Page 740 - the-idiot

love. Mine is over. Forgive me, forgive me!’
He left the room quickly, covering his face with his
hands.
The prince could not doubt the sincerity of his agitation.
He understood, too, that the old man had left the room in-
toxicated with his own success. The general belonged to that
class of liars, who, in spite of their transports of lying, in-
variably suspect that they are not believed. On this occasion,
when he recovered from his exaltation, he would probably
suspect Muishkin of pitying him, and feel insulted.
‘Have I been acting rightly in allowing him to develop
such vast resources of imagination?’ the prince asked him-
self. But his answer was a fit of violent laughter which lasted
ten whole minutes. He tried to reproach himself for the
laughing fit, but eventually concluded that he needn’t do so,
since in spite of it he was truly sorry for the old man. The
same evening he received a strange letter, short but decided.
The general informed him that they must part for ever; that
he was grateful, but that even from him he could not accept
‘signs of sympathy which were humiliating to the dignity of
a man already miserable enough.’
When the prince heard that the old man had gone to
Nina Alexandrovna, though, he felt almost easy on his ac-
count.
We have seen, however, that the general paid a visit to
Lizabetha Prokofievna and caused trouble there, the final
upshot being that he frightened Mrs. Epanchin, and an-
gered her by bitter hints as to his son Gania.
He had been turned out in disgrace, eventually, and this