"Ah! that is what you feared! It was inevitable, you say! Well, let me tell you that if I hate anyone here--I hate you all," he cried, in a hoarse, strained voice-" but you, you, with your jesuitical soul, your soul of sickly sweetness, idiot, beneficent millionaire--I hate you worse than anything or anyone on earth! Isaw through you and hated you long ago; from the day I first heard of you. I hated you with my whole heart. You have contrived all this! You have driven me into this state! You have made a dying man disgrace himself. You, you, you are the cause of my abject cowardice! I would kill you if I remained alive! I do not want your benefits; I will accept none from anyone; do you hear?
Not from any one! I want nothing! I was delirious, do not dare to triumph! I curse every one of you, once for all!"Breath failed him here, and he was obliged to stop.
"He is ashamed of his tears!" whispered Lebedeff to Lizabetha Prokofievna. "It was inevitable. Ah! what a wonderful man the prince is! He read his very soul."But Mrs. Epanchin would not deign to look at Lebedeff. Drawn up haughtily, with her head held high, she gazed at the "riff-raff,"with scornful curiosity. When Hippolyte had finished, Ivan Fedorovitch shrugged his shoulders, and his wife looked him angrily up and down, as if to demand the meaning of his movement.
Then she turned to the prince.
"Thanks, prince, many thanks, eccentric friend of the family, for the pleasant evening you have provided for us. I am sure you are quite pleased that you have managed to mix us up with your extraordinary affairs. It is quite enough, dear family friend;thank you for giving us an opportunity of getting to know you so well."She arranged her cloak with hands that trembled with anger as she waited for the "riff-raff "to go. The cab which Lebedeff's son had gone to fetch a quarter of an hour ago, by Doktorenko's order, arrived at that moment. The general thought fit to put in a word after his wife.
"Really, prince, I hardly expected after--after all our friendly intercourse-- and you see, Lizabetha Prokofievna--""Papa, how can you?" cried Adelaida, walking quickly up to the prince and holding out her hand.
He smiled absently at her; then suddenly he felt a burning sensation in his ear as an angry voice whispered:
"If you do not turn those dreadful people out of the house this very instant, I shall hate you all my life--all my life!" It was Aglaya. She seemed almost in a frenzy, but she turned away before the prince could look at her. However, there was no one left to turn out of the house, for they had managed meanwhile to get Hippolyte into the cab, and it had driven off.
"Well, how much longer is this going to last, Ivan Fedorovitch?
What do you think? Shall I soon be delivered from these odious youths?""My dear, I am quite ready; naturally ... the prince."Ivan Fedorovitch held out his hand to Muishkin, but ran after his wife, who was leaving with every sign of violent indignation, before he had time to shake it. Adelaida, her fiance, and Alexandra, said good-bye to their host with sincere friendliness.
Evgenie Pavlovitch did the same, and he alone seemed in good spirits.
"What I expected has happened! But I am sorry, you poor fellow, that you should have had to suffer for it," he murmured, with a most charming smile.
Aglaya left without saying good-bye. But the evening was not to end without a last adventure. An unexpected meeting was yet in store for Lizabetha Prokofievna.
She had scarcely descended the terrace steps leading to the high road that skirts the park at Pavlofsk, when suddenly there dashed by a smart open carriage, drawn by a pair of beautiful white horses. Having passed some ten yards beyond the house, the carriage suddenly drew up, and one of the two ladies seated in it turned sharp round as though she had just caught sight of some acquaintance whom she particularly wished to see.
"Evgenie Pavlovitch! Is that you?" cried a clear, sweet voice, which caused the prince, and perhaps someone else, to tremble.
"Well, I AM glad I've found you at last! I've sent to town for you twice today myself! My messengers have been searching for you everywhere!"Evgenie Pavlovitch stood on the steps like one struck by lightning. Mrs. Epanchin stood still too, but not with the petrified expression of Evgenie. She gazed haughtily at the audacious person who had addressed her companion, and then turned a look of astonishment upon Evgenie himself.
"There's news!" continued the clear voice. "You need not be anxious about Kupferof's IOU's--Rogojin has bought them up. Ipersuaded him to!--I dare say we shall settle Biscup too, so it's all right, you see! Au revoir, tomorrow! And don't worry!" The carriage moved on, and disappeared.
"The woman's mad!" cried Evgenie, at last, crimson with anger, and looking confusedly around. "I don't know what she's talking about! What IOU's? Who is she?" Mrs. Epanchin continued to watch his face for a couple of seconds; then she marched briskly and haughtily away towards her own house, the rest following her.
A minute afterwards, Evgenie Pavlovitch reappeared on the terrace, in great agitation.
"Prince," he said, "tell me the truth; do you know what all this means?""I know nothing whatever about it!" replied the latter, who was, himself, in a state of nervous excitement.
"No?"
"No?
"Well, nor do I!" said Evgenie Pavlovitch, laughing suddenly. "Ihaven't the slightest knowledge of any such IOU's as she mentioned, I swear I haven't--What's the matter, are you fainting?""Oh, no-no-I'm all right, I assure you!"
XI.
THE anger of the Epanchin family was unappeased for three days.
