Page 243 - the-idiot

place, looking around at her guests with a strange, bewil-
dered expression, as though she were trying to collect her
thoughts, and could not. Then she suddenly turned to the
prince, and glared at him with frowning brows; but this
only lasted one moment. Perhaps it suddenly struck her that
all this was a jest, but his face seemed to reassure her. She
reflected, and smiled again, vaguely.
‘So I am really a princess,’ she whispered to herself, ironi-
cally, and glancing accidentally at Daria Alexeyevna’s face,
she burst out laughing.
‘Ha, ha, ha!’ she cried, ‘this is an unexpected climax, af-
ter all. I didn’t expect this. What are you all standing up for,
gentlemen? Sit down; congratulate me and the prince! Fer-
dishenko, just step out and order some more champagne,
will you? Katia, Pasha,’ she added suddenly, seeing the ser-
vants at the door, ‘come here! I’m going to be married, did
you hear? To the prince. He has a million and a half of rou-
bles; he is Prince Muishkin, and has asked me to marry him.
Here, prince, come and sit by me; and here comes the wine.
Now then, ladies and gentlemen, where are your congratu-
lations?’
‘Hurrah!’ cried a number of voices. A rush was made for
the wine by Rogojin’s followers, though, even among them,
there seemed some sort of realization that the situation had
changed. Rogojin stood and looked on, with an incredulous
smile, screwing up one side of his mouth.
‘Prince, my dear fellow, do remember what you are about,’
said the general, approaching Muishkin, and pulling him
by the coat sleeve.

The Idiot