PART IV
7. CHAPTER VII.
(continued)
"I assure you of it," laughed Ivan Petrovitch, gazing amusedly at
the prince.
"Oh! I didn't say it because I DOUBT the fact, you know. (Ha,
ha.) How could I doubt such a thing? (Ha, ha, ha.) I made the
remark because--because Nicolai Andreevitch Pavlicheff was such a
splendid man, don't you see! Such a high-souled man, he really
was, I assure you."
The prince did not exactly pant for breath, but he "seemed almost
to CHOKE out of pure simplicity and goodness of heart," as
Adelaida expressed it, on talking the party over with her fiance,
the Prince S., next morning.
"But, my goodness me," laughed Ivan Petrovitch, "why can't I be
cousin to even a splendid man?"
"Oh, dear!" cried the prince, confused, trying to hurry his words
out, and growing more and more eager every moment: "I've gone and
said another stupid thing. I don't know what to say. I--I didn't
mean that, you know--I--I--he really was such a splendid man,
wasn't he?"
The prince trembled all over. Why was he so agitated? Why had he
flown into such transports of delight without any apparent
reason? He had far outshot the measure of joy and emotion
consistent with the occasion. Why this was it would be difficult
to say.
He seemed to feel warmly and deeply grateful to someone for
something or other--perhaps to Ivan Petrovitch; but likely enough
to all the guests, individually, and collectively. He was much
too happy.
Ivan Petrovitch began to stare at him with some surprise; the
dignitary, too, looked at him with considerable attention;
Princess Bielokonski glared at him angrily, and compressed her
lips. Prince N., Evgenie, Prince S., and the girls, all broke off
their own conversations and listened. Aglaya seemed a little
startled; as for Lizabetha Prokofievna, her heart sank within
her.
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