among the Japanese?" said Ptitsin. "The offended party there, they say,
marches off to his insulter and says to him, 'You insulted me, so I have
come to rip myself open before your eyes;' and with these words he
does actually rip his stomach open before his enemy, and considers,
doubtless, that he is having all possible and necessary satisfaction and
revenge. There are strange characters in the world, sir!"

"H'm! and you think there was something of this sort here, do you? Dear
me--a very remarkable comparison, you know! But you must have observed,
my dear Ptitsin, that I did all I possibly could. I could do no more
than I did. And you must admit that there are some rare qualities in
this woman. I felt I could not speak in that Bedlam, or I should have
been tempted to cry out, when she reproached me, that she herself was
my best justification. Such a woman could make anyone forget all
reason--everything! Even that moujik, Rogojin, you saw, brought her
a hundred thousand roubles! Of course, all that happened tonight
was ephemeral, fantastic, unseemly--yet it lacked neither colour nor
originality. My God! What might not have been made of such a character
combined with such beauty! Yet in spite of all efforts--in spite of all
education, even--all those gifts are wasted! She is an uncut diamond....
I have often said so."

And Afanasy Ivanovitch heaved a deep sigh.

PART II

I.

Two days after the strange conclusion to Nastasia Philipovna's birthday
party, with the record of which we concluded the first part of this
story, Prince Muishkin hurriedly left St. Petersburg for Moscow, in
order to see after some business connected with the receipt of his
unexpected fortune.

It was said that there were other reasons for his hurried departure; but
as to this, and as to his movements in Moscow, and as to his
prolonged absence from St. Petersburg, we are able to give very little
information.

The prince was away for six months, and even those who were most
interested in his destiny were able to pick up very little news about
him all that while. True, certain rumours did reach his friends, but
these were both strange and rare, and each one contradicted the last.

Of course the Epanchin family was much interested in his movements,
though he had not had time to bid them farewell before his departure.
The general, however, had had an opportunity of seeing him once or twice
since the eventful evening, and had spoken very