PART II
I.
Two days after the strange conclusion to Nastasia Philipovna’s birthdayparty, with the record of which we concluded the first part of thisstory, Prince Muishkin hurriedly left St. Petersburg for Moscow, inorder to see after some business connected with the receipt of hisunexpected fortune.
It was said that there were other reasons for his hurried departure; butas to this, and as to his movements in Moscow, and as to hisprolonged absence from St. Petersburg, we are able to give very littleinformation.
The prince was away for six months, and even those who were mostinterested in his destiny were able to pick up very little news abouthim all that while. True, certain rumours did reach his friends, butthese were both strange and rare, and each one contradicted the last.
Of course the Epanchin family was much interested in his movements,though he had not had time to bid them farewell before his departure.The general, however, had had an opportunity of seeing him once or twicesince the eventful evening, and had spoken very seriously with him;but though he had seen the prince, as I say, he told his family nothingabout the circumstance. In fact, for a month or so after his departureit was considered not the thing to mention the prince’s name in theEpanchin household. Only Mrs. Epanchin, at the commencement of thisperiod, had announced that she had been “cruelly mistaken in theprince!” and a day or two after, she had added, evidently alludingto him, but not mentioning his name, that it was an unalterablecharacteristic of hers to be mistaken in people. Then once more, tendays later, after some passage of arms with one of her daughters, shehad remarked sententiously. “We have had enough of mistakes. I shall bemore careful in future!” However, it was impossible to avoid remarkingthat there was some sense of oppression in the household--somethingunspoken, but felt; something strained. All the members of the familywore frowning looks. The general was unusually busy; his family hardlyever saw him.
As to the girls, nothing was said openly, at all events; and probablyvery little in private. They were proud damsels, and were not alwaysperfectly confidential even among themselves. But they understood eachother thoroughly at the first word on all occasions; very often at thefirst glance, so that there was no need of much talking as a rule.
One fact, at least, would have been perfectly plain to an outsider, hadany such person been on the spot; and that was, that the prince had madea very considerable impression upon the family, in spite of the factthat he had but once been inside the house, and then only for a shorttime. Of course, if analyzed, this impression might have proved to benothing more than a feeling of curiosity; but be it what it might, thereit undoubtedly was.
Little by little, the rumours spread about town became lost in a maze ofuncertainty. It was said that some foolish young prince, name unknown,had suddenly come into possession of a gigantic fortune, and had marrieda French ballet dancer. This was contradicted, and the rumour circulatedthat it was a young merchant who had come into the enormous fortune andmarried the great ballet dancer, and that at the wedding the drunkenyoung fool had burned seventy thousand roubles at a candle out of purebravado.
However, all these rumours soon died down, to which circumstance certainfacts largely contributed. For instance, the whole of the Rogojin troophad departed, with him at their head, for Moscow. This was exactly aweek after a dreadful orgy at the Ekaterinhof gardens, where NastasiaPhilipovna had been present. It became known that after this orgyNastasia Philipovna had entirely disappeared, and that she had sincebeen traced to Moscow; so that the exodus of the Rogojin band was foundconsistent with this report.
There were rumours current as to Gania, too; but circumstances sooncontradicted these. He had fallen seriously ill, and his illnessprecluded his appearance in society, and even at business, for over amonth. As soon as he had recovered, however, he threw up his situationin the public company under General Epanchin’s direction, for someunknown reason, and the post was given to another. He never wentnear the Epanchins’ house at all, and was exceedingly irritable anddepressed.
Varvara Ardalionovna married Ptitsin this winter, and it was said thatthe fact of Gania’s retirement from business was the ultimate cause ofthe marriage, since Gania was now not only unable to support his family,but even required help himself.
We may mention that Gania was no longer mentioned in the Epanchinhousehold any more than the prince was; but that a certain circumstancein connection with the fatal evening at Nastasia’s house became knownto the general, and, in fact, to all the family the very next day. Thisfact was that Gania had come home that night, but had refused to go tobed. He had awaited the prince’s return from Ekaterinhof with feverishimpatience.
On the latter’s arrival, at six in the morning, Gania had gone to himin his room, bringing with him the singed packet of money, which he hadinsisted that the prince should return to Nastasia Philipovna withoutdelay. It was said that when Gania entered the prince’s room, he camewith anything but friendly feelings, and in a condition of despair andmisery; but that after a short conversation, he had stayed on for acouple of hours with him, sobbing continuously and bitterly the wholetime. They had parted upon terms of cordial friendship.
The Epanchins heard about this, as well as about the episode at NastasiaPhilipovna’s. It was strange, perhaps, that the facts should become soquickly, and fairly accurately, known. As far as Gania was concerned,it might have been supposed that the news had come through VarvaraArdalionovna, who had suddenly become a frequent visitor of the Epanchingirls, greatly to their mother’s surprise. But though Varvara had seenfit, for some reason, to make friends with them, it was not likelythat she would have talked to them about her brother. She had plenty ofpride, in spite of the fact that in thus acting she was seeking intimacywith people who had practically shown her brother the door. She and theEpanchin girls had been acquainted in childhood, although of latethey had met but rarely. Even now Varvara hardly ever appeared in thedrawing-room, but would slip in by a back way. Lizabetha Prokofievna,who disliked Varvara, although she had a great respect for her mother,was much annoyed by this sudden intimacy, and put it down to the general“contrariness” of her daughters, who were “always on the lookout forsome new way of opposing her.” Nevertheless, Varvara continued hervisits.
A month after Muishkin’s departure, Mrs. Epanchin received a letter fromher old friend Princess Bielokonski (who had lately left for Moscow),which letter put her into the greatest good humour. She did not divulgeits contents either to her daughters or the general, but her conducttowards the former became affectionate in the extreme. She even madesome sort of confession to them, but they were unable to understand whatit was about. She actually relaxed towards the general a little--he hadbeen long disgraced--and though she managed to quarrel with them all thenext day, yet she soon came round, and from her general behaviour it wasto be concluded that she had had good news of some sort, which she wouldlike, but could not make up her mind, to disclose.
However, a week later she received another letter from the same source,and at last resolved to speak.
She solemnly announced that she had heard from old Princess Bielokonski,who had given her most comforting news about “that queer young prince.” Her friend had hunted him up, and found that all was going well withhim. He had since called in person upon her, making an extremelyfavourable impression, for the princess had received him each day since,and had introduced him into several good houses.
The girls could see that their mother concealed a great deal from them,and left out large pieces of the letter in reading it to them.
However, the ice was broken, and it suddenly became possible to mentionthe prince’s name again. And again it became evident how very strong wasthe impression the young man had made in the household by his one visitthere. Mrs. Epanchin was surprised at the effect which the news fromMoscow had upon the girls, and they were no less surprised that aftersolemnly remarking that her most striking characteristic was “beingmistaken in people” she should have troubled to obtai
n for the princethe favour and protection of so powerful an old lady as the PrincessBielokonski. As soon as the ice was thus broken, the general lost notime in showing that he, too, took the greatest interest in the subject.He admitted that he was interested, but said that it was merely in thebusiness side of the question. It appeared that, in the interests ofthe prince, he had made arrangements in Moscow for a careful watch to bekept upon the prince’s business affairs, and especially upon Salaskin.All that had been said as to the prince being an undoubted heir to afortune turned out to be perfectly true; but the fortune proved to bemuch smaller than was at first reported. The estate was considerablyencumbered with debts; creditors turned up on all sides, and the prince,in spite of all advice and entreaty, insisted upon managing all mattersof claim himself--which, of course, meant satisfying everybody allround, although half the claims were absolutely fraudulent.
Mrs. Epanchin confirmed all this. She said the princess had written tomuch the same effect, and added that there was no curing a fool.