declared that he had been busy finding money forthe latter ever since, and up to nine o’clock, Rogojin having declaredthat he must absolutely have a hundred thousand roubles by the evening.He added that Rogojin was drunk, of course; but that he thought themoney would be forthcoming, for the excited and intoxicated rapture ofthe fellow impelled him to give any interest or premium that was askedof him, and there were several others engaged in beating up the money,also.
All this news was received by the company with somewhat gloomy interest.Nastasia was silent, and would not say what she thought about it. Ganiawas equally uncommunicative. The general seemed the most anxious of all,and decidedly uneasy. The present of pearls which he had prepared withso much joy in the morning had been accepted but coldly, and Nastasiahad smiled rather disagreeably as she took it from him. Ferdishenko wasthe only person present in good spirits.
Totski himself, who had the reputation of being a capital talker, andwas usually the life and soul of these entertainments, was as silentas any on this occasion, and sat in a state of, for him, most uncommonperturbation.
The rest of the guests (an old tutor or schoolmaster, goodness knowswhy invited; a young man, very timid, and shy and silent; a ratherloud woman of about forty, apparently an actress; and a very pretty,well-dressed German lady who hardly said a word all the evening) notonly had no gift for enlivening the proceedings, but hardly knew what tosay for themselves when addressed. Under these circumstances the arrivalof the prince came almost as a godsend.
The announcement of his name gave rise to some surprise and to somesmiles, especially when it became evident, from Nastasia’s astonishedlook, that she had not thought of inviting him. But her astonishmentonce over, Nastasia showed such satisfaction that all prepared to greetthe prince with cordial smiles of welcome.
“Of course,” remarked General Epanchin, “he does this out of pureinnocence. It’s a little dangerous, perhaps, to encourage this sort offreedom; but it is rather a good thing that he has arrived just at thismoment. He may enliven us a little with his originalities.”
“Especially as he asked himself,” said Ferdishenko.
“What’s that got to do with it?” asked the general, who loathedFerdishenko.
“Why, he must pay toll for his entrance,” explained the latter.
“H’m! Prince Muishkin is not Ferdishenko,” said the general,impatiently. This worthy gentleman could never quite reconcile himselfto the idea of meeting Ferdishenko in society, and on an equal footing.
“Oh general, spare Ferdishenko!” replied the other, smiling. “I havespecial privileges.”
“What do you mean by special privileges?”
“Once before I had the honour of stating them to the company. I willrepeat the explanation to-day for your excellency’s benefit. You see,excellency, all the world is witty and clever except myself. I amneither. As a kind of compensation I am allowed to tell the truth, forit is a well-known fact that only stupid people tell ‘the truth.’ Addedto this, I am a spiteful man, just because I am not clever. If I amoffended or injured I bear it quite patiently until the man injuringme meets with some misfortune. Then I remember, and take my revenge. Ireturn the injury sevenfold, as Ivan Petrovitch Ptitsin says. (Of coursehe never does so himself.) Excellency, no doubt you recollect Kryloff’sfable, ‘The Lion and the Ass’? Well now, that’s you and I. That fablewas written precisely for us.”
“You seem to be talking nonsense again, Ferdishenko,” growled thegeneral.
“What is the matter, excellency? I know how to keep my place. When Isaid just now that we, you and I, were the lion and the ass of Kryloff’sfable, of course it is understood that I take the role of the ass. Yourexcellency is the lion of which the fable remarks:
‘A mighty lion, terror of the woods, Was shorn of his great prowess by old age.’
And I, your excellency, am the ass.”
“I am of your opinion on that last point,” said Ivan Fedorovitch, withill-concealed irritation.
All this was no doubt extremely coarse, and moreover it waspremeditated, but after all Ferdishenko had persuaded everyone to accepthim as a buffoon.
“If I am admitted and tolerated here,” he had said one day, “it issimply because I talk in this way. How can anyone possibly receivesuch a man as I am? I quite understand. Now, could I, a Ferdishenko,be allowed to sit shoulder to shoulder with a clever man like AfanasyIvanovitch? There is one explanation, only one. I am given the positionbecause it is so entirely inconceivable!”
But these vulgarities seemed to please Nastasia Philipovna, although toooften they were both rude and offensive. Those who wished to go to herhouse were forced to put up with Ferdishenko. Possibly the latter wasnot mistaken in imagining that he was received simply in order to annoyTotski, who disliked him extremely. Gania also was often made the buttof the jester’s sarcasms, who used this method of keeping in NastasiaPhilipovna’s good graces.
“The prince will begin by singing us a fashionable ditty,” remarkedFerdishenko, and looked at the mistress of the house, to see what shewould say.
“I don’t think so, Ferdishenko; please be quiet,” answered NastasiaPhilipovna dryly.
“A-ah! if he is to be under special patronage, I withdraw my claws.”
But Nastasia Philipovna had now risen and advanced to meet the prince.
“I was so sorry to have forgotten to ask you to come, when I saw you,” she said, “and I am delighted to be able to thank you personally now,and to express my pleasure at your resolution.”
So saying she gazed into his eyes, longing to see whether she could makeany guess as to the explanation of his motive in coming to her house.The prince would very likely have made some reply to her kind words, buthe was so dazzled by her appearance that he could not speak.
Nastasia noticed this with satisfaction. She was in full dress thisevening; and her appearance was certainly calculated to impress allbeholders. She took his hand and led him towards her other guests. Butjust before they reached the drawing-room door, the prince stopped her,and hurriedly and in great agitation whispered to her:
“You are altogether perfection; even your pallor and thinness areperfect; one could not wish you otherwise. I did so wish to come and seeyou. I--forgive me, please--”
“Don’t apologize,” said Nastasia, laughing; “you spoil the wholeoriginality of the thing. I think what they say about you must be true,that you are so original.--So you think me perfection, do you?”
“Yes.”
“H’m! Well, you may be a good reader of riddles but you are wrong_there_, at all events. I’ll remind you of this, tonight.”
Nastasia introduced the prince to her guests, to most of whom he wasalready known.
Totski immediately made some amiable remark. All seemed to brighten up atonce, and the conversation became general. Nastasia made the prince sitdown next to herself.
“Dear me, there’s nothing so very curious about the prince dropping in,after all,” remarked Ferdishenko.
“It’s quite a clear case,” said the hitherto silent Gania. “I havewatched the prince almost all day, ever since the moment when he firstsaw Nastasia Philipovna’s portrait, at General Epanchin’s. I rememberthinking at the time what I am now pretty sure of; and what, I may sayin passing, the prince confessed to myself.”
Gania said all this perfectly seriously, and without the slightestappearance of joking; indeed, he seemed strangely gloomy.
“I did not confess anything to you,” said the prince, blushing. “I onlyanswered your question.”
“Bravo! That’s frank, at any rate!” shouted Ferdishenko, and there wasgeneral laughter.
“Oh prince, prince! I never should have thought it of you;” said GeneralEpanchin. “And I imagined you a philosopher! Oh, you silent fellows!”
“Judging from the fact that the prince blushed at this innocent joke,like a young girl, I should think that he must, as an honourable man,harbour the noblest intentions,” said the old toothless schoolmaster,most unexpected
ly; he had not so much as opened his mouth before.This remark provoked general mirth, and the old fellow himself laughedloudest of the lot, but ended with a stupendous fit of coughing.
Nastasia Philipovna, who loved originality and drollery of all kinds,was apparently very fond of this old man, and rang the bell for more teato stop his coughing. It was now half-past ten o’clock.
“Gentlemen, wouldn’t you like a little champagne now?” she asked. “Ihave it all ready; it will cheer us up--do now--no ceremony!”
This invitation to drink, couched, as it was, in such informal terms,came very strangely from Nastasia Philipovna. Her usual entertainmentswere not quite like this; there was more style about them. However, thewine was not refused; each guest took a glass excepting Gania, who dranknothing.
It was extremely difficult to account for Nastasia’s strange conditionof mind, which became more evident each moment, and which none couldavoid noticing.
She took her glass, and vowed she would empty it three times thatevening. She was hysterical, and laughed aloud every other minutewith no apparent reason--the next moment relapsing into gloom
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