Page 129 - the-idiot

PRESSIONS 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 let-
ter 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.’
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 im-
pression, 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 re-
covered, and that, therefore, it is not altogether pleasant to
be called an idiot to my face. Of course your anger is excus-
able, considering the treatment you have just experienced;
but I must remind you that you have twice abused me rather

1 The Idiot