“‘I’m not tormenting him, prince, I’m not tormenting him,’ Lebedyev replied with warmth. ‘I sincerely love and--respect him; and now, whether you believe it or not, he’s dearer to me than ever. I have come to appreciate him even more.’ “‘You love him and you torment him like this! Why, by the very act of putting the lost pocket-book where it could be seen under the chair and in your coat, by that alone he shows you that he doesn’t want to deceive you, but with your open-hearted simplicity asks your forgiveness. Do you hear? He’s asking your forgiveness. So he relies on the delicacy of your feelings, so he believes in your friendship for him. And yet you reduce to such humiliation a man like that--a most honest man!’ “‘Most honest prince, most honest.’ Lebedyev assented, with sparkling eyes. ‘And you, most noble prince, are the only person capable of uttering that true word about him! For that, I am devoted to you, and ready to worship you, though I am rotten to the core with vices of all sorts! That’s settled it! I will find the pocket-book now, at once, not to-morrow. Look, I will take it before your eyes; here it is. There’s the money, untouched here. Take it, most noble prince, take care of it till to-morrow. To-morrow or next day I’ll have it. And, you know, prince, it’s evident that it must have been lying somewhere in my garden, hidden under some stone, the first night it was lost. What do you think?’ “‘Mind you don’t tell him directly to his face that you’ve found the pocket-book. Let him simply see that there’s nothing in the lappet of your coat, and he’ll understand.’ “‘You think so? Wouldn’t it be better to tell him I have found it, and to pretend I had not guessed about it till now?’ “‘N-no,’ Myshkin pondered, ‘n-no; it’s too late for that now. That’s more risky. You’d really better not speak of it. Be kind to him, but--don’t show too much, and--and--you know....’ “‘I know, prince, I know. That is, I know that I shan’t do it properly, perhaps, for one needs to have a heart like yours to do it. Besides, he’s irritable and prone to it himself, he has begun to treat me too superciliously sometimes of late. One minute he is whimpering and embracing me, and then he’ll suddenly begin to snub me, and sneer at me contemptuously, and then I just show him the lappet on purpose. He-he! Good-bye, prince; for it’s dear I’m keeping you and interrupting you in your most interesting feelings, so to say....’ “‘But for goodness’ sake, the same secrecy as before.’ “‘Treading softly, treading softly!’ “But, though the matter was settled, Myshkin remained almost more puzzled than before. He awaited with impatience his interview with the general next day.”[140] FOOTNOTES [139] _A Raw Youth_, pp. 88-93. [140] _The Idiot_, pp. 490-494. Transcriber’s Notes • Italics represented with _underscores_. • Small caps converted to ALL CAPS. • Footnotes renumbered consecutively and moved to the end of their respective chapters.