Page 867 - the-idiot

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HE prince did not die before his wedding—either by day
Tor night, as he had foretold that he might. Very prob-
ably he passed disturbed nights, and was afflicted with bad
dreams; but, during the daytime, among his fellow-men, he
seemed as kind as ever, and even contented; only a little
thoughtful when alone.
The wedding was hurried on. The day was fixed for ex-
actly a week after Evgenie’s visit to the prince. In the face of
such haste as this, even the prince’s best friends (if he had
had any) would have felt the hopelessness of any attempt
to save’ the poor madman.’ Rumour said that in the visit
of Evgenie Pavlovitch was to be discerned the influence of
Lizabetha Prokofievna and her husband... But if those good
souls, in the boundless kindness of their hearts, were de-
sirous of saving the eccentric young fellow from ruin, they
were unable to take any stronger measures to attain that
end. Neither their position, nor their private inclination,
perhaps (and only naturally), would allow them to use any
more pronounced means.
We have observed before that even some of the prince’s
nearest neighbours had begun to oppose him. Vera Lebe-
deff’s passive disagreement was limited to the shedding of
a few solitary tears; to more frequent sitting alone at home,
and to a diminished frequency in her visits to the prince’s

The Idiot