Page 704 - the-idiot

‘Well, only for the sake of a lady,’ said Hippolyte, laugh-
ing. ‘I am ready to put off the reckoning, but only put it off,
Varvara Ardalionovna, because an explanation between
your brother and myself has become an absolute necessity,
and I could not think of leaving the house without clearing
up all misunderstandings first.’
‘In a word, you are a wretched little scandal-monger,’
cried Gania, ‘and you cannot go away without a scandal!’
‘You see,’ said Hippolyte, coolly, ‘ you can’t restrain your-
self. You’ll be dreadfully sorry afterwards if you don’t speak
out now. Come, you shall have the first say. I’ll wait.’
Gania was silent and merely looked contemptuously at
him.
‘You won’t? Very well. I shall be as short as possible, for
my part. Two or three times to-day I have had the word ‘hos-
pitality’ pushed down my throat; this is not fair. In inviting
me here you yourself entrapped me for your own use; you
thought I wished to revenge myself upon the prince. You
heard that Aglaya Ivanovna had been kind to me and read
my confession. Making sure that I should give myself up
to your interests, you hoped that you might get some assis-
tance out of me. I will not go into details. I don’t ask either
admission or confirmation of this from yourself; I am quite
content to leave you to your conscience, and to feel that we
understand one another capitally.’
‘What a history you are weaving out of the most ordinary
circumstances!’ cried Varia.
‘I told you the fellow was nothing but a scandalmonger,’
said Gania.

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