The Idiot (78 page)

She stopped short, somewhat tentatively.

‘But all the same, you’d very much like to know how Aglaya and I met today?’ the prince concluded very calmly.

‘Well, of course I would!’ Lizaveta Prokofyevna flared up at once. ‘I’m not afraid of plain language. Because I’m not offending anyone and did not wish to offend anyone ...’

‘For pity’s sake, it’s natural that you should want to know, and there’s no offence involved in it; you are her mother. Aglaya Ivanovna and I met today by the green bench at exactly seven o’clock this morning, in consequence of the invitation she made yesterday. She sent word to me yesterday evening by means of a note, saying that she needed to se
e me and talk to me about an important matter. We met and talked for a whole hour about matters that concern Aglaya Ivanovna alone; that was all.’

‘Of course that was all, my dear, and there can be no doubt of it,’ Lizaveta Prokofyevna pronounced with dignity.

‘Splendid, Prince!’ said Aglaya, suddenly entering the room. ‘I thank you with all my heart for considering me incapable of

degrading myself here by lying. That will do,
Maman,
or do you plan to interrogate him further?’

‘You know that I haven’t had occasion to blush before you until now ... though I daresay you might have been pleased if I had,’ Lizaveta Ivanovna replied in didactic tones. ‘Goodbye, Prince; and forgive me for having upset you. And I hope you will remain assured of my unaltering respect for you.’

The prince at once bowed in both directions, and left without saying anything. Alexandra and Adelaida grinned and whispered about something between themselves. Lizaveta Prokofyevna gave them a stern look.

‘We were just saying,
Maman,’
Adelaida laughed, ‘that the prince took his leave so wonderfully: sometimes he’s a complete sack of potatoes, and then suddenly, he’s like ... like Yevgeny Pavlych.’

‘Fine manners and dignity are taught by the heart, not by the dancing master,’ Lizaveta Prokofyevna concluded sententiously, and went back to her room upstairs, without even giving Aglaya a glance.

When the prince returned to his quarters, at about nine o’clock, they were clearing up and sweeping the floor after the disorder of the night before.

‘Thank goodness, we managed to finish before you got here!’ Vera said happily.

‘Good morning; my head is spinning a little; I slept badly; I’d like to sleep for a bit.’

‘Here on the veranda, like yesterday? Very well. I’ll tell them all that you’re not to be disturbed. Papa has gone off somewhere.’

The maid went out; Vera set off after her, but turned back and anxiously approached the prince.

‘Prince, have pity on that unhappy ... boy; don’t make him leave today.’

‘On no account will I do that; let him stay here as long as he likes.’

‘He won’t do anything now, and ... don’t be too stern with him.’

‘Certainly not. Why would I be?’

‘And ... don’t laugh at him; that’s the main thing.’

‘Oh, of course not!’

‘It’s stupid of me to mention this to a man such as yourself,’ Vera began to blush. ‘But even though you’re tired,’ she laughed, half turning round in order to leave, ‘your eyes look so lovely at this moment ... they’re happy.’

‘Are they really?’ the prince asked cheerfully, and burst into delighted laughter.

But Vera, who was as straightforward and unceremonious as a boy, suddenly seemed to grow embarrassed, blushed even harder and, continuing to laugh, hurriedly left the room.

‘How ... wonderful she is,’ thought the prince, and at once forgot about her. He went down to a corner of the veranda where there was a couch with a small table in front of it, sat down, covered his face with his hands and sat there for about ten minutes; all of a sudden he hurriedly and anxiously lowered his hand into his side pocket and took out three letters.

But again the door opened, and Kolya came in. The prince seemed glad of having to put the letters back in his pocket and being able to postpone the moment of reading them.

‘Well, quite an incident!’ said Kolya, seating himself on the couch and coming straight to the point, as boys like him usually do. ‘How do you regard Ippolit now? Without respect?’

‘No, why do you say that ... but, Kolya, I’m tired. What’s more, it’s just too sad to start talking about that again ... But how is he?’

‘He’s sleeping, and will sleep for another two hours yet. I understand: you couldn’t sleep in the house, went walking in the park ... the excitement, of course ... I don’t wonder!’

‘How do you know that I went walking in the park and couldn’t sleep in the house?’

‘Vera just told me. She tried to persuade me not to go in; I simply had to, for a moment; I’ve been keeping watch by his bedside for the past two hours; now I’ve put Kostya Lebedev on duty. Burdovsky has gone. So go to bed, Prince; good night ... I mean, good morning! Only, you know, I was struck!’

‘Of course ... all this ...’

‘No, Prince, no; I was struck by his confession. Especially the part where he talks about providence and the life to come. There’s a gi-gant-ic thought there!’

The prince cast an affectionate look at Kolya who had, of course, dropped in to have a talk about the gigantic thought as soon as possible.

‘But the main thing, the main thing is not the thought alone, but the whole background! Had it been written by Voltaire, Rousseau, Proudhon, I would have read it, and noted it, but wouldn’t have been so struck. But a man who knows for certain that he only has ten minutes left, and can talk like that - I mean, that’s pride! I mean, it’s the loftiest independence of personal dignity, it’s sheer bravado ... No, it’s gigantic strength of spirit! And after that, to maintain that he didn’t put the firing cap in on purpose - that is base, unnatural! But you know, he deceived us last night, he pulled the wool over our eyes: I certainly never helped him to pack his bag, and I never saw the pistol; he packed everything himself, so he threw me off guard. Vera says you’re letting him stay here; I swear there will be no risk, particularly as we’re all with him constantly.’

‘And which of you was there last night?’

‘Myself, Kostya Lebedev and Burdovsky; Keller was there for a bit, and then he went to Lebedev’s rooms to sleep, because we had nowhere for him to lie down. Ferdyshchenko also slept at Lebedev’s, he left at seven o‘
clock. The general is always at Lebedev’s, now he’s gone, too ... Lebedev may come and see you soon; I don’t know why, but he was looking for you, he asked for you twice. Should I let him in or not, if you’re going to bed? I’m also going to bed. Oh yes, there was one thing I meant to tell you; the general surprised me just now: Burdovsky woke me so I could take my turn at keeping watch, it was almost six a.m.; I went out for a moment and suddenly encountered the general, who was still so intoxicated that he didn’t recognize me: stood before me like a post; then fairly hurled himself on me when he came to: “How’s the patient?” he said. “I was going to find out about the patient ...” I delivered my report, and we talked about this and that. “That’s all very well,” he said, “but the main reason I’ve come is in order to warn you; I have grounds for supposing that it’s out of the question to talk freely in the presence of Mr Ferdyshchenko and that one must ... exercise restraint.” Do you understand, Prince?’

‘Really? As a matter of fact, though ... it doesn’t concern us.’

‘Yes, of course, we’re not freemasons! Why, I was even astonished that the general came specially to wake me during the night because of it.’

‘Ferdyshchenko has left, you say?’

‘He left at seven; looked in to see me on his way; I was keeping watch. He said he was going to finish what was left of the night at Vilkin’s - there’s a drunkard of that name, Vilkin, who lives here. Well, I’m going! And here is Lukyan Timofeich ... The prince wants to sleep, Lukyan Timofeich; about turn!’

‘Just one moment of your time, much esteemed Prince, on a certain matter that in my view is important,’ Lebedev, who had entered, said stiffly and in a meaningful undertone, bowing in solemn fashion. He had only just returned, had not yet been to his rooms, and was still holding his hat in his hands. His face had a worried expression, and it bore a singular and unusual nuance of personal dignity. The prince invited him to sit down.

‘You’ve asked for me twice? Perhaps you’re still worried about what happened yesterday ...’

‘About that boy yesterday, you mean, Prince? Oh no, sir; yesterday my thoughts were in disarray ... but today I don’t intend to contrecarrate
¹
a single one of your proposals.’

‘Contreca ... what did you say?’

‘I said: contrecarrate; the word is a French one, like a large number of other words that have entered the body of the Russian language; but I don’t particularly insist on it.’

‘Why are you so solemn and formal today, Lebedev, and talking like a book?’ the prince smiled.

‘Nikolai Ardalionovich!’ Lebedev turned to Kolya with a voice that was almost one of tender emotion. ‘As it’s incumbent on me to inform the prince of a matter that regards ...’

‘Well yes, of course, of course, it’s not my business!
Au revoir,
Prince!’ said Kolya, withdrawing at once.

‘I like the boy for his quick grasp of things,’ Lebedev pronounced, watching him go. ‘He’s a lively lad, though a troublesome one. Esteemed Prince, last night or at dawn today I experienced a severe misfortune ... I still hesitate to assert the exact time.’

‘What was it?’

‘The loss of four hundred roubles from my side pocket, much esteemed Prince; I was robbed!’ Lebedev added with a sour smile.

‘You lost four hundred roubles? That’s a pity.’

‘And especially for a poor man, nobly living by his own toil.’

‘Of course, of course; how did it come about?’

‘As a consequence of wine, sir. I come to you as to my providence, much esteemed Prince. I received the sum of four hundred silver roubles at five o’clock yesterday afternoon from one of my debtors and returned here by train. I had my wallet in my pocket. Changing out of my civil service coat into my frock coat I transferred the money to the frock coat, intending to keep it upon my person, with the plan of disbursing it against a certain request ... I was expecting my agent to arrive.’

‘Incidentally, Lukyan Timofeich, is it true that you put an advertisement in the papers saying that you lend money against items of gold and silver?’

‘Through an agent; my own name is not given, nor any address. Since I have practically no capital and in view of the growth of my family, you must admit it’s an honest percentage ...’

‘Yes, yes; I merely wished to inquire; forgive me for interrupting.’

‘The agent didn’t show up. At the same time they brought the unfortunate fellow; I was already somewhat tipsy, having dined; those guests arrived, we drank ... tea, and ... I got a bit merry, to my ruin. And when, late in the evening, that Keller walked in and made the announcement about your ceremonial day and the arrangements concerning the champagne, then dear and much esteemed Prince, being in possession of a heart (something you’ve probably noticed, for I deserve it), being in possession of a heart, I will not say a sensitive one, but a grateful one, in which I take pride - I, for the greater ceremony of the meeting that was in preparation, and in expectation of personally congratulating you, decided to go and change my old rags for the civil service coat I had taken off on my return, and did so, as you, Prince, probably noticed, as you saw me in the civil service coat all evening. As I was changing, I left the wallet in my pocket ... Truly, when God wishes to punish a man, he first of all deprives him of reason. And only today at half-past seven, on waking up, I leaped out of bed like a man half insane, the first thing I did was to reach for my frock coat - one empty pocket! There was no trace of my wallet.’

‘Oh, how unpleasant!’

‘Yes sir, unpleasant indeed; and with unfailing tact you have found just the right expression,’ Lebedev added, not without craftiness.

‘Though actually ...’ the prince began to grow alarmed, reflecting, ‘I mean, this is serious ...’

‘Serious indeed - Prince, you’ve discovered another word to describe ...’

‘Oh, that will do, Lukyan Timofeich, what is there to discover here? The words are not the important thing ... Do you suppose it might have dropped out of your pocket when you were drunk?’

‘It might have. Anything is possible when one’s drunk, as you sincerely expressed it, dear Prince! But please take account of this, sir: if I’d shaken the wallet out of my pocket when I was changing my frock coat, the shaken object ought to be lying right there on the floor. Where is that object, sir?’

‘Did you put it away somewhere, perhaps, in a drawer, in the desk?’

‘I’ve looked through everything, rummaged everywhere, even though I didn’t put it away anywhere and didn’t open any drawer, I remember that clearly.’

‘Have you looked in the safe?’

‘That was the first thing I did. sir, and even several times today ... And how could I have put it away in the safe, truly much esteemed Prince?’

‘I will confess, Lebedev, that this alarms me. So someone must

have found it on the floor?’

‘Or snatched it from my pocket! Two alternatives, sir.’

‘It alarms me greatly, because who ... That is the question!’

‘Without any doubt, there lies the main question; you are wonderfully adept at finding words and ideas for defining situations, Prince.’

‘Oh, Lukyan Timofeich, stop your mockery, this is no time for it ...’

‘Mockery?’ exclaimed Lebedev, throwing up his hands.

‘Oh, very well, very well, I’m not angry, there is something else at the bottom of this ... It’s the people I’m afraid for. Whom do you suspect?’

‘A most difficult question, and one that is ... most complex! The maid I cannot suspect; she was sitting in her kitchen. Nor can I suspect my children ...’