Page 509 - the-idiot

Evgenie Pavlovitch continued some apparently extreme-
ly funny and interesting anecdote to Alexandra, speaking
quickly and with much animation. The prince remembered
that at this moment Aglaya remarked in a half-whisper:
‘WHAT a—‘
She did not finish her indefinite sentence; she restrained
herself in a moment; but it was enough.
Nastasia Philipovna, who up to now had been walking
along as though she had not noticed the Epanchin party,
suddenly turned her head in their direction, as though she
had just observed Evgenie Pavlovitch sitting there for the
first time.
‘Why, I declare, here he is!’ she cried, stopping suddenly.
‘The man one can’t find with all one’s messengers sent about
the place, sitting just under one’s nose, exactly where one
never thought of looking! I thought you were sure to be at
your uncle’s by this time.’
Evgenie Pavlovitch flushed up and looked angrily at Nas-
tasia Philipovna, then turned his back on her.
‘What I don’t you know about it yet? He doesn’t know—
imagine that! Why, he’s shot himself. Your uncle shot
himself this very morning. I was told at two this afternoon.
Half the town must know it by now. They say there are three
hundred and fifty thousand roubles, government money,
missing; some say five hundred thousand. And I was un-
der the impression that he would leave you a fortune! He’s
whistled it all away. A most depraved old gentleman, real-
ly! Well, ta, ta!—bonne chance! Surely you intend to be off
there, don’t you? Ha, ha! You’ve retired from the army in

0 The Idiot