eight minutes,” said EvgeniePavlovitch.
Hippolyte gazed eagerly at the latter, and mused for a few moments.
“Oh, is that all?” he said at last. “Then I--”
He drew a long, deep breath of relief, as it seemed. He realized thatall was not over as yet, that the sun had not risen, and that the guestshad merely gone to supper. He smiled, and two hectic spots appeared onhis cheeks.
“So you counted the minutes while I slept, did you, Evgenie Pavlovitch?” he said, ironically. “You have not taken your eyes off me all theevening--I have noticed that much, you see! Ah, Rogojin! I’ve justbeen dreaming about him, prince,” he added, frowning. “Yes, by the by,” starting up, “where’s the orator? Where’s Lebedeff? Has he finished?What did he talk about? Is it true, prince, that you once declared that‘beauty would save the world’? Great Heaven! The prince says that beautysaves the world! And I declare that he only has such playful ideasbecause he’s in love! Gentlemen, the prince is in love. I guessed it themoment he came in. Don’t blush, prince; you make me sorry for you. Whatbeauty saves the world? Colia told me that you are a zealous Christian;is it so? Colia says you call yourself a Christian.”
The prince regarded him attentively, but said nothing.
“You don’t answer me; perhaps you think I am very fond of you?” addedHippolyte, as though the words had been drawn from him.
“No, I don’t think that. I know you don’t love me.”
“What, after yesterday? Wasn’t I honest with you?”
“I knew yesterday that you didn’t love me.”
“Why so? why so? Because I envy you, eh? You always think that, I know.But do you know why I am saying all this? Look here! I must have somemore champagne--pour me out some, Keller, will you?”
“No, you’re not to drink any more, Hippolyte. I won’t let you.” Theprince moved the glass away.
“Well perhaps you’re right,” said Hippolyte, musing. “They mightsay--yet, devil take them! what does it matter?--prince, what can itmatter what people will say of us _then_, eh? I believe I’m half asleep.I’ve had such a dreadful dream--I’ve only just remembered it. Prince, Idon’t wish you such dreams as that, though sure enough, perhaps, I _don’t_love you. Why wish a man evil, though you do not love him, eh? Giveme your hand--let me press it sincerely. There--you’ve given me yourhand--you must feel that I _do_ press it sincerely, don’t you? I don’tthink I shall drink any more. What time is it? Never mind, I know thetime. The time has come, at all events. What! they are laying supperover there, are they? Then this table is free? Capital, gentlemen!I--hem! these gentlemen are not listening. Prince, I will just read overan article I have here. Supper is more interesting, of course, but--”
Here Hippolyte suddenly, and most unexpectedly, pulled out of hisbreast-pocket a large sealed paper. This imposing-looking document heplaced upon the table before him.
The effect of this sudden action upon the company was instantaneous.Evgenie Pavlovitch almost bounded off his chair in excitement. Rogojindrew nearer to the table with a look on his face as if he knew what wascoming. Gania came nearer too; so did Lebedeff and the others--the paperseemed to be an object of great interest to the company in general.
“What have you got there?” asked the prince, with some anxiety.
“At the first glimpse of the rising sun, prince, I will go to bed. Itold you I would, word of honour! You shall see!” cried Hippolyte.“You think I’m not capable of opening this packet, do you?” He glareddefiantly round at the audience in general.
The prince observed that he was trembling all over.
“None of us ever thought such a thing!” Muishkin replied for all. “Whyshould you suppose it of us? And what are you going to read, Hippolyte?What is it?”
“Yes, what is it?” asked others. The packet sealed with red wax seemedto attract everyone, as though it were a magnet.
“I wrote this yesterday, myself, just after I saw you, prince, and toldyou I would come down here. I wrote all day and all night, and finishedit this morning early. Afterwards I had a dream.”
“Hadn’t we better hear it tomorrow?” asked the prince timidly.
“Tomorrow ‘there will be no more time!’” laughed Hippolyte,hysterically. “You needn’t be afraid; I shall get through the wholething in forty minutes, at most an hour! Look how interested everybodyis! Everybody has drawn near. Look! look at them all staring at mysealed packet! If I hadn’t sealed it up it wouldn’t have been half soeffective! Ha, ha! that’s mystery, that is! Now then, gentlemen, shallI break the seal or not? Say the word; it’s a mystery, I tell you--asecret! Prince, you know who said there would be ‘no more time’? It wasthe great and powerful angel in the Apocalypse.”
“Better not read it now,” said the prince, putting his hand on thepacket.
“No, don’t read it!” cried Evgenie suddenly. He appeared so strangelydisturbed that many of those present could not help wondering.
“Reading? None of your reading now!” said somebody; “it’s supper-time.” “What sort of an article is it? For a paper? Probably it’s verydull,” said another. But the prince’s timid gesture had impressed evenHippolyte.
“Then I’m not to read it?” he whispered, nervously. “Am I not to readit?” he repeated, gazing around at each face in turn. “What are youafraid of, prince?” he turned and asked the latter suddenly.
“What should I be afraid of?”
“Has anyone a coin about them? Give me a twenty-copeck piece, somebody!” And Hippolyte leapt from his chair.
“Here you are,” said Lebedeff, handing him one; he thought the boy hadgone mad.
“Vera Lukianovna,” said Hippolyte, “toss it, will you? Heads, I read,tails, I don’t.”
Vera Lebedeff tossed the coin into the air and let it fall on the table.
It was “heads.”
“Then I read it,” said Hippolyte, in the tone of one bowing to the fiatof destiny. He could not have grown paler if a verdict of death hadsuddenly been presented to him.
“But after all, what is it? Is it possible that I should have justrisked my fate by tossing up?” he went on, shuddering; and looked roundhim again. His eyes had a curious expression of sincerity. “That isan astonishing psychological fact,” he cried, suddenly addressingthe prince, in a tone of the most intense surprise. “It is... itis something quite inconceivable, prince,” he repeated with growinganimation, like a man regaining consciousness. “Take note of it,prince, remember it; you collect, I am told, facts concerning capitalpunishment... They told me so. Ha, ha! My God, how absurd!” He satdown on the sofa, put his elbows on the table, and laid his head onhis hands. “It is shameful--though what does it matter to me if it isshameful?
“Gentlemen, gentlemen! I am about to break the seal,” he continued, withdetermination. “I--I--of course I don’t insist upon anyone listening ifthey do not wish to.”
With trembling fingers he broke the seal and drew out several sheets ofpaper, smoothed them out before him, and began sorting them.
“What on earth does all this mean? What’s he going to read?” mutteredseveral voices. Others said nothing; but one and all sat down andwatched with curiosity. They began to think something strange mightreally be about to happen. Vera stood and trembled behind her father’schair, almost in tears with fright; Colia was nearly as much alarmedas she was. Lebedeff jumped up and put a couple of candles nearer toHippolyte, so that he might see better.
“Gentlemen, this--you’ll soon see what this is,” began Hippolyte, andsuddenly commenced his reading.
“It’s headed, ‘A Necessary Explanation,’ with the motto, ‘_Après moile déluge!_’ Oh, deuce take it all! Surely I can never have seriouslywritten such a silly motto as that? Look here, gentlemen, I beg to givenotice that all this is very likely terrible nonsense. It is only a fewideas of mine. If you think that there is anything mysterious coming--orin a word--”
“Better read on without any more beating about the bush,” said Gania.
“A
ffectation!” remarked someone else.
“Too much talk,” said Rogojin, breaking the silence for the first time.
Hippolyte glanced at him suddenly, and when their eyes met Rogojinshowed his teeth in a disagreeable smile, and said the following strangewords: “That’s not the way to settle this business, my friend; that’snot the way at all.”
Of course nobody knew what Rogojin meant by this; but his words madea deep impression upon all. Everyone seemed to see in a flash the sameidea.
As for Hippolyte, their effect upon him was astounding. He trembled sothat the prince was obliged to support him, and would certainly havecried out, but that his voice seemed to have entirely left him for themoment. For a minute or two he could not speak at all, but panted andstared at Rogojin. At last he managed to ejaculate:
“Then it was _you_ who came--_you_--_you?_”
“Came where? What do you mean?” asked Rogojin, amazed. But Hippolyte,panting and choking with excitement, interrupted him violently.
“_You_ came to me last week, in the night, at two o’clock, the day I waswith you in the morning! Confess it was you!”
“Last