Page 800 - the-idiot

Catholicism and turn Jesuit— openly, too—almost trium-
phantly. By Jove! it was positively a mercy that he died when
he did—it was indeed—everyone said so at the time.’
The prince was beside himself.
‘Pavlicheff?—Pavlicheff turned Roman Catholic? Impos-
sible!’ he cried, in horror.
‘H’m! impossible is rather a strong word,’ said Ivan Petro-
vitch. ‘You must allow, my dear prince... However, of course
you value the memory of the deceased so very highly; and
he certainly was the kindest of men; to which fact, by the
way, I ascribe, more than to anything else, the success of
the abbot in influencing his religious convictions. But you
may ask me, if you please, how much trouble and worry I,
personally, had over that business, and especially with this
same Gurot! Would you believe it,’ he continued, address-
ing the dignitary, ‘they actually tried to put in a claim under
the deceased’s will, and I had to resort to the very strongest
measures in order to bring them to their senses? I assure
you they knew their cue, did these gentlemen— wonder-
ful! Thank goodness all this was in Moscow, and I got the
Court, you know, to help me, and we soon brought them to
their senses.
‘You wouldn’t believe how you have pained and aston-
ished me,’ cried the prince.
‘Very sorry; but in point of fact, you know, it was all non-
sense and would have ended in smoke, as usual—I’m sure of
that. Last year,’—he turned to the old man again,—‘Count-
ess K. joined some Roman Convent abroad. Our people
never seem to be able to offer any resistance so soon as