"Throw him out."

"I don't hate him, I despise him," Ganya said proudly. "Well, yes, yes, I do hate him, I do!" he suddenly cried with extraordinary fury. "And I'll say it right to his face, even when he's about to die, on his pillow! If you'd only read his 'Confession'—God, what naivety of impudence! It's Lieutenant Pirogov, it's Nozdryov⁵ in a tragedy, and above all—a little brat! Oh, with what relish I'd have given him a whipping then, precisely to astonish him. He's taking revenge on everybody now, because it didn't come off then . . . But what's that? More noise there? No, what is it, finally? I won't put up with it, finally! Ptitsyn!" he shouted to Ptitsyn, who was coming into the room. "What is this, what are things here coming to, finally? It's . . . it's . . ."

But the noise was quickly approaching, the door was suddenly flung open, and old man Ivolgin, in wrath, purple, shaken, beside himself, also fell upon Ptitsyn. The old man was followed by Nina Alexandrovna, Kolya, and, last of all, Ippolit.

II

It was already five days since Ippolit had moved to the Ptitsyns' house. It had happened somehow naturally, without any special words or any falling-out between him and the prince; not only had they not quarreled, but it seemed they had even parted friends. Gavrila Ardalionovich, so hostile to Ippolit on that earlier evening, had come to see him himself, though only three days after the event, probably guided by some sudden thought. For some reason Rogozhin also began to visit the sick boy. At first it seemed to the prince that it would even be better for the "poor boy" if he moved out of his house. But at the time of moving, Ippolit kept saying that he was moving to Ptitsyn's, "who had been so kind as to give him a corner," and, as if on purpose, never once said that he was moving to Ganya's, though it was Ganya who had insisted that he be taken into the house. Ganya noticed it then and touchily laid it up in his heart.

He was right when he said to his sister that the sick boy had improved. Indeed, Ippolit felt slightly better than before, which could be noticed from the first glance at him. He came into the room unhurriedly, after everyone else, with a mocking and unkindly smile. Nina Alexandrovna came in very frightened. (She had changed greatly during these six months, had grown thinner; having married off her daughter and moved to live with her, she had almost ceased to interfere externally in her children's affairs.) Kolya was preoccupied and as if perplexed; there was much that he did not understand in "the general's madness," as he put it, not knowing, of course, the main reasons for this new turmoil in the house. But it was clear to him that his father was quarreling so much, everywhere and always, and had suddenly changed so much, that it was as if he were quite a different man than before. It also worried him that in the last three days the old man had even stopped drinking entirely. He knew that he had broken and even quarreled with Lebedev and the prince. Kolya had just come home with a bottle of vodka, which he had purchased with his own money.

"Really, mother," he had assured Nina Alexandrovna while still upstairs, "really, it's better to let him have a drink. He hasn't touched a drop in three days now; from anguish, it means. Really, it's better! I used to bring it to him in debtors' prison . . ."

The general flung the door wide open and stood on the sill as if trembling with indignation.

"My dear sir!" he cried out to Ptitsyn in a thundering voice, "if you have indeed decided to sacrifice a venerable old man, your father, that is, your wife's father at least, honored by his sovereign, to a milksop and an atheist, I shall never set foot in your house again from this very hour. Choose, sir, choose immediately: either me, or this . . . screw! Yes, screw! I said it by accident, but he is a screw! Because he bores into my soul like a screw, and without any respect . . . like a screw!"

"Or a corkscrew?" Ippolit put in.

"No, not a corkscrew, because I'm a general to you, not a bottle. I have medals, medals of honor . . . and you've got a fig. Either him or me! Decide, sir, this minute, this very minute!" he again cried in frenzy to Ptitsyn. Here Kolya moved a chair for him, and he sank onto it almost in exhaustion.

"Really, it would be better for you ... to go to sleep," the dumbfounded Ptitsyn murmured.

"And what's more, he threatens!" Ganya said in a low voice to his sister.

"To sleep!" cried the general. "I am not drunk, my dear sir, and you offend me. I see," he went on, standing up again, "I see that everything is against me here, everything and everyone. Enough! I am leaving . . . But know, my dear sir, know . . ."

They did not let him finish and sat him down again; they began begging him to calm himself. Ganya, in fury, went to the far corner. Nina Alexandrovna trembled and wept.

"But what have I done to him? What is he complaining about?" cried Ippolit, baring his teeth.

"So you did nothing?" Nina Alexandrovna suddenly observed. "You especially should be ashamed and ... to torment an old man so inhumanly . . . and that in your position."

"First of all, what is this position of mine, madam! I respect you very much, precisely you, personally, but . . ."

"He's a screw!" the general shouted. "He bores into my soul and heart! He wants me to believe in atheism! Know, milksop, that you weren't even born yet when I was already showered with honors; and you are merely an envious worm, torn in two, coughing . . . and dying of spite and unbelief . . . And why did Gavrila bring you here? Everybody's against me, from strangers to my own son!

"Enough, you're starting a tragedy!" cried Ganya. "It would be better if you didn't go disgracing us all over town!"

"How have I disgraced you, milksop! You? I can only bring you honor, and not dishonor!"

He jumped up and they could no longer restrain him; but Gavrila Ardalionovich, too, had obviously broken loose.

"Look who's talking about honor!" he cried spitefully.

"What did you say?" the general thundered, turning pale and taking a step towards him.

"I need only open my mouth in order to . . ." Ganya screamed suddenly and did not finish. The two stood facing each other, shaken beyond measure, especially Ganya.

"Ganya, how can you!" cried Nina Alexandrovna, rushing to stop her son.

"What nonsense all around!" Varya snapped indignantly. "Enough, mother," she seized her.

"I spare you only for mother's sake," Ganya said tragically.

"Speak!" the general bellowed, totally beside himself. "Speak for fear of a father's curse . . . speak!"

"As if I'm afraid of your curse! Whose fault is it if you've been like a crazy man for the past eight days? Eight days, you see, I know it by the dates . . . Watch out, don't drive me to the limit: I'll tell everything . .. Why did you drag yourself to the Epanchins' yesterday? Calling yourself an old man, gray-haired, the father of a family! A fine one!"

"Shut up, Ganka!" cried Kolya. "Shut up, you fool!"

"But I, how have I insulted him?" Ippolit insisted, in what seemed like the same mocking tone. "Why does he call me a screw? Did you hear? He pesters me himself; just now he came and started talking about some Captain Eropegov. I have no wish for your company, General; I avoided you before, you know that. I have nothing to do with Captain Eropegov, don't you agree? I did not move here for the sake of Captain Eropegov. I merely voiced my opinion that this Captain Eropegov may never have existed at all. And he started kicking up dust."