Pagina 713 van 1294

Your son intentionally exaggerated the significance of my words

and made them ridiculous, accusing me of malicious intentions,

and, as far as I could see, relied upon your correspondence with

him. I shall consider myself happy, Pulcheria Alexandrovna, if it

is possible for you to convince me of an opposite conclusion, and

thereby considerately reassure me. Kindly let me know in what

terms precisely you repeated my words in your letter to Rodion

Romanovitch."

"I don't remember," faltered Pulcheria Alexandrovna. "I repeated

them as I understood them. I don't know how Rodya repeated them

to you, perhaps he exaggerated."

"He could not have exaggerated them, except at your instigation."

"Pyotr Petrovitch," Pulcheria Alexandrovna declared with dignity,

"the proof that Dounia and I did not take your words in a very

bad sense is the fact that we are here."

"Good, mother," said Dounia approvingly.

"Then this is my fault again," said Luzhin, aggrieved.