Aglaya, make a note of Pafnute, or we shall forget him. Hm! and where is this signature?
I think it was left on the generals table.
Let it be sent for at once!
Oh, Ill write you a new one in half a minute, said the prince, if you like!
Of course, mamma! said Alexandra. But lets have lunch now, we are all hungry!
Yes; come along, prince, said the mother, are you very hungry?
Yes; I must say that I am pretty hungry, thanks very much.
Hm! I like to see that you know your manners; and you are by no means such a person as the general thought fit to describe you. Come along; you sit here, opposite to me, she continued, I wish to be able to see your face. Alexandra, Adelaida, look after the prince! He doesnt seem so very ill, does he? I dont think he requires a napkin under his chin, after all; are you accustomed to having one on, prince?
Formerly, when I was seven years old or so. I believe I wore one; but now I usually hold my napkin on my knee when I eat.
Of course, of course! And about your fits?
Fits? asked the prince, slightly surprised. I very seldom have fits nowadays. I dont know how it may be here, though; they say the climate may be bad for me.
He talks very well, you know! said Mrs. Epanchin, who still continued to nod at each word the prince spoke. I really did not expect it at all; in fact, I suppose it was all stuff and nonsense on the generals part, as usual. Eat away, prince, and tell me where you were born, and where you were brought up. I wish to know all about you, you interest me very much!
The prince expressed his thanks once more, and eating heartily the while, recommenced the narrative of his life in Switzerland, all of which we have heard before. Mrs. Epanchin became more and more pleased with her guest; the girls, too, listened with considerable attention. In talking over the question of relationship it turned out that the prince was very well up in the matter and knew his pedigree off by heart. It was found that scarcely any connection existed between himself and Mrs. Epanchin, but the talk, and the opportunity of conversing about her family tree, gratified the latter exceedingly, and she rose from the table in great good humour.
Lets all go to my boudoir, she said, and they shall bring some coffee in there. Thats the room where we all assemble and busy ourselves as we like best, she explained. Alexandra, my eldest, here, plays the piano, or reads or sews; Adelaida paints landscapes and portraits (but never finishes any); and Aglaya sits and does nothing. I dont work too much, either. Here we are, now; sit down, prince, near the fire and talk to us. I want to hear you relate something. I wish to make sure of you first and then tell my old friend, Princess Bielokonski, about you. I wish you to know all the good people and to interest them. Now then, begin!
Mamma, its rather a strange order, that! said Adelaida, who was fussing among her paints and paint-brushes at the easel. Aglaya and Alexandra had settled themselves with folded hands on a sofa, evidently meaning to be listeners. The prince felt that the general attention was concentrated upon himself.
I should refuse to say a word if I were ordered to tell a story like that! observed Aglaya.
Why? whats there strange about it? He has a tongue. Why shouldnt he tell us something? I want to judge whether he is a good story-teller; anything you like, prince-how you liked Switzerland, what was your first impression, anything. Youll see, hell begin directly and tell us all about it beautifully.
The impression was forcible the prince began.
There, you see, girls, said the impatient lady, he has begun, you see.
The impression was forcible the prince began.
There, you see, girls, said the impatient lady, he has begun, you see.
Well, then, LET him talk, mamma, said Alexandra. This prince is a great humbug and by no means an idiot, she whispered to Aglaya.
Oh, I saw that at once, replied the latter. I dont think it at all nice of him to play a part. What does he wish to gain by it, I wonder?
My first impression was a very strong one, repeated the prince. When they took me away from Russia, I remember I passed through many German towns and looked out of the windows, but did not trouble so much as to ask questions about them. This was after a long series of fits. I always used to fall into a sort of torpid condition after such a series, and lost my memory almost entirely; and though I was not altogether without reason at such times, yet I had no logical power of thought. This would continue for three or four days, and then I would recover myself again. I remember my melancholy was intolerable; I felt inclined to cry; I sat and wondered and wondered uncomfortably; the consciousness that everything was strange weighed terribly upon me; I could understand that it was all foreign and strange. I recollect I awoke from this state for the first time at Basle, one evening; the bray of a donkey aroused me, a donkey in the town market. I saw the donkey and was extremely pleased with it, and from that moment my head seemed to clear.