else besides me, I should not have thought of such a thing; but you know I am not like other girls."
"No, Nastasia Borísovna, you have no right to speak about yourself in such a way. We have known you for a year; and before that a good many of our Union knew you."
"This proves that you do not know anything about me."
"How so? I know a good deal about you. You have been a servant-girl, the last time you were with the actress N.; after she got married, you left her, so as to avoid her father-in-law; you entered Y.'s shop, and from there you came to us. I know all the particulars about it."
"Of course, I know that Maksímova and Shéïna, who knew all about me, would not tell anything to anybody. But, after all, I thought that you and the others might have heard about me. Akh! how glad I am they yonder don't know anything about it! And I am going to tell you, so that you may know what a good man he is. I have been a very bad girl, Viéra Pavlovna."
"You, Nastasia Borísovna?"
"Yes, Viéra Pavlovna, I have. I have been a very bold girl; I had not the slightest shame, and I used to be always drunk. And that's the reason that I am ill, Viéra Pavlovna, because with my weak lungs I used to drink too much."
This was the third case of the kind that had come under Viéra Pavlovna's observation. These girls, who had behaved themselves with perfect propriety since their acquaintance with her, told her that hitherto they had been leading bad lives. The first time she was amazed at such a confession; but, after reasoning it over for several days, she asked her-
