“Ah, my dear old friend,” said the Prince reproachfully.  “I think you are unreasonable.  Why grieve and weep over imagined evils?  That is not right.  I have known him a long time, and feel sure that he is an attentive, kind, and excellent husband, as well as (which is the chief thing of all) a perfectly honourable man.”

At this point, having been an involuntary auditor of a conversation not meant for my ears, I stole on tiptoe out of the room, in a state of great distress.

XIX —­ THE IWINS

“Woloda, Woloda!  The Iwins are just coming.”  I shouted on seeing from the window three boys in blue overcoats, and followed by a young tutor, advancing along the pavement opposite our house.

The Iwins were related to us, and of about the same age as ourselves.  We had made their acquaintance soon after our arrival in Moscow.  The second brother, Seriosha, had dark curly hair, a turned-up, strongly pronounced nose, very bright red lips (which, never being quite shut, showed a row of white teeth), beautiful dark-blue eyes, and an uncommonly bold expression of face.  He never smiled but was either wholly serious or laughing a clear, merry, agreeable laugh.  His striking good looks had captivated me from the first, and I felt an irresistible attraction towards him.  Only to see him filled me with pleasure, and at one time my whole mental faculties used to be concentrated in the wish that I might do so.  If three or four days passed without my seeing him I felt listless and ready to cry.  Awake or asleep, I was forever dreaming of him.  On going to bed I used to see him in my dreams, and when I had shut my eyes and called up a picture of him I hugged the vision as my choicest delight.  So much store did I set upon this feeling for my friend that I never mentioned it to any one.  Nevertheless, it must have annoyed him to see my admiring eyes constantly fixed upon him, or else he must have felt no reciprocal attraction, for he always preferred to play and talk with Woloda.  Still, even with that I felt satisfied, and wished and asked for nothing better than to be ready at any time to make any sacrifice for him.  Likewise, over and above the strange fascination which he exercised upon me, I always felt another sensation, namely, a dread of making him angry, of offending him, of displeasing him.  Was this because his face bore such a haughty expression, or because I, despising my own exterior, over-rated the beautiful in others, or, lastly (and most probably), because it is a common sign of affection?  At all events, I felt as much fear, of him as I did love.  The first time that he spoke to me I was so overwhelmed with sudden happiness that I turned pale, then red, and could not utter a word.  He had an ugly habit of blinking when considering anything seriously, as well as of twitching his nose and eyebrows.  Consequently every one thought that this habit marred his face.