“Alyosha, dear, you are cold and rude. Do you see? He has chosen me as his wife and is quite settled about it. He is sure I was in earnest. What a thing to say! Why, that’s impertinence—that’s what it is.”
“Why, was it wrong of me to feel sure?” Alyosha asked, laughing suddenly.
“Ah, Alyosha, on the contrary, it was delightfully right,” cried Lise, looking tenderly and happily at him.
Alyosha stood still, holding her hand in his. Suddenly he stooped down and kissed her on her lips.
“Oh, what are you doing?” cried Lise. Alyosha was terribly abashed.
“Oh, forgive me if I shouldn’t. … Perhaps I’m awfully stupid. … You said I was cold, so I kissed you. … But I see it was stupid.”
Lise laughed, and hid her face in her hands. “And in that dress!” she ejaculated in the midst of her mirth. But she suddenly ceased laughing and became serious, almost stern.
“Alyosha, we must put off kissing. We are not ready for that yet, and we shall have a long time to wait,”