Page 486 - the-idiot

The prince blushed and broke off, without finishing what
he meant to say.
In spite of his shyness and agitation, he could not help
being greatly interested in the conversation. A special char-
acteristic of his was the naive candour with which he always
listened to arguments which interested him, and with
which he answered any questions put to him on the sub-
ject at issue. In the very expression of his face this naivete
was unmistakably evident, this disbelief in the insincerity
of others, and unsuspecting disregard of irony or humour
in their words.
But though Evgenie Pavlovitch had put his questions to
the prince with no other purpose but to enjoy the joke of his
simple-minded seriousness, yet now, at his answer, he was
surprised into some seriousness himself, and looked grave-
ly at Muishkin as though he had not expected that sort of
answer at all.
‘Why, how strange!’ he ejaculated. ‘You didn’t answer me
seriously, surely, did you?’
‘Did not you ask me the question seriously’ inquired the
prince, in amazement.
Everybody laughed.
‘Oh, trust HIM for that!’ said Adelaida. ‘Evgenie Pavlov-
itch turns everything and everybody he can lay hold of to
ridicule. You should hear the things he says sometimes, ap-
parently in perfect seriousness.’
‘In my opinion the conversation has been a painful one
throughout, and we ought never to have begun it,’ said Al-
exandra. ‘We were all going for a walk—‘