Free eBooks at Planet eBook.com 1not yet asleep. She had felt upset ever since Mitya’s visit,
and had a presentiment that she would not get through the
night without the sick headache which always, with her, fol-
lowed such excitement. She was surprised on hearing the
announcement from the maid. She irritably declined to see
him, however, though the unexpected visit at such an hour,
of an ‘official living in the town,’ who was a total stranger,
roused her feminine curiosity intensely. But this time Pyotr
Ilyitch was as obstinate as a mule. He begged the maid most
earnestly to take another message in these very words:
‘That he had come on business of the greatest importance,
and that Madame Hohlakov might have cause to regret it
later, if she refused to see him now.’
‘I plunged headlong,’ he described it afterwards.
The maid, gazing at him in amazement, went to take
his message again. Madame Hohlakov was impressed. She
thought a little, asked what he looked like, and learned that
he was very well dressed, young, and so polite.’ We may note,
parenthetically, that Pyotr Ilyitch was a rather good-looking
young man, and well aware of the fact. Madame Hohlakov
made up her mind to see him. She was in her dressing-gown
and slippers, but she flung a black shawl over her shoulders.
‘The official’ was asked to walk into the drawing-room, the
very room in which Mitya had been received shortly before.
The lady came to meet her visitor, with a sternly inquiring
countenance, and, without asking him to sit down, began at
once with the question:
‘What do you want?’
‘I have ventured to disturb you, madam, on a matter con-