Page 902 - the-idiot

and more violently, and never took his questioning eyes off
Rogojin’s face.
‘I see you are shuddering, Lef Nicolaievitch,’ said the lat-
ter, at length, ‘almost as you did once in Moscow, before
your fit; don’t you remember? I don’t know what I shall do
with you—‘
The prince bent forward to listen, putting all the strain
he could muster upon his understanding in order to take
in what Rogojin said, and continuing to gaze at the latter’s
face.
‘Was it you?’ he muttered, at last, motioning with his
head towards the curtain.
‘Yes, it was I,’ whispered Rogojin, looking down.
Neither spoke for five minutes.
‘Because, you know,’ Rogojin recommenced, as though
continuing a former sentence, ‘if you were ill now, or had a
fit, or screamed, or anything, they might hear it in the yard,
or even in the street, and guess that someone was passing
the night in the house. They would all come and knock and
want to come in, because they know I am not at home. I
didn’t light a candle for the same reason. When I am not
here—for two or three days at a time, now and then—no
one comes in to tidy the house or anything; those are my
orders. So that I want them to not know we are spending
the night here—‘
‘Wait,’ interrupted the prince. ‘I asked both the porter
and the woman whether Nastasia Philipovna had spent last
night in the house; so they knew—‘
‘I know you asked. I told them that she had called in for

01