Page 504 - the-idiot

with mirth.
Aglaya suddenly whispered angrily to herself the word—
‘Idiot!’
‘My goodness—surely she is not in love with such a—
surely she isn’t mad!’ groaned Mrs. Epanchin, under her
breath.
‘It’s all a joke, mamma; it’s just a joke like the ‘poor
knight’ —nothing more whatever, I assure you!’ Alexandra
whispered in her ear. ‘She is chaffing him—making a fool of
him, after her own private fashion, that’s all! But she carries
it just a little too far—she is a regular little actress. How she
frightened us just now—didn’t she?—and all for a lark!’
‘Well, it’s lucky she has happened upon an idiot, then,
that’s all I can say!’ whispered Lizabetha Prokofievna, who
was somewhat comforted, however, by her daughter’s re-
mark.
The prince had heard himself referred to as ‘idiot,’ and
had shuddered at the moment; but his shudder, it so hap-
pened, was not caused by the word applied to him. The fact
was that in the crowd, not far from where lie was sitting, a
pale familiar face, with curly black hair, and a well-known
smile and expression, had flashed across his vision for a mo-
ment, and disappeared again. Very likely he had imagined
it! There only remained to him the impression of a strange
smile, two eyes, and a bright green tie. Whether the man
had disappeared among the crowd, or whether he had
turned towards the Vauxhall, the prince could not say.
But a moment or two afterwards he began to glance
keenly about him. That first vision might only too likely be

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