“Beat me! how can you? Good heavens, beat me! And if she did beat me, what then? What of it? You know nothing, nothing about it.⁠ ⁠… She is so unhappy⁠ ⁠… ah, how unhappy! And ill.⁠ ⁠… She is seeking righteousness, she is pure. She has such faith that there must be righteousness everywhere and she expects it.⁠ ⁠… And if you were to torture her, she wouldn’t do wrong. She doesn’t see that it’s impossible for people to be righteous and she is angry at it. Like a child, like a child. She is good!”

“And what will happen to you?”

Sonia looked at him inquiringly.

“They are left on your hands, you see. They were all on your hands before, though.⁠ ⁠… And your father came to you to beg for drink. Well, how will it be now?”

“I don’t know,” Sonia articulated mournfully.

“Will they stay there?”