The prince hurried down to the front gate where the party were settling into the troikas, all the bells tinkling a merry accompaniment the while. The general caught him up on the stairs:
“I assure you I did not mean to reckon up debits and credits,” he began, “and if you--”
“Hide-and-seek? What do you mean?” inquired Mrs. Epanchin.
“Tell me about it,” said Aglaya.
| “Because,” replied Aglaya gravely, “in the poem the knight is described as a man capable of living up to an ideal all his life. That sort of thing is not to be found every day among the men of our times. In the poem it is not stated exactly what the ideal was, but it was evidently some vision, some revelation of pure Beauty, and the knight wore round his neck, instead of a scarf, a rosary. A device--A. N. B.--the meaning of which is not explained, was inscribed on his shield--” |
He spoke so seriously in addressing Lebedeff, that his tone contrasted quite comically with that of the others. They were very nearly laughing at him, too, but he did not notice it.
Gavrila Ardalionovitch was in high spirits that evening, and it seemed to the prince that his gaiety was mingled with triumph. Of course he was only joking with Lebedeff, meaning to egg him on, but he grew excited himself at the same time.
| “PRINCE LEF NICOLAIEVITCH,--If you think fit, after all that has passed, to honour our house with a visit, I can assure you you will not find me among the number of those who are in any way delighted to see you. |
| “What is it then, for goodness’ sake?” |
Towards six o’clock he found himself at the station of the Tsarsko-Selski railway.
| We have seen, however, that the general paid a visit to Lizabetha Prokofievna and caused trouble there, the final upshot being that he frightened Mrs. Epanchin, and angered her by bitter hints as to his son Gania. |
“I know their faces, too,” said the prince, with a peculiar stress on the words.
Rogojin stopped and looked at him; then reflected, and replied as though he had not heard the question:
Ivan Petrovitch began to stare at him with some surprise; the dignitary, too, looked at him with considerable attention; Princess Bielokonski glared at him angrily, and compressed her lips. Prince N., Evgenie, Prince S., and the girls, all broke off their own conversations and listened. Aglaya seemed a little startled; as for Lizabetha Prokofievna, her heart sank within her.
He pulled the note out and kissed it; then paused and reflected. “How strange it all is! how strange!” he muttered, melancholy enough now. In moments of great joy, he invariably felt a sensation of melancholy come over him--he could not tell why.
| “Why, he didn’t die! I’ll ask him for it, if you like.” |
“Parfen Rogojin? dear me--then don’t you belong to those very Rogojins, perhaps--” began the clerk, with a very perceptible increase of civility in his tone.
| Hippolyte himself seemed to be hopeful about his state of health, as is often the case with consumptives. |
“But she is not that sort of woman, I tell you!” said Gania, angrily. “She was only acting.”
| “I did not know of its existence till this moment,” declared Hippolyte. “I do not approve of it.” |
“The Emperor was much struck.”
“Never more--from that sweet moment-- Gazéd he on womankind; He was dumb to love and wooing And to all their graces blind.
| “Then you must see that he is not responsible. What does it matter to you now, in any case? What are you hoping for still? If you _have_ a hope left, it is that your suffering air may soften her heart towards you.” |
“Are you a patient man, prince? I ask out of curiosity,” said Mrs. Epanchin.
“At all events, I shall not interfere with you!” he murmured, as though making answer to some secret thought of his own.
“Yes, unless she has gone to Pavlofsk: the fine weather may have tempted her, perhaps, into the country, with Daria Alexeyevna. ‘I am quite free,’ she says. Only yesterday she boasted of her freedom to Nicolai Ardalionovitch--a bad sign,” added Lebedeff, smiling.
He rushed like a whirlwind from the room, and Muishkin looked inquiringly at the others.
“Why not? Certainly he would, I should think. He would marry her tomorrow!--marry her tomorrow and murder her in a week!”
“No--I asked you this--answer this! Do you intend to ask for my hand, or not?”
At this moment in marched Aglaya, as calm and collected as could be. She gave the prince a ceremonious bow and solemnly took up a prominent position near the big round table. She looked at the prince questioningly.
“I assure you, you are under a delusion,” said the prince, calmly and politely. “I did not even know that you were to be married.”
“I assure you this business left me no peace for many a long year. Why did I do it? I was not in love with her myself; I’m afraid it was simply mischief--pure ‘cussedness’ on my part.