Page 762 - the-idiot

emphasis.
Her father, mother, and sisters came into the room and
were much struck with the last words, which they just
caught as they entered—‘absurdity which of course meant
nothing’—and still more so with the emphasis with which
Aglaya had spoken.
They exchanged glances questioningly, but the prince
did not seem to have understood the meaning of Aglaya’s
words; he was in the highest heaven of delight.
‘Why do you speak so?’ he murmured. ‘Why do you ask
my forgiveness?’
He wished to add that he was unworthy of being asked
for forgiveness by her, but paused. Perhaps he did under-
stand Aglaya’s sentence about ‘absurdity which meant
nothing,’ and like the strange fellow that he was, rejoiced
in the words.
Undoubtedly the fact that he might now come and see
Aglaya as much as he pleased again was quite enough to
make him perfectly happy; that he might come and speak
to her, and see her, and sit by her, and walk with her—who
knows, but that all this was quite enough to satisfy him for
the whole of his life, and that he would desire no more to
the end of time?
(Lizabetha Prokofievna felt that this might be the case,
and she didn’t like it; though very probably she could not
have put the idea into words.)
It would be difficult to describe the animation and high
spirits which distinguished the prince for the rest of the
evening.

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