Lermontoff’s Bal Masque is based on that idea—a stupid
and unnatural one, in my opinion; but he was hardly more
than a child when he wrote it.’
‘I like your sister very much.’
‘Did you see how she spat in Gania’s face! Varia is
afraid of no one. But you did not follow her example, and
yet I am sure it was not through cowardice. Here she
comes! Speak of a wolf and you see his tail! I felt sure that
she would come. She is very generous, though of course
she has her faults.’
Varia pounced upon her brother.
‘This is not the place for you,’ said she. ‘Go to father. Is
he plaguing you, prince?’
‘Not in the least; on the contrary, he interests me.’
‘Scolding as usual, Varia! It is the worst thing about
her. After all, I believe father may have started off with The Idiot
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Rogojin. No doubt he is sorry now. Perhaps I had better
go and see what he is doing,’ added Colia, running off.
‘Thank God, I have got mother away, and put her to
bed without another scene! Gania is worried—and
ashamed—not without reason! What a spectacle! I have
come to thank you once more, prince, and to ask you if
you knew Nastasia Philipovna before
‘No, I have never known her.’
‘Then what did you mean, when you said straight out
to her that she was not really ‘like that’? You guessed
right, I fancy. It is quite possible she was not herself at the
moment, though I cannot fathom her meaning. Evidently
she meant to hurt and insult us. I have heard curious tales
about her before now, but if she came to invite us to her
house, why did she behave so to my mother? Ptitsin
knows her very well; he says he could not understand her
today. With Rogojin, too! No one with a spark of self-
respect could have talked like that in the house of her...
Mother is extremely vexed on your account, too...
‘That is nothing!’ said the prince, waving his hand.
‘But how meek she was when you spoke to her!’
‘Meek! What do you mean?’
‘You told her it was a shame for her to behave so, and
her manner changed at once; she was like another person. The Idiot
219 of 1149
You have some influence over her, prince,’ added Varia,
smiling a little.
The door opened at this point, and in came Gania most
unexpectedly.
He was not in the least disconcerted to see Varia there,
but he stood a moment at the door, and then approached
the prince quietly.
‘Prince,’ he said, with feeling, ‘I was a blackguard.
Forgive me!’ His face gave evidence of suffering. The
prince was considerably amazed, and did not reply at once.
‘Oh, come, forgive me, forgive me!’ Gania insisted, rather
impatiently. ‘If you like, I’ll kiss your hand. There!’
The prince was touched; he took Gania’s hands, and
embraced him heartily, while each kissed the other.
‘I never, never thought you were like that,’ said
Muishkin, drawing a deep breath. ‘I thought you—you
weren’t capable of—‘
‘Of what? Apologizing, eh? And where on earth did I
get the idea that you were an idiot? You always observe
what other people pass by unnoticed; one could talk sense
to you, but—‘
‘Here is another to whom you should apologize,’ said
the prince, pointing to Varia. The Idiot
220 of 1149
‘No, no! they are all enemies! I’ve tried them often
enough, believe me,’ and Gania turned his back on Varia
with these words.
‘But if I beg you to make it up?’ said Varia.
‘And you’ll go to Nastasia Philipovna’s this evening—‘
‘If you insist: but, judge for yourself, can I go, ought I
to go?’
‘But she is not that sort of woman, I tell you!’ said
Gania, angrily. ‘She was only acting.’
‘I know that—I know that; but what a part to play!
And think what she must take YOU for, Gania! I know
she kissed mother’s hand, and all that, but she laughed at
you, all the same. All this is not good enough for seventy-
five thousand roubles, my dear boy. You are capable of
honourable feelings still, and that’s why I am talking to
you so. Oh! DO take care what you are doing! Don’t you
know yourself that it will end badly, Gania?’
So saying, and in a state of violent agitation, Varia left
the room.
‘There, they are all like that,’ said Gania, laughing, ‘just
as if I do not know all about it much better than they do.’
He sat down with these words, evidently intending to
prolong his visit. The Idiot
221 of 1149
‘If you know it so well,’ said the prince a little timidly,
‘why do you choose all this worry for the sake of the
seventy-five thousand, which, you confess, does not cover
it?’
‘I didn’t mean that,’ said Gania; ‘but while we are upon
the subject, let me hear your opinion. Is all this worry
worth seventy-five thousand or not?
‘Certainly not.’
‘Of course! And it would be a disgrace to marry so,
eh?’
‘A great disgrace.’
‘Oh, well, then you may know that I shall certainly do
it, now. I shall certainly marry her. I was not quite sure of
myself before, but now I am. Don’t say a word: I know
what you want to tell me—‘
‘No. I was only going to say that what surprises me
most of all is your extraordinary confidence.’
‘How so? What in?’
‘That Nastasia Philipovna will accept you, and that the
question is as good as settled; and secondly, that even if
she did, you would be able to pocket the money. Of
course, I know very little about it, but that’s my view.
When a man marries for money it often happens that the
wife keeps the money in her own hands.’ The Idiot
222 of 1149
‘Of course, you don’t know all; but, I assure you, you
needn’t be afraid, it won’t be like that in our case. There
are circumstances,’ said Gania, rather excitedly. ‘And as to
her answer to me, there’s no doubt about that. Why
should you suppose she will refuse me?’
‘Oh, I only judge by what I see. Varvara Ardalionovna
said just now—‘
‘Oh she—they don’t know anything about it! Nastasia
was only chaffing Rogojin. I was alarmed at first, but I
have thought better of it now; she was simply laughing at
him. She looks on me as a fool because I show that I
meant her money, and doesn’t realize that there are other
men who would deceive her in far worse fashion. I’m not
going to pretend anything, and you’ll see she’ll marry me,
all right. If she likes to live quietly, so she shall; but if she
gives me any of her nonsense, I shall leave her at once, but
I shall keep the money. I’m not going to look a fool; that’s
the first thing, not to look a fool.’
‘But Nastasia Philipovna seems to me to be such a
SENSIBLE woman, and, as such, why should she run
blindly into this business? That’s what puzzles me so,’ said
the prince.
‘You don’t know all, you see; I tell you there are
things—and besides, I’m sure that she is persuaded that I The Idiot
223 of 1149
love her to distraction, and I give you my word I have a
strong suspicion that she loves me, too—in her own way,
of course. She thinks she will be able to make a sort of
slave of me all my life; but I shall prepare a little surprise
for her. I don’t know whether I ought to be confidential
with you, prince; but, I assure you, you are the only
decent fellow I have come across. I have not spoken so
sincerely as I am doing at this moment for years. There are
uncommonly few honest people about, prince; there isn’t
one honester than Ptitsin, he’s the best of the lot. Are you
laughing? You don’t know, perhaps, that blackguards like
honest people, and being one myself I like you. WHY am
I a blackguard? Tell me honestly, now. They all call me a
blackguard because of her, and I have got into the way of
thinking myself one. That’s what is so bad about the
business.’
‘I for one shall never think you a blackguard again,’ said
the prince. ‘I confess I had a poor opinion of you at first,
but I have been so joyfully surprised about you just now;
it’s a good lesson for me. I shall never judge again without
a thorough trial. I see now that you are riot only not a
blackguard, but are not even quite spoiled. I see that you
are quite an ordinary man, not original in the least degree,
but rather weak.’ The Idiot
224 of 1149
Gania laughed sarcastically, but said nothing. The
prince, seeing that he did not quite like the last remark,
blushed, and was silent too.
‘Has my father asked you for money?’ asked Gania,
suddenly.
‘No.’
‘Don’t give it to him if he does. Fancy, he was a
decent, respectable man once! He was received in the best
society; he was not always the liar he is now. Of course,
wine is at the bottom of it all; but he is a good deal worse
than an innocent liar now. Do you know that he keeps a
mistress? I can’t understand how mother is so long-
sufferring. Did he tell you the story of the siege of Kars?
Or perhaps the one about his grey horse that talked? He
loves, to enlarge on these absurd histories.’ And Gania
burst into a fit of laughter. Suddenly he turned to the
prince and asked: ‘Why are you looking at me like that?’
‘I am surprised to see you laugh in that way, like a
child. You came to make friends with me again just now,
and you said, ‘I will kiss your hand, if you like,’ just as a
child would have said it. And then, all at once you are
talking of this mad project—of these seventy-five thousand
roubles! It all seems so absurd and impossible.’
‘Well, what conclusion have you reached?’ The Idiot
225 of 1149
‘That you are rushing madly into the undertaking, and
that you would do well to think it over again. It is more
than possible that Varvara Ardalionovna is right.’
‘Ah! now you begin to moralize! I know that I am only
a child, very well,’ replied Gania impatiently. ‘That is
proved by my having this conversation with you. It is not
for money only, prince, that I am rushing into this affair,’
he continued, hardly master of his words, so closely had
his vanity been touched. ‘If I reckoned on that I should
certainly be deceived, for I am still too weak in mind and
character. I am obeying a passion, an impulse perhaps,
because I have but one aim, one that overmasters all else.
You imagine that once I am in possession of these
seventy-five thousand roubles, I shall rush to buy a
carriage... No, I shall go on wearing the old overcoat I
have worn for three years, and I shall give up my club. I
shall follow the example of men who have made their
fortunes. When Ptitsin was seventeen he slept in the street,
he sold pen-knives, and began with a copeck; now he has
sixty thousand roubles, but to get them, what has he not
done? Well, I shall be spared such a hard beginning, and
shall start with a little capital. In fifteen years people will
say, ‘Look, that’s Ivolgin, the king of the Jews!’ You say
that I have no originality. Now mark this, prince— there The Idiot
226 of 1149
is nothing so offensive to a man of our time and race than
to be told that he is wanting in originality, that he is weak
in character, has no particular talent, and is, in short, an
ordinary person. You have not even done me the honour
of looking upon me as a rogue. Do you know, I could
have knocked you down for that just now! You wounded
me more cruelly than Epanchin, who thinks me capable of
selling him my wife! Observe, it was a perfectly gratuitous
idea on his part, seeing there has never been any discussion
of it between us! This has exasperated me, and I am
determined to make a fortune! I will do it! Once I am
rich, I shall be a genius, an extremely original man. One of
the vilest and most hateful things connected with money is
that it can buy even talent; and will do so as long as the
world lasts. You will say that this is childish—or romantic.
Well, that will be all the better for me, but the thing shall
be done. I will carry it through. He laughs most, who
laughs last. Why does Epanchin insult me? Simply
because, socially, I am a nobody. However, enough for
the present. Colia has put his nose in to tell us dinner is
ready, twice. I’m dining out. I shall come and talk to you
now and then; you shall be comfortable enough with us.
They are sure to make you one of the family. I think you
and I will either be great friends or enemies. Look here The Idiot
227 of 1149
now, supposing I had kissed your hand just now, as I
offered to do in all sincerity, should I have hated you for it
afterwards?’
‘Certainly, but not always. You would not have been
able to keep it up, and would have ended by forgiving
me,’ said the prince, after a pause for reflection, and with a
pleasant smile.
‘Oho, how careful one has to be with you, prince!
Haven’t you put a drop of poison in that remark now, eh?
By the way—ha, ha, ha!— I forgot to ask, was I right in
believing that you were a good deal struck yourself with
Nastasia Philipovna
‘Ye-yes.’
‘Are you in love with her?’
‘N-no.’
‘And yet you flush up as red as a rosebud! Come—it’s
all right. I’m not going to laugh at you. Do you know she
is a very virtuous woman? Believe it or not, as you like.
You think she and Totski— not a bit of it, not a bit of it!
Not for ever so long! Au revoir!’
Gania left the room in great good humour. The prince
stayed behind, and meditated alone for a few minutes. At
length, Colia popped his head in once more. The Idiot
228 of 1149
‘I don’t want any dinner, thanks, Colia. I had too good
a lunch at General Epanchin’s.’
Colia came into the room and gave the prince a note; it
was from the general and was carefully sealed up. It was
clear from Colia’s face how painful it was to him to
deliver the missive. The prince read it, rose, and took his
hat.
‘It’s only a couple of yards,’ said Colia, blushing.
‘He’s sitting there over his bottle—and how they can
give him credit, I cannot understand. Don’t tell mother I
brought you the note, prince; I have sworn not to do it a
