The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1914-04-11


moro remarkable. In "The idiot"
translated from the Russian by Con-
stance Garrett (the Macmillan Com
pany). consider the three who are trav-
cling third class In the Warsaw train
for ST. Petersburg--the penniless Prince
just come from Italy. the newly made
millionaire In a sheepskin coat and the
petty official with the red nose and
pimples who knows everything about
everybody who Is OF any consequence
ct all. "Chilly?" So inquiries the mil
lionaire, who Is a dark young man. Of
the Prince, who Is fair young man.
So begins conversation that needs to
be read to be believed and that may not
be believed even then.
The new millionaire has curly black
hair, small and fiery eyes and a broad
fiat nose. His thin lips are continually
curved In an insolent. hooking and even
malicious SMILE" We hear him warn
ing the obsequious small Official: IL am
not going to give you a farthlng OF 1t.
you may stand on your head before me
II you like The obsequious one con-
sents. II will! will" he cries. His
pimples shine with enthusiastic devo-
ton. Says the millionaire. with ma
licious persistence: II won't give you
anything. l won't II you dance for q
whole week" But this Is not the point
Tho other is not deferred. well.
l.. ahA
Don't! But shall dance: l shall leave
my wife and little children and dance
before you. l must do homage!
mus,!" His determination is not to be
shaken.
The three thus thrown together while
travelling third class In the train from
Warsaw had never met before. This
fact makes their conversation. the con-
fidences and revelations Of IT, all the
more remarkable. The eye Of path
ologist would read In Prince Myshkin's
gentle and dreamy blue eye that here
was an epileptic. but the Prince him
SELF made no concealment Of his condi-
ton. He hestated not at all to let his
companions in the third class compart-
ment Of the Warsaw train know that
he had suffered from ldiocy, that he
had been treated for that mental defect
in Italy, that he was a penniless Prince.
that he had no possessions but the
shabby and insufficient attire that he
wore and his newspaper bundle. and
that he did not know at all how. having
now arrived in his native Russia. he
was to be taken care OF. He was per-
fectly cheerful and simple. He laughed
foolishly with the others when they
vented their sarcasms upon him. Ro-
gozliin, the new millionaire, also made
q perfectly clean breast OF his affairs.
Particularly Rogozhln let II be known
that his father, recently deceased. had
beaten him because he had diverted
10000 rub.es OF the family money to
the purchase of pair Of earrings for
Nastasya Filippovna.
This story, like the authors other
novels is very long as we'll as very In
teresting and very peculiar. II is ample
enough easily to include anecdotes. and
We made note OF one told by Myshkin,
the eplleptic Prince. Myshkin's MARIA
tive was afford,d long after the journey
I'm the Warsaw train was concluded. 1t
dealt in its initial part with happen
~ In another train and is SET down at
page Els. Said Myshkin. who was not
conspicuously succinct: II came In the
morning by the new railway and talked
for four hours with a man in the train;
We made friends on the spot ! had
heard great deal about him before
hand and had heard he was an atheist
among other things. He really Is
very learned man and ! was delighted
at the prospect OF talking 10 really
learned man. What's more, he is a
most unusually well bred man. so that
he talked to me quite as II ! were his
equal In ideas and attachments. he
doesn't believe in God Only one thing
struck me-that he seemed not to be
talking about that al all, the whole
time"
We break of because we wish to
make new paragraph and be-
cause we consider II reasonable to. cur
sail Myshkin's anecdote. Further clong
Myshkin said: "ln the evening |
stopped for the night at provincial
hotel, and a murder had just been com.
United there the night before, so that
every one was talking about II when ]
arrived. Two peasants, middle aged
men, friends who had known each other
for a long time and were not drunk,
had had tea and were meaning to go to
bed In the same room. But one had
noticed during those last days that the
other was wearing a silver watch on a
yellow bead chain, which he seems not
to have seen on him before, The man
was not a thief: he was an honest
man in fact. ana by a peasants stand.
ard by no means poor, But he was so
taken with that watch and so fascina ted
by II that at last he could not restrain
himself. He took knife and when his
friend had turned away he approached
him cautiously from behind took aim
turned his eyes heavenward, crossed
himself, and praying fervently .
he cut his friends throat al one stroke
like Il sheep and took his watch" |,
was the hery eyed and knocking million.
aire to whom this grim anecdote was
SS'ated 10y the simple Myshkin. 1t was
appreciated 10y the hearer "Rogozhir
went OH into peals Of laughter; h.
he'd