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I repeat I dare say I have committed many a grievous sin in my day; but I cannot help always looking back upon this as the worst action I have ever perpetrated." "H'm! and instead of a bad action, your excellency has detailed one of your noblest deeds," said Ferdishenko. "Ferdishenko is 'done."
Prince Muishkin is not Ferdishenko," said the general, impatiently. This worthy gentleman could never quite reconcile himself to the idea of meeting Ferdishenko in society, and on an equal footing. "Oh general, spare Ferdishenko!" replied the other, smiling. "I have special privileges." "What do you mean by special privileges?" "Once before I had the honour of stating them to the company.
How can anyone possibly receive such a man as I am? I quite understand. Now, could I, a Ferdishenko, be allowed to sit shoulder to shoulder with a clever man like Afanasy Ivanovitch? There is one explanation, only one. I am given the position because it is so entirely inconceivable!" But these vulgarities seemed to please Nastasia Philipovna, although too often they were both rude and offensive.
"I am of your opinion on that last point," said Ivan Fedorovitch, with ill-concealed irritation. All this was no doubt extremely coarse, and moreover it was premeditated, but after all Ferdishenko had persuaded everyone to accept him as a buffoon. "If I am admitted and tolerated here," he had said one day, "it is simply because I talk in this way.
The prince watched the whole scene, silent and dejected. "I'll pull it out with my teeth for one thousand," said Ferdishenko. "So would I," said another, from behind, "with pleasure. Devil take the thing!" he added, in a tempest of despair, "it will all be burnt up in a minute It's burning, it's burning!"
I have remained until now simply because of my devotion to you, and as for danger, I am only afraid that the carpets may be ruined, and the furniture smashed!... You should shut the door on the lot, in my opinion. But I confess that I am extremely curious to see how it ends." "Rogojin!" announced Ferdishenko. "What do you think about it?" said the general in a low voice to Totski. "Is she mad?
"The prince will begin by singing us a fashionable ditty," remarked Ferdishenko, and looked at the mistress of the house, to see what she would say. "I don't think so, Ferdishenko; please be quiet," answered Nastasia Philipovna dryly. "A-ah! if he is to be under special patronage, I withdraw my claws." But Nastasia Philipovna had now risen and advanced to meet the prince.
The general, myself, Keller, and Ferdishenko. One of us four it must have been. I don't suspect myself, though such cases have been known." "Oh! do go on, Lebedeff! Don't drag it out so." "Well, there are three left, then Keller firstly. He was with the sick man at first, but came over afterwards because there was no place to lie down in the room and the floor was so hard." "You suspect him?"
"Yes," said Lebedeff, "you certainly think a great deal too much about yourself." "Well gentlemen I do not force anyone to listen! If any of you are unwilling to sit it out, please go away, by all means!" "He turns people out of a house that isn't his own," muttered Rogojin. "Suppose we all go away?" said Ferdishenko suddenly.
He was annoyed at the manner in which his gift had been returned, an though he had condescended, under the influence of passion, to place himself on a level with Ptitsin and Ferdishenko, his self-respect and sense of duty now returned together with a consciousness of what was due to his social rank and official importance.
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