“Oh, she has no thoughts to spare for yesterday now, she is full of today. And why are you so upset at her not coming to the ball tonight? Of course, she won’t come after getting mixed up in such a scandal. Perhaps it’s not her fault, but still her reputation⁠ ⁠… her hands are soiled.”

“What do you mean; I don’t understand? Why are her hands soiled?” Yulia Mihailovna looked at him in perplexity.

“I don’t vouch for the truth of it, but the town is ringing with the story that it was she brought them together.”

“What do you mean? Brought whom together?”

“What, do you mean to say you don’t know?” he exclaimed with well-simulated wonder. “Why Stavrogin and Lizaveta Nikolaevna.”

“What? How?” we all cried out at once.