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clearly counted the latter as a nonentity. But suddenly he
seemed to have an idea, and recollected himself.
‘But how was it?’ he asked, ‘how was it that you (idiot
that you are),’ he added to himself, ‘were so very
confidential a couple of hours after your first meeting with
these people? How was that, eh?’
Up to this moment jealousy had not been one of his
torments; now it suddenly gnawed at his heart.
‘That is a thing I cannot undertake to explain,’ replied
the prince. Gania looked at him with angry contempt.
‘Oh! I suppose the present she wished to make to you,
when she took you into the dining-room, was her
confidence, eh?’
‘I suppose that was it; I cannot explain it otherwise?’
‘But why, WHY? Devil take it, what did you do in
there? Why did they fancy you? Look here, can’t you
remember exactly what you said to them, from the very
beginning? Can’t you remember?’
‘Oh, we talked of a great many things. When first I
went in we began to speak of Switzerland.’
‘Oh, the devil take Switzerland!’
‘Then about executions.’
‘Executions?’ The Idiot
160 of 1149
‘Yes—at least about one. Then I told the whole three
years’ story of my life, and the history of a poor peasant
girl—‘
‘Oh, damn the peasant girl! go on, go on!’ said Gania,
impatiently.
‘Then how Schneider told me about my childish
nature, and—‘
‘Oh, CURSE Schneider and his dirty opinions! Go
on.’
‘Then I began to talk about faces, at least about the
EXPRESSIONS of faces, and said that Aglaya Ivanovna
was nearly as lovely as Nastasia Philipovna. It was then I
blurted out about the portrait—‘
‘But you didn’t repeat what you heard in the study?
You didn’t repeat that—eh?’
‘No, I tell you I did NOT.’
‘Then how did they—look here! Did Aglaya show my
letter to the old lady?’
‘Oh, there I can give you my fullest assurance that she
did NOT. I was there all the while—she had no time to
do it!’
‘But perhaps you may not have observed it, oh, you
damned idiot, you!’ he shouted, quite beside himself with
fury. ‘You can’t even describe what went on.’ The Idiot
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Gania having once descended to abuse, and receiving
no check, very soon knew no bounds or limit to his
licence, as is often the way in such cases. His rage so
blinded him that he had not even been able to detect that
this ‘idiot,’ whom he was abusing to such an extent, was
very far from being slow of comprehension, and had a way
of taking in an impression, and afterwards giving it out
again, which was very un-idiotic indeed. But something a
little unforeseen now occurred.
‘I think I ought to tell you, Gavrila Ardalionovitch,’
said the prince, suddenly, ‘that though I once was so ill
that I really was little better than an idiot, yet now I am
almost recovered, and that, therefore, it is not altogether
pleasant to be called an idiot to my face. Of course your
anger is excusable, considering the treatment you have just
experienced; but I must remind you that you have twice
abused me rather rudely. I do not like this sort of thing,
and especially so at the first time of meeting a man, and,
therefore, as we happen to be at this moment standing at a
crossroad, don’t you think we had better part, you to the
left, homewards, and I to the right, here? I have twenty-
five roubles, and I shall easily find a lodging.’
Gania was much confused, and blushed for shame ‘Do
forgive me, prince!’ he cried, suddenly changing his The Idiot
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abusive tone for one of great courtesy. ‘For Heaven’s sake,
forgive me! You see what a miserable plight I am in, but
you hardly know anything of the facts of the case as yet. If
you did, I am sure you would forgive me, at least partially.
Of course it was inexcusable of me, I know, but—‘
‘Oh, dear me, I really do not require such profuse
apologies,’ replied the prince, hastily. ‘I quite understand
how unpleasant your position is, and that is what made
you abuse me. So come along to your house, after all. I
shall be delighted—‘
‘I am not going to let him go like this,’ thought Gania,
glancing angrily at the prince as they walked along. ‘ The
fellow has sucked everything out of me, and now he takes
off his mask— there’s something more than appears, here
we shall see. It shall all be as clear as water by tonight,
everything!’
But by this time they had reached Gania’s house. The Idiot
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VIII
The flat occupied by Gania and his family was on the
third floor of the house. It was reached by a clean light
staircase, and consisted of seven rooms, a nice enough
lodging, and one would have thought a little too good for
a clerk on two thousand roubles a year. But it was
designed to accommodate a few lodgers on board terms,
and had beer) taken a few months since, much to the
disgust of Gania, at the urgent request of his mother and
his sister, Varvara Ardalionovna, who longed to do
something to increase the family income a little, and fixed
their hopes upon letting lodgings. Gania frowned upon
the idea. He thought it infra dig, and did not quite like
appearing in society afterwards—that society in which he
had been accustomed to pose up to now as a young man
of rather brilliant prospects. All these concessions and
rebuffs of fortune, of late, had wounded his spirit severely,
and his temper had become extremely irritable, his wrath
being generally quite out of proportion to the cause. But if
he had made up his mind to put up with this sort of life
for a while, it was only on the plain understanding with
his inner self that he would very soon change it all, and The Idiot
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have things as he chose again. Yet the very means by
which he hoped to make this change threatened to
involve him in even greater difficulties than he had had
before.
The flat was divided by a passage which led straight out
of the entrance-hall. Along one side of this corridor lay
the three rooms which were designed for the
accommodation of the ‘highly recommended’ lodgers.
Besides these three rooms there was another small one at
the end of the passage, close to the kitchen, which was
allotted to General Ivolgin, the nominal master of the
house, who slept on a wide sofa, and was obliged to pass
into and out of his room through the kitchen, and up or
down the back stairs. Colia, Gania’s young brother, a
school-boy of thirteen, shared this room with his father.
He, too, had to sleep on an old sofa, a narrow,
uncomfortable thing with a torn rug over it; his chief duty
being to look after his father, who needed to be watched
more and more every day.
The prince was given the middle room of the three,
the first being occupied by one Ferdishenko, while the
third was empty.
But Gania first conducted the prince to the family
apartments. These consisted of a ‘salon,’ which became the The Idiot
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dining-room when required; a drawing-room, which was
only a drawing-room in the morning, and became Gania’s
study in the evening, and his bedroom at night; and lastly
Nina Alexandrovna’s and Varvara’s bedroom, a small,
close chamber which they shared together.
In a word, the whole place was confined, and a ‘tight
fit’ for the party. Gania used to grind his teeth with rage
over the state of affairs; though he was anxious to be
dutiful and polite to his mother. However, it was very
soon apparent to anyone coming into the house, that
Gania was the tyrant of the family.
Nina Alexandrovna and her daughter were both seated
in the drawing-room, engaged in knitting, and talking to a
visitor, Ivan Petrovitch Ptitsin.
The lady of the house appeared to be a woman of
about fifty years of age, thin-faced, and with black lines
under the eves. She looked ill and rather sad; but her face
was a pleasant one for all that; and from the first word that
fell from her lips, any stranger would at once conclude
that she was of a serious and particularly sincere nature. In
spite of her sorrowful expression, she gave the idea of
possessing considerable firmness and decision. The Idiot
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Her dress was modest and simple to a degree, dark and
elderly in style; but both her face and appearance gave
evidence that she had seen better days.
Varvara was a girl of some twenty-three summers, of
middle height, thin, but possessing a face which, without
being actually beautiful, had the rare quality of charm, and
might fascinate even to the extent of passionate regard.
She was very like her mother: she even dressed like
her, which proved that she had no taste for smart clothes.
The expression of her grey eyes was merry and gentle,
when it was not, as lately, too full of thought and anxiety.
The same decision and firmness was to be observed in her
face as in her mother’s, but her strength seemed to be
more vigorous than that of Nina Alexandrovna. She was
subject to outbursts of temper, of which even her brother
was a little afraid.
The present visitor, Ptitsin, was also afraid of her. This
was a young fellow of something under thirty, dressed
plainly, but neatly. His manners were good, but rather
ponderously so. His dark beard bore evidence to the fact
that he was not in any government employ. He could
speak well, but preferred silence. On the whole he made a
decidedly agreeable impression. He was clearly attracted
by Varvara, and made no secret of his feelings. She trusted The Idiot
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him in a friendly way, but had not shown him any decided
encouragement as yet, which fact did not quell his ardour
in the least.
Nina Alexandrovna was very fond of him, and had
grown quite confidential with him of late. Ptitsin, as was
well known, was engaged in the business of lending out
money on good security, and at a good rate of interest. He
was a great friend of Gania’s.
After a formal introduction by Gania (who greeted his
mother very shortly, took no notice of his sister, and
immediately marched Ptitsin out of the room), Nina
Alexandrovna addressed a few kind words to the prince
and forthwith requested Colia, who had just appeared at
the door, to show him to the ‘ middle room.’
Colia was a nice-looking boy. His expression was
simple and confiding, and his manners were very polite
and engaging.
‘Where’s your luggage?’ he asked, as he led the prince
away to his room.
‘I had a bundle; it’s in the entrance hall.’
‘I’ll bring it you directly. We only have a cook and one
maid, so I have to help as much as I can. Varia looks after
things, generally, and loses her temper over it. Gania says
you have only just arrived from Switzerland? ‘ The Idiot
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‘Yes.’
‘Is it jolly there?’
‘Very.’
‘Mountains?’
‘Yes.’
‘I’ll go and get your bundle.’
Here Varvara joined them.
‘The maid shall bring your bed-linen directly. Have
you a portmanteau?’
‘No; a bundle—your brother has just gone to the hall
for it.’
‘There’s nothing there except this,’ said Colia,
returning at this moment. ‘Where did you put it?’
‘Oh! but that’s all I have,’ said the prince, taking it.
‘Ah! I thought perhaps Ferdishenko had taken it.’
‘Don’t talk nonsense,’ said Varia, severely. She seemed
put out, and was only just polite with the prince.
‘Oho!’ laughed the boy, ‘you can be nicer than that to
ME, you know—I’m not Ptitsin!’
‘You ought to be whipped, Colia, you silly boy. If you
want anything’ (to the prince) ‘please apply to the servant.
We dine at half-past four. You can take your dinner with
us, or have it in your room, just as you please. Come
along, Colia, don’t disturb the prince.’ The Idiot
169 of 1149
At the door they met Gania coming in.
‘Is father in?’ he asked. Colia whispered something in
his ear and went out.
‘Just a couple of words, prince, if you’ll excuse me.
Don’t blab over THERE about what you may see here, or
in this house as to all that about Aglaya and me, you
know. Things are not altogether pleasant in this
establishment—devil take it all! You’ll see. At all events
keep your tongue to yourself for TODAY.’
‘I assure you I ‘blabbed’ a great deal less than you seem
to suppose,’ said the prince, with some annoyance. Clearly
the relations between Gania and himself were by no means
improving.
‘Oh I well; I caught it quite hot enough today, thanks
to you. However, I forgive you.’
‘I think you might fairly remember that I was not in
any way bound, I had no reason to be silent about that
portrait. You never asked me not to mention it.’
‘Pfu! what a wretched room this is—dark, and the
window looking into the yard. Your coming to our house
is, in no respect, opportune. However, it’s not MY affair.
I don’t keep the lodgings.’
Ptitsin here looked in and beckoned to Gania, who
hastily left the room, in spite of the fact that he had The Idiot
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evidently wished to say something more and had only
made the remark about the room to gain time. The prince
had hardly had time to wash and tidy himself a little when
the door opened once more, and another figure appeared.
This was a gentleman of about thirty, tall,
broadshouldered, and red-haired; his face was red, too,
and he possessed a pair of thick lips, a wide nose, small
eyes, rather bloodshot, and with an ironical expression in
them; as though he were perpetually winking at someone.
His whole appearance gave one the idea of impudence; his
dress was shabby.
He opened the door just enough to let his head in. His
head remained so placed for a few seconds while he
quietly scrutinized the room; the door then opened
enough to admit his body; but still he did not enter. He
stood on the threshold and examined the prince carefully.
