Page 521 - the-idiot

explanation. There is intrigue in the wind; but if on one
side nothing is known, on the other side nothing will be
explained. If I have heard nothing about it, nor have YOU,
nor HE, nor SHE— who HAS heard about it, I should like
to know? How CAN all this be explained except by the fact
that half of it is mirage or moonshine, or some hallucina-
tion of that sort?’
‘SHE is insane,’ muttered the prince, suddenly recollect-
ing all that had passed, with a spasm of pain at his heart.
‘I too had that idea, and I slept in peace. But now I see that
their opinion is more correct. I do not believe in the theory
of madness! The woman has no common sense; but she is
not only not insane, she is artful to a degree. Her outburst of
this evening about Evgenie’s uncle proves that conclusively.
It was VILLAINOUS, simply jesuitical, and it was all for
some special purpose.’
‘What about Evgenie’s uncle?’
‘My goodness, Lef Nicolaievitch, why, you can’t have
heard a single word I said! Look at me, I’m still trembling
all over with the dreadful shock! It is that that kept me in
town so late. Evgenie Pavlovitch’s uncle—‘
Well?’ cried the prince.
‘Shot himself this morning, at seven o’clock. A respected,
eminent old man of seventy; and exactly point for point as
she described it; a sum of money, a considerable sum of gov-
ernment money, missing!’
‘Why, how could she—‘
‘What, know of it? Ha, ha, ha! Why, there was a whole
crowd round her the moment she appeared on the scenes

0 The Idiot