The dream of the uncle

The prince ((K)) was not a sheikh who reached the age of one hundred, yet no one who saw him could help but think that he was on the verge of returning to the worst age. And the people in Mordasov circulated about him the strangest things, some say he is somewhat crazy, for it is truly strange for someone like him - from the noblest families, owning lands on which four thousand people live, and his position grants him considerable influence in the district - to remain secluded like a monk in his magnificent estate. And these many people, who saw him six or seven years ago during his first visit to Mordasov, confirmed at that time that he could not bear loneliness, and that he does not possess the qualities of monks.