Page 447 - the-idiot

was undoubtedly a man of wealth, yet certain of his affairs
were equally undoubtedly in disorder. Arrived at this inter-
esting point, Gania suddenly broke off, and said no more
about Nastasia’s prank of the previous evening.
At last Varvara Ardalionovna came in search of her
brother, and remained for a few minutes. Without Muish-
kin’s asking her, she informed him that Evgenie Pavlovitch
was spending the day in Petersburg, and perhaps would re-
main there over tomorrow; and that her husband had also
gone to town, probably in connection with Evgenie Pavlov-
itch’s affairs.
‘Lizabetha Prokofievna is in a really fiendish temper to-
day,’ she added, as she went out, ‘but the most curious thing
is that Aglaya has quarrelled with her whole family; not
only with her father and mother, but with her sisters also. It
is not a good sign.’ She said all this quite casually, though it
was extremely important in the eyes of the prince, and went
off with her brother. Regarding the episode of ‘Pavlicheff’s
son,’ Gania had been absolutely silent, partly from a kind
of false modesty, partly, perhaps, to ‘spare the prince’s feel-
ings.’ The latter, however, thanked him again for the trouble
he had taken in the affair.
Muishkin was glad enough to be left alone. He went out
of the garden, crossed the road, and entered the park. He
wished to reflect, and to make up his mind as to a certain
‘step.’ This step was one of those things, however, which are
not thought out, as a rule, but decided for or against hastily,
and without much reflection. The fact is, he felt a longing to
leave all this and go away—go anywhere, if only it were far

The Idiot