Page 173 - the-idiot

XI

HE prince now left the room and shut himself up in
This own chamber. Colia followed him almost at once,
anxious to do what he could to console him. The poor boy
seemed to be already so attached to him that he could hard-
ly leave him.
‘You were quite right to go away!’ he said. ‘The row will
rage there worse than ever now; and it’s like this every day
with us— and all through that Nastasia Philipovna.’
‘You have so many sources of trouble here, Colia,’ said
the prince.
‘Yes, indeed, and it is all our own fault. But I have a great
friend who is much worse off even than we are. Would you
like to know him?’
‘Yes, very much. Is he one of your school-fellows?’
‘Well, not exactly. I will tell you all about him some day….
What do you think of Nastasia Philipovna? She is beautiful,
isn’t she? I had never seen her before, though I had a great
wish to do so. She fascinated me. I could forgive Gania if he
were to marry her for love, but for money! Oh dear! that is
horrible!’
‘Yes, your brother does not attract me much.’
‘I am not surprised at that. After what you ... But I do
hate that way of looking at things! Because some fool, or a
rogue pretending to be a fool, strikes a man, that man is to

1 The Idiot