"in the first place, my dear prince, don’t be angry with me. i would have come to see you yesterday, but i didn’t know how lizabetha prokofievna would take it. my dear fellow, my house is simply a hell just now, a sort of sphinx has taken up its abode there. we live in an atmosphere of riddles; i can’t make head or tail of anything. as for you, i feel sure you are the least to blame of any of us, though you certainly have been the cause of a good deal of trouble. you see, it’s all very pleasant to be a philanthropist; but it can be carried too far.