'Here is the lady,' she whispered, 'who gave me a silver piece.'

The child's head vanished quickly, and in its place appeared Elena.

Bersenyev jumped up as if he had been stung; but Elena did not stir,
nor cry out. It seemed as if she understood everything in a single
instant. A terrible pallor overspread her face, she went up to the
screen, looked behind it, threw up her arms, and seemed turned to
stone.

A moment more and she would have flung herself on Insarov, but
Bersenyev stopped her. 'What are you doing?' he said in a trembling
whisper, 'you might be the death of him!'

She was reeling. He led her to the sofa, and made her sit down.

She looked into his face, then her eyes ran over him from head to
foot, then stared at the floor.

'Will he die?' she asked so coldly and quietly that Bersenyev was
frightened.

'For God's sake, Elena Nikolaevna,' he began, 'what are you saying? He
is ill certainly--and rather seriously--but we will save him; I
promise you that'

'He is unconscious?' she asked in the same tone of voice as before.

'Yes, he is unconscious at present. That's always the case at the