"'Dear lady,' says my chambermaid to me, 'pray look into the looking-glass, you' are quite pale and discomfited.'
"'Never mind the looking-glass now, Maschinka,' I said to her, 'I must now hasten and tell all to my dear Anna Grigorievna.' At the same time I immediately ordered my carriage; my coachman, Karpuschka, asks me where he is to drive me to, and I felt so very much overwhelmed that I could not articulate a word, I stared him in the face quite foolishly; I think the man believed me mad at the time. Ah, my dear Anna Grigorievna, if you could only but imagine bow much frightened and distracted I feel even now."
"This is rather strange," said the in every respect amiable lady. "What can these dead souls mean? I must confess, I cannot imagine or understand anything in this really strange affair. This is already the second time that I have heard about these dead serfs; my husband assures me that Nosdrieff told another of his falsehoods; however, there must be something at the bottom of it."
"But, dearest Anna Grigorievna, can you imagine for a moment my position when I heard of all this. Listen farther!
"And now," continued Lady Korobotchka, 'I really do not know what am I to do. He obliged me,' says she, 'to sign my name to an apparently forged document, threw fifteen roubles in bank notes before me, on the table, and I,' she says, 'inexperienced and unprotected woman, took them.' This is the whole of the dreadful occurrence! But if you could but I feel, even now!
"Whatever you may say or think about it, I assert that there are no dead serfs in question; but there is something else hidden."
"I agree with you," replied the simply amiable lady, not without some surprise, and felt immediately an unconquerable desire to know what might be hidden under this strange affair. She pronounced the following words in a slow and measured tone of voice: "And what do you really think is hidden under the pretence of purchasing dead serfs?"
"Pray, tell me first what you think of it?"
"Oh, what I think of it—I—I really must confess, I feel still quite bewildered from the news."
"Nevertheless, I should have very much liked to know what your opinion upon the subject is?"