Page 701 - the-idiot

‘Ha, ha! it’s Eroshka now,’ laughed Hippolyte.
‘No, sir, Kapitoshka—not Eroshka. I mean, Kapiton
Alexeyevitch— retired major—married Maria Petrovna
Lu—Lu—he was my friend and companion—Lutugoff—
from our earliest beginnings. I closed his eyes for him—he
was killed. Kapiton Eropegoff never existed! tfu!’
The general shouted in his fury; but it was to be conclud-
ed that his wrath was not kindled by the expressed doubt as
to Kapiton’s existence. This was his scapegoat; but his ex-
citement was caused by something quite different. As a rule
he would have merely shouted down the doubt as to Kapi-
ton, told a long yarn about his friend, and eventually retired
upstairs to his room. But today, in the strange uncertainty
of human nature, it seemed to require but so small an of-
fence as this to make his cup to overflow. The old man grew
purple in the face, he raised his hands. ‘Enough of this!’ he
yelled. ‘My curse—away, out of the house I go! Colia, bring
my bag away!’ He left the room hastily and in a paroxysm
of rage.
His wife, Colia, and Ptitsin ran out after him.
‘What have you done now?’ said Varia to Gania. ‘He’ll
probably be making off THERE again! What a disgrace it
all is!’
‘Well, he shouldn’t steal,’ cried Gania, panting with fury.
And just at this moment his eye met Hippolyte’s.
‘As for you, sir,’ he cried, ‘you should at least remember
that you are in a strange house and—receiving hospitality;
you should not take the opportunity of tormenting an old
man, sir, who is too evidently out of his mind.’

00 The Idiot