Page:The Novels of Ivan Turgenev (volume VII).djvu/98

Rh you, which I don't particularise, simply because it is too obvious?'

Sortez, sortez, vous dis-je! repeated Valentina Mihalovna, and she stamped with her pretty, slender little foot.

Marianna took a step in the direction of the door.

'I will rid you of my presence directly; but do you know what, Valentina Mihalovna? They say that even in Rachel's mouth in Racine's Bajazet that Sortez! was not effective, and you are far behind her! And something more, what was it you said? "Je suis une honnête femme, je l'ai été et le serai toujours." Only fancy, I am convinced I'm a great deal honester than you! Good-bye!'

Marianna went out hurriedly, while Valentina Mihalovna leaped up from her chair; she wanted to shriek, she wanted to cry. But what to shriek she did not know; and tears did not come at her bidding.

She had to be content with fanning herself with her handkerchief; but the scent with which it was saturated affected her nerves still more. She felt unhappy, insulted. She was conscious of a grain of truth in what she had just heard. But how could any one judge her so unjustly? 'Can I be such a spiteful creature?' she thought, and she looked at herself