The Brothers Karamazovour homage.’
‘What do you mean by healed? But she is still lying down
in her chair.’
‘But her night fevers have entirely ceased ever since
Thursday,’ said the lady with nervous haste. ‘And that’s not
all. Her legs are stronger. This mourning she got up well;
she had slept all night. Look at her rosy cheeks, her bright
eyes! She used to be always crying, but now she laughs and
is gay and happy. This morning she insisted on my letting
her stand up, and she stood up for a whole minute without
any support. She wagers that in a fortnight she’ll be dancing
a quadrille. I’ve called in Doctor Herzenstube. He shrugged
his shoulders and said, ‘I am amazed; I can make nothing of
it.’ And would you have us not come here to disturb you, not
fly here to thank you? Lise, thank him — thank him!’
Lise’s pretty little laughing face became suddenly serious.
She rose in her chair as far as she could and, looking at the
elder, clasped her hands before him, but could not restrain
herself and broke into laughter.
‘It’s at him,’ she said, pointing to Alyosha, with childish
vexation at herself for not being able to repress her mirth.
If anyone had looked at Alyosha standing a step behind
the elder, he would have caught a quick flush crimsoning his
cheeks in an instant. His eyes shone and he looked down.
‘She has a message for you, Alexey Fyodorovitch. How
are you?’ the mother went on, holding out her exquisitely
gloved hand to Alyosha.
The elder turned round and all at once looked attentively
at Alyosha. The latter went nearer to Lise and, smiling in a