nd her
comprehension. In the next room her younger sister lay on a wooden
chest, sound asleep, with her mouth wide open; but the boy, Lebedeff's
son, had taken up his position close beside Colia and Hippolyte, his
face lit up with interest in the conversation of his father and the
rest, to which he would willingly have listened for ten hours at a
stretch.

"I have waited for you on purpose, and am very glad to see you arrive so
happy," said Hippolyte, when the prince came forward to press his hand,
immediately after greeting Vera.

"And how do you know that I am 'so happy'?

"I can see it by your face! Say 'how do you do' to the others, and
come and sit down here, quick--I've been waiting for you!" he added,
accentuating the fact that he had waited. On the prince's asking, "Will
it not be injurious to you to sit out so late?" he replied that he could
not believe that he had thought himself dying three days or so ago, for
he never had felt better than this evening.

Burdovsky next jumped up and explained that he had come in by accident,
having escorted Hippolyte from town. He murmured that he was glad he
had "written nonsense" in his letter, and then pressed the prince's hand
warmly and sat down again.

The prince approached Evgenie Pavlovitch last of all. The latter
immediately took his arm.

"I have a couple of words to say to you," he began, "and those on a very
important matter; let's go aside for a minute or two."

"Just a couple of words!" whispered another voice in the prince's other
ear, and another hand took his other arm. Muishkin turned, and to his
great surprise observed a red, flushed face and a droll-looking figure
which he recognized at once as that of Ferdishenko. Goodness knows where
he had turned up from!

"Do you remember Ferdishenko?" he asked.

"Where have you dropped from?" cried the prince.

"He is sorry for his sins now, prince," cried Keller. "He did not
want to let you know he was here; he was hidden over there in the
corner,--but he repents now, he feels his guilt."

"Why, what has he done?"

"I met him outside and brought him in--he's a gentleman who doesn't
often allow his friends to see him, of late--but he's sorry now."

"Delighted, I'm sure!--I'll come back directly, gentlemen,--sit down
there with the others, please,--excuse me one moment," said the host,
getting away with difficulty in order to follow Evgenie.

"You are very gay here," began the latter, "and I have had