Page 442 - the-idiot

impossibly absurd! A man of property like Evgenie to give
IOU’s to a money-lender, and to be worried about them!
It is ridiculous. Besides, he cannot possibly be on such in-
timate terms with Nastasia Philipovna as she gave us to
understand; that’s the principal part of the mystery! He has
given me his word that he knows nothing whatever about
the matter, and of course I believe him. Well, the question
is, my dear prince, do you know anything about it? Has any
sort of suspicion of the meaning of it come across you?’
‘No, I know nothing whatever about it. I assure you I had
nothing at all to do with it.’
‘Oh, prince, how strange you have become! I assure you,
I hardly know you for your old self. How can you suppose
that I ever suggested you could have had a finger in such a
business? But you are not quite yourself today, I can see.’ He
embraced the prince, and kissed him.
‘What do you mean, though,’ asked Muishkin, ‘by such
a business’? I don’t see any particular ‘business’ about it at
all!’
‘Oh, undoubtedly, this person wished somehow, and for
some reason, to do Evgenie Pavlovitch a bad turn, by attrib-
uting to him—before witnesses—qualities which he neither
has nor can have,’ replied Prince S. drily enough.
Muiskhin looked disturbed, but continued to gaze in-
tently and questioningly into Prince S.’s face. The latter,
however, remained silent.
‘Then it was not simply a matter of bills?’ Muishkin said
at last, with some impatience. ‘It was not as she said?’
‘But I ask you, my dear sir, how can there be anything in

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