白痴 英文版 The Idiot
陀思妥耶夫斯基 Fyodor Dostoyevsky
The Idiot X. Page 2
Though he seemed to wish to say much more, he became silent. Hefell back into his chair, and, covering his face with his hands,began to sob like a little child.
"Oh! what on earth are we to do with him?" cried LizabethaProkofievna. She hastened to him and pressed his head against herbosom, while he sobbed convulsively.
"Come, come, come! There, you must not cry, that will do. You area good child! God will forgive you, because you knew no better.Come now, be a man! You know presently you will be ashamed."
Hippolyte raised his head with an effort, saying:
"I have little brothers and sisters, over there, poor avidinnocent. She will corrupt them! You are a saint! You are a childyourself--save them! Snatch them from that ... she is ... itis shameful! Oh! help them! God will repay you a hundredfold. Forthe love of God, for the love of Christ!"
"Speak, Ivan Fedorovitch! What are we to do?" cried LizabethaProkofievna, irritably. "Please break your majestic silence! Itell you, if you cannot come to some decision, I will stay hereall night myself. You have tyrannized over me enough, youautocrat!"
She spoke angrily, and in great excitement, and expected animmediate reply. But in such a case, no matter how many arepresent, all prefer to keep silence: no one will take theinitiative, but all reserve their comments till afterwards. Therewere some present--Varvara Ardalionovna, for instance--who wouldhave willingly sat there till morning without saying a word.Varvara had sat apart all the evening without opening her lips,but she listened to everything with the closest attention;perhaps she had her reasons for so doing.
"My dear," said the general, "it seems to me that a sick-nursewould be of more use here than an excitable person like you.Perhaps it would be as well to get some sober, reliable man forthe night. In any case we must consult the prince, and leave thepatient to rest at once. Tomorrow we can see what can be donefor him."
"It is nearly midnight; we are going. Will he come with us, or ishe to stay here?" Doktorenko asked crossly of the prince.
"You can stay with him if you like," said Muishkin.
"There is plenty of room here."
Suddenly, to the astonishment of all, Keller went quickly up tothe general.
"Excellency," he said, impulsively, "if you want a reliable manfor the night, I am ready to sacrifice myself for my friend--sucha soul as he has! I have long thought him a great man,excellency! My article showed my lack of education, but when hecriticizes he scatters pearls!"
Ivan Fedorovitch turned from the boxer with a gesture of despair.
"I shall be delighted if he will stay; it would certainly bedifficult for him to get back to Petersburg," said the prince, inanswer to the eager questions of Lizabetha Prokofievna.
"But you are half asleep, are you not? If you don't want him, Iwill take him back to my house! Why, good gracious! He can hardlystand up himself! What is it? Are you ill?"
Not finding the prince on his death-bed, Lizabetha Prokofievnahad been misled by his appearance to think him much better thanhe was. But his recent illness, the painful memories attached toit, the fatigue of this evening, the incident with "Pavlicheff'sson," and now this scene with Hippolyte, had all so worked on hisoversensitive nature that he was now almost in a fever. Moreover,anew trouble, almost a fear, showed itself in his eyes; hewatched Hippolyte anxiously as if expecting something further.
Suddenly Hippolyte arose. His face, shockingly pale, was that ofa man overwhelmed with shame and despair. This was shown chieflyin the look of fear and hatred which he cast upon the assembledcompany, and in the wild smile upon his trembling lips. Then hecast down his eyes, and with the same smile, staggered towardsBurdovsky and Doktorenko, who stood at the entrance to theverandah. He had decided to go with them.
"There! that is what I feared!" cried the prince. "It wasinevitable!"
Hippolyte turned upon him, a prey to maniacal rage, which set allthe muscles of his face quivering.
"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," hecried, in a hoarse, strained voice-" but you, you, with yourjesuitical soul, your soul of sickly sweetness, idiot, beneficentmillionaire--I hate you worse than anything or anyone on earth! Isaw through you and hated you long ago; from the day I firstheard of you. I hated you with my whole heart. You have contrivedall this! You have driven me into this state! You have made adying man disgrace himself. You, you, you are the cause of myabject cowardice! I would kill you if I remained alive! I do notwant your benefits; I will accept none from anyone; do you hear?Not from any one! I want nothing! I was delirious, do not dare totriumph! 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 LizabethaProkofievna. "It was inevitable. Ah! what a wonderful man theprince is! He read his very soul."
But Mrs. Epanchin would not deign to look at Lebedeff. Drawn uphaughtily, with her head held high, she gazed at the "riff-raff,"with scornful curiosity. When Hippolyte had finished, IvanFedorovitch shrugged his shoulders, and his wife looked himangrily 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, forthe pleasant evening you have provided for us. I am sure you arequite pleased that you have managed to mix us up with yourextraordinary affairs. It is quite enough, dear family friend;thank you for giving us an opportunity of getting to know you sowell."
She arranged her cloak with hands that trembled with anger as shewaited for the "riff-raff "to go. The cab which Lebedeff's sonhad gone to fetch a quarter of an hour ago, by Doktorenko'sorder, arrived at that moment. The general thought fit to put ina word after his wife.
"Really, prince, I hardly expected after--after all our friendlyintercourse-- and you see, Lizabetha Prokofievna--"
"Papa, how can you?" cried Adelaida, walking quickly up to theprince and holding out her hand.
He smiled absently at her; then suddenly he felt a burningsensation in his ear as an angry voice whispered:
"If you do not turn those dreadful people out of the house thisvery instant, I shall hate you all my life--all my life!" It wasAglaya. She seemed almost in a frenzy, but she turned away beforethe prince could look at her. However, there was no one left toturn out of the house, for they had managed meanwhile to getHippolyte 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 odiousyouths?"
"My dear, I am quite ready; naturally ... the prince."
Ivan Fedorovitch held out his hand to Muishkin, but ran after hiswife, who was leaving with every sign of violent indignation,before he had time to shake it. Adelaida, her fiance, andAlexandra, said good-bye to their host with sincere friendliness.Evgenie Pavlovitch did the same, and he alone seemed in goodspirits.
"What I expected has happened! But I am sorry, you poor fellow,that you should have had to suffer for it," he murmured, with amost charming smile.
Aglaya left without saying good-bye. But the evening was not toend without a last adventure. An unexpected meeting was yet instore for Lizabetha Prokofievna.
She had scarcely descended the terrace steps leading to the highroad that skirts the park at Pavlofsk, when suddenly there dashedby a smart open carriage, drawn by a pair of beautiful whitehorses. Having passed some ten yards beyond the house, thecarriage suddenly drew up, and one of the two ladies seated in itturned sharp round as though she had just caught sight of someacquaintance 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 foryou twice today myself! My messengers have been searching foryou everywhere!"
Evgenie Pavlovitch stood on the steps like one struck bylightning. Mrs. Epanchin stood still too, but not with thepetrified expression of Evgenie. She gazed haughtily at theaudacious person who had addressed her companion, and then turneda look of astonishment upon Evgenie himself.
"There's news!" continued the clear voice. "You need not beanxious about Kupferof's IOU's--Rogojin has bought them up. Ipersuaded him to!--I dare say we shall settle Biscup too, so it'sall right, you see! Au revoir, tomorrow! And don't worry!" Thecarriage 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 talkingabout! What IOU's? Who is she?" Mrs. Epanchin continued to watchhis face for a couple of seconds; then she marched briskly andhaughtily away towards her own house, the rest following her.
A minute afterwards, Evgenie Pavlovitch reappeared on theterrace, in great agitation.
"Prince," he said, "tell me the truth; do you know what all thismeans?"
"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 shementioned, I swear I haven't--What's the matter, are youfainting?"
"Oh, no-no-I'm all right, I assure you!"