Page 657 - the-idiot

Don’t repeat it please, Lebedeff, don’t tell anyone I said
that!’
‘My dear prince! your words lie in the lowest depth of my
heart— it is their tomb!’ said Lebedeff, solemnly, pressing
his hat to the region of his heart.
‘Thanks; very well. Then I suppose it’s Ferdishenko; that
is, I mean, you suspect Ferdishenko?’
‘Whom else?’ said Lebedeff, softly, gazing intently into
the prince s face.
‘Of course—quite so, whom else? But what are the
proofs?’
‘We have evidence. In the first place, his mysterious dis-
appearance at seven o’clock, or even earlier.’
‘I know, Colia told me that he had said he was off to—I
forget the name, some friend of his, to finish the night.’
‘H’m! then Colia has spoken to you already?’
‘Not about the theft.’
‘He does not know of it; I have kept it a secret. Very well,
Ferdishenko went off to Wilkin’s. That is not so curious in
itself, but here the evidence opens out further. He left his
address, you see, when he went. Now prince, consider, why
did he leave his address? Why do you suppose he went out
of his way to tell Colia that he had gone to Wilkin’s? Who
cared to know that he was going to Wilkin’s? No, no! prince,
this is finesse, thieves’ finesse! This is as good as saying,
‘There, how can I be a thief when I leave my address? I’m not
concealing my movements as a thief would.’ Do you under-
stand, prince?’
‘Oh yes, but that is not enough.’

The Idiot