hateful things connected with money is that it canbuy even talent; and will do so as long as the world lasts. You will saythat this is childish--or romantic. Well, that will be all the betterfor me, but the thing shall be done. I will carry it through. He laughsmost, who laughs last. Why does Epanchin insult me? Simply because,socially, I am a nobody. However, enough for the present. Colia has puthis nose in to tell us dinner is ready, twice. I’m dining out. I shallcome and talk to you now and then; you shall be comfortable enough withus. They are sure to make you one of the family. I think you and Iwill either be great friends or enemies. Look here now, supposing I hadkissed your hand just now, as I offered to do in all sincerity, should Ihave hated you for it afterwards?”
“Certainly, but not always. You would not have been able to keep it up,and would have ended by forgiving me,” said the prince, after a pausefor reflection, and with a pleasant smile.
“Oho, how careful one has to be with you, prince! Haven’t you put a dropof poison in that remark now, eh? By the way--ha, ha, ha!--I forgot toask, was I right in believing that you were a good deal struck yourselfwith Nastasia Philipovna.”
“Ye-yes.”
“Are you in love with her?”
“N-no.”
“And yet you flush up as red as a rosebud! Come--it’s all right. I’m notgoing to laugh at you. Do you know she is a very virtuous woman? Believeit or not, as you like. You think she and Totski--not a bit of it, not abit of it! Not for ever so long! _Au revoir!_”
Gania left the room in great good humour. The prince stayed behind, andmeditated alone for a few minutes. At length, Colia popped his head inonce more.
“I don’t want any dinner, thanks, Colia. I had too good a lunch atGeneral Epanchin’s.”
Colia came into the room and gave the prince a note; it was from thegeneral and was carefully sealed up. It was clear from Colia’s face howpainful it was to him to deliver the missive. The prince read it, rose,and took his hat.
“It’s only a couple of yards,” said Colia, blushing.
“He’s sitting there over his bottle--and how they can give him credit,I cannot understand. Don’t tell mother I brought you the note, prince;I have sworn not to do it a thousand times, but I’m always so sorry forhim. Don’t stand on ceremony, give him some trifle, and let that endit.”
“Come along, Colia, I want to see your father. I have an idea,” said theprince.
XII.
Colia took the prince to a public-house in the Litaynaya, not far off.In one of the side rooms there sat at a table--looking like one of theregular guests of the establishment--Ardalion Alexandrovitch, with abottle before him, and a newspaper on his knee. He was waiting forthe prince, and no sooner did the latter appear than he began a longharangue about something or other; but so far gone was he that theprince could hardly understand a word.
“I have not got a ten-rouble note,” said the prince; “but here is atwenty-five. Change it and give me back the fifteen, or I shall be leftwithout a farthing myself.”
“Oh, of course, of course; and you quite understand that I--”
“Yes; and I have another request to make, general. Have you ever been atNastasia Philipovna’s?”
“I? I? Do you mean me? Often, my friend, often! I only pretended Ihad not in order to avoid a painful subject. You saw today, you were awitness, that I did all that a kind, an indulgent father could do. Nowa father of altogether another type shall step into the scene. You shallsee; the old soldier shall lay bare this intrigue, or a shameless womanwill force her way into a respectable and noble family.”
“Yes, quite so. I wished to ask you whether you could show me the wayto Nastasia Philipovna’s tonight. I must go; I have business with her; Iwas not invited but I was introduced. Anyhow I am ready to trespass thelaws of propriety if only I can get in somehow or other.”
“My dear young friend, you have hit on my very idea. It was not for thisrubbish I asked you to come over here” (he pocketed the money, however,at this point), “it was to invite your alliance in the campaign againstNastasia Philipovna tonight. How well it sounds, ‘General Ivolgin andPrince Muishkin.’ That’ll fetch her, I think, eh? Capital! We’ll go atnine; there’s time yet.”
“Where does she live?”
“Oh, a long way off, near the Great Theatre, just in the squarethere--It won’t be a large party.”
The general sat on and on. He had ordered a fresh bottle when the princearrived; this took him an hour to drink, and then he had another, andanother, during the consumption of which he told pretty nearly the wholestory of his life. The prince was in despair. He felt that though he hadbut applied to this miserable old drunkard because he saw no other wayof getting to Nastasia Philipovna’s, yet he had been very wrong to putthe slightest confidence in such a man.
At last he rose and declared that he would wait no longer. The generalrose too, drank the last drops that he could squeeze out of the bottle,and staggered into the street.
Muishkin began to despair. He could not imagine how he had been sofoolish as to trust this man. He only wanted one thing, and that was toget to Nastasia Philipovna’s, even at the cost of a certain amountof impropriety. But now the scandal threatened to be more than hehad bargained for. By this time Ardalion Alexandrovitch was quiteintoxicated, and he kept his companion listening while he discoursedeloquently and pathetically on subjects of all kinds, interspersed withtorrents of recrimination against the members of his family. He insistedthat all his troubles were caused by their bad conduct, and time alonewould put an end to them.
At last they reached the Litaynaya. The thaw increased steadily, a warm,unhealthy wind blew through the streets, vehicles splashed through themud, and the iron shoes of horses and mules rang on the paving stones.Crowds of melancholy people plodded wearily along the footpaths, withhere and there a drunken man among them.
“Do you see those brightly-lighted windows?” said the general. “Many ofmy old comrades-in-arms live about here, and I, who served longer, andsuffered more than any of them, am walking on foot to the house ofa woman of rather questionable reputation! A man, look you, who hasthirteen bullets on his breast!... You don’t believe it? Well, I canassure you it was entirely on my account that Pirogoff telegraphedto Paris, and left Sebastopol at the greatest risk during the siege.Nelaton, the Tuileries surgeon, demanded a safe conduct, in the nameof science, into the besieged city in order to attend my wounds. Thegovernment knows all about it. ‘That’s the Ivolgin with thirteen bulletsin him!’ That’s how they speak of me.... Do you see that house, prince?One of my old friends lives on the first floor, with his large family.In this and five other houses, three overlooking Nevsky, two in theMorskaya, are all that remain of my personal friends. Nina Alexandrovnagave them up long ago, but I keep in touch with them still... I maysay I find refreshment in this little coterie, in thus meeting my oldacquaintances and subordinates, who worship me still, in spite of all.General Sokolovitch (by the way, I have not called on him lately, orseen Anna Fedorovna)... You know, my dear prince, when a person doesnot receive company himself, he gives up going to other people’s housesinvoluntarily. And yet... well... you look as if you didn’t believeme.... Well now, why should I not present the son of my old friendand companion to this delightful family--General Ivolgin and PrinceMuishkin? You will see a lovely girl--what am I saying--a lovely girl?No, indeed, two, three! Ornaments of this city and of society: beauty,education, culture--the woman question--poetry--everything! Added towhich is the fact that each one will have a dot of at least eightythousand roubles. No bad thing, eh?... In a word I absolutely mustintroduce you to them: it is a duty, an obligation. General Ivolgin andPrince Muishkin. Tableau!”
“At once? Now? You must have forgotten...” began the prince.
“No, I have forgotten nothing. Come! This is the house--up thismagnificent staircase. I am surprised not to see the porter, but .... itis a holiday... and the man has gone off... Drunken fool! Why have theynot got rid of him? Sokolovitch owes all the happiness he has h
ad inthe service and in his private life to me, and me alone, but... here weare.”
The prince followed quietly, making no further objection for fear ofirritating the old man. At the same time he fervently hoped that GeneralSokolovitch and his family would fade away like a mirage in the desert,so that the visitors could escape, by merely returning downstairs. Butto his horror he saw that General Ivolgin was quite familiar with thehouse, and really seemed to have friends there. At every step he namedsome topographical or biographical detail that left nothing to bedesired on the score of accuracy. When they arrived at last, on thefirst floor, and the general turned to ring the bell to the right,the prince decided to run away, but a curious incident stopped himmomentarily.
“You have made a mistake, general,” said he. “The name on the door isKoulakoff, and you were going to see General Sokolovitch.”
“Koulakoff... Koulakoff means nothing. This is Sokolovitch’s flat, andI am ringing at his door.... What do I care for Koulakoff?... Here comessomeone to open.”
In fact, the door opened directly, and