Page 658 - the-idiot

‘Second proof. The scent turns out to be false, and the ad-
dress given is a sham. An hour after—that is at about eight,
I went to Wilkin’s myself, and there was no trace of Ferdish-
enko. The maid did tell me, certainly, that an hour or so
since someone had been hammering at the door, and had
smashed the bell; she said she would not open the door be-
cause she didn’t want to wake her master; probably she was
too lazy to get up herself. Such phenomena are met with oc-
casionally!’
‘But is that all your evidence? It is not enough!’
‘Well, prince, whom are we to suspect, then? Consider!’
said Lebedeff with almost servile amiability, smiling at the
prince. There was a look of cunning in his eyes, however.
‘You should search your room and all the cupboards
again,’ said the prince, after a moment or two of silent re-
flection.
‘But I have done so, my dear prince!’ said Lebedeff, more
sweetly than ever.
‘H’m! why must you needs go up and change your coat
like that?’ asked the prince, banging the table with his fist,
in annoyance.
‘Oh, don’t be so worried on my account, prince! I assure
you I am not worth it! At least, not I alone. But I see you are
suffering on behalf of the criminal too, for wretched Fer-
dishenko, in fact!’
‘Of course you have given me a disagreeable enough thing
to think about,’ said the prince, irritably, ‘but what are you
going to do, since you are so sure it was Ferdishenko?’
‘But who else COULD it be, my very dear prince?’ repeat-