第432页 / 共1294页

Her cough choked her--but her reproaches were not without result.

They evidently stood in some awe of Katerina Ivanovna. The

lodgers, one after another, squeezed back into the doorway with

that strange inner feeling of satisfaction which may be observed

in the presence of a sudden accident, even in those nearest and

dearest to the victim, from which no living man is exempt, even

in spite of the sincerest sympathy and compassion.

Voices outside were heard, however, speaking of the hospital and

saying that they'd no business to make a disturbance here.

"No business to die!" cried Katerina Ivanovna, and she was

rushing to the door to vent her wrath upon them, but in the

doorway came face to face with Madame Lippevechsel who had only

just heard of the accident and ran in to restore order. She was a

particularly quarrelsome and irresponsible German.

"Ah, my God!" she cried, clasping her hands, "your husband

drunken horses have trampled! To the hospital with him! I am the

landlady!"