Page 628 - the-idiot

it may very well be the case.’
‘I’m not laughing. I am convinced, myself, that that may
have been partly the reason.
‘You are convinced? You don’t really mean to say you
think that honestly?’ asked Aglaya, extremely surprised.
She put her questions very quickly and talked fast, every
now and then forgetting what she had begun to say, and not
finishing her sentence. She seemed to be impatient to warn
the prince about something or other. She was in a state of
unusual excitement, and though she put on a brave and
even defiant air, she seemed to be rather alarmed. She was
dressed very simply, but this suited her well. She continu-
ally trembled and blushed, and she sat on the very edge of
the seat.
The fact that the prince confirmed her idea, about Hip-
polyte shooting himself that she might read his confession,
surprised her greatly.
‘Of course,’ added the prince, ‘he wished us all to applaud
his conduct—besides yourself.’
‘How do you mean—applaud?’
‘Well—how am I to explain? He was very anxious that
we should all come around him, and say we were so sorry
for him, and that we loved him very much, and all that; and
that we hoped he wouldn’t kill himself, but remain alive.
Very likely he thought more of you than the rest of us, be-
cause he mentioned you at such a moment, though perhaps
he did not know himself that he had you in his mind’s eye.’
‘I don’t understand you. How could he have me in view,
and not be aware of it himself? And yet, I don’t know—per-