Page 819 - the-idiot

Pavlovitch and the old dignitary were hard at work endeav-
ouring to restore the harmony of the evening, but it was of
no avail, and very soon after the guests separated and went
their ways.
A great deal of sympathy was expressed; a considerable
amount of advice was volunteered; Ivan Petrovitch ex-
pressed his opinion that the young man was ‘a Slavophile,
or something of that sort”; but that it was not a dangerous
development. The old dignitary said nothing.
True enough, most of the guests, next day and the day
after, were not in very good humour. Ivan Petrovitch was
a little offended, but not seriously so. General Epanchin’s
chief was rather cool towards him for some while after the
occurrence. The old dignitary, as patron of the family, took
the opportunity of murmuring some kind of admonition to
the general, and added, in flattering terms, that he was most
interested in Aglaya’s future. He was a man who really did
possess a kind heart, although his interest in the prince, in
the earlier part of the evening, was due, among other rea-
sons, to the latter’s connection with Nastasia Philipovna,
according to popular report. He had heard a good deal of
this story here and there, and was greatly interested in it, so
much so that he longed to ask further questions about it.
Princess Bielokonski, as she drove away on this eventful
evening, took occasion to say to Lizabetha Prokofievna:
‘Well—he’s a good match—and a bad one; and if you want
my opinion, more bad than good. You can see for yourself
the man is an invalid.’
Lizabetha therefore decided that the prince was impos-

1 The Idiot