Idiot (2003) s01e06 Episode Script

Ordered by the Russia TV-channel with the support of the Cinematography Service the Russian Ministry of Culture produced by 2-B-2 Studio ENTERTAlNMEN Fyodor Mikhailovitch Dostoevsky lDlO Evgeni MlRONOV As prince Muishkin Starring Vladimir MASHKOV Lidiya VELEZHEVA Olga Budina lnna CHURlKOVA Oleg BASILASHVILI Alexei PETRENKO Vladimir lLYlN Michael BOYARSKY Alexander LAZAREV Alexander Domogarov Written and directed by Vladimir BORTKO Photography by Dmitri MASS Design by Vladimir SVETOZAROV Marina NlKOLAYEVA Original music by lgor KORNELYUK Producer Valery TODORORVSKl Episode 6 -Colia, l don't know.
- l'll see you off to the station.
There is something horrible at general wife's house.
Surely, carriage is at the first place but it should be something else here.
l have not watched for sure.
The most interesting fact was that Aglaya lvanovna had been quarrelling with her people about Gania Can you imagine? He is the man that is lost in many senses.
But in many senses he has something worth to look for.
l will never excuse myself for not understanding him.
You know.
You don't have to be sorry for your brother, Colia.
lf so then Gavrila Ardalionovitch might be dangerous for Lizabetha Prokofievna And if so, certain hopes of his must have been encouraged What? What hopes? you surely don't mean Aglaya? lt can not be so.
You're a dreadful sceptic, prince l have observed of late that you have grown sceptical about everything You don't seem to believe in people as you did, and are always attributing motives and so on am l using the word 'sceptic' in its proper sense l believe so; but l'm not sure Well, l'll change it, right or wrong l'll say that you are not sceptical, but JEALOUS There! you are deadly jealous of Gania, over a certain proud damsel! l'm glad to meet you.
ln the first place, my dear prince, don't be angry with me.
l would have come to see you yesterday, but l didn't know how Lizabetha Prokofievna would take it.
My dear fellow, my house is simply a hell just now l can't make head or tail of anything lt is plain to me, that YOU are not in it at all but perhaps you had better not come to our house for a little while l ask you in the friendliest manner, mind; just till the wind changes again.
As for Evgenie Pavlovitch, the whole thing is a calumny, a dirty calumny.
lt is simply a plot.
An intrigue.
Desire to upset our plans.
-Allow me.
-And to stir up a quarrel.
You see, prince, l'll tell you privately Evgenie Pavlovitch and ourselves have not said a word yet about the marriage Don't you see? Excuse me, General.
But the word may be said soon May be very soon.
And all this is most injurious Why? l'm sure l can't tell you.
She's an extraordinary woman, an eccentric woman.
l am so frightened of that woman that l can't sleep.
What a carriage that was.
White horses.
lt is splendid lt's what is called ''shique'' in french.
l declare, l was base enough to suspect Evgenie at first; but it seems certain that that cannot be the case.
And if so, why is she interfering here? That's the riddle.
To leave here.
To leave immediately To leave back where I come from.
To the station.
What station, master? Warsaw? Nikolaevsky? So what the station? lt's faint heartedness.
lt's impossible to run.
lt's needed to exert every effort here.
Appeared finally! Are you here? Allow me to ask you Did you, or did you not, send a letter to Aglaya? Yes, l did.
Show me the letter.
l have not got the letter, lf anyone has it, if it still exists, Aglaya lvanovna must have it.
No finessing, please.
What did you write about? l don't see the slightest reason why l should not have written.
l know my feeling was very sincere.
l had moments at that time full of life and hope.
What sort of hope? lt is difficult to explain.
Hopes-well, in a word, hopes for the future, and a feeling of joy that l was not entirely a stranger and a foreigner.
l felt an ecstasy in being in my native land once more.
So l took up a pen and wrote her that letter.
But why to her, l don't quite know.
Are you in love with her? No! N-no! l wrote to her as to a sister.
Listen! assure me truly as before Heaven, are you lying to me or not? No, l am not lying.
Are you telling the truth when you say you are not in love? l believe it is the absolute truth.
'l believe,' indeed! You don't suppose she could take any interest in you, do you? Why, she called you an 'idiot' herself.
l think you might have spared me that.
Now, l want to hear you swear that you are not married to that woman? Lizabetha Prokofievna, what are you thinking of? Why? You very nearly were, anyhow.
Yes.
l nearly was.
Well, are you in love with her? Well then, have you come here for her? For that creature? l did not come to marry at all.
ls there anything you hold sacred? There is.
Then swear by it that you did not come here to marry her.
l'll swear it by whatever you please.
l believe you.
You may kiss me; l breathe freely at last.
Sit down.
Now then, tell me, yes or no? Do you know why she called out from her carriage the other night? l give you my word of honour that l don't know.
l had nothing to do with the matter and know nothing about it.
Up to yesterday morning l thought it was really Evgenie Pavlovitch who was to blame.
Now l cannot help agreeing with the others.
Here everyone laughed at him For some reason, for some purpose.
Do you know anything about Gavrila Ardalionovitch? Oh yes, l know a good deal.
Are you aware, sir, that this Gania or his sister Varia have brought her into correspondence with Nastasia Philipovna? - Brought whom? -Aglaya.
lt's impossible! What object could they have? Nor do l believe it, in spite of the proofs.
The girl is self-willed and fantastic, and insane! She's wicked, wicked! Did you go to town yesterday? l dare swear you went down on your knees to that rogue Burdovsky, and begged him to accept your ten thousand roubles! He is not a rogue.
l have had a letter from him.
He thanks me for help to his mother.
But tells that he will never accept the money.
Show it to me! How extremely stupid! lt was not worth the trouble of reading.
Why are you smiling? Confess that you are pleased to have read it.
Oh, what a little child you are, Lizabetha Prokofievna! Never come near my house again! Don't let me see as much as a shadow of you about the place! And in three days you'll come and invite me yourself.
Aren't you ashamed now? These are your best feelings; you are only tormenting yourself.
l'll die before l invite you! l shall forget your very name! But l'm forbidden your house as it is, without your added threats! What? Who forbade you? Yesterday morning Aglaya lvanovna sent me a note.
Where is it? Give it here, at once.
PRlNCE LEF NlCOLAlEVlTCH, lf you think fit, after all that has passed to honour our house with a visit l can assure you won't find me among the number of those who are in any way delighted.
Aglaya Epanchin.
Quick come along! Come along with me this moment! -But you expose me to -To what?! Don't be a simpleton.
You behave just as though you weren't a man at all.
She was annoyed that you didn't come.
But she ought to have known that one can't write like that to an idiot like you, for you'd be sure to take it literally, and that had happened.
Come on! Well, let me get my hat, at least.
Gentlemen.
What is liberalism as not the attack upon the existing order of things? ls this so? That's it, Russian liberalism do not attack Russian custom but Russia itself.
My Russian liberal goes so far as to reject Russia; that is, he hates and strikes his own mother.
Every misfortune and mishap of the mother-country fills him with mirth, and even with ecstasy.
He hates the national customs, Russian history, and everything.
lf he has a justification, it is that he does not know what he is doing.
Gentlemen, they are ashamed even of the expression 'love of country'.
You understand, they have annihilated the very spirit of the words as something injurious and petty.
And this is the true fact.
But at the same time, such fact in no country, never ever, had happened.
l take all that you, Evgenie Pavlovitch, have said as a joke.
You have taken some accidental case and twisted it into a universal law which is unjust.
Prince, do you consider it an accidental case? l have not seen much or been very far into the question but l cannot help thinking that you are probably more or less right You didn't answer me seriously, surely, did you? Did you ask me the question seriously? Don't trust him, prince! Evgenie Pavlovitch can lay hold of to ridicule.
ln my opinion the conversation has been a painful one, and we ought never to have begun it We were all going for a walk Come along then, it's a glorious evening.
But, to prove that this time l was speaking absolutely seriously, will you allow me to put just one more question to the prince? Well, not long since everyone was talking of the extraordinary speech of the barrister, who observed that in the poverty-stricken condition of the criminal it must have come naturally into his head to kill these six people.
So how is to your mind, prince, is this distortion, this capacity for a perverted way of viewing the world a special or accidental case, or is such a general rule? A special case of accidental of course! No, l don't think it was a special case.
lf you are capable to see this, prince, how is it that in claim of Burdovsky, if l'm not mistaken.
-Yes, Burdovsky in claim of Burdovsky you saw nothing distorted or perverted.
lt turned to me entirely l'll tell you what, my friend, here are we all sitting here we are very clever, and meanwhile he has received a letter from one of them, from the very chief.
-Do you remeber, Alexandra? -Yes, mama.
He begs the prince's pardon.
And Hippolyte has come down here to stay! What! has he arrived? l dare swear that you went up to town yesterday and went down on your knees and begged for his pardon get the little wretch to do you the great honour of coming to stay lt seems to me, that you were very foolish to bring him here he talked so eloquently about the blank wall outside his bedroom so its sure that without that blank wall he will never be able to die eloquently and he does so long to die eloquently! So what? lf you don't want to forgive him he will die without you, he has come down to see a few trees now Oh, l forgive him with all my heart; you may tell him so if you like l don't think you should take it quite like that.
l think it is more a case of his forgiving you.
What have l done to need his forgiveness? lf you don't understand, then but of course, you do understand that he wished to bless you all round and to have your blessing, that's all.
My dear prince, you seem to expect to find heaven on earth, Heaven is a difficult thing to find anywhere, prince; far more difficult than appears to that good heart of yours.
Stop.
Stop.
Let's go and hear the band, then.
-Strauss.
-Strauss will be played today.
-Yes, today is the eighteen.
-Strauss is charming.
-Evgenie Pavlovitch! -Charming and very nice Evgenie Pavlovitch, be be assured that l esteem you as a generous and honourable man, in spite of everything.
Be assured of that l wouldn't mind betting, prince, that you did not in the least mean to say that, and very likely you meant to address someone else altogether.
What is it? Are you feeling unwell? Very likely.
Very likely, extremely likely, and you must be a very close observer to detect that l did not intend to come up to YOU at all.
And exactly! What's the matter with him? Do his fits begin like that? No, no, Lizabetha Prokofievna, take no notice of me.
l am not going to have a fit.
l will go away directly; but l know l am afflicted.
l was twenty-four years an invalid So take all l do and say as the sayings and actions of an invalid.
l'm going away directly, l really am, don't be afraid.
l am not blushing, for l don't think l need blush about it, need l? see that l am out of place in society--society is better without lt's not vanity, l assure you.
There are certain things, certain great ideas, which l must not so much as approach, or l shall make you all laugh, as Prince Shcherbatov has just reminded me.
l have no proper gesture, no sense of proportion, my words do not express my ideas, they are a humiliation and a basement of the ideas.
And therefore, l have no right.
And l am too sensitive.
l believe nobody could treat me badly in this house.
l know, I'm beloved in this household, and esteemed far more than l deserve it helps knowing that it is impossible for people to refrain from laughing sometimes.
Don't you think so? Why do you say all this here? Why do you talk like this to them? Them! Them! There is not one of them all who is worthy of these words of yours! Not one of them is worth your little finger, not one of them has heart or head to compare with yours! You are more honest than all, and better, nobler, kinder, wiser than all! There are some here who are unworthy to bend and pick up the handkerchief you have just dropped.
Why do you humiliate yourself like this, and place yourself lower than these people? Why do you debase yourself before them? Why have you no pride? My God! Who would ever have believed this? Hurrah for the 'poor knight'! Be quiet! How dare they laugh at me in your house? Why does everyone, everyone worry and torment me? Prince! Why have they all been bullying me these three days about you? look in the glass and see what you look like,this very moment How it's possible to marry such a ridiculous person like you? Why, why do they torment me and say l am going to marry you? You must know it, prince! Are you in the plot with them? -No one ever tormented you on the subject.
-No one ever thought of such a thing! -There has never been a word said about it! -Who has been annoying her? Who has been tormenting the child? Who could have said such a thing to her? Every one of them has been saying it - every one of them And l will never, never marry him! Daughter! But he has never even asked you.
l have never asked you to marry me, Aglaya lvanovna! What? What's that? l meant to say, l merely meant to explain to Aglaya lvanovna that l had no intention to ask the honour of her hand.
l am not guilty.
l assure you l am not guilty, Aglaya lvanovna! l never did wish to, l never thought of it at all.
And never shall You'll see it yourself.
You may be quite assured of it.
Some wicked person has been maligning me to you.
But it's all right, Aglaya lvanovna! Don't worry about it.
Thank God! They are insane! They are insane! Either they frighten one out of one's wits, or else Look to the right! Do you see that bench? Yes, l see it! Do you like the position of it? Sometimes of a morning early, at seven o'clock, when all the rest are still asleep, l come out and sit there alone.
Yes, the spot is a lovely one.
Now, go away, l don't wish to have your arm any longer.
Or perhaps, better, continue to give me your arm, but don't speak a word to me.
l wish to think by myself.
Do you know, Lizabetha Prokofievna, my uncle knows Strauss personally No, he knows, he knows.
Thank you.
Good evening.
How do you do? l haven't seen you for long.
Evgenie Pavlovitch, pay your attention, please to our newly-made king of waltzs.
These epaulets suits you well.
lf it was possible to leave To disappear from here.
And look down from there at the village .
At the white string of waterfall below.
At white clouds.
At old ruined castle.
And think of only one thing.
Of one thing all his life A thousand years would not be too much time! And let everyone here forget me.
How much better it would have been if they had never known me.
lf all this could but prove to be a dream.
And does it matter, either in a dream or in reality You're absolutely right! Why do you look at me like that, prince? l'm afraid of you! You look as though you were just going to put out your hand and touch my face to see if it's real! Doesn't he, Evgenie Pavlovitch, doesn't he look like that? Prince, let me introduce to you.
Captain Molodcev.
Prince Muishkin.
ldiot! My goodness! Surely she is not in love with such a lt's a joke.
it's just a joke like the 'poor knight' But she carries it just a little too far and it's time to end it.
What's the matter, Prince? Where will we sit, madam? So, captain, l think that we all have to go there.
Why, l declare, here he is! The man one can't find with all one's messengers sent about the place, sitting just under one's nose, exactly where one never thought of looking! l thought you were sure to be at your uncle's by this time.
What, you don't you know about it yet? He doesn't know--imagine that! Why, he's shot himself.
Your uncle shot himself this very morning.
l was told at two this afternoon.
Half the town must know it by now.
They say there are three hundred and fifty thousand roubles, government money, missing; some say five hundred thousand.
And l was under the impression that he would leave you a fortune! He's whistled it all away.
A most depraved old gentleman, really! Well, good bye! Surely you intend to be off there, don't you? You've retired from the army in good time, l see! Well done, sly rogue! Nonsense! l see -you knew it all before l dare say you knew all about it yesterday She ought to be whipped that's the only way to deal with trash like that! No! Keller is my name, sir ex-lieutenant lf you want to come to grips, captain and will accept me as champion of the fair sex, l am at your disposal.
lf you prefer to meet me - as would be more fitting to your rank in some other manner, of course you understand me, captain.
Look what the fellow got! Look at the blood on his cheek! Prince Muishkin, l believe? The gentleman to whom l had the honour of being introduced? She is mad, insane.
l assure you, she is mad l cannot boast of any such knowledge, of course, but l wished to know your name.
Aglaya lvanovna l wanted to see how the farce would end.
What are you doing there? So lf someone were to challenge you to a duel, what should you do? Someone? Who?! Nobody would ever challenge me to a duel! But if they were to, would you be dreadfully frightened? l dare say l should be--much alarmed! Then are you a coward? N-no!--l don't think so.
A coward is a man who is afraid and runs away; the man who is frightened but does not run away, is not quite a coward And you wouldn't run away? No--l don't think l should run away.
Though l am a woman, l should certainly not run away for anything.
Can you shoot at all? No, l have never shot in my life.
Can't you even load a pistol? No! That is, l understand how it's done, of course, but l have never done it.
Now listen and learn.
ln the first place buy good powder, not damp they say it mustn't be at all damp, but very dry, some fine kind it is--you must ask for pistol powder, not the stuff they load cannons with.
They say one makes the bullets oneself, somehow or other.
-Have you got a pistol? -No.
-Oh, what NONSENSE! -No.
You must buy one.
French or English are the best, they say.
Then take a little powder, about a thimbleful, or perhaps two, and pour it into the barrel.
Better put plenty.
Then push in a bit of felt.
lt MUST be felt, for some reason or other you can easily get a bit off some old mattress, or off a door - it's used to keep the cold out.
Well, when you have pushed the felt down, put the bullet in.
Do you hear now? The bullet last and the powder first, not the other way, or the pistol won't shoot.
-What are you laughing at? -Excuse me.
l wish you to buy a pistol and practise every day, and you must learn to hit a mark for CERTAlN.
Will you? Ah! Lef Nicolaievitch, it's you, is it? Where are you off to now? Come along with me; l want to say a word or two to you.
Au revoir, then! The outrageous behaviour of this woman must really be kept within limits, by the police if necessary, and l am just on my way and make some arrangements lt can all be managed quietly and gently, even kindly, and without the slightest fuss or scandal.
-She is insane.
-l too had that idea and l slept in peace.
But now l do not believe in the theory of madness! Her outburst of this evening about.
Kapiton Alexeyevitch proves that conclusively.
What about Kapiton Alexeyevitch? My goodness, Lef Nicolaievitch, why, you can't have heard a single word l said! l have started to speak with that.
Look at me, l'm still trembling all over with the dreadful shock! lt is that that kept me in town so late.
Kapiton Alexeyevitch Radomsky, Evgenie Pavlovitch's uncle -Well? -Shot himelf this morning, at seven o'clock.
A respected, eminent old man of seventy.
And exactly point for point as she described it.
-A sum of money, a considerable sum.
-Why, how could she -What, know of it? -Yes! There was a whole crowd round her You know what sort of people surround her nowadays, and solicit the honour of her 'acquaintance.
' Look at the slyness of her observation about Evgenie's uniform! l mean, her remark that he had retired just in time! l believed that he was to inherit a large fortune from this uncle.
lt's dreadful, horrible! We have just had a terrible scene! Aglaya laughs at her mother.
She has just been laughing at her sisters to their very faces, and at Prince Shcherbatov and of course she always laughs at me! l dare swear she has had a good laugh at YOU before now! But you'll admit, my dear prince, what a riddle it must have been for us when that calm, cold, little spitfire, informed us with inexpressible contempt, that 'that madwoman' as you did say Didn't you guess until now that 'that madwoman' has taken it into her head to marry me to Prince Lef Nicolaievitch and therefore is doing her best to choke Evgenie Pavlovitch off, and rid the house of him.
that's what she said.
She would not give the slightest explanation We all stood there with our mouths open.
She banged the door, and went away.
Well, l was told afterwards of that little passage with you this afternoon, and Dear prince! you are a good, sensible fellow, don't be angry if l speak out she is laughing at you, my boy! She is simply making a fool of you, just as she does all of us because she has nothing better to do.
Well - good bye! You know our feelings, don't you? They are unalterable, you know, dear boy, under all circumstances l must go that way now.
Good bye! Rarely have l sat so uncomfortably in my saddle as they say, as l now sit.
What a country holidays! Tomorrow morning, at seven, l shall be at the green bench in the park and shall wait there for you.
l have made up my mind to speak to you about a most important matter which closely concerns yourself.
l trust that you will not show this note to anyone.
Though l am ashamed of giving you such instructions, l feel that l must do so, considering what you are.
l therefore write the words, and blush for your simple character.
lt is the same green bench that l showed you before.
There! aren't you ashamed of yourself? l felt that it was necessary to repeat even that information.
l was watching for you, prince, l dogged you from behind as you walked along with the general.
Well, prince, here is Keller, absolutely at your service command him! Ready to sacrifice himself - even to die in case of need.
But -why? Of course you'll be challenged! That was young Lieutenant Moloftsoff.
l know him, not personally of course, he won't pass an insult.
He will take no notice of Rogojin and myself, and, therefore, you are the only one left to account for.
His friend will call on you tomorrow perhaps he is at your house already.
lf you would do me the honour to have me for a second, l should be happy.
That's why l have been looking for you now, prince.
You've come to talk about a duel, too! You caught him by the arms, you know, prince.
No man of proper pride can stand that sort of treatment in public.
Really? But what about me?! He gave me a fearful dig in the chest! What are we to fight about? l shall beg his pardon, that's all.
But if we must fight--we'll fight! Let him have a shot at me, by all means.
l should rather like it.
l know how to load a pistol now.
Do you know how to load a pistol, Keller? So, listen! First, you have to buy the powder, it must be pistol powder it mustn't be wet, and it mustn't be that coarse stuff that they load cannons with.
Do you know, my dear fellow, l really must embrace you, this very moment and kiss you.
Well? How was it you so suddenly popped up in front of him? Come to my house as soon as you can, and we'll have some champagne.
l have my birthday today.
We'll all get drunk! Do you know l have a dozen of champagne in Lebedeff's cellar? Lebedeff sold them to me.
We'll invite everybody! Will you come? Are you going to do any sleeping tonight? As much as usual, prince.
Pleasant dreams then! Pleasant dreams! How strange it all is! Oh, how strange! l knew you'd be wandering about somewhere here.
l didn't have to look for you very long.
How did you find me, here? Keller told me, l found him at your place.
l received your letter, Lef Nicolaievitch.
What's the good of all that? l've come to you from her.
she bade me tell you that she must see you, she has something to say to you.
She told me to find you today.
l'll come tomorrow.
Now l'm going home.
Are you coming? To my house? Why should l? l've given you the message.
Goodbye! Won't you come? What an extraordinary man you are, Lef Nicolaievitch! l wonder at you! l felt you were still angry with me, though.
Do you know why? Because you tried to kill me, that's why you can't shake.
But l wrote you in the letter that l only remember the Parfen Rogojin with whom l exchanged crosses, and vowed brotherhood.
Why do you avoid me? Why do you hold your hand back from me? l tell you again, that all that, what happened l consider all that has passed a delirium.
Why, then, should there be anger between us? You don't know what anger is! l don't love you, Lef Nicolaievitch, and, therefore, what would be the use of my coming to see you? You write that you've forgotten everything, and only remember your brother Parfen, and that you don't remember anything about the Rogojin who aimed a knife at your throat.
What do you know about my feelings, eh? l have perhaps never repented of that in the slightest degree, and here you are holding out your brotherly forgiveness to me.
l did not think of it again all that evening all my thoughts were centred on something else.
And haven't thought of this! Not think of it again? Of course you didn't! And l dare swear that you came straight away down here to listen to the music and dog her about in the crowd, and stare at her, just as you did today.
lf you hadn't been in that condition of mind you would, probably, never have raised your knife against me.
Why, if l were an angel of light, and as innocent before you as a babe, you would still loathe me if you believed that SHE loved me, instead of loving yourself.
That's jealousy that is the real jealousy.
But do you know what if she loves you now better than anyone? And what if as she torments you more so she loves you more.
Do you know that a woman is capable of driving a man crazy almost with her cruelties and mockeries, and feels not one single pang of regret, because she will say to herself that she will torment this man nearly into the grave but will compensate him for it all with her love! Why, prince, you must have had a taste of this sort of thing yourself l have heard tell of something of the kind.
What? What can you have heard? You personally.
Now l see this is the truth.
When have you ever spoken like that before? Oh, she told me all about it long ago that you are madly in love with Aglaya Epanchin.
But if you have ceased to love her, she has not ceased to love you.
You know, of course, that she wants to marry you to that girl? She's sworn to it! She says to me, when they go to church we'll go too.
What on earth does she mean by it? l don't know, and l never did.
Either she loves you without limits or lf she loves you, why does she wish to marry you to another girl? She says, l want to see him happy.
Which is to say - she loves you.
l say to you once more, that she is not in her right mind.
You may be wrong there.
She named the day today.
ln three weeks, says she, we shall be married.
She swore to it, took off her cross and kissed it.
So it all depends upon you now, prince.
That's all madness.
What you say about me, never can and never will be.
Do you hear me? Tomorrow, l shall come and see you How can she be mad when she is sane enough for other people and only mad for you? How can she write letters there? lf she were insane they would observe it in her letters.
What? What letters? She writes to her and the girl reads the letters.
Haven't you heard? No, it's impossible! l won't believe this! Why, prince, you've only gone a few steps along this road, l perceive.
Wait a bit! You'll have your own detectives, you'll watch day and night, and you'll know every little thing that goes on there.
Drop that subject! And never mention it again! Parfen! Listen, Parfen! l was walking in front of you now and suddenly started to laugh.
God knows why.
And the reason was that it has suddenly struck me that tomorrow is my birthday.
lt must be about twelve o'clock, now; come home with me - do, and we'll see the day in! l have some wine.
We'll have some wine.
And you shall wish me l don't know what.
And l shall wish you full happiness in return, Parfen Otherwise, hand me my cross back again.
You didn't return it to me next day.
Haven't you got it on now? -Yes, l have.
-Come along, then.
l don't wish to meet my new life without you.
For a new life is beginning for me.
Did you know, Parfen, that a new life had begun for me? l see for myself that it is so.
And l shall tell HER.
But you are not quite yourself, Lef Nicolaievitch.
Heart became light As there were no problems at all l'm ready to plunge into the water for friendship But water makes me sick.
-Gentlemen, Prince.
-Wait a bit.
-Let's drink some more really! -Genlemen, Prince! Bring us a glass of grog.
The party had assembled quite naturally, and even accidentally.
Evgenie Pavlovitch had only dropped in half an hour or so ago.
Then came Keller, announced birthday and insisted on having champagne.
And l served wine.
My own though, prince.
My own, mind.
To celebrate.
And there'll be some supper later on.
My daughter is getting it ready now.
-Good evening.
-Thank you.
Everyone is waiting for you, sighing for the light of your luminous intelligence -Come and sit down, prince.
-Thank you.
Come and sit down.
Wish you a happy life from that day forward.
Thank you.
Thank you, Vera.
-l congratulate you, prince.
-Thank you.
Mr.
Terentiev do not wish to sleep at all.
And he only take a sip of champagne.
l am very glad to see you arrive so happy.
And how do you know that l am so happy? -l can see it by your face! -Really? l am so -l am with Hippolyte, having escorted him.
-Yes, yes.
-l am also glad.
-Very glad.
-My congratulations, prince.
-Oh, thanks.
-Wish you good health, prince.
-Thank you.
Yes.
l have a couple of words to say to you and those on a very important matter.
-Just a couple of words.
-Wait a second.
So? Do you remember Ferdishenko? -Where have you dropped from? - l have met him, prince.
l met him outside and brought him in.
He is rare of my friends.
-He is sorry for his sins now.
-Why, what has he done? Oh, sit down, gentlemen.
l beg you to sit.
-l'll come back directly.
-We're waiting for you, prince.
That's good.
You are very gay here.
Now then, my dear Lef Nicolaievitch, this is what's the matter.
l've arranged it all with Moloftsoff, and have just come in to relieve your mind on that score.
He was very sensible, for l think he was entirely to blame himself.
What Moloftsoff? The young fellow whose arms you held, don't you know? He was so wild with you that he was going to send a friend to you tomorrow morning.
That's impossible! What nonsense! curse it is nonsense, and in nonsense it would have ended.
But you know these fellows.
Excuse me, but l think you must have something else to speak about, Evgenie Pavlovitch? Of course, l have! l have come to beg your friendship, my dear prince.
You are in the thick of things at every step.
And there is a matter in which l need a true and sincere friend and councilor For l really may claim to be among the number of bona fide unfortunates just now.
Do you mind if l wait until the party is broken up.
Goodness only knows when this party will break up.
lsn't it better for us to talk now? They could wait indeed.
-l'll excuse myself.
- No, no! There are gentry present who are a little too much interested in us.
l don't believe, scounderly Lebedeff, in these waggons bringing bread to humanity.
For waggons bringing bread to humanity founded on no moral principle may coldly exclude a considerable portion of humanity from enjoying it l agree.
What, these waggons may coldly exclude? And l highly appreciate your worm word of frindly relationships Don't you even suspect, dear prince, that l just came to foolish you and extort from you something at the same time You came here to foolish me lt cannot be even doubted and even thought to cheat me a little So what? l'm not afraid of you.
You know it doesn't matter to me Evgenie Pavlovitch l liked you very much.
You are a very very honest person, to my mind.
You are nice to deal with, prince.
Let's go, l'll drink for you.
Has Mr.
Hippolyte moved to you? Yes.
He will not die just now, l guess.
Why so? That's nothing.
l stayed with him for half an hour here.