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burning me, and producing a strong, unbearable irritation.
I was tortured. My mind was a hell. My body was on fire.
"'Is he suffering as much as I am?' said I to myself.
"Just then he unclasped his arm from round my waist, and it fell lifeless of its own weight like that of a man asleep.
"He stepped back, and shuddered as if he had received a strong electric shock. He seemed faint for a moment, then wiped his damp forehead, and sighed loudly. All the colour had fled from his face, and he became deathly pale.
"'Do you think me mad?' said he. Then, without waiting for a reply: 'but who is sane and who is mad? Who is virtuous and who is vicious in this world of ours? Do you know? I don't.'
"The thought of my father came to my mind, and I asked myself, shuddering, whether my senses, too, were leaving me.
"There was a pause. Neither of us spoke for some time. He had entwined his fingers
