Page 801 - the-idiot

they get into the hands of these— intriguers—especially
abroad.’
‘That is all thanks to our lassitude, I think,’ replied the
old man, with authority. ‘And then their way of preaching;
they have a skilful manner of doing it! And they know how
to startle one, too. I got quite a fright myself in ‘32, in Vi-
enna, I assure you; but I didn’t cave in to them, I ran away
instead, ha, ha!’
‘Come, come, I’ve always heard that you ran away with
the beautiful Countess Levitsky that time—throwing up
everything in order to do it—and not from the Jesuits at all,’
said Princess Bielokonski, suddenly.
‘Well, yes—but we call it from the Jesuits, you know; it
comes to the same thing,’ laughed the old fellow, delighted
with the pleasant recollection.
‘You seem to be very religious,’ he continued, kindly, ad-
dressing the prince,’ which is a thing one meets so seldom
nowadays among young people.’
The prince was listening open-mouthed, and still in a
condition of excited agitation. The old man was evidently
interested in him, and anxious to study him more closely.
‘Pavlicheff was a man of bright intellect and a good Chris-
tian, a sincere Christian,’ said the prince, suddenly. ‘How
could he possibly embrace a faith which is unchristian? Ro-
man Catholicism is, so to speak, simply the same thing as
unchristianity,’ he added with flashing eyes, which seemed
to take in everybody in the room.
‘Come, that’s a little TOO strong, isn’t it?’ murmured the
old man, glancing at General Epanchin in surprise.

00 The Idiot