of plans forming, wild and
impossible plans, maybe; and the idea of this so frightened the prince
that he could not make up his mind what to do. Something must be done,
that was clear.

He looked at the address on the letter once more. Oh, he was not in the
least degree alarmed about Aglaya writing such a letter; he could trust
her. What he did not like about it was that he could not trust Gania.

However, he made up his mind that he would himself take the note and
deliver it. Indeed, he went so far as to leave the house and walk up the
road, but changed his mind when he had nearly reached Ptitsin's door.
However, he there luckily met Colia, and commissioned him to deliver the
letter to his brother as if direct from Aglaya. Colia asked no questions
but simply delivered it, and Gania consequently had no suspicion that it
had passed through so many hands.

Arrived home again, the prince sent for Vera Lebedeff and told her as
much as was necessary, in order to relieve her mind, for she had been in
a dreadful state of anxiety since she had missed the letter. She heard
with horror that her father had taken it. Muishkin learned from her that
she had on several occasions performed secret missions both for Aglaya
and for Rogojin, without, however, having had the slightest idea that in
so doing she might injure the prince in any way.

The latter, with one thing and another, was now so disturbed and
confused, that when, a couple of hours or so later, a message came from
Colia that the general was ill, he could hardly take the news in.

However, when he did master the fact, it acted upon him as a tonic
by completely distracting his attention. He went at once to Nina
Alexandrovna's, whither the general had been carried, and stayed there
until the evening. He could do no good, but there are people whom
to have near one is a blessing at such times. Colia was in an almost
hysterical state; he cried continuously, but was running about all day,
all the same; fetching doctors, of whom he collected three; going to the
chemist's, and so on.

The general was brought round to some extent, but the doctors
declared that he could not be said to be out of danger. Varia and Nina
Alexandrovna never left the sick man's bedside; Gania was excited and
distressed, but would not go upstairs, and seemed afraid to look at the
patient. He wrung his hands when the prince spoke to him, and said that
"such a misfortune at such a moment" was terrible.