‘What! a fraud? What, he is not Pavlicheff’s son? Impos-sible!’
These exclamations but feebly expressed the profound bewilderment into which the prince’s words had plunged Burdovsky’s companions.
‘Certainly it is a fraud! Since Mr. Burdovsky is not Pavli-cheff’s son, his claim is neither more nor less than attempted fraud (supposing, of course, that he had known the truth), but the fact is that he has been deceived. I insist on this point in order to justify him; I repeat that his simple-mind-edness makes him worthy of pity, and that he cannot stand
alone; otherwise he would have behaved like a scoundrel in this matter. But I feel certain that he does not understand it! I was just the same myself before I went to Switzerland; I stammered incoherently; one tries to express oneself and cannot. I understand that. I am all the better able to pity Mr. Burdovsky, because I know from experience what it is to be like that, and so I have a right to speak. Well, though there is no such person as ‘Pavlicheff’s son,’ and it is all nothing but a humbug, yet I will keep to my decision, and I am prepared to give up ten thousand roubles in memory of Pavlicheff. Before Mr. Burdovsky made this claim, I pro-posed to found a school with this money, in memory of my benefactor, but I shall honour his memory quite as well by giving the ten thousand roubles to Mr. Burdovsky, because, though he was not Pavlicheff’s son, he was treated almost as though he were. That is what gave a rogue the opportunity of deceiving him; he really did think himself Pavlicheff’s son. Listen, gentlemen; this matter must be settled; keep calm; do not get angry; and sit down! Gavrila Ardaliono-vitch will explain everything to you at once, and I confess that I am very anxious to hear all the details myself. He says that he has even been to Pskoff to see your mother, Mr. Bur-dovsky; she is not dead, as the article which was just read to us makes out. Sit down, gentlemen, sit down!’
The prince sat down, and at length prevailed upon Bur-dovsky’s company to do likewise. During the last ten or twenty minutes, exasperated by continual interruptions, he had raised his voice, and spoken with great vehemence. Now, no doubt, he bitterly regretted several words and ex-
pressions which had escaped him in his excitement. If he had not been driven beyond the limits of endurance, he would not have ventured to express certain conjectures so openly. He had no sooner sat down than his heart was torn by sharp remorse. Besides insulting Burdovsky with the supposition, made in the presence of witnesses, that he was suffering from the complaint for which he had him-self been treated in Switzerland, he reproached himself with the grossest indelicacy in having offered him the ten thousand roubles before everyone. ‘I ought to have waited till to-morrow and offered him the money when we were alone,’ thought Muishkin. ‘Now it is too late, the mischief is done! Yes, I am an idiot, an absolute idiot!’ he said to him-self, overcome with shame and regret.
Till then Gavrila Ardalionovitch had sat apart in silence. When the prince called upon him, he came and stood by his side, and in a calm, clear voice began to render an account of the mission confided to him. All conversation ceased in-stantly. Everyone, especially the Burdovsky party, listened with the utmost curiosity.
IX
You will not deny, I am sure,’ said Gavrila Ardaliono-vitch, turning to Burdovsky, who sat looking at him
with wide-open eyes, perplexed and astonished. You will not deny, seriously, that you were born just two years af-ter your mother’s legal marriage to Mr. Burdovsky, your father. Nothing would be easier than to prove the date of your birth from well-known facts; we can only look on Mr. Keller’s version as a work of imagination, and one, more-over, extremely offensive both to you and your mother. Of course he distorted the truth in order to strengthen your claim, and to serve your interests. Mr. Keller said that he previously consulted you about his article in the paper, but did not read it to you as a whole. Certainly he could not have read that passage. .…
‘As a matter of fact, I did not read it,’ interrupted the box-er, ‘but its contents had been given me on unimpeachable authority, and I …’
‘Excuse me, Mr. Keller,’ interposed Gavrila Ardaliono-vitch. ‘Allow me to speak. I assure you your article shall be mentioned in its proper place, and you can then explain everything, but for the moment I would rather not antici-pate. Quite accidentally, with the help of my sister, Varvara Ardalionovna Ptitsin, I obtained from one of her intimate friends, Madame Zoubkoff, a letter written to her twen-
ty-five years ago, by Nicolai Andreevitch Pavlicheff, then abroad. After getting into communication with this lady, I went by her advice to Timofei Fedorovitch Viazovkin, a re-tired colonel, and one of Pavlicheff’s oldest friends. He gave me two more letters written by the latter when he was still in foreign parts. These three documents, their dates, and the facts mentioned in them, prove in the most undeniable manner, that eighteen months before your birth, Nico-lai Andreevitch went abroad, where he remained for three consecutive years. Your mother, as you are well aware, has never been out of Russia…. It is too late to read the letters now; I am content to state the fact. But if you desire it, come to me tomorrow morning, bring witnesses and writing ex-perts with you, and I will prove the absolute truth of my story. From that moment the question will be decided.’
These words caused a sensation among the listeners, and there was a general movement of relief. Burdovsky got up abruptly.
‘If that is true,’ said he, ‘I have been deceived, grossly de-ceived, but not by Tchebaroff: and for a long time past, a long time. I do not wish for experts, not I, nor to go to see you. I believe you. I give it up…. But I refuse the ten thou-sand roubles. Good-bye.’
‘Wait five minutes more, Mr. Burdovsky,’ said Gavrila Ardalionovitch pleasantly. ‘I have more to say. Some rather curious and important facts have come to light, and it is absolutely necessary, in my opinion, that you should hear them. You will not regret, I fancy, to have the whole matter thoroughly cleared up.’
Burdovsky silently resumed his seat, and bent his head as though in profound thought. His friend, Lebedeff’s nephew, who had risen to accompany him, also sat down again. He seemed much disappointed, though as self-con-fident as ever. Hippolyte looked dejected and sulky, as well as surprised. He had just been attacked by a violent fit of coughing, so that his handkerchief was stained with blood. The boxer looked thoroughly frightened.
‘Oh, Antip!’ cried he in a miserable voice, ‘I did say to you the other day—the day before yesterday—that perhaps you were not really Pavlicheff’s son!’
There were sounds of half-smothered laughter at this. ‘Now, that is a valuable piece of information, Mr. Keller,’
replied Gania. ‘However that may be, I have private infor-mation which convinces me that Mr. Burdovsky, though doubtless aware of the date of his birth, knew nothing at all about Pavlicheff’s sojourn abroad. Indeed, he passed the greater part of his life out of Russia, returning at in-tervals for short visits. The journey in question is in itself too unimportant for his friends to recollect it after more than twenty years; and of course Mr. Burdovsky could have known nothing about it, for he was not born. As the event has proved, it was not impossible to find evidence of his ab-sence, though I must confess that chance has helped me in a quest which might very well have come to nothing. It was really almost impossible for Burdovsky or Tchebaroff to discover these facts, even if it had entered their heads to try. Naturally they never dreamt…
Here the voice of Hippolyte suddenly intervened.
‘Allow me, Mr. Ivolgin,’ he said irritably. ‘What is the good of all this rigmarole? Pardon me. All is now clear, and we acknowledge the truth of your main point. Why go into these tedious details? You wish perhaps to boast of the cleverness of your investigation, to cry up your talents as detective? Or perhaps your intention is to excuse Burdo-vsky, by roving that he took up the matter in ignorance? Well, I consider that extremely impudent on your part! You ought to know that Burdovsky has no need of being excused or justified by you or anyone else! It is an insult! The affair is quite painful enough for him without that. Will nothing make you understand?’
‘Enough! enough! Mr. Terentieff,’ interrupted Gania. ‘Don’t excite yourself; you seem very ill, and I am sorry
for that. I am almost done, but there are a few facts to which I must briefly refer, as I am convinced that they ought to be clearly explained once for all….’ A movement of impa-tience was noticed in his audience as he resumed: ‘I merely wish to state, for the information of all concerned, that the reason for Mr. Pavlicheff’s
