"I'll wear it, and you can wear mine, I'll give it to you."
"You want to exchange crosses?
Very well, Parfyon, if so, I'm glad; we'll be brothers!"21
The prince took off his tin cross, Parfyon his gold one, and they exchanged them.
Parfyon was silent.
With painful astonishment the prince noticed that the former mistrust, the former bitter and almost derisive smile still did not seem to leave the face of his adopted brother—at least it showed very strongly at moments.
Finally Rogozhin silently took the prince's hand and stood for a while, as if undecided about something; in the end he suddenly drew the prince after him, saying in a barely audible voice: "Come on."
They crossed the first-floor landing and rang at the door facing the one they had just come out of.
It was promptly opened.
An old woman, all bent over and dressed in black, a kerchief on her head, bowed silently and deeply to Rogozhin. He quickly asked her something and, not waiting for an answer, led the prince further through the rooms.
Again there were dark rooms, of some extraordinary, cold cleanness, coldly and severely furnished with old furniture in clean white covers.
Without announcing himself, Rogozhin led the prince into a small room that looked like a drawing room, divided by a gleaming mahogany partition with doors at either end, behind which there was probably a bedroom.
In the corner of the drawing room, near the stove, in an armchair, sat a little old woman, who did not really look so very old, even had a quite healthy, pleasant, and round face, but was already completely gray-haired and (one could tell at first sight) had fallen into complete senility.
She was wearing a black woolen dress, a big black kerchief around her neck, and a clean white cap with black ribbons.
Her feet rested on a footstool.
Next to her was another clean little old woman, a bit older, also in mourning and also in a white cap, apparently some companion, who was silently knitting a stocking.
The two looked as if they were always silent.
The first old woman, seeing Rogozhin and the prince, smiled at them and inclined her head affectionately several times as a sign of pleasure.
"Mama," said Rogozhin, kissing her hand, "this is my great friend, Prince Lev Nikolaevich Myshkin; he and I have exchanged crosses; he was like a brother to me in Moscow for a time, and did a lot for me.
Bless him, mama, as you would your own son.
Wait, old girl, like this, let me put your hand the right way . . ."
But before Parfyon had time to do anything, the old woman raised her right hand, put three fingers together, and piously crossed the prince three times.
Then once more she nodded her head gently and tenderly.
"Well, let's go, Lev Nikolaevich," said Parfyon, "I only brought you for that..."
When they came back out to the stairs, he added:
"See, she doesn't understand anything people say, and she didn't understand any of my words, yet she blessed you. That means she wanted to herself. . . Well, good-bye, it's time for us both."
And he opened his door.
"But let me at least embrace you as we part, you strange man!" cried the prince, looking at him with tender reproach and trying to embrace him.
But Parfyon no sooner raised his arms than he lowered them again at once.
He could not resolve to do it; he turned away so as not to look at the prince.
He did not want to embrace him.
"Never fear!
Maybe I did take your cross, but I won't kill you for your watch!" he muttered unintelligibly, suddenly laughing somehow strangely.
But suddenly his whole face was transformed: he turned terribly pale, his lips quivered, his eyes lit up.
He raised his arms, embraced the prince tightly, and said breathlessly:
"Take her, then, if it's fate!
She's yours!
I give her up to you! . . .
Remember Rogozhin!"
And, leaving the prince, not even looking at him, he hastily went to his rooms and slammed the door behind him.
V
It was late, almost half-past two, and the prince did not find Epanchin at home.
Having left his card, he decided to go to the Scales Hotel and ask there for Kolya; if he was not there, he would leave him a note.
At the Scales he was told that Nikolai Ardalionovich "had left in the morning, sir, but on his way out had alerted them that, if someone should ask for him, they should tell him that he might be back at three o'clock, sir.
And if he was not there by half-past three, it would mean that he had taken the train to Pavlovsk, to Mrs. Epanchin's dacha, sir, and would be having dinner there."
The prince sat down to wait and meanwhile ordered dinner for himself.
Kolya did not come back either by half-past three or even by four o'clock.
The prince went out and walked mechanically wherever his eyes took him.
At the beginning of summer in Petersburg there occasionally occur lovely days—bright, hot, still.
As if on purpose, this day was one of those rare days.