Page 694 - the-idiot

‘Why did you get him over here, if you hate him so? And
is it really worth your while to try to score off him?’
‘Why, it was yourself who advised me to bring him over!’
‘I thought he might be useful. You know he is in love with
Aglaya himself, now, and has written to her; he has even
written to Lizabetha Prokofievna!’
‘Oh! he’s not dangerous there!’ cried Gania, laughing an-
grily. ‘However, I believe there is something of that sort in
the air; he is very likely to be in love, for he is a mere boy.
But he won’t write anonymous letters to the old lady; that
would be too audacious a thing for him to attempt; but I
dare swear the very first thing he did was to show me up
to Aglaya as a base deceiver and intriguer. I confess I was
fool enough to attempt something through him at first. I
thought he would throw himself into my service out of re-
vengeful feelings towards the prince, the sly little beast! But
I know him better now. As for the theft, he may have heard
of it from the widow in Petersburg, for if the old man com-
mitted himself to such an act, he can have done it for no
other object but to give the money to her. Hippolyte said
to me, without any prelude, that the general had promised
the widow four hundred roubles. Of course I understood,
and the little wretch looked at me with a nasty sort of satis-
faction. I know him; you may depend upon it he went and
told mother too, for the pleasure of wounding her. And why
doesn’t he die, I should like to know? He undertook to die
within three weeks, and here he is getting fatter. His cough
is better, too. It was only yesterday that he said that was the
second day he hadn’t coughed blood.’