The Idiot (Penguin Classics) by Fyodor Dostoyevsky

Author:Fyodor Dostoyevsky [Dostoyevsky, Fyodor]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Penguin Publishing Group
Published: 2004-08-30T22:00:00+00:00

12

It was seven o’clock in the evening; the prince was about to go for a walk in the park. Suddenly Lizaveta Prokofyevna came to see him on the veranda.

‘In the first place, don’t even dare to think,’ she began, ‘that I’ve come to see you in order to apologize. Rubbish! You’re to blame all round.’

The prince was silent.

‘Are you to blame or not?’

‘As much as you are. However, neither I nor you are guilty of anything intentional. The other day I thought I was to blame, but I’ve now decided that I’m not.’

‘So that’s the way it is, is it? Well, all right; then listen and sit down, for I don’t intend to stand.’

They both sat down.

‘In the second place: not a word about the spiteful urchins! I’ll sit and talk to you for ten minutes; I came to see you in order to make an inquiry (goodness knows what you thought I wanted!), but if you so much as utter one word about those impudent cheeky urchins I shall get up and go away, and then break off with you altogether.’

‘Very well,’ replied the prince.

‘Now, permit me to ask you: did you, about two or two and half months ago, around Easter, send Aglaya a letter?’

‘I d-did.’

‘Whatever for? What was in the letter? Show it to me!’

Lizaveta Prokofyevna’s eyes were burning; she was almost quivering with impatience.

‘I haven’t got the letter,’ the prince said in surprise, growing horribly timid. ‘If it’s still intact, Aglaya Ivanovna has it.’

‘Don’t play games! What did you write about?’

‘I’m not playing games, I’m not afraid of anything. I see no reason why I shouldn’t write ...’

‘Be quiet! You’ll speak afterwards. What was in the letter? Why did you blush?’

The prince thought for a moment.

‘I don’t know what’s in your thoughts, Lizaveta Prokofyevna. I see only that you find this letter upsetting. You will agree that I could refuse to answer such a question; but in order to show you that I’m not afraid with regard to the letter, do not regret having written it, and am certainly not blushing because of it (the prince blushed almost twice as red as before), I’ll read you the letter, because I think I can remember it by heart.’

So saying, the prince quoted the letter almost word for word.

‘What a rigmarole! What’s that nonsense supposed to mean, in your opinion?’ Lizaveta Prokofyevna asked sharply, having listened to the letter with extraordinary attention.

‘I don’t really know, altogether; I know that my feelings were genuine. I had moments of being completely alive, and extraordinary hopes.’

‘What sort of hopes?’

‘It’s hard to explain, only they weren’t the kind of hopes you’re thinking of now, perhaps ... well, in short, they were hopes for the future and joy in the fact that perhaps I wasn’t an alien there, not a foreigner. I was suddenly very pleased to be back in my native land. One sunny morning I picked up a pen and wrote her a letter; why to her, I don’t know. I

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.