The Idiot by Fyodor Dostoyevsky (grave mercy TXT) đ
- Author: Fyodor Dostoyevsky
- Performer: 014044792X
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She became so excited and agitated during all these explanations and confessions that General Epanchin was highly gratified, and considered the matter satisfactorily arranged once for all. But the once bitten Totski was twice shy, and looked for hidden snakes among the flowers. However, the special point to which the two friends particularly trusted to bring about their object (namely, Ganiaâs attractiveness for Nastasia Philipovna), stood out more and more prominently; the pourparlers had commenced, and gradually even Totski began to believe in the possibility of success.
Before long Nastasia and Gania had talked the matter over. Very little was saidâher modesty seemed to suffer under the infliction of discussing such a question. But she recognized his love, on the understanding that she bound herself to nothing whatever, and that she reserved the right to say ânoâ up to the very hour of the marriage ceremony. Gania was to have the same right of refusal at the last moment.
It soon became clear to Gania, after scenes of wrath and quarrellings at the domestic hearth, that his family were seriously opposed to the match, and that Nastasia was aware of this fact was equally evident. She said nothing about it, though he daily expected her to do so.
There were several rumours afloat, before long, which upset Totskiâs equanimity a good deal, but we will not now stop to describe them; merely mentioning an instance or two. One was that Nastasia had entered into close and secret relations with the Epanchin girlsâa most unlikely rumour; another was that Nastasia had long satisfied herself of the fact that Gania was merely marrying her for money, and that his nature was gloomy and greedy, impatient and selfish, to an extraordinary degree; and that although he had been keen enough in his desire to achieve a conquest before, yet since the two friends had agreed to exploit his passion for their own purposes, it was clear enough that he had begun to consider the whole thing a nuisance and a nightmare.
In his heart passion and hate seemed to hold divided sway, and although he had at last given his consent to marry the woman (as he said), under the stress of circumstances, yet he promised himself that he would âtake it out of her,â after marriage.
Nastasia seemed to Totski to have divined all this, and to be preparing something on her own account, which frightened him to such an extent that he did not dare communicate his views even to the general. But at times he would pluck up his courage and be full of hope and good spirits again, acting, in fact, as weak men do act in such circumstances.
However, both the friends felt that the thing looked rosy indeed when one day Nastasia informed them that she would give her final answer on the evening of her birthday, which anniversary was due in a very short time.
A strange rumour began to circulate, meanwhile; no less than that the respectable and highly respected General Epanchin was himself so fascinated by Nastasia Philipovna that his feeling for her amounted almost to passion. What he thought to gain by Ganiaâs marriage to the girl it was difficult to imagine. Possibly he counted on Ganiaâs complaisance; for Totski had long suspected that there existed some secret understanding between the general and his secretary. At all events the fact was known that he had prepared a magnificent present of pearls for Nastasiaâs birthday, and that he was looking forward to the occasion when he should present his gift with the greatest excitement and impatience. The day before her birthday he was in a fever of agitation.
Mrs. Epanchin, long accustomed to her husbandâs infidelities, had heard of the pearls, and the rumour excited her liveliest curiosity and interest. The general remarked her suspicions, and felt that a grand explanation must shortly take placeâwhich fact alarmed him much.
This is the reason why he was so unwilling to take lunch (on the morning upon which we took up this narrative) with the rest of his family. Before the princeâs arrival he had made up his mind to plead business, and âcutâ the meal; which simply meant running away.
He was particularly anxious that this one day should be passedâ especially the eveningâwithout unpleasantness between himself and his family; and just at the right moment the prince turned upââas though Heaven had sent him on purpose,â said the general to himself, as he left the study to seek out the wife of his bosom.
V.
Mrs. General Epanchin was a proud woman by nature. What must her feelings have been when she heard that Prince Muishkin, the last of his and her line, had arrived in beggarâs guise, a wretched idiot, a recipient of charityâall of which details the general gave out for greater effect! He was anxious to steal her interest at the first swoop, so as to distract her thoughts from other matters nearer home.
Mrs. Epanchin was in the habit of holding herself very straight, and staring before her, without speaking, in moments of excitement.
She was a fine woman of the same age as her husband, with a slightly hooked nose, a high, narrow forehead, thick hair turning a little grey, and a sallow complexion. Her eyes were grey and wore a very curious expression at times. She believed them to be most effectiveâa belief that nothing could alter.
âWhat, receive him! Now, at once?â asked Mrs. Epanchin, gazing vaguely at her husband as he stood fidgeting before her.
âOh, dear me, I assure you there is no need to stand on ceremony with him,â the general explained hastily. âHe is quite a child, not to say a pathetic-looking creature. He has fits of some sort, and has just arrived from Switzerland, straight from the station, dressed like a German and without a farthing in his pocket. I gave him twenty-five roubles to go on with, and am going to find him some easy place in one of the government offices. I should like you to ply him well with the victuals, my dears, for I should think he must be very hungry.â
âYou astonish me,â said the lady, gazing as before. âFits, and hungry too! What sort of fits?â
âOh, they donât come on frequently, besides, heâs a regular child, though he seems to be fairly educated. I should like you, if possible, my dears,â the general added, making slowly for the door, âto put him through his paces a bit, and see what he is good for. I think you should be kind to him; it is a good deed, you knowâhowever, just as you like, of courseâbut he is a sort of relation, remember, and I thought it might interest you to see the young fellow, seeing that this is so.â
âOh, of course, mamma, if we neednât stand on ceremony with him, we must give the poor fellow something to eat after his journey; especially as he has not the least idea where to go to,â said Alexandra, the eldest of the girls.
âBesides, heâs quite a child; we can entertain him with a little hide-and-seek, in case of need,â said Adelaida.
âHide-and-seek? What do you mean?â inquired Mrs. Epanchin.
âOh, do stop pretending, mamma,â cried Aglaya, in vexation. âSend him up, father; mother allows.â
The general rang the bell and gave orders that the prince should be shown in.
âOnly on condition that he has a napkin under his chin at lunch, then,â said Mrs. Epanchin, âand let Fedor, or Mavra, stand behind him while he eats. Is he quiet when he has these fits? He doesnât show violence, does he?â
âOn the contrary, he seems to be very well brought up. His manners are excellentâbut here he is himself. Here you are, princeâlet me introduce you, the last of the Muishkins, a relative of your own, my dear, or at least of the same name. Receive him kindly, please. Theyâll bring in lunch directly, prince; you must stop and have some, but you must excuse me. Iâm in a hurry, I must be offââ
âWe all know where YOU must be off to!â said Mrs. Epanchin, in a meaning voice.
âYes, yesâI must hurry away, Iâm late! Look here, dears, let him write you something in your albums; youâve no idea what a wonderful caligraphist he is, wonderful talent! He has just written out âAbbot Pafnute signed thisâ for me. Well, au revoir!â
âStop a minute; where are you off to? Who is this abbot?â cried Mrs. Epanchin to her retreating husband in a tone of excited annoyance.
âYes, my dear, it was an old abbot of that name-I must be off to see the count, heâs waiting for me, Iâm lateâGoodbye! Au revoir, prince!ââand the general bolted at full speed.
âOh, yesâI know what count youâre going to see!â remarked his wife in a cutting manner, as she turned her angry eyes on the prince. âNow then, whatâs all this about?âWhat abbotâWhoâs Pafnute?â she added, brusquely.
âMamma!â said Alexandra, shocked at her rudeness.
Aglaya stamped her foot.
âNonsense! Let me alone!â said the angry mother. âNow then, prince, sit down here, no, nearer, come nearer the light! I want to have a good look at you. So, now then, who is this abbot?â
âAbbot Pafnute,â said our friend, seriously and with deference.
âPafnute, yes. And who was he?â
Mrs. Epanchin put these questions hastily and brusquely, and when the prince answered she nodded her head sagely at each word he said.
âThe Abbot Pafnute lived in the fourteenth century,â began the prince; âhe was in charge of one of the monasteries on the Volga, about where our present Kostroma government lies. He went to Oreol and helped in the great matters then going on in the religious world; he signed an edict there, and I have seen a print of his signature; it struck me, so I copied it. When the general asked me, in his study, to write something for him, to show my handwriting, I wrote âThe Abbot Pafnute signed this,â in the exact handwriting of the abbot. The general liked it very much, and thatâs why he recalled it just now. â
âAglaya, make a note of âPafnute,â or we shall forget him. Hâm! and where is this signature?â
âI think it was left on the generalâs table.â
âLet it be sent for at once!â
âOh, Iâll write you a new one in half a minute,â said the prince, âif you like!â
âOf course, mamma!â said Alexandra. âBut letâs have lunch now, we are all hungry!â
âYes; come along, prince,â said the mother, âare you very hungry?â
âYes; I must say that I am pretty hungry, thanks very much.â
âHâm! I like to see that you know your manners; and you are by no means such a person as the general thought fit to describe you. Come along; you sit here, opposite to me,â she continued, âI wish to be able to see your face. Alexandra, Adelaida, look after the prince! He doesnât seem so very ill, does he? I donât think he requires a napkin under his chin, after all; are you accustomed to having one on, prince?â
âFormerly, when I was seven years old or so. I believe I wore one; but now I usually hold my napkin on my knee when I eat.â
âOf course, of course! And about your fits?â
âFits?â asked the prince, slightly surprised. âI very seldom have fits nowadays. I donât
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