unaffectedly happy as she had been somedays earlier.
The prince redoubled his attentive study of her symptoms. It was a mostcurious circumstance, in his opinion, that she never spoke of Rogojin.But once, about five days before the wedding, when the prince was athome, a messenger arrived begging him to come at once, as NastasiaPhilipovna was very ill.
He had found her in a condition approaching to absolute madness. Shescreamed, and trembled, and cried out that Rogojin was hiding out therein the garden--that she had seen him herself--and that he would murderher in the night--that he would cut her throat. She was terriblyagitated all day. But it so happened that the prince called atHippolyte’s house later on, and heard from his mother that she had beenin town all day, and had there received a visit from Rogojin, who hadmade inquiries about Pavlofsk. On inquiry, it turned out that Rogojinvisited the old lady in town at almost the same moment when Nastasiadeclared that she had seen him in the garden; so that the whole thingturned out to be an illusion on her part. Nastasia immediately wentacross to Hippolyte’s to inquire more accurately, and returned immenselyrelieved and comforted.
On the day before the wedding, the prince left Nastasia in a state ofgreat animation. Her wedding-dress and all sorts of finery had justarrived from town. Muishkin had not imagined that she would be soexcited over it, but he praised everything, and his praise rendered herdoubly happy.
But Nastasia could not hide the cause of her intense interest in herwedding splendour. She had heard of the indignation in the town, andknew that some of the populace was getting up a sort of charivari withmusic, that verses had been composed for the occasion, and that therest of Pavlofsk society more or less encouraged these preparations. So,since attempts were being made to humiliate her, she wanted to hold herhead even higher than usual, and to overwhelm them all with the beautyand taste of her toilette. “Let them shout and whistle, if they dare!” Her eyes flashed at the thought. But, underneath this, she had anothermotive, of which she did not speak. She thought that possibly Aglaya,or at any rate someone sent by her, would be present incognito atthe ceremony, or in the crowd, and she wished to be prepared for thiseventuality.
The prince left her at eleven, full of these thoughts, and went home.But it was not twelve o’clock when a messenger came to say that Nastasiawas very bad, and he must come at once.
On hurrying back he found his bride locked up in her own room and couldhear her hysterical cries and sobs. It was some time before she could bemade to hear that the prince had come, and then she opened the door onlyjust sufficiently to let him in, and immediately locked it behind him.She then fell on her knees at his feet. (So at least Dana Alexeyevnareported.)
“What am I doing? What am I doing to you?” she sobbed convulsively,embracing his knees.
The prince was a whole hour soothing and comforting her, and left her,at length, pacified and composed. He sent another messenger during thenight to inquire after her, and two more next morning. The lastbrought back a message that Nastasia was surrounded by a whole army ofdressmakers and maids, and was as happy and as busy as such a beautyshould be on her wedding morning, and that there was not a vestige ofyesterday’s agitation remaining. The message concluded with thenews that at the moment of the bearer’s departure there was a greatconfabulation in progress as to which diamonds were to be worn, and how.
This message entirely calmed the prince’s mind.
The following report of the proceedings on the wedding day may bedepended upon, as coming from eye-witnesses.
The wedding was fixed for eight o’clock in the evening. NastasiaPhilipovna was ready at seven. From six o’clock groups of people beganto gather at Nastasia’s house, at the prince’s, and at the church door,but more especially at the former place. The church began to fill atseven.
Colia and Vera Lebedeff were very anxious on the prince’s account, butthey were so busy over the arrangements for receiving the guests afterthe wedding, that they had not much time for the indulgence of personalfeelings.
There were to be very few guests besides the best men and so on; onlyDana Alexeyevna, the Ptitsins, Gania, and the doctor. When the princeasked Lebedeff why he had invited the doctor, who was almost a stranger,Lebedeff replied:
“Why, he wears an ‘order,’ and it looks so well!”
This idea amused the prince.
Keller and Burdovsky looked wonderfully correct in their dress-coats andwhite kid gloves, although Keller caused the bridegroom some alarm byhis undisguisedly hostile glances at the gathering crowd of sight-seersoutside.
At about half-past seven the prince started for the church in hiscarriage.
We may remark here that he seemed anxious not to omit a single one ofthe recognized customs and traditions observed at weddings. He wishedall to be done as openly as possible, and “in due order.”
Arrived at the church, Muishkin, under Keller’s guidance, passedthrough the crowd of spectators, amid continuous whispering and excitedexclamations. The prince stayed near the altar, while Keller made offonce more to fetch the bride.
On reaching the gate of Daria Alexeyevna’s house, Keller found a fardenser crowd than he had encountered at the prince’s. The remarks andexclamations of the spectators here were of so irritating a nature thatKeller was very near making them a speech on the impropriety of theirconduct, but was luckily caught by Burdovsky, in the act of turning toaddress them, and hurried indoors.
Nastasia Philipovna was ready. She rose from her seat, looked into theglass and remarked, as Keller told the tale afterwards, that she was “aspale as a corpse.” She then bent her head reverently, before the ikon inthe corner, and left the room.
A torrent of voices greeted her appearance at the front door. The crowdwhistled, clapped its hands, and laughed and shouted; but in a moment ortwo isolated voices were distinguishable.
“What a beauty!” cried one.
“Well, she isn’t the first in the world, nor the last,” said another.
“Marriage covers everything,” observed a third.
“I defy you to find another beauty like that,” said a fourth.
“She’s a real princess! I’d sell my soul for such a princess as that!”
Nastasia came out of the house looking as white as any handkerchief; buther large dark eyes shone upon the vulgar crowd like blazing coals.The spectators’ cries were redoubled, and became more exultant andtriumphant every moment. The door of the carriage was open, and Kellerhad given his hand to the bride to help her in, when suddenly witha loud cry she rushed from him, straight into the surging crowd. Herfriends about her were stupefied with amazement; the crowd parted as sherushed through it, and suddenly, at a distance of five or six yardsfrom the carriage, appeared Rogojin. It was his look that had caught hereyes.
Nastasia rushed to him like a madwoman, and seized both his hands.
“Save me!” she cried. “Take me away, anywhere you like, quick!”
Rogojin seized her in his arms and almost carried her to the carriage.Then, in a flash, he tore a hundred-rouble note out of his pocket andheld it to the coachman.
“To the station, quick! If you catch the train you shall have another.Quick!”
He leaped into the carriage after Nastasia and banged the door. Thecoachman did not hesitate a moment; he whipped up the horses, and theywere off.
“One more second and I should have stopped him,” said Keller,afterwards. In fact, he and Burdovsky jumped into another carriage andset off in pursuit; but it struck them as they drove along that it wasnot much use trying to bring Nastasia back by force.
“Besides,” said Burdovsky, “the prince would not like it, would he?” Sothey gave up the pursuit.
Rogojin and Nastasia Philipovna reached the station just in time for thetrain. As he jumped out of the carriage and was almost on the pointof entering the train, Rogojin accosted a young girl standing on theplatform and wearing an old-fashioned, but respectable-looking, blackcloak and a silk handkerchief over her head.
“Take fifty rouble
s for your cloak?” he shouted, holding the moneyout to the girl. Before the astonished young woman could collect herscattered senses, he pushed the money into her hand, seized the mantle,and threw it and the handkerchief over Nastasia’s head and shoulders.The latter’s wedding-array would have attracted too much attention, andit was not until some time later that the girl understood why her oldcloak and kerchief had been bought at such a price.
The news of what had happened reached the church with extraordinaryrapidity. When Keller arrived, a host of people whom he did not knowthronged around to ask him questions. There was much excited talking,and shaking of heads, even some laughter; but no one left the church,all being anxious to observe how the now celebrated bridegroom wouldtake the news. He grew very pale upon hearing it, but took it quitequietly.
“I was afraid,” he muttered, scarcely audibly, “but I hardly thought itwould come to this.” Then after a short silence, he added: “However, inher state, it is quite consistent with the natural order of things.”
Even Keller admitted afterwards that this was “extraordinarilyphilosophical” on the