Page 807 - the-idiot

ed tirade, this outflow of passionate words and ecstatic
ideas which seemed to hustle and tumble over each other
as they fell from his lips, bore evidence of some unusually
disturbed mental condition in the young fellow who had
‘boiled over’ in such a remarkable manner, without any ap-
parent reason.
Of those who were present, such as knew the prince lis-
tened to his outburst in a state of alarm, some with a feeling
of mortification. It was so unlike his usual timid self-con-
straint; so inconsistent with his usual taste and tact, and
with his instinctive feeling for the higher proprieties. They
could not understand the origin of the outburst; it could not
be simply the news of Pavlicheff’s perversion. By the ladies
the prince was regarded as little better than a lunatic, and
Princess Bielokonski admitted afterwards that ‘in another
minute she would have bolted.’
The two old gentlemen looked quite alarmed. The old
general (Epanchin’s chief) sat and glared at the prince in
severe displeasure. The colonel sat immovable. Even the
German poet grew a little pale, though he wore his usual
artificial smile as he looked around to see what the others
would do.
In point of fact it is quite possible that the matter would
have ended in a very commonplace and natural way in a few
minutes. The undoubtedly astonished, but now more col-
lected, General Epanchin had several times endeavoured
to interrupt the prince, and not having succeeded he was
now preparing to take firmer and more vigorous measures
to attain his end. In another minute or two he would prob-

0 The Idiot