I don't know whether she grieved much over the shattering of her dreams concerning Lizaveta Nikolaevna.

Family pride, of course, helped her to get over it.

One thing was strange: Varvara Petrovna was suddenly convinced that Nikolay Vsyevolodovitch really had "made his choice" at Count K.'s.

And what was strangest of all, she was led to believe it by rumours which reached her on no better authority than other people.

She was afraid to ask Nikolay Vsyevolodovitch a direct question.