Page 60 - the-idiot

sweet and intelligent, and bright, and promising to develop
beauty of most unusual quality-as to which last Totski was
an undoubted authority.
He only stayed at his country scat a few days on this oc-
casion, but he had time to make his arrangements. Great
changes took place in the child’s education; a good govern-
ess was engaged, a Swiss lady of experience and culture. For
four years this lady resided in the house with little Nastia,
and then the education was considered complete. The gov-
erness took her departure, and another lady came down to
fetch Nastia, by Totski’s instructions. The child was now
transported to another of Totski’s estates in a distant part
of the country. Here she found a delightful little house, just
built, and prepared for her reception with great care and
taste; and here she took up her abode together with the lady
who had accompanied her from her old home. In the house
there were two experienced maids, musical instruments of
all sorts, a charming ‘young lady’s library,’ pictures, paint-
boxes, a lapdog, and everything to make life agreeable.
Within a fortnight Totski himself arrived, and from that
time he appeared to have taken a great fancy to this part of
the world and came down each summer, staying two and
three months at a time. So passed four years peacefully and
happily, in charming surroundings.
At the end of that time, and about four months after Tots-
ki’s last visit (he had stayed but a fortnight on this occasion),
a report reached Nastasia Philipovna that he was about to
be married in St. Petersburg, to a rich, eminent, and love-
ly woman. The report was only partially true, the marriage