Page 616 - the-idiot

dishenko will kindly fetch them.’
At this there was a dreadful noise; Lebedeff danced about
in his excitement; Ferdishenko prepared to go for the po-
lice; Gania frantically insisted that it was all nonsense, ‘for
nobody was going to shoot themselves.’ Evgenie Pavlovitch
said nothing.
‘Prince,’ whispered Hippolyte, suddenly, his eyes all
ablaze, ‘you don’t suppose that I did not foresee all this ha-
tred?’ He looked at the prince as though he expected him
to reply, for a moment. ‘Enough!’ he added at length, and
addressing the whole company, he cried: ‘It’s all my fault,
gentlemen! Lebedeff, here’s the key,’ (he took out a small
bunch of keys); ‘this one, the last but one—Colia will show
you—Colia, where’s Colia?’ he cried, looking straight at Co-
lia and not seeing him. ‘Yes, he’ll show you; he packed the
bag with me this morning. Take him up, Colia; my bag is
upstairs in the prince’s study, under the table. Here’s the key,
and in the little case you’ll find my pistol and the powder,
and all. Colia packed it himself, Mr. Lebedeff; he’ll show
you; but it’s on condition that tomorrow morning, when I
leave for Petersburg, you will give me back my pistol, do you
hear? I do this for the prince’s sake, not yours.’
‘Capital, that’s much better!’ cried Lebedeff, and seizing
the key he made off in haste.
Colia stopped a moment as though he wished to say
something; but Lebedeff dragged him away.
Hippolyte looked around at the laughing guests. The
prince observed that his teeth were chattering as though in
a violent attack of ague.

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