the pain, but then she began screaming on an unseemly piercing note.
Once seeing her husband near her, she remembered that she had
insulted him, and without pausing to think whether it were really
Pyotr Dmitritch or whether she were in delirium, clutched his hand
in both hers and began kissing it.

"You were lying, I was lying . . ." she began justifying herself.
"Understand, understand. . . . They have exhausted me, driven me
out of all patience."

"Olya, we are not alone," said Pyotr Dmitritch.

Olga Mihalovna raised her head and saw Varvara, who was kneeling
by the chest of drawers and pulling out the bottom drawer. The top
drawers were already open. Then Varvara got up, red from the strained
position, and with a cold, solemn face began trying to unlock a
box.

"Marya, I can't unlock it!" she said in a whisper. "You unlock it,
won't you?"

Marya, the maid, was digging a candle end out of the candlestick
with a pair of scissors, so as to put in a new candle; she went up
to Varvara and helped her to unlock the box.

"There should be nothing locked . . ." whispered Varvara. "Unlock
this basket, too, my good girl. Master," she said, "you should send
to Father Mihail to unlock the holy gates! You must!"

"Do what you like," said Pyotr Dmitritch, breathing hard, "only,