Part One
Chapter VI

Adelaida requests of Prince a story of love, not death. At the end of chapter V, he says "I wasn't in love...I...was happy in a different way." We will see this in his next story.

The children at the Swiss hospital laughed at the Prince for kissing a poor, downtrodden girl named Marie (but he didn't kiss her because he was romantically interested in her, he pitied her and wanted to show he cared) She had TB and was weak, miserable, and not treated well. Marie took care of her mother who was ill but her mother was evil toward her. The children fought with the Prince but eventually convinced them to leave her alone. Soon, they treated her better and they learned to love and appreciate her. Marie was grateful and kissed the Prince's hands. They brought her treats and loved her until she died from her consumption. Her grave is still respected.

We learn that the Prince was called an idiot and childish here, 'They consider me an idiot, but I'm intelligent all the same, and they don't even suspect it..."
Prince inspects the faces of his female hosts and claims Adelaida Ivanovna has a happy face, the most sympathetic. Alexandra's is beautiful and sweet, but she has some secret sorrow, reminds him of Holbein's Madonna, which Dostoevsky saw in Dresden.

Of Lizaveta Prokofyevna's (Mrs. Epanchin) he says that he is certain she is a perfect child, in everything despite her age. How charming.