We already know that Nejdanov's father was Prince G., a rich
adjutant-general. His mother was the daughter of the general's
governess, a pretty girl who died on the day of Nejdanov's birth.
He received his early education in a boarding school kept by a
certain Swiss, a very energetic and severe pedagogue, after which
he entered the university. His great ambition was to study law,
but his father, who had a violent hatred for nihilists, made him
go in for history and philology, or for "aesthetics" as Nejdanov
put it with a bitter smile. His father used to see him about four
times a year in all, but was, nevertheless, interested in his
welfare, and when he died, left him a sum of six thousand roubles
"in memory of Nastinka" his mother. Nejdanov received the
interest on this money from his brothers the Princes G., which
they were pleased to call an allowance.

Paklin had good reason to call him an aristocrat. Everything about
him betokened his origin. His tiny ears, hands, feet, his small but
fine features, delicate skin, wavy hair; his very voice was pleasant,
although it was slightly guttural. He was highly strung, frightfully
conceited, very susceptible, and even capricious. The false
position he had been placed in from childhood had made him
sensitive and irritable, but his natural generosity had kept him
from becoming suspicious and mistrustful. This same false
position was the cause of an utter inconsistency, which permeated
his whole being. He was fastidiously accurate and horribly
squeamish, tried to be cynical and coarse in his speech, but was
an idealist by nature. He was passionate and pure-minded, bold
and timid at the same time, and, like a repentant sinner, ashamed
of his sins; he was ashamed alike of his timidity and his purity,