'You know his address?' she repeated. 'Well, write to him then that he
has killed me. You are a good man, I know. He did not talk to you of me,
I dare say, but he talked to me about you. Write... ah, write to him to
come back quickly, if he wants to find me alive!... No! He will not find
me!...'

Susanna's voice grew quieter at each word, and she was quieter
altogether. But this calm seemed to me more awful than the previous
sobs.

'He believed him,...' she said again, and rested her chin on her clasped
hands.

A sudden squall of wind beat upon the window with a sharp whistle and a
thud of snow. A cold draught passed over the room.... The candles
flickered.... Susanna shivered. Again I begged her to sit on the sofa.

'No, no, let me be,' she answered, 'I am all right here. Please.' She
huddled up to the frozen pane, as though she had found herself a refuge
in the recesses of the window. 'Please.'

'But you're shivering, you're frozen,' I cried, 'Look, your shoes are
soaked.'

'Let me be... please...' she whispered,. and closed her eyes.

A panic seized me.

'Susanna Ivanovna!' I almost screamed: 'do rouse yourself, I entreat