Downloaded From www.AllSubs.org
in association with Cinematography service
and RF Ministry of Culture present
a ''2-B-2'' lNTERTAlNMENT Studio production
Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoyevsky
THE lDlOT
Yevgeny Mironov as Prince Muishkin
List of actors:
Vladimir MASHKOV
Lidia VELEZHEVA
Olga BUDlNA
lnna CHURlKOVA
Oleg BASlLASHVlLl
Vladimir lLYlN
Alexander LAZAREV
Andrey SMlRNOV
Scriptwriter and director: Vladimir BORTKO
Cinematographer: Dmitry MASS
Production Designers:
Vladimir SVETOZAROV Marina NlKOLAYEVA
Music by lgor KORNELlUK
Producer: Valery TODOROVSKY
Part One
l need to tell you, Nastasia Philipovna,
that my position is absolutely intolerable.
Naturally, l am to blame for everything.
But l admit: l don't feel remorse for my conduct.
l am a man of sensual passions,
with no power over myself.
But now l wish to marry.
And the fate of this most desirable social union
is in your hands.
ln one word, l ask you to forgive me
from the generosity of your heart.
For me, it is definitely harder of speak of this
than for Afanasy lvanovich.
l admit your right to be the arbiter of his destiny.
But now l speak as a father,
who cares about the fate of his eldest daughter.
Her fate, and, maybe,
the fate of both my other daughters,
depends on your reply.
What do you wish me to do?
l was so frightened by you, when 5 years ago
you decided to come to St. Petersburg,
that l will never feel comfortable,
until you get married yourself.
This suggestion from me
would be absurd,
unless l note
that a certain young gentleman of good family,
Gavrila Ardalionovich lvolgin,
to whom lvan Fyodorovich is a benefactor,
has long loved you passionately
and hopes for some response.
lt is difficult for me to speak of this,
but l trust,
you will not look upon me with contempt,
if l offer,
in order to guarantee your successful marriage,
a gift of 75 thousand roubles.
This sum would have been left you in my will.
ln a word, it is not an indemnification.
But, after all, there is no reason why a man
should not entertain a natural desire
to at least somehow lighten his conscience?
l am very happy.
And l believe the issue is closed.
Yes, but could there be a snake hidden in the flowers?
By the way, is it true, lvan Fyodorovich,
that you have just bought a necklace on Nevsky
at an incredible price?
Absolute nonsense, Afanasy lvanovich.
What absolute nonsense!
Thank God for that.
Believe me, lvan Fyodorovich, before you stands a man
who in his time had abandoned himself
to passion.
Does General lvan Fyodorovich Epanchin live here?
- ls this the General's house? -Whom should l announce?
Prince Lev Nikolayevich Muishkin.
From abroad.
To see the general? -Yes.
- l have certain business. - l'm not interested in that.
All l have to do is announce you.
Are you actually from abroad?
You wanted to ask if l'm actually Price Muishkin,
but refrained out of politeness.
l assure you it's true
and you will not have to answer for me.
ls to my clothes,
my circumstances are not very rosy.
You've not come to beg, have you?
Oh, no, rest assured,
l have a different matter.
Wait in the waiting room, and leave your bundle here.
lf you don't mind, l would rather sit here with you.
l should prefer it to sitting alone.
You can't sit here, you are a visitor.
Wait for the secretary in the waiting room.
lf l have to wait long, do you mind telling me,
if l could have a smoke?
l'm used to it, and haven't had a puff for 3 hours.
Smoke? No, you can't smoke here.
You must be ashamed of the very suggestion.
Oh, of course!
Not in this room, of course, l'd adjourn to another room.
However, just as you like.
You know the saying: when in Rome...
How on earth am l to announce a man like that?
Leave your bundle here.
l've already thought of that.
lf you don't mind.
You know, l'll leave my cloak here, too.
Yes, you can't go in like this.
ln winter, your rooms are much warmer than abroad.
But there it's warmer outside.
A Russian can't live in their houses until he gets accustomed
- Don't they heat them? - They do.
But the houses and stoves are different to ours.
-Were you away for long? - Four years.
But l was in just one place - in the country.
You must have forgotten what life's like here.
But l hardly knew it before.
And now they say so much has changed here.
There's a lot of talk about courts.
Yes, that's true enough.
- How's the law over there? - l don't know.
l've heard much good about our courts.
And there's no capital punishment here.
- ls there over there? -Yes.
l saw an execution in France, in Lyons.
- Do they hang there? - No, they cut off the heads.
- Do they yell? - No, it's done in an instant.
They put a man in a frame, and a wide knife,
it's called a guillotine, falls with force and weight.
The head springs off so quickly, in a wink of an eye.
But the preparations are dreadful.
You know, they announced the sentence to him,
tied his hands, prepared him, took him up the scaffold.
lmagine what must've been going on in his mind.
What convulsions his spirit must have endured.
An outrage on the soul, that's what it was.
lt is said 'Thou shall not kill'
but must he to be killed for murder? No! lt is not right!
l saw the sight a month ago,
and it's before my eyes this very moment.
Saw it in my dreams 5 times.
lt's a good thing there's no pain,
when the head flies off.
Look! You made the remark now, didn't you?
Everyone says the same thing!
Everyone notices it!
That's what the guillotine is made for!
And then a thought came to my head.
What if it makes things worse?
You know, if you take torture.
You suffer pain, bodily pain.
lt distracts you from emotional suffering.
You suffer bodily pain until you die.
Here the most terrible part is not in the bodily pain,
but the certain knowledge
that in an hour, then in 10 minutes,
then in half a minute, then now, this very instant
your soul will leave your body and you'll no longer be a man.
And that is certain, that's the main thing.
When you place your head under that knife
and hear the iron grate over your head,
that quarter of a second is worst of all.
lt is not my fantasy, many people said the same.
l feel it so deeply that l'll tell you what l think.
To execute a man for murder
if an immeasurably worse punishment, than fits the crime.
A murder by sentence is far more dreadful,
than committed by a criminal.
A man who is attacked by robbers hopes he can escape.
Until the very last moment.
ln some cases a man hopes on even when his throat is cut.
Or runs away, or begs for mercy.
But here this last hope, with which it's much easier to die,
is taken away, for certain, there's the sentence.
That certainty must be the worst anguish.
And there's nothing worse than that anguish.
Our Lord Christ spoke of this anguish.
No man should be treated so.
lf you are really so anxious for a smoke,
it might be managed.
See the door there, under the stairs? But be quick.
- Cold? -Very.
l never thought it would be so cold here.
- Been abroad? -Yes, from Switzerland.
My goodness!
l was there for my health.
What kind of malady?
A nervous malady, a kind of epilepsy, convulsive spasms.
-Were you cured? - No, they didn't cure me.
Stumped up your money for nothing, and we believe them.
Gospel truth.
All they do is take hold of our Russian money free.
Oh, you're quite wrong in my particular instance!
l can't argue because l know only my particular case,
but my doctor gave me money for my return journey
and kept me at his own expense for nearly 2 years.
Was there no one else to pay for you?
No, Mr. Pavlicheff, who had been supporting me there,
died 2 year ago.
l wrote here to Mrs. General Epanchin,
a distant relative of mine, but she didn't answer.
So eventually l came back.
Whom have l the honor of talking to?
Prince Lev Nikolayevich Muishkin.
Prince Muishkin, Lev Nikolayevich, l don't know.
Of course not! There are none left. l'm the last one.
- Do you know the Rogojins? - No.
Not at all, l hardly know anyone in Russia.
-Are you Rogojin? -Yes, l'm Parfen Rogojin.
Parfen?
The son of that very Semen Rogojin,
who died a month or so ago,
and left 2 million and a half?
And how do you know he left 2 million and a half?
lt's true enough that my father died,
and l'm returning from Pskov with hardly a boot to my foot.
Not a line, not a far thing from my mother or brother.
And now, all of a sudden, a million roubles.
At least.
Five weeks ago l was just like yourself,
ran away from my father to Pskov, with just one bundle.
To my aunt's house.
There l fell ill with fever.
And my father went and died without me.
Of a stroke.
Eternal memory to him.
But he nearly killed me then,
if l hadn't run then.
You must have angered him.
Oh yes, l angered him alright,
and maybe he was right.
Devil's doing.
l riled my father about Nastasia Philipovna.
- Nastasia Philipovna? -You know nothing about her!
There are plenty of Nastasia Philipovnas!
l thought some creature like you would hang on to me!
And if l do know something?
Lebedeff knows everything.
Her name is Nastasia Philipovna Barashkoff.
A famous lady,
a princess, she is.
Lives with a certain Totski Afanasy lvanovich,
a man of immense wealth, high connections,
a director of companies,
who is a close friend of General Epanchin.
The devil take him! How does he know that?
l know everything, all streets and corners.
Your excellency, l was with Lihachoff
for 2 months after his father died.
He's in the debtor's prison now. But that's not the point.
lt was then that l met Armanse,
Koralia, Princess Patskaya,
and Nastasia Philipovna.
And many others.
Nastasia Philipovna?
- She's with Lihachoff? - No, nothing of the sort!
Lihacheff, with all his money, has no chance.
No, she's not like Armanse. Only Totski has a chance.
ln the evening, at the Bolshoi or the French theatre,
she sits in her own box.
Officers can't get further than that,
because there is nothing more to say!
lt's quite true.
When my late father gave me 2 government bonds to sell,
worth 5 thousand roubles each,
told me to go and sell them,
and bring 7 thousand to the Andreyeff office.
l sold the bonds, took the money,
but didn't go to the office.
Prince, when l was returning, l crossed Nevsky.
She was coming out of a shop.
At once l was all in a blaze.
l took all of my father's money,
went straight to the English shop and got a pair of earrings.
They cost 400 roubles more, l gave my name, they trusted me.
With them l went to Zalezheff and then to Nastasia Philipovna
l didn't say right away who l was.
Zalezheff told her the earrings were from Rogojin.
Please accept in memory of his first meeting with you.
She took the box, opened it, and laughed.
Thank your friend Rogojin, she said,
for his kind attention
She bowed and left.
The late Semen Rogojin would hound you to death
for 10 roubles, not to speak of 10 thousand.
Hound you to death!
What do you know about it?
My father took me upstairs and locked me up.
And then for a whole hour...
he swore at me. This is only a foretaste, he told me.
l'll come back when it's dark, and talk to you again.
That was when l ran away to Pskov.
To my aunt's house.
l arrived with a fever,
the old women started lecturing me, but l was drunk!
l went on a drinking tour with the last of what l had,
and by nightfall was lying delirious in the streets.
ln the morning l was ill with fever.
When l was in the street, some dogs bit me.
l nearly died.
We'll make Nastasia Philipovna sing another song now.
Those earrings are nothing!
We'll get her some proper earrings now!
lf you as much as mention
her name again, l'll tan your hide, believe me!
lf you tan my hide, you won't turn me away! Go ahead!
You'll bind me to you with your lash.
And you, Prince, are you a great hand with the ladies?
No.
l couldn't - because of my illness. l hardly know any.
lf that's so, you're quite touched then, for sure.
God has a liking for people like you.
lt's Petersburg! We've arrived!
What can l do for you?
l have no special business.
l just wanted to make your acquaintance.
l don't want to disturb you, l don't know the routine here.
l've just arrived from Switzerland.
l have not much time for making acquaintances,
but, of course, you have your purpose in coming,
l felt sure
you would think l had some purpose in coming here,
but l give my word, it's just the pleasure of acquaintance.
The pleasure is, of course, mutual,
but as you are aware, life's not all pleasure.
And l really cannot see
what we might have in common.
-Any possible reason... - There is no reason.
There is very little in common between us, for if l am
Prince Muishkin, and your wife is a member of my house,
that can hardly be a reason.
And yet, that is my whole motive for coming.
l have not been in Russia for 4 years.
l feel l now need a few good friends.
l have a certain matter, but l do not know whom to turn to.
l thought of you when l was passing Berlin:
they're almost relatives, so l'll begin with them.
Maybe, we'll get on, if they're kind people.
And l've heard you are very kind people.
Oh, thank you.
So, you're straight from the station with your luggage?
l only have a small bundle,
l'll take a room in some hotel in the evening.
- Take a room? -Yes, of course.
- Didn't you intend to stay here? - lt could have been so,
but only upon your invitation.
But l wouldn't stay here even if you invited me.
Not for any particular reason, it's contrary to my nature.
Well, then it's just as well that l didn't invite you.
Excuse me, prince, but we had better make this clear:
we have just agreed,
with regard to our relationship, there's not much to be said.
- Then, perhaps... - l'd better get up and go.
Though l know nothing of local manners,
or how people live and all that,
yet, l felt quite sure this visit would end
exactly as it did.
Oh, well, l suppose it's all right.
Especially since my letter was not answered.
Forgive me for having disturbed you.
Prince, wait!
Maybe my wife would like to look at a man of her own name.
-Wait, if you have the time. - l have lots of time.
My time is entirely my own.
Maybe, Elizabeta Prokofievna remembers l had written to her.
A little while ago your servant
was suspicious that l had come to beg.
But l came to make friends.
You and l seem so different,
that there must be very little in common between us.
But often it just appears
we have nothing in common, though actually we do.
Jealousy is the reason.
People sort each other into groups by appearances.
But l must be boring you.
And this worries me.
lf you are really the sort of man you appear to be,
it will be a pleasure for us to make your acquaintance.
- How old are you? - 26.
l thought you were much younger.
Just two words.
Do you have any means at all,
or do you intend to undertake some employment?
Oh, my dear sir!
l esteem and understand your questions.
l have no means whatever, and no employment.
But l have a certain matter.
How do you intend to live now?
l wish to work.
Oh, you're a philosopher!
Have you any talents, or ability
to bring in money and bread? Excuse me again.
Oh, don't apologize!
No, l don't think l have any talent or abilities.
On the contrary, l have always been an invalid.
Frequent fits have made me almost an idiot.
l was unable to learn much,
as for bread...
We have no one in Russia. Absolutely no one.
Yes, at present, no one, but l have hope.
And l received a letter...
- Can you write correctly? - Oh, yes, l can.
-And your handwriting? - Excellent!
There, perhaps, l'm really talented. A real calligrapher.
Let me...
Let me write you something, just to show.
Please do.
l like your readiness, prince.
ln fact, l like you very well.
Gania! Give the prince a piece of paper.
Here's the paper, prince.
Sit down at this table, please.
Thank you.
What's this?
Nastasia Philipovna! Did she send it herself?
Today, when l called in to congratulate her.
-You remember about tonight? - Oh, yes.
l'll go, of course. lt's her birthday.
She's 25 years old.
You know, Gania, you must be ready for great things.
She has promised me and Afanasy lvanovich,
she will give herfinal answer tonight.
-Yes or no. - She did?
-Are you sure she said that? -Yes, she promised.
But she asked us not to tell you about it until today.
She said l was to be free too, until her decision,
and yet even then l was to have the final word.
-Why, don't you? - Don't misunderstand!
-What are you doing? - l'm not rejecting her.
l should think not!
lt's a question of your readiness to receive her
joyfully, happily!
Of how you receive her words.
Maybe l have expressed myself badly.
Well, all right.
How are things at home?
Oh, at home!
Father's making a fool of himself, mother's crying,
sister's sulking. But l'm master of my own destiny.
l gave my sister to understand as much, mother was present.
l still cannot understand it!
They see it as some kind of a dishonor to them.
Why a dishonor?
Who can reproach Nastasia Philipovna?
Just because she had been living with Totski? Nonsense!
Especially given these circumstances.
Your mother told me: you wouldn't let her
come near your daughters.
That's Nina Alexandrovna!
- How can she fail to understand? - Her position?
She does understand.
lf anything is settled tonight, things will calm down.
So this is Nastasia Philipovna.
How wonderfully beautiful!
Do you already know Nastasia Philipovna?
Only one day in Russia, but l've heard of the great beauty.
A merchant told me about her in the train.
Parfen Rogojin.
That's news!
the young merchant was indulging in some fun, l've heard.
Yes, so have l, she told us about it herself.
l'm afraid of some scandal.
How did he strike you, prince,
did he seem a serious man or just a rowdy fellow?
l really don't know how to tell you.
But he seemed to me so full of passion.
Not perhaps quite healthy.
Very likely he'll be in bed again, if he lives fast.
Or perhaps he won't.
-What if something else happens? -What are you smiling at?
Gania, you're so curious!
You actually seem glad of this merchant's arrival.
As if it's a way for you to get out of it.
No one is forcing you in a snare, if you see a snare.
Do you understand me?
Do you desire this arrangement or not?
lf not, say so, and - welcome.
l do desire it.
Oh, just look at that!
Done in very old handwriting.
Look, Gania, there's real talent there.
The humble abbot Pafnuty signed this.
You are not a calligrapher, you're an artist!
Quite surprising, and he knows it, too.
You may smile, but there's a career in this.
You can get a place with 35 roubles a month, to start with.
However, it's 12 already, so on to business, price.
l'll find you an office job,
an easy place, but you'll have to be accurate.
Now as to your plans.
ln the house of Gavrila Ardalionovich lvolgin,
my young friend here,
his mother rents rooms to lodgers.
Gania, you have nothing against the prince living in your house
On the contrary, and my mother will be very glad.
The rent is quite moderate,
and l expect your salary will be sufficient.
Of course, pocket money is a necessity.
Do not be offended, price, if l strongly recommend you
to avoid carrying money in your pocket.
l conclude this from the way you look.
But since at the moment your pocket is empty,
permit me to press upon you these 25 roubles.
We'll settle this later. Are you happy with this arrangement?
Thank you, general.
You have behaved very kindly to me.
l certainly didn't know where to lay my head tonight.
A while ago Rogojin asked me to come to his house.
Rogojin? l'd recommend you, paternally,
to forget about Mr. Rogojin.
And to stick to the family into which
you are about to enter.
-Yes, there is just one matter... - Excuse me, l have no time.
l'll just tell Elizabeta Prokofievna about you.
And if she wishes to see a man of her own name,
l recommend you ingratiate yourself with her.
And you, Gania, just look over these accounts.
What, receive him?
You say: receive him. Here, at once?
There's no need for ceremony, he's quite a child.
He has fits of some sort. He's arrived from Switzerland.
Dressed in a strange way, without a farthing.
Ladies, l'd like you to feed him well.
He looks hungry.
You astonish me: fits and hungry, too.
-What kind of fits? - They're not frequent.
Besides, he's a regular child, but fairly educated.
You can examine him,
and see what he's good for.
- Examine him? - lt's not that important.
l meant make him feel welcome, be kind to him,
it's almost a good deed.
From Switzerland?
Switzerland has nothing to do with it.
l thought he may interest you, because of your family name.
Do you admire that sort of woman?
A wonderful face.
l'm sure, her destiny must be extraordinary.
Her face is smiling, but she must have suffered terribly.
lt's a proud face.
But l can't say
whether she's kind or not.
-Would you marry her? - l can't marry.
l'm an invalid.
-Would Rogojin marry her? - He would.
And then, perhaps, murder her in a week.
What's the matter?
Your highness, please proceed to her excellency's apartments.
Oh, if she were good!
That would make all well.
We'd better have him tie a napkin under his chin,
when he sits at the table.
Or ask Fyodor or Marfa,
that they stand behind him while he eats.
ls he quiet when he has these fits?
- He's not violent, is he? - No, he's very well brought up.
His manners are excellent, but he's a bit simple.
Here he is himself!
Let me introduce you.
Prince Muishkin, the last of the Muishkins.
A relative of your own, or, at least, of the same name.
Receive him kindly, please.
They'll be bringing in lunch, prince.
Stay and have some, but you must excuse me. l'm off.
We all know where.
l must hurry, my dear, l'm late.
Let him write something in your albums.
He's quite a calligrapher! Extraordinary! Atalent!
He has just written out for me:
Abbot Pafnuty signed this.
Abbot Pafnuty? Who is this abbot?
My dear, there was an old abbot of that name.
The count is waiting for me. l'm late.
Good-bye, prince.
l know what count he's going to see.
Now then?
What's all this about?
What abbot?
- Mamma! - l want to know, too.
Prince, you sit over there, opposite me.
ln that chair.
No, here, closer to the window, so l might see you.
So, who was this abbot?
Abbot Pafnuty.
That's interesting.
But who was he?
Abbot Pafnuty was in charge of a monastery on the Volga.
He lived the life of a saint, went to the Golden Horde.
And signed an edict.
So l copied that signature.
l liked it and memorized it.
Aglaya, remember, Pafnuty.
Or better make a note, or l forget.
Where is this signature?
l think it's left on the general's table.
Send for it and bring it here.
Oh, l'll write you a new one.
But let's have lunch now, we're all hungry.
- Prince, are you hungry? -Very much so!
l am pretty hungry, thank you very much.
l like to see you know your manners.
You are not the kind of person
as the general thought fit to describe you.
Alexandra, Adelaida,
he doesn't seem very ill, does he?
l think he doesn't require a napkin under his chin.
No napkin, then!
Are you accustomed to having one on, prince?
Formerly, when l was 7 years old, l wore one.
Now l put it on my knees.
He talks very well.
l really didn't expect him to.
Enjoy your food, prince.
And tell us about yourself. l want to hear you speak.
l wouldn't speak, if l were ordered like that.
What's so strange about it?
He has a tongue. Why shouldn't he tell us something?
l want to know, how well he speaks.
Tell us how you liked Switzerland.
Your first impression.
The impression was quite strong.
There, he has begun!
Well, then, let him speak.
The prince is not an idiot.
l saw that at once.
The first impression was very strong.
When they took me away from Russia, l was very ill.
l just looked, without saying a word.
l asked no questions, and alien things frightened me.
l awoke from this state for the first time
in Basle, when we came to Switzerland.
The bray of a donkey in the town market awoke me.
That donkey had...
a staggering effect on me.
l liked him so much!
And my head began to clear.
From that very moment, l became very fond of donkeys,
and started to like the whole country!
Yes! And my melancholy passed away!
lt's very nice of you to laugh.
l see you're a very kind-hearted young man.
l'm not always kind.
l'm kind myself.
That's my only fault.
One ought not to be always kind.
But enough of that. Please, continue, prince.
Perhaps, you can think of something more exciting.
Then it was very nice all the time.
l was very happy.
Happy?
-You can be happy? -Yes.
- Teach us, then. - l cannot.
l have always lived in the country
and have hardly gone anywhere else.
What can l teach you?
l always wanted to go somewhere.
l felt very restless.
l kept thinking
how l would live, and decided to put my fate to a test.
Sometimes, at noon, l climbed the mountains,
stood there alone,
with huge, old pines around me.
With only the ruins of an old castle on top,
and our little village in the distance,
the blue skies so blue, the sun, and the terrible silence.
And everything seemed to call me somewhere.
lt seemed to me, that if l went straight ahead
and crossed the line,
where the earth and the sky met,
l might find a new life there, and that would be the key!
And that very instant, l'd see that new life.
lt would be a thousand times grander and richer!
l visualized a big city, like Naples.
With its life and noise!
But it doesn't matter what l imagined then.
Then l thought
that life can be grand even in prison.
l once heard a story of a man
who lived in prison for 12 years,
his life there was sad enough,
l can assure you that,
but it was not worthless.
His only acquaintance was a spider,
and a tree that grew outside his prison window.
l read that last thought in my manual,
when l was 12 years old.
You are a philosopher and have come to instruct us.
Perhaps, you are right, l am a philosopher.
Who knows, perhaps, l do wish to teach my views.
l will tell you of a man l met.
He had once been brought up to the scaffold.
He was read his death- sentence by shooting
for a political crime.
Twenty minutes later he was reprieved,
a different punishment was substituted.
Between the two sentences
he lived in the certainty that he would soon die.
He remembered everything most accurately and distinctly.
He told me
he would never forget a single second of those minutes.
About 20 paces from the scaffold there were 3 posts,
because there were several criminals.
The first three criminals were taken to the posts, tied,
long white caps were pulled overtheir heads.
Soldiers took their stand opposite the posts.
My acquaintances was 8th on the list,
so he would have had to wait about 5 minutes.
He said those 5 minutes
seemed to him an interminable period,
an enormous wealth of time,
in these 5 minutes he seemed to have lived so many lives,
there was no need to think of that last moment.
So he even made several arrangements.
Two minutes for saying farewell to his companions.
Two more minutes to think about himself.
And then - the last moment to take a look around.
When saying good-bye to his friends, he asked one of them
an everyday questions and was very interested in the answer.
Then began the 2 minutes
he allotted for looking into himself.
He was thinking, how could it be, that here he was,
a living man,
and in 3 minutes he would be nothing.
Or if somebody or something, then who and where?
He wanted to decide this in these 2 minutes.
A little way off stood a church.
lts gilded spire and dome glittered in the sun.
A gilded spire.
He remembered staring stubbornly at this spire,
and the rays of light sparking from it. He couldn't look away
He imagined these rays were his new nature,
and in a few minutes he would become one of them.
The uncertainty and repugnance to what would happen
almost immediately, were terrible.
But worst of all at that point was the idea,
the persistent thought what if l don't die now?
What is l return to life again?
What infinity! And all mine!
l'd turn every minute into a century,
l'd never lose an instant.
l would count every minute of it,
not to waste an instant.
And this thought became such a terrible burden upon him,
hat he wished they shoot him quickly and be done with it.
Are you through?
What?
Yes, l am.
And why did you tell us this?
Oh, l happened to recall it, it fitted in our conversation.
An abrupt ending, prince.
You probably wish to deduce
that time cannot be reckoned in terms of money value.
Your friend, who told you this terrible story,
was given those wonderful riches of time.
And what did he do with them afterwards?
- Did he keep careful count? - No, he didn't.
He wasted many, many minutes.
Then, one cannot live and count all minutes.
That is true.
lt's true, one can't.
l have thought so myself. Yet, why shouldn't one do it?
You think you could live more wisely than others?
Yes, l have had that idea.
And you have it still?
Yes, l have it still.
Very modest of you.
Why are you so angry?
The prince told us a wonderful tale.
Why do you want to discourage him?
He began all right, he was laughing.
And now he is sad.
End of Part One
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