Pyotr Dmitritch put her back in bed without a word, and covered her
with the quilt, then he took the candle and went out.

"For God's sake!" Olga Mihalovna cried again. "Pyotr, understand,
understand!"

Suddenly something gripped her in the lower part of her body and
back with such violence that her wailing was cut short, and she bit
the pillow from the pain. But the pain let her go again at once,
and she began sobbing again.

The maid came in, and arranging the quilt over her, asked in alarm:

"Mistress, darling, what is the matter?"

"Go out of the room," said Pyotr Dmitritch sternly, going up to the
bed.

"Understand . . . understand! . . ." Olga Mihalovna began.

"Olya, I entreat you, calm yourself," he said. "I did not mean to
hurt you. I would not have gone out of the room if I had known it
would have hurt you so much; I simply felt depressed. I tell you,
on my honour . . ."

"Understand! . . . You were lying, I was lying. . . ."

"I understand. . . . Come, come, that's enough! I understand," said
Pyotr Dmitritch tenderly, sitting down on her bed. "You said that