Page 851 - the-idiot

for holy orders, took all the oaths, was ordained priest, and
next morning wrote to his bishop informing him that, as
he did not believe in God and considered it wrong to de-
ceive the people and live upon their pockets, he begged to
surrender the orders conferred upon him the day before,
and to inform his lordship that he was sending this letter to
the public press,— like this Frenchman, the prince played
a false game. It was rumoured that he had purposely wait-
ed for the solemn occasion of a large evening party at the
house of his future bride, at which he was introduced to sev-
eral eminent persons, in order publicly to make known his
ideas and opinions, and thereby insult the ‘big-wigs,’ and to
throw over his bride as offensively as possible; and that, re-
sisting the servants who were told off to turn him out of the
house, he had seized and thrown down a magnificent china
vase. As a characteristic addition to the above, it was cur-
rently reported that the young prince really loved the lady
to whom he was engaged, and had thrown her over out of
purely Nihilistic motives, with the intention of giving him-
self the satisfaction of marrying a fallen woman in the face
of all the world, thereby publishing his opinion that there is
no distinction between virtuous and disreputable women,
but that all women are alike, free; and a ‘fallen’ woman, in-
deed, somewhat superior to a virtuous one.
It was declared that he believed in no classes or anything
else, excepting ‘the woman question.’
All this looked likely enough, and was accepted as fact
by most of the inhabitants of the place, especially as it was
borne out, more or less, by daily occurrences.

0 The Idiot