iven to this secondary character in our story more
attention than we originally intended.

The course of events had marched in the following order. When Lebedeff
returned, in company with the general, after their expedition to town a
few days since, for the purpose of investigation, he brought the prince
no information whatever. If the latter had not himself been occupied
with other thoughts and impressions at the time, he must have observed
that Lebedeff not only was very uncommunicative, but even appeared
anxious to avoid him.

When the prince did give the matter a little attention, he recalled
the fact that during these days he had always found Lebedeff to be in
radiantly good spirits, when they happened to meet; and further, that
the general and Lebedeff were always together. The two friends did not
seem ever to be parted for a moment.

Occasionally the prince heard loud talking and laughing upstairs, and
once he detected the sound of a jolly soldier's song going on above, and
recognized the unmistakable bass of the general's voice. But the sudden
outbreak of song did not last; and for an hour afterwards the animated
sound of apparently drunken conversation continued to be heard from
above. At length there was the clearest evidence of a grand mutual
embracing, and someone burst into tears. Shortly after this, however,
there was a violent but short-lived quarrel, with loud talking on both
sides.

All these days Colia had been in a state of great mental preoccupation.
Muishkin was usually out all day, and only came home late at night. On
his return he was invariably informed that Colia had been looking for
him. However, when they did meet, Colia never had anything particular to
tell him, excepting that he was highly dissatisfied with the general and
his present condition of mind and behaviour.

"They drag each other about the place," he said, "and get drunk together
at the pub close by here, and quarrel in the street on the way home, and
embrace one another after it, and don't seem to part for a moment."

When the prince pointed out that there was nothing new about that, for
that they had always behaved in this manner together, Colia did not know
what to say; in fact he could not explain what it was that specially
worried him, just now, about his father.

On the morning following the bacchanalian songs and quarrels recorded
above, as the prince stepped out of the house at about eleven o'clock,
the general sudd