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28
SÖNYA KOVALÉVSKY
shouted at her: Be off with you, you fool, and don’t
meddle with what does not concern you! This is not
being done for your sake. If I, your master, had
sinned against you in this manner, do you
understand, it would be my duty to kiss your hand. You
don’t understand! Well, then, hold your tongue,
and don’t try to dissuade me !"
The terrified Feklusha dared make no further
reply, and, all trembling with fear, she went and took
her place, awaiting her fate like a criminal.
Marya Yasilievna, white as a sheet, passed through
the crowd, which made way before her. She walked
mechanically, as if in a dream, but her face was so set
and vicious that she was alarming to look at. Her
lips were convulsively closed, and bloodless. She
approached quite close to Feklusha. " Forgive me ! "
burst from her mouth, in a sort of suffering scream.
She grasped Feklusha’s hand, and raised it to her
lips so abruptly, and with an expression of such
hatred, that it seemed as if she were on the point of
biting it. But a spasm suddenly swept over her face,
froth made its appearance round her mouth. She
fell to the floor, giving utterance to piercing,
unnatural shrieks, her whole body writhing in convulsions.
It was afterward discovered that she had
previously been subject to hysterical attacks, but she had
carefully concealed the fact from her employers,
fearing that they would not keep her if they knew about
them. Those of the servants who had come to know
of her disease had not betrayed her, out of class
spirit.
I cannot reproduce the impression which her present
attack called forth. Of course we children were
hastily led away, and we were so thoroughly frightened
that we ourselves were on the verge of hysterics.
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