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A Fool for Christ 97“here are eighteen thousand rubles!” and he tossed on the tablebefore her a roll of notes wrapped in white paper and tied withstring. “There! And…and there’s more to come!”He did not venture to say what he wanted.“No, no, no!” Lebedyev whispered to him with an air of dismay.It could be guessed that he was horrified at the magnitude ofthe sum and was urging him to try his luck with a much smallerone.“No, brother, you are a fool; you don’t know how to behavehere…and it seems as though I am a fool like you!” Rogozhinstarted, and checked himself as he met the flashing eyes ofNastasya Filippovna. “Aah! I’ve made a mess of it, listening toyou,” he added with intense regret.Nastasya Filippovna suddenly laughed as she looked atRogozhin’s downcast face.“Eighteen thousand to me? Ah, one can see the peasant he is!”she added with insolent familiarity, and she got up from the sofa,as though to go away.Ganya had watched the whole scene with a sinking heart.“Forty thousand, then – forty, not eighteen!” cried Rogozhin.“Ptitsyn and Biskup promised to get me forty thousand by seveno’clock. Forty thousand! Cash down!”The scene had become scandalous in the extreme, but NastasyaFilippovna stayed on and still went on laughing, as though shewere intentionally prolonging it. Nina Alexandrovna and Varyahad also risen from their places and waited in silent dismay tosee how much further it would go. Varya’s eyes glittered, but theeffect of it all on Nina Alexandrovna was painful; she trembledand seemed on the point of fainting.“A hundred, then, if that’s it! I’ll give you a hundred thousandtoday. Ptitsyn, lend it me, it’ll be worth your while!”