terrace. According to Lebedeff, these treesgave the house a most delightful aspect. Some were there when he boughtit, and he was so charmed with the effect that he promptly added totheir number. When the tubs containing these plants arrived at the villaand were set in their places, Lebedeff kept running into the street toenjoy the view of the house, and every time he did so the rent to bedemanded from the future tenant went up with a bound.
This country villa pleased the prince very much in his state of physicaland mental exhaustion. On the day that they left for Pavlofsk, that isthe day after his attack, he appeared almost well, though in reality hefelt very far from it. The faces of those around him for the last threedays had made a pleasant impression. He was pleased to see, not onlyColia, who had become his inseparable companion, but Lebedeff himselfand all the family, except the nephew, who had left the house. He wasalso glad to receive a visit from General Ivolgin, before leaving St.Petersburg.
It was getting late when the party arrived at Pavlofsk, but severalpeople called to see the prince, and assembled in the verandah. Ganiawas the first to arrive. He had grown so pale and thin that the princecould hardly recognize him. Then came Varia and Ptitsin, who wererusticating in the neighbourhood. As to General Ivolgin, he scarcelybudged from Lebedeff’s house, and seemed to have moved to Pavlofsk withhim. Lebedeff did his best to keep Ardalion Alexandrovitch by him, andto prevent him from invading the prince’s quarters. He chatted withhim confidentially, so that they might have been taken for old friends.During those three days the prince had noticed that they frequently heldlong conversations; he often heard their voices raised in argument ondeep and learned subjects, which evidently pleased Lebedeff. He seemedas if he could not do without the general. But it was not only ArdalionAlexandrovitch whom Lebedeff kept out of the prince’s way. Since theyhad come to the villa, he treated his own family the same. Upon thepretext that his tenant needed quiet, he kept him almost in isolation,and Muishkin protested in vain against this excess of zeal. Lebedeffstamped his feet at his daughters and drove them away if they attemptedto join the prince on the terrace; not even Vera was excepted.
“They will lose all respect if they are allowed to be so free and easy;besides it is not proper for them,” he declared at last, in answer to adirect question from the prince.
“Why on earth not?” asked the latter. “Really, you know, you are makingyourself a nuisance, by keeping guard over me like this. I get boredall by myself; I have told you so over and over again, and you get onmy nerves more than ever by waving your hands and creeping in and out inthe mysterious way you do.”
It was a fact that Lebedeff, though he was so anxious to keep everyoneelse from disturbing the patient, was continually in and out of theprince’s room himself. He invariably began by opening the door a crackand peering in to see if the prince was there, or if he had escaped;then he would creep softly up to the arm-chair, sometimes makingMuishkin jump by his sudden appearance. He always asked if the patientwanted anything, and when the latter replied that he only wanted to beleft in peace, he would turn away obediently and make for the door ontip-toe, with deprecatory gestures to imply that he had only just lookedin, that he would not speak a word, and would go away and not intrudeagain; which did not prevent him from reappearing in ten minutes ora quarter of an hour. Colia had free access to the prince, at whichLebedeff was quite disgusted and indignant. He would listen at the doorfor half an hour at a time while the two were talking. Colia found thisout, and naturally told the prince of his discovery.
“Do you think yourself my master, that you try to keep me under lock andkey like this?” said the prince to Lebedeff. “In the country, at least,I intend to be free, and you may make up your mind that I mean to seewhom I like, and go where I please.”
“Why, of course,” replied the clerk, gesticulating with his hands.
The prince looked him sternly up and down.
“Well, Lukian Timofeyovitch, have you brought the little cupboard thatyou had at the head of your bed with you here?”
“No, I left it where it was.”
“Impossible!”
“It cannot be moved; you would have to pull the wall down, it is sofirmly fixed.”
“Perhaps you have one like it here?”
“I have one that is even better, much better; that is really why Ibought this house.”
“Ah! What visitor did you turn away from my door, about an hour ago?”
“The-the general. I would not let him in; there is no need for him tovisit you, prince... I have the deepest esteem for him, he is a--a greatman. You don’t believe it? Well, you will see, and yet, most excellentprince, you had much better not receive him.”
“May I ask why? and also why you walk about on tiptoe and always seem asif you were going to whisper a secret in my ear whenever you come nearme?”
“I am vile, vile; I know it!” cried Lebedeff, beating his breast with acontrite air. “But will not the general be too hospitable for you?”
“Too hospitable?”
“Yes. First, he proposes to come and live in my house. Well and good;but he sticks at nothing; he immediately makes himself one of thefamily. We have talked over our respective relations several times, anddiscovered that we are connected by marriage. It seems also that you area sort of nephew on his mother’s side; he was explaining it to me againonly yesterday. If you are his nephew, it follows that I must also be arelation of yours, most excellent prince. Never mind about that, it isonly a foible; but just now he assured me that all his life, from theday he was made an ensign to the 11th of last June, he has entertainedat least two hundred guests at his table every day. Finally, he went sofar as to say that they never rose from the table; they dined, supped,and had tea, for fifteen hours at a stretch. This went on for thirtyyears without a break; there was barely time to change the table-cloth;directly one person left, another took his place. On feast-days heentertained as many as three hundred guests, and they numbered sevenhundred on the thousandth anniversary of the foundation of the RussianEmpire. It amounts to a passion with him; it makes one uneasy to hear ofit. It is terrible to have to entertain people who do things on such ascale. That is why I wonder whether such a man is not too hospitable foryou and me.”
“But you seem to be on the best of terms with him?”
“Quite fraternal--I look upon it as a joke. Let us be brothers-in-law,it is all the same to me,--rather an honour than not. But in spite ofthe two hundred guests and the thousandth anniversary of the RussianEmpire, I can see that he is a very remarkable man. I am quite sincere.You said just now that I always looked as if I was going to tell you asecret; you are right. I have a secret to tell you: a certain person hasjust let me know that she is very anxious for a secret interview withyou.”
“Why should it be secret? Not at all; I will call on her myselftomorrow.”
“No, oh no!” cried Lebedeff, waving his arms; “if she is afraid, it isnot for the reason you think. By the way, do you know that the monstercomes every day to inquire after your health?”
“You call him a monster so often that it makes me suspicious.”
“You must have no suspicions, none whatever,” said Lebedeff quickly. “Ionly want you to know that the person in question is not afraid of him,but of something quite, quite different.”
“What on earth is she afraid of, then? Tell me plainly, without any morebeating about the bush,” said the prince, exasperated by the other’smysterious grimaces.
“Ah that is the secret,” said Lebedeff, with a smile.
“Whose secret?”
“Yours. You forbade me yourself to mention it before you, most excellentprince,” murmured Lebedeff. Then, satisfied that he had worked upMuishkin’s curiosity to the highest pitch, he added abruptly: “She isafraid of Aglaya Ivanovna.”
The prince frowned for a moment in silence, and then said suddenly:
“Really, Lebedeff, I must leave your house. Where are GavrilaArdalionovitch and the Ptitsins? Are they here? Have you chased themaway, to
o?”
“They are coming, they are coming; and the general as well. I will openall the doors; I will call all my daughters, all of them, this veryminute,” said Lebedeff in a low voice, thoroughly frightened, and wavinghis hands as he ran from door to door.
At that moment Colia appeared on the terrace; he announced thatLizabetha Prokofievna and her three daughters were close behind him.
Moved by this news, Lebedeff hurried up to the prince.
“Shall I call the Ptitsins, and Gavrila Ardalionovitch? Shall I let thegeneral in?” he asked.
“Why not? Let in anyone who wants to see me. I assure you, Lebedeff, youhave misunderstood my position from the very first; you have been wrongall along. I have not the slightest reason to hide myself from anyone,” replied the prince gaily.
Seeing him laugh, Lebedeff thought fit to laugh also, and though muchagitated his satisfaction was quite visible.
Colia was right; the Epanchin ladies were only a few steps behind him.As they approached the terrace other visitors appeared from Lebedeff’sside of the house--the Ptitsins, Gania, and Ardalion
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