Read "The Permanent Husband" by Fyodor Dostoevsky online for free on Textopian. Full text with search, annotations, highlights, and AI-powered reading aids.
Next morning, while waiting for Pavel Pavlovitch, who had promised to be in good time in order to drive down to the Pogoryeltseffs with him, Velchaninoff walked up and down the room, sipped his coffee, and every other minute reflected upon one and the same idea; namely, that he felt like a man who had awaked from sleep with the deep impression of having received a box on the ear the last thing at night.
"Hm! " he thought, anxiously, "he understands the state of the case only too well; he'll take it out of me by means of Liza! " The dear image of the poor little girl danced before his eyes. His heart beat quicker when he reflected that to-day -- in a couple of hours -- he would see _his own_ Liza once more. "Yes -- there's no question about it," he said to himself; "my whole end and aim in life is _there_ now! What do I care about all these 'memories' and boxes on the ear; and what have I lived for up to now? -- for sorrow and discomfort -- that's all! but _now_, now -- it's all different!"