Page 244 - the-idiot

Nastasia Philipovna overheard the remark, and burst out
laughing.
‘No, no, general!’ she cried. ‘You had better look out! I am
the princess now, you know. The prince won’t let you insult
me. Afanasy Ivanovitch, why don’t you congratulate me? I
shall be able to sit at table with your new wife, now. Aha!
you see what I gain by marrying a prince! A million and a
half, and a prince, and an idiot into the bargain, they say.
What better could I wish for? Life is only just about to com-
mence for me in earnest. Rogojin, you are a little too late.
Away with your paper parcel! I’m going to marry the prince;
I’m richer than you are now.’
But Rogojin understood how things were tending, at last.
An inexpressibly painful expression came over his face. He
wrung his hands; a groan made its way up from the depths
of his soul.
‘Surrender her, for God’s sake!’ he said to the prince.
All around burst out laughing.
‘What? Surrender her to YOU?’ cried Daria Alexeyevna.
‘To a fellow who comes and bargains for a wife like a mou-
jik! The prince wishes to marry her, and you—‘
‘So do I, so do I! This moment, if I could! I’d give every
farthing I have to do it.’
‘You drunken moujik,’ said Daria Alexeyevna, once more.
‘You ought to be kicked out of the place.’
The laughter became louder than ever.
‘Do you hear, prince?’ said Nastasia Philipovna. ‘Do you
hear how this moujik of a fellow goes on bargaining for your
bride?’