Chapter 5 - Page 2

drawing-room
she halted, and began to pencil something fresh on her paper of
peccadilloes.

"Well, what new sin have you gone and committed?" I asked.

"Nothing," she replied with another blush. All at once we heard
Dimitri's voice raised in the hall as he took his leave of
Woloda.

"It seems to me you are always experiencing some new temptation,"
said Katenka, who had entered the room behind us, and now stood
looking at Lubotshka.

What was the matter with my sister I could not conceive, but she
was now so agitated that the tears were starting from her eyes.
Finally her confusion grew uncontrollable, and vented itself in
rage against both herself and Katenka, who appeared to be teasing
her.

"Any one can see that you are a FOREIGNER!" she cried (nothing
offended Katenka so much as to be called by that term, which is
why Lubotshka used it). "Just because I have the secret of which
you know," she went on, with anger ringing through her tone, "you
purposely go and upset me! Please do understand that it is no
joking matter."

"Do you know what she has gone and written on her paper,
Nicolinka? cried Katenka, much infuriated by the term
"foreigner." "She has written down that--"

"Oh, I never could have believed that you could be so cruel!"
exclaimed Lubotshka, now bursting into open sobbing as she moved
away from us. "You chose that moment on purpose! You spend your
whole time in trying to make me sin! I'll never go to YOU again
for sympathy and advice!"