"She's a beast!" said Ilya.
"H'm—h'm," growled Terenti suspiciously. Ilya felt the searching look on his face, and asked angrily, "Well what are you looking at?"
"I? good Lord! nothing."
"I know what I'm saying. I said a beast, and that's all about it. And if I said worse things it'd be just as true!"
"A—ha! Is that it? O—Oh!" said the hunchback slowly, with an air of condolence.
"What? cried Ilya roughly.
"Only that."
"Only what?"
Terenti stood shifting from one foot to the other, frightened and hurt at being shouted at; his face was sorrowful and he blinked his eyes rapidly.
"Only, you know best, of course," he said at last.