many years passed, and family circumstances obliged me to settle in the poor little village of h. engaged in farming, i sighed in secret for my former merry, careless existence. most difficult of all i found it to pass in solitude the spring and winter evenings. until the dinner hour i somehow occupied the time, talking to the starosta, driving round to see how the work went on, or visiting the new buildings. but as soon as evening began to draw in, i was at a loss what to do with myself. my books in various bookcases, cupboards, and storerooms i knew by heart. the housekeeper, kurilovna, related to me all the stories she could remember. the songs of the peasant women made me melancholy. i tried cherry brandy, but that gave me the headache. i must confess, however, that i had some fear of becoming a drunkard from ennui, the saddest kind of drunkenness imaginable, of which i had seen many examples in our district.
i had no near neighbours with the exception of two or three melancholy ones, whose conversation consisted mostly of hiccups and sighs. solitude was preferable to that. finally i decided to go to bed as early as possible, and to dine as late as possible, thus shortening the evening and[pg 86] lengthening the day; and i found this plan a good one.
pour versts from my place was a large estate belonging to count b.; but the steward alone lived there. the countess had visited her domain once only, just after her marriage, and she then only lived there about a month. however, in the second spring of my retirement, there was a report that the countess, with her husband, would come to spend the summer on her estate; and they arrived at the beginning of june.
the advent of a rich neighbour is an important event for residents in the country. the landowners and the people of their household talk of it for a couple of months beforehand, and for three years afterwards. as far as i was concerned, i must confess, the expected arrival of a young and beautiful neighbour affected me strongly. i burned with impatience to see her; and the first sunday after her arrival i started for the village, in order to present myself to the count and countess as their near neighbour and humble servant.
the footman showed me into the count's study, while he went to inform him of my arrival. the spacious room was furnished in a most luxurious manner. against the walls stood enclosed bookshelves well furnished with books, and surmounted by bronze busts. over the marble mantelpiece[pg 87] was a large mirror. the floor was covered with green cloth, over which were spread rugs and carpets.
having got unaccustomed to luxury in my own poor little corner, and not having beheld the wealth of other people for a long while, i was awed; and i awaited the count with a sort of fear, just as a petitioner from the provinces awaits in an ante-room the arrival of the minister. the doors opened, and a man about thirty-two, and very handsome, entered the apartment. the count approached me with a frank and friendly look. i tried to be self-possessed, and began to introduce myself, but he forestalled me.
we sat down. his easy and agreeable, conversation soon dissipated my nervous timidity. i was already passing into my usual manner, when suddenly the countess entered, and i became more confused than ever. she was, indeed, beautiful. the count presented me. i was anxious to appear at ease, but the more i tried to assume an air of unrestraint, the more awkward i felt myself becoming. they, in order to give me time to recover myself and get accustomed to my new acquaintances, conversed with one another, treating me in good neighbourly fashion without ceremony. meanwhile, i walked about the room, examining the books and pictures. in pictures i am no connoisseur; but one of the[pg 88] count's attracted my particular notice. it represented a view in switzerland was not, however, struck by the painting, but by the fact that it was shot through by two bullets, one planted just on the top of the other.
"a good shot," i remarked, turning to the count.
"yes," he replied, "a very remarkable shot."
"do you shoot well?" he added.
"tolerably," i answered, rejoicing that the conversation had turned at last on a subject which interested me.' "at a distance of thirty paces i do not miss a card; i mean, of course, with a pistol that i am accustomed to."
"really?" said the countess, with a look of great interest. "'and you, my dear, could you hit a card at thirty paces?"
"some day," replied the count, "we will try. in my own time i did not shoot badly. but it is four years now since i held a pistol in my hand."
"oh," i replied, "in that case, i bet, count, that you will not hit a card even at twenty paces. the pistol demands daily practice. i know that from experience. in our regiment i was reckoned one of the bests shots. once i happened not to take a pistol in hand for a whole month; i had sent my own to the gunsmith's. well, what do you think, count? the first time i began again[pg 89]
[pg 90] to shoot i four times running missed a bottle at twenty paces. the captain of our company, who was a wit, happened to be present, and he said to me: 'your hand, my friend, refuses to raise itself against the bottle! no, count, you must not neglect to practise, or you will soon lose all skill. the best shot i ever knew used to shoot every day, and at least three times every day, before dinner. this was as much his habit as the preliminary glass of vodka."
"silvio! you knew silvio?"
the count and countess seemed pleased that i had begun to talk.
"and what sort of a shot was he?" asked the count.
"this sort, count. if he saw a fly settle on the wall—you smile, countess, but i assure you it is a fact. when he saw the fly, he would call out, 'kuska, my pistol!' kuska brought him the loaded pistol. a crack, and the fly was crushed into the wall!"
"that is astonishing!" said the count. "and what was his name?"
"silvio was his name."
"silvio!" exclaimed the count, starting from his seat. "you knew silvio?"
"how could i fail to know him? we were comrades; he was received at our mess like a brother officer. it is now about five years since i last had tidings of him. then you, count, also knew him?"
[pg 91]
"i knew him very well. did he never tell you of one very extraordinary incident in his life?"
"do you mean the slap in the face, count, that he received from a blackguard at a ball?" "he did not tell you the name of this blackguard?"
"no, count, he did not. forgive me," i added, guessing the truth, "forgive me—i did not—could it really have been you?"
"it was myself," replied the count, greatly agitated. "and the shots in the picture are a memento of our last meeting."
"oh, my dear," said the countess, "for god's sake do not relate it! it frightens me to think of it."
"no," replied the count; "i must tell him all. he knows how i insulted his friend. he shall also know how silvio revenged himself."
the count pushed a chair towards me, and with the liveliest interest i listened to the following story:—
"five years ago," began the count, "i got married. the honeymoon i spent here, in this village. to this house i am indebted for the happiest moments of my life, and for one of its saddest remembrances.
"one afternoon we went out riding together. my wife's horse became restive. she was frightened, got off the horse, handed the reins over to[pg 92] me; and walked home. i rode on before her. in the yard i saw a travelling carriage, and i was told that in my study sat a man who would not give his name, but simply said that he wanted to see me on business. i entered the study, and saw in the darkness a man, dusty and unshaven. he stood there, by the fireplace. i approached him, trying to recollect his face.
"'you don't remember me, count?' he said, in a tremulous voice.
"'silvio!' i cried, and i confess i felt that my hair was standing on end.
"'exactly so,' he added. 'you owe me a shot; i have come to claim it. are you ready?'
"a pistol protruded from his side pocket.
"i measured twelve paces, and stood there in that corner, begging him to fire quickly, before my wife came in.
"he hesitated, and asked for a light. candles were brought in. i locked the doors, gave orders that no one should enter, and again called upon him to fire. he took out his pistol and aimed.
"i counted the seconds.... i thought of her ... a terrible moment passed! then silvio lowered his hand.
"'i only regret,' he said, that the pistol is not loaded with cherry-stones. my bullet is heavy; and it always seems to me that an affair of this kind is net a duel, but a murder. i am not accustomed[pg 93] to aim at unarmed men. let us begin again from the beginning. let us cast lots as to who shall fire first.'
"my head went round. i think i objected. finally, however, we loaded another pistol and rolled up two pieces of paper. these he placed inside his cap; the one through which, at our first meeting, i had put the bullet. i again drew the lucky number.
"'count, you have the devil's luck,' he said, with a smile which i shall never forget.
"i don't know what i was about, or how it happened that he succeeded in inducing me. but i fired and hit that picture."
the count pointed with his finger to the picture with the shot-marks his face had become red with agitation. the countess was whiter than her own handkerchief; and i could not restrain an exclamation.
"i fired," continued the count, "and, thank heaven, missed. then silvio—at this moment he was really terrible—then silvio raised his pistol to take aim at me.
"suddenly the door flew open, masha rushed into the room. she threw herself upon my neck with a loud shriek. her presence restored to me-all my courage.
"'my dear,' i said to her, 'don't you see that we are only joking? how frightened you look![pg 94] go and drink a glass of water and then come back; i will introduce you to an old friend and comrade.'
masha was still in doubt.
"masha threw herself at his feet"
[pg 95]
"'tell me; is my husband speaking the truth?' she asked, turning to the terrible silvio. 'is it true that you are only joking?'
"'he is always joking. countess,' silvio replied. 'he once in a joke gave me a slap in the face; in joke he put a bullet through this cap while i was wearing it; and in joke, too, he missed me when he fired just now. and now i have a fancy for a joke.'
"with these words he raised his pistol as if to shoot me down before her eyes."
masha threw herself at his feet.
'rise, masha! for shame!' i cried, in my passion. 'and you, sir, cease to amuse yourself at the expense of an unhappy woman. will you fire or not?'
"'i will not,' replied silvio. 'i am satisfied. i have witnessed your agitation—your terror. i forced you to fire at me. that is enough; you will remember me. i leave you to your conscience.'
"he was now about to go; but he stopped at the door, looked round at the picture which my shot had passed through, fired at it almost without taking aim, and disappeared.
"my wife had sunk down fainting. the servants had not ventured to stop silvio, whom they looked upon with terror. he passed out to the steps, called his coachman, and before i could collect myself drove off."
[pg 96]
the count was silent. i had now heard the end of the story of which the beginning had long before surprised me. the hero of it i never saw again. i heard, however, that silvio, during the rising of alexander ipsilanti, commanded a detach of insurgents and was killed in action.
[pg 97]
the snowstorm.
towards the end of 1811, at a memorable period for russians, lived on his own domain of nenaradova the kind-hearted gravril r. he was celebrated in the whole district for his hospitality and his genial character. neighbours constantly visited him to have something to eat and drink, and to play at five-copeck boston with his wife, praskovia. some, too, went to have a look at their daughter, maria; a tall pale girl of seventeen. she was an heiress, and they desired her either for themselves or for their sons.
maria had been brought up on french novels, and consequently was in love. the object of her affection was a poor ensign in the army, who was now at home in his small village on leave of absence. as a matter of course, the young man reciprocated maria's passion. but the parents of his beloved, noticing their mutual attachment, forbade their daughter even to think of him, while they received him worse than an ex-assize judge.
"the lovers met in the pine wood."
our lovers corresponded, and met alone daily in[pg 98]
[pg 99] the pine wood or by the old roadway chapel. there they vowed everlasting love, inveighed against fate, and exchanged various suggestions. writing and talking in this way, they quite naturally reached the following conclusion:—
if we cannot exist apart from each other, and if the tyranny of hard-hearted parents throws obstacles in the way of our happiness, then can we not manage without them?
of course, this happy idea originated in the mind of the young man; but it pleased the romantic imagination of maria immensely.
winter set in and put a stop to their meetings. but their correspondence became all the more active. vladimir begged maria in every letter to give herself up to him that they might get married secretly, hide for a while, and then throw themselves at the feet of the parents, who would of course in the end be touched by their heroic constancy and say to them, "children, come to our arms!"
maria hesitated a long while, and out of many different plans proposed, that of flight was for a time rejected. at last, however, she consented. on the appointed day she was to decline supper, and retire to her room under the plea of a headache. she and her maid, who was in the secret, were then to go out into the garden by the back stairs, and beyond the garden they would find a[pg 100] sledge ready for them, would get into it and drive a distance of five miles from nenaradova, to the village of jadrino, straight to the church, where vladimir would be waiting for them.
on the eve of the decisive day, maria did not sleep all night; she was packing and tying up linen and dresses. she wrote, moreover, a long letter to a friend of hers, a sentimental young lady; and another to her parents. of the latter, she took leave in the most touching terms. she excused the step she was taking by reason of the unconquerable power of love, and wound up by declaring that she should consider it the happiest moment of her life when she was allowed to throw herself at the feet of her dearest parents. sealing both letters with a toula seal, on which were engraven two flaming hearts with an appropriate inscription, she at last threw herself upon her bed before daybreak and dozed off, though even then she was awake tied from one moment to another by terrible thoughts. first it seemed to her that at the moment of entering the sledge in order to go and get married her father stopped her, and with cruel rapidity dragged her over the snow and threw her into a dark bottomless cellar, down which she fell headlong with an indescribable sinking of the heart. then she saw vladimir, lying on the grass, pale and bleeding; with his dying breath he implored her to make haste and marry him.[pg 101] other hideous and senseless visions floated before her one after another. finally she rose paler than usual, and with, a real headache.
"she burst into tears."
[pg 102]
both her father and her mother remarked her indisposition. their tender anxiety and constant inquiries, "what is the matter with you, masha—are you ill?" cut her to the heart. she tried to pacify them and to appear cheerful; but she could not. evening set in. the idea that she was passing the day for the last time in the midst of her family oppressed her. in her secret heart she took leave of everybody, of everything which surrounded her.
supper was served; her heart beat violently. in a trembling voice she declared that she did not want any supper, and wished her father and mother good-night. they kissed her, and as usual blessed her; and she nearly wept.
reaching her own room she threw herself into an easy chair and burst into tears. her maid begged her to be calm and take courage. everything was ready. in half-an-hour masha would leave for ever her parents' house, her own room, her peaceful life as a young girl.
out of doors the snow was falling, the wind howling. the shutters rattled and shook. in everything she seemed to recognise omens and threats.
soon the whole home was quiet and asleep. masha wrapped herself in a shawl, put on a warm cloak, and with a box in her hand passed out on to the back staircase. the maid carried two[pg 103] bundles after her. they descended into the garden. the snowstorm raged: a strong wind blew against them as if trying to stop the young culprit. with difficulty they reached the end of the garden. in the road a sledge awaited them.
the horses from cold would not stand still. vladimir's coachman was walking to and fro in front of them, trying to quiet them. he helped the young lady and her maid to their seats, and packing away the bundles and the dressing-case took up the reins, and the horses flew forward into the darkness of the night.
having entrusted the young lady to the care of fate and of tereshka the coachman, let us return to the young lover.
vladimir had spent the whole day in driving. in the morning he had called on the jadrino priest, and, with difficulty, came to terms with him. then he went to seek for witnesses from amongst the neighbouring gentry. the first on whom he called was a former cornet of horse, dravin by name, a man in his forties, who consented at once. the adventure, he declared, reminded him of old times and of his larks when he was in the hussars. he persuaded vladimir to stop to dinner with him, assuring him that there would be no difficulty in getting the other two witnesses. indeed, immediately after dinner[pg 104] in came the surveyor schmidt, with a moustache and spurs, and the son of a captain-magistrate, a boy of sixteen, who had recently entered the uhlans. they not only accepted vladimir's proposal, but even swore that they were ready to sacrifice their lives for him. vladimir embraced them with delight, and drove off to get everything ready.
it had long been dark. vladimir despatched his trustworthy tereshka to nenaradova with his two-horsed sledge, and with appropriate instructions for the occasion. for himself he ordered the small sledge with one horse, and started alone without a coachman for jadrino, where maria ought to arrive in a couple of hours. he knew the road, and the drive would only occupy twenty minutes.
but vladimir had scarcely passed from the enclosure into the open field when the wind rose, and soon there was a driving snowstorm so heavy and so severe that he could not see. in a moment the road was covered with snow. all landmarks disappeared in the murky yellow darkness, through which fell white flakes of snow. sky and earth became merged into one. vladimir, in the midst of the field, tried in vain to get to the road. the horse walked on at random, and every moment stepped either into deep snow or into a rut, so that the sledge was constantly upsetting.[pg 105] vladimir tried at least not to lose the right direction; but it seemed to him that more than half an hour had passed, and he had not yet reached the jadrino wood. another ten minutes passed, and still the wood was invisible. vladimir drove across fields intersected by deep ditches. the snowstorm did not abate, and the sky did not clear. the horse was getting tired and the perspiration rolled from him like hail, in spite of the fact that every moment his legs were disappearing in the snow.
at last vladimir found that he was going in the wrong direction. he stopped; began to reflect, recollect, and consider; till at last he became convinced that he ought to have turned to the right. he did so now. his horse could scarcely drag along. but he had been more than an hour on the road, and jadrino could not now be far. he drove and drove, but there was no getting out of the field. still snow-drifts and ditches. every moment the sledge was upset, and every moment vladimir had to raise it up.
time was slipping by, and vladimir grew seriously anxious. at last in the distance some dark object could be seen.
vladimir turned in its direction, and as he drew near found it was a wood.
"thank heaven," he thought, "i am now near the end."
[pg 106]
he drove by the side of the wood, hoping to come at once upon the familiar road, or, if not, to pass round the wood. jadrino was situated immediately behind it.
he soon found the road, and passed into the darkness of the wood, now stripped by the winter. the wind could not rage here; the road was smooth, the horse picked up courage, and vladimir was comforted.
he drove and drove, but still jadrino was not to be seen; there was no end to the wood. then to his horror he discovered that he had got into a strange wood. he was in despair. he whipped his horse, and the poor animal started off at a trot. but it soon got tired, and in a quarter of an hour, in spite of all poor vladimir's efforts, could only crawl.
gradually the trees became thinner, and vladimir drove out of the wood, but jadrino was not to be seen. it must have been about midnight. tears gushed from the young man's eyes. he drove on at random; and now the weather abated, the clouds dispersed, and before him was a wide stretch of plain, covered with a white billowy carpet. the night was comparatively clear, and he could see a small village a short distance off, which consisted of four or five cottages. vladimir drove towards it. at the first door he jumped out of the sledge, ran up to the window, and tapped.[pg 107] after a few minutes a wooden, shutter was raised, and an old man stuck out his grey beard.
"what do you want?"
"how far is jadrino?"
"how far is jadrino?"
"yes, yes! is it far?"
"not far; about ten miles."
at this answer vladimir clutched hold of his hair, and stood motionless, like a man condemned to death.
"where do you come from?" added the man. vladimir had not the courage to reply.
"my man," he said, "can you procure me horses to jadrino?"
"we have no horses," answered the peasant.
"could i find a guide? i will pay him any sum he likes."
"stop!" said the old man, dropping the shutter; "i will send my son out to you; he will conduct you."
vladimir waited. scarcely a minute had passed when he again knocked. the shutter was lifted and a beard was seen.
"what do you want?"
"what about your son?"
"he'll come out directly: he is putting on his boots. are you cold? come in and warm yourself."
[pg 108]
"thanks! send out your son quickly."
the gate creaked; a youth came out with a cudgel, and walked on in front, at one time pointing out the road, at another looking for it in a mass of drifted snow.
"what o'clock is it?" vladimir asked him.
"it will soon be daylight," replied the young-peasant. vladimir spoke not another word.
the cocks were crowing, and it was light when they reached jadrino. the church was closed. vladimir paid the guide, and drove into the yard of the priest's house. in the yard his two-horsed sledge was not to be seen. what news awaited him?
but let us return to the kind proprietors of nenaradova, and see what is going on there.
nothing.
the old people awoke, and went into the sitting-room, gavril in a night-cap and flannel jacket, praskovia in a wadded dressing-gown. the samovar was brought in, and, gavril sent the little maid to ask maria how she was and how she had slept. the little maid returned, saying that her young lady had slept badly, but that she was better now, and that she would come into the sitting-room in a moment. and indeed the door opened, and maria came in and wished her papa and mamma good morning.
[pg 109]
"how is your head-ache, masha?" (familiar for mary) inquired gavril.
"better, papa; answered masha.
"the fumes from the stoves must have given you your head-ache," remarked praskovia.
"perhaps so, mamma," replied masha.
the day passed well enough, but in the night masha was taken ill. a doctor was sent for from town. he came towards evening and found the patient delirious. soon she was in a severe fever, and in a fortnight the poor patient was on the brink of the grave.
no member of the family knew anything of the flight from home. the letters written by masha the evening before had been burnt; and the maid, fearing the wrath of the master and mistress, had not breathed a word. the priest, the ex-cornet, the big moustached surveyor, and the little lancer were equally discreet, and with good reason. tereshka, the coachman, never said too much, not even in his drink. thus the secret was kept better than it might have been by half a dozen conspirators.
but maria herself, in the course of her long fever, let out her secret, nevertheless, her words were so disconnected that her mother, who never left her bedside, could only make out from them that her daughter was desperately in love with vladimir, and that probably love was the cause[pg 110] of her illness. she consulted her husband and some of her neighbours, and at last it was decided unanimously that the fate of maria ought not to be interfered with, that a woman must not ride away from the man she is destined to marry, that poverty is no crime, that a woman has to live not with money but with a man, and so on. moral proverbs are wonderfully useful on such occasions, when we can invent little or nothing in our own justification.
meanwhile the young lady began to recover. vladimir had not been seen for a long time in the house of gravril, so frightened had he been by his previous reception. it was now resolved to send and announce to him the good news which he could scarcely expect: the consent of her parents to his marriage with maria.
but what was the astonishment of the proprietors of nenaradova when, in answer to their invitation, they received an insane reply. vladimir informed them he could never set foot in their house, and begged them to forget an unhappy man whose only hope now was in death. a few days afterwards they heard that vladimir had left the place and joined the army.
a long time passed before they ventured to tell masha, who was now recovering. she never mentioned vladimir. some months later, however, finding his name in the list of those who had[pg 111] distinguished themselves and been severely wounded at borodino, she fainted, and it was feared that the fever might return. but, heaven be thanked! the fainting fit had no bad results.
maria experienced yet another sorrow. her father died, leaving her the heiress of all his property. but the inheritance could not console her. she shared sincerely the affliction of her mother, and vowed she would never leave her.
suitors clustered round the charming heiress; but she gave no one the slightest hope. her mother sometimes tried to persuade her to choose a companion in life; but maria shook her head, and grew pensive.
vladimir no longer existed. he had died at moscow on the eve of the arrival of the french. his memory was held sacred by maria, and she treasured up everything that would remind her of him; books he had read, drawings which he had made; songs he had sung, and the pieces of poetry which he had copied out for her.
the neighbours, hearing all this, wondered at her fidelity, and awaited with curiosity the arrival of the hero who must in the end triumph over the melancholy constancy of this virgin artemis.
meanwhile, the war had been brought to a glorious conclusion, and our armies were returning[pg 112] from abroad. the people ran to meet them. the music played, by the regimental bands consisted of war songs, "vive henri-quatre," tirolese waltzes and airs from joconde. nourished on the atmosphere of winter, officers who had started on the campaign mere striplings returned grown men, and covered with decorations. the soldiers conversed gaily among themselves, mingling german and french words every moment in their speech. a time never to be forgotten—a time of glory and delight! how quickly beat the russian heart at the words, "native land!" how sweet the tears of meeting! with what unanimity did we combine feelings of national pride with love for the tsar! and for him, what a moment!
the women—our russian women—were splendid then. their usual coldness disappeared. their delight was really intoxicating when, meeting the conquerors, they cried, "hurrah!" and they threw up their caps in the air.
who of the officers of that period does not own that to the russian women he was indebted for his best and most valued reward? during this brilliant period maria was living with her mother in retirement, and neither of them saw how, in both the capitals, the returning troops were welcomed. but in the districts and villages the general enthusiasm was, perhaps, even greater.
[pg 113]
"a time of glory and delight."
[pg 114]
in these places the appearance of an officer became for him a veritable triumph. the accepted lover in plain clothes fared badly by his side.
we have already said that, in spite of her coldness, maria was still, as before, surrounded by suitors. but all had to fall in the rear when there arrived at her castle the wounded young colonel of hussars—burmin by name—with the order of st. george in his button-hole, and an interesting pallor on his face. he was about twenty-six. he had come home on leave to his estates, which were close to maria's villa. maria paid him such attention as none of the others received. in his presence her habitual gloom disappeared. it could not be said that she flirted with him. but a poet, observing her behaviour, might have asked, "s' amor non è, che dunque?"
burmin was really a very agreeable young man. he possessed just the kind of sense that pleased women: a sense of what is suitable and becoming. he had no affectation, and was carelessly satirical. his manner towards maria was simple and easy. he seemed to be of a quiet and modest disposition; but rumour said that he had at one time been terribly wild. this, however, did not harm him in the opinion of maria, who (like all other young ladies) excused, with pleasure, vagaries which were the result of impulsiveness and daring.
[pg 115]
but above all—more than his love-making, more than his pleasant talk, more than his interesting pallor, more even than his bandaged arm—the silence of the young hussar excited her curiosity and her imagination. she could not help confessing to herself that he pleased her very much. probably he too, with his acuteness and his experience, had seen that he interested her. how was it, then, that up to this moment she had not seen him at her feet; had not received from him any declaration whatever? and wherefore did she not encourage him with more attention, and, according to circumstances, even with tenderness? had she a secret of her own which would account for her behaviour?
at last, burmin fell into such deep meditation, and his black eyes rested with such fire upon maria, that the decisive moment seemed very near. the neighbours spoke of the marriage as an accomplished fact, and kind praskovia rejoiced that her daughter had at last found for herself a worthy mate.
the lady was sitting alone once in the drawing-room, laying out grande-patience, when burmin entered the room, and at once inquired for maria.
"she is in the garden," replied the old lady: "go to her, and i will wait for you here." burmin went, and the old lady made the sign of the cross[pg 116] and thought, "perhaps the affair will be settled to-day!"
burmin found maria in the ivy-bower beside the pond, with a book in her hands, and wearing a white dress—a veritable heroine of romance. after the first inquiries, maria purposely let the conversation drop; increasing by these means the mutual embarrassment, from which it was only possible to escape by means of a sudden and positive declaration.
it happened thus. burmin, feeling the awkwardness of his position, informed maria that he had long sought an opportunity of opening his heart to her, and that he begged for a moment's attention. maria closed the book and lowered her eyes, as a sign that she was listening.
"i love you," said burmin, "i love you passionately!" maria blushed, and bent her head still lower.
"i have behaved imprudently, yielding as i have done to the seductive pleasure of seeing and hearing you daily." maria recollected the first letter of st. preux in 'la nouvelle hélo?se.'
"it is too late now to resist my fate. the remembrance of you, your dear incomparable image, must from to-day be at once the torment and the consolation of my existence. i have now a grave duty to perform, a terrible secret to[pg 117]
[pg 118] disclose, which will place between us an insurmountable barrier."
"in the ivy bower."
"it has always existed!" interrupted maria; "i could never have been your wife."
"i know," he replied quickly; "i know that you once loved. but death and three years of mourning may have worked some change. dear, kind maria, do not try to deprive me of my last consolation; the idea that you might have consented to make me happy if——. don't speak, for god's sake don't speak—you torture me. yes, i know, i feel that you could have been mine, but—i am the most miserable of beings—i am already married!"
maria looked at him in astonishment.
"i am married," continued burmin; "i have been married more than three years, and do not know who my wife is, or where she is, or whether i shall ever see her again."
"what are you saying?" exclaimed maria; "how strange! pray continue."
"in the beginning of 1812," said burmin, "i was hurrying on to wilna, where my regiment was stationed. arriving one evening late at a station, i ordered, the horses to be got ready quickly, when suddenly a fearful snowstorm broke out. both station master and drivers advised me to wait till it was over. i listened to their advice, but an unaccountable restlessness took possession[pg 119] of me, just as though someone was pushing me on. meanwhile, the snowstorm did not abate. i could bear it no longer, and again ordered the horses, and started in the midst of the storm. the driver took it into his head to drive along the river, which would shorten the distance by three miles. the banks were covered with snowdrifts; the driver missed the turning which would have brought us out on to the road, and we turned up in an unknown place. the storm never ceased. i could discern a light, and told the driver to make for it. we entered a village, and found that the light proceeded from a wooden church. the church was open. outside the railings stood several sledges, and people passing in and out through the porch."
"'here! here!' cried several voices. i told the coachman to drive up."
"'where have you dawdled?' said someone to me. 'the bride has fainted; the priest does not know what to do: we were on the point of going back. make haste and get out!'"
"i got out of the sledge in silence, and stepped into the church, which was dimly lighted with two or three tapers. a girl was sitting in a dark corner on a bench; and another girl was rubbing her temples. 'thank god,' said the latter, 'you have come at last! you have nearly been the death of the young lady.'"
[pg 120]
"the old priest approached me; saying,
"'shall i begin?'"
"'begin—begin, reverend father,' i replied, absently."
"the young lady was raised up. i thought her rather pretty. oh, wild, unpardonable frivolity! i placed myself by her side at the altar. the priest hurried on."
"three men and the maid supported the bride, and occupied themselves with her alone. we were married!"
"'kiss your wife,' said the priest."
"my wife turned her pale face towards me. i was going to kiss her, when she exclaimed, 'oh! it is not he—not he!' and fell back insensible."
"the witnesses stared at me. i turned round and left the church without any attempt being made to stop me, threw myself into the sledge, and cried, 'away!'"
"what!" exclaimed maria. "and you don't know what became of your unhappy wife?"
"i do not," replied burmin; "neither do i know the name of the village where i was married, nor that of the station from which i started. at that time i thought so little of my wicked joke that, on driving away from the church, i fell asleep, and never woke till early the next morning, after reaching the third station. the servant who was with me died during the campaign, so that i have[pg 121] now no hope of ever discovering the unhappy woman on whom i played such a cruel trick, and who is now so cruelly avenged."
"great heavens!" cried maria, seizing his hand. "then it was you, and you do not recognise me?" burmin turned pale—and threw himself at her feet.
[pg 122]
the undertaker.
the last remaining goods of the undertaker, adrian prohoroff, were piled on the hearse, and the gaunt pair, for the fourth time, dragged the vehicle along from the basmannaia to the nikitskaia, whither the undertaker had flitted with all his household. closing the shop, he nailed to the gates an announcement that the house was to be sold or let, and then started on foot for his new abode. approaching the small yellow house which had long attracted his fancy and which he at last bought at a high price, the old undertaker was surprised to find that his heart did not rejoice. crossing the strange threshold, he found disorder inside his new abode, and sighed for the decrepit hovel, where for eighteen years everything had been kept in the most perfect order. he began scolding both his daughters and the servant for being so slow, and proceeded to help them himself. order was speedily established. the case with the holy pictures, the cupboard with the crockery, the table, sofa, and bedstead, took up[pg 123] their appropriate corners in the back room. in the kitchen and parlour was placed the master's stock in trade, that is to say, coffins of every colour and of all sizes; likewise wardrobes containing mourning hats, mantles, and funeral torches. over the gate hung a signboard representing a corpulent cupid holding a reversed torch in his hand, with the following inscription: "here coffins are sold, covered, plain, or painted. they are also let out on hire, and old ones are repaired."
the daughters had retired to their own room, adrian went over his residence, sat down by the window, and ordered the samovar to be got ready.
the enlightened reader is aware that both shakespeare and walter scott have represented their gravediggers as lively jocular people, for the sake, no doubt, of a strong contrast. but respect for truth prevents me from following their example; and i must confess that the disposition of our undertaker corresponded closely with his melancholy trade. adrian prohoroff: was usually pensive and gloomy. he only broke silence to scold his daughters when he found them idle, looking out of window at the passers by, or asking too exorbitant prices for his products from those who had the misfortune (sometimes the pleasure) to require them. sitting by the window drinking his seventh cup of tea, according to his[pg 124] custom, adrian was wrapped in the saddest thoughts. he was thinking of the pouring rain, which a week before had met the funeral of a retired brigadier at the turnpike gate, causing many mantles to shrink and many hats to contract. he foresaw inevitable outlay, his existing supply of funeral apparel being in such a sad condition. but he hoped to make good the loss from the funeral of the old shopwoman, tiruhina, who had been at the point of death for the last year. tiruhina, however, was dying at basgulai, and prohoroff was afraid that her heirs, in spite of their promise to him, might be too lazy to send so far, preferring to strike a bargain with the nearest contractor.
these reflections were interrupted unexpectedly by three freemason knocks at the door. "who is there?" enquired the undertaker. the door opened and a man, in whom at a glance might be recognised a german artisan, entered the room, and with a cheery look approached the undertaker.
"pardon me, my dear neighbour," he said, with the accent which even now we russians never hear without a smile; "pardon me for disturbing you; i wanted to make your acquaintance at once. i am a bootmaker, my name is gottlieb schultz, i live in the next street—in that little house opposite your windows. to morrow i celebrate[pg 125] my silver wedding, and i want you and your daughters to dine with me in a friendly way."
the invitation was accepted. the undertaker asked the bootmaker to sit down and have a cup of tea, and thanks to gottlieb schultz's frank disposition, they were soon talking in a friendly way.
"how does your business get on?" enquired adrian.
"oh, oh," replied schultz, "one way and another i have no reason to complain. though, of course, my goods are not like yours. a living man can do without boots, but a corpse cannot do without a coffin."
"perfectly true," said adrian, "still, if a living man has nothing to buy boots with he goes barefooted, whereas the destitute corpse gets his coffin sometimes for nothing."
their conversation continued in this style for some time, until at last the bootmaker rose and took leave of the undertaker, repeating his invitation.
next day, punctually at twelve o'clock, the undertaker and his daughters passed out at the gate of their newly-bought house, and proceeded to their neighbours. i do not intend to describe adrian's russian caftan nor the european dress of akulina or daria, contrary though this be to the[pg 126] custom of fiction-writers of the present day. i don't, however, think it superfluous to mention that both, maidens wore yellow bonnets and scarlet shoes, which they only did on great occasions.
the bootmaker's small lodging was filled with guests, principally german artisans, their wives, and assistants. of russian officials there was only one watchman, the finn yurko, who had managed, in spite of his humble position, to gain the special favour of his chief. he had also performed the functions of postman for about twenty-five years, serving truly and faithfully the people of pogorelsk. the fire which, in the year 1812, consumed the capital, burnt at the same time his humble sentry box. but no sooner had the enemy fled, when in its place appeared a small, new, grey sentry box, with tiny white columns of doric architecture, and yurko resumed his patrol in front of it with battle-axe on shoulder, and in the civic armour of the police uniform.
he was well known to the greater portion of the german residents near the nikitski gates, some of whom had occasionally even passed the night from sunday until monday in yurko's box.
adrian promptly made friends with a man of whom, sooner or later, he might have need, and as the guests were just then going in to dinner they sat down together.
mr. and mrs. schultz and their daughter, the[pg 127] seventeen-year-old lotchen, while dining with their guests, attended to their wants and assisted the cook to wait upon them. beer flowed. yurko ate for four, and adrian did not fall short of him, though his daughters stood upon ceremony.
the conversation, which was in german, grew louder every hour.
suddenly the host called for the attention of the company, and opening a pitch-covered bottle, exclaimed loudly in russian:
"the health of my good louisa!"
the imitation champagne frothed. the host kissed tenderly the fresh face of his forty-year old spouse and the guests drank vociferously the health of good louisa.
"the health of my dear guests!" cried the host opening the second bottle. the guests thanked him and emptied their glasses. then one toast followed another. the health of each guest was proposed separately; then the health of moscow and of about a dozen german towns. they drank the health of the guilds in general, and afterwards of each one separately; the health of the foremen and of the workmen. adrian drank with a will and became so lively, that he himself proposed some jocular toast.
suddenly one of the guests, a stout baker, raised his glass and exclaimed:
"the health of our customers!"
[pg 128]
this toast like all the others was drunk joyfully and unanimously. the guests nodded to each other; the tailor to the bootmaker, the bootmaker to the tailor; the baker to them both and all to the baker.
yurko in the midst of this bowing called out as he turned towards his neighbour:
"now then! my friend, drink to the health of your corpses."
everybody laughed except the undertaker, who felt himself affronted and frowned. no one noticed this; and the guests went on drinking till the bells began to ring for evening service, when they all rose from the table.
the party had broken up late and most of the guests were very hilarious. the stout baker, with the bookbinder, whose face looked as if it were bound in red morocco, led yurko by the arms to his sentry box, thus putting in practice the proverb, "one good turns deserves another."
the undertaker went home drunk and angry.
"how, indeed," he exclaimed aloud. "is my trade worse than any other? is an undertaker own brother to the executioner? what have the infidels to laugh at? is an undertaker a hypocritical buffoon? i should have liked to invite them to a housewarming; to give them a grand spread. but no; that shall not be! i will ask my customers instead; my orthodox corpses."
[pg 129]
"what!" exclaimed the servant, who at that moment was taking off the undertaker's boots. "what is that, sir, you are saying? make the sign of the cross! invite corpses to your housewarming! how awful!"
"i will certainly invite them," persisted adrian, "and not later than for to-morrow. honour me, my benefactors, with your company to-morrow evening at a feast; i will offer you what god has given me."
with these words the undertaker retired to bed, and was soon snoring.
it was still dark when adrian awoke. the shopkeeper, triuhina, had died in the night, and her steward had sent a special messenger on horseback to inform adrian of the fact. the undertaker gave him a grivenik [a silver fourpenny bit] for his trouble, to buy vodka with; dressed hurriedly, took an isvoshchik, and drove off to rasgulai. at the gate of the dead woman's house the police were already standing, and dealers in mourning goods were hovering around, like ravens who have scented a corpse. the defunct was lying in state on the table, yellow like wax, but not yet disfigured by decomposition. hear her, in a crowd, were relations, friends, and domestics. all the windows were open; wax tapers were burning; and the clergy were reading prayers. adrian went up to the nephew, a young shopman in a fashionable[pg 130] surtout, and informed him that the coffin, tapers, pall, and the funeral paraphernalia in general would promptly arrive. the heir thanked him in an absent manner, saying that he would not bargain about the price, but leave it all to his conscience. the undertaker, as usual, vowed that his charges should be moderate, exchanged significant glances with the steward, and left to make the necessary preparations.
the whole day was spent in travelling from rasgulai to the nikitski grates and back again. towards evening everything was settled, and he started home on foot after discharging his hired isvoshchik. it was a moonlight night, and the undertaker got safely to the nikitski grates. at yosnessenia he met our acquaintance, yurko, who, recognising the undertaker, wished him good-night. it was late. the undertaker was close to his house when he thought he saw some one approach the gates, open the wicket, and go in.
"what does it mean?" thought adrian. "who can be wanting me again? is it a burglar, or can my foolish girls have lovers coming after them? there is no telling," and the undertaker was on the point of calling his friend yurko to his assistance, when some one else came up to the wicket and was about to enter, but seeing the master of the house run towards him, he stopped, and took off his three cornered hat. his face seemed[pg 131] familiar to adrian, but in his hurry he had not been able to see it properly.
"you want me?" said adrian, out of breath. "walk in, if you please."
"don't stand on ceremony, my friend," replied the other, in a hollow voice, "go first, and show your guest the way."
adrian had no time to waste on formality. the gate was open, and he went up to the steps followed by the other. adrian heard people walking about in his rooms.
"what the devil is this?" he wondered, and he hastened to see. but now his legs seemed to be giving way. the room was full of corpses. the moon, shining through the windows, lit up their yellow and blue faces, sunken mouths, dim, half-closed eyes, and protruding noses. to his horror, adrian recognised in them people he had buried, and in the guest who came in with him, the brigadier who had been interred during a pouring rain. they all, ladies and gentlemen, surrounded the undertaker, bowing and greeting him affably, except one poor fellow lately buried gratis, who, ashamed of his rags, kept at a distance in a corner of the room. the others were all decently clad; the female corpses in caps and ribbons, the soldiers and officials in their uniforms, but with unshaven beards; and the tradespeople in their best caftans.
"prohoroff," said the brigadier, speaking on[pg 132] behalf of all the company, "we have all risen to profit by your invitation. only those have stopped at home who were quite unable to do otherwise; who have crumbled away and have nothing left but bare bones. even among those there was one who could not resist—he wanted so much to come."
at this moment a diminutive skeleton pushed his way through the crowd and approached adrian. his death's head grinned affably at the undertaker. shreds of green and red cloth and of rotten linen hung on him as on a pole; while the bones of his feet clattered inside his heavy boots like pestles in mortars.
"you do not recognise me, prohoroff?" said the skeleton. "don't you remember the retired, sergeant in the guards, peter petrovitch kurilkin, him to whom you in the year 1799 sold your first coffin, and of deal instead of oak?" with these words the corpse stretched out his long arms to embrace him. but adrian collecting his strength, shrieked, and pushed him away. peter petrovitch staggered, fell over, and crumbled to pieces. there was a murmur of indignation among the company of corpses. all stood up for the honour of their companion, threatening and abusing adrian till the poor man, deafened by their shrieks and quite overcome, lost his senses and fell unconscious among the bones of the retired sergeant of the guard.
[pg 133]
the sun had been shining for sometime upon the bed on which the undertaker lay, when he at last opened his eyes and saw the servant lighting the samovar. with horror he recalled all the incidents of the previous day. triuchin, the brigadier, and the sergeant, kurilkin, passed dimly before his imagination. he waited in silence for the servant to speak and tell him what had occurred during the night.
"how you have slept, adrian prohorovitch!" said aksima, handing him his dressing-gown. "your neighbour the tailor called, also the watchman, to say that to-day was turko's namesday; but you were so fast asleep that we did not disturb you."
"did anyone come from the late triuhina?"
"the late? is she dead, then?"
"what a fool! didn't you help me yesterday to make arrangements for her funeral?"
"oh, my batiushka! [little father] are you mad, or are you still suffering from last night's drink? you were feasting all day at the german's. you came home drunk, threw yourself on the bed, and and have slept till now, when the bells have stopped ringing for mass."
"really!" exclaimed the undertaker, delighted at the explanation.
"of course," replied the servant.
"well, if that is the case, let us have tea quickly, and call my daughters."
[pg 134]
the postmaster.
who has not cursed the postmaster; who has not quarrelled with him? who, in a moment of anger, has not demanded the fatal hook to write his ineffectual complaint against extortion, rudeness, and unpunctuality? who does not consider him a human monster, equal only to our extinct attorney, or, at least, to the brigands of the murom woods? let us, however, be just and place ourselves in his position, and, perhaps, we shall judge him less severely. what is a postmaster? a real martyr of the 14th class (i.e., of nobility), only protected by his tchin (rank) from personal violence; and that not always. i appeal to the conscience of my readers. what is the position of this dictator, as prince yiasemsky jokingly calls him? is it not really that of a galley slave? no rest for him day or night. all the irritation accumulated in the course of a dull journey by the traveller is vented upon the postmaster. if the weather is intolerable, the road wretched, the[pg 135] driver obstinate, or the horses intractable—the postmaster is to blame. entering his humble abode, the traveller looks upon him as his enemy, and the postmaster is lucky if he gets rid of his uninvited guest soon. but should there happen to be no horses! heavens! what abuse, what threats are showered upon his head! through rain and mud he is obliged to seek them, so that during a storm, or in the winter frosts, he is often glad to take refuge in the cold passage in order to snatch a few moments of repose and to escape from the shrieking and pushing of irritated guests.
if a general arrives, the trembling postmaster supplies him with the two last remaining troiki (team of three horses abreast), of which one troika ought, perhaps, to have been reserved for the diligence. the general drives on without even a word of thanks. five minutes later the postmaster hears—a bell! and the guard throws down his travelling certificate on the table before him! let us realize all this, and, instead of anger, we shall feel sincere pity for the postmaster. a few words more. in the course of twenty years i have travelled all over russia, and know nearly all the mail routes. i have made the acquaintance of several generations of drivers. there are few postmasters whom i do not know personally, and few with whom i have not had dealings. my curious collection of travelling experiences i hope[pg 136] shortly to publish. at present i will only say that, as a class, the postmaster is presented to the public in a false light. this much-libelled personage is generally a peaceful, obliging, sociable, modest man, and not too fond of money. from his conversation (which the travelling gentry very wrongly despise) much interesting and instructive information may be acquired. as far as i am concerned, i profess that i prefer his talk to that of some tchinovnik (official) of the 6th class, travelling for the government.
it may easily be guessed that i have some friends among the honourable class of postmasters. indeed, the memory of one of them is very dear to me. circumstances at one time brought us together, and it is of him that i now intend to tell my dear readers.
in the may of 1816 i chanced to be passing through the government of ----, along a road now no longer existing. i held a small rank, and was travelling with relays of three horses while paying only for two. consequently the postmaster stood upon no ceremony with me, but i had often to take from him by force what i considered to be mine by right. being young and passionate, i was indignant at the meanness and, cowardice of the postmaster when he handed over the troika prepared for me to some official gentleman of higher rank.
[pg 137]
it also took me a long time to get over the offence, when a servant, fond of making distinctions, missed me when waiting at the governor's table. now the one and the other appear to me to be quite in the natural course of things. indeed, what would become of us, if, instead of the convenient rule that rank gives precedence to rank, the rule were to be reversed, and mind made to give precedence to mind? what disputes would arise! besides, to whom would the attendants first hand the dishes? but to return to my story.
the day was hot. about three versts from the station it began to spit, and a minute afterwards there was a pouring rain, and i was soon drenched to the skin. arriving at the station, my first care was to change my clothes, and then i asked for a cup of tea.
"hi! dunia!" called out the postmaster, "prepare the samovar and fetch some cream."
in obedience to this command, a girl of fourteen appeared from behind the partition, and ran out into the passage. i was struck by her beauty.
"is that your daughter?" i inquired of the postmaster.
"yes," he answered, with a look of gratified pride, "and such a good, clever girl, just like her late mother." then, while he took note of my travelling certificate, i occupied the time in examining[pg 138] the pictures which decorated the walls of his humble abode. they were illustrations of the story of the prodigal son. in the firsts a venerable old man in a skull cap and dressing gown, is wishing good-bye to the restless youth who naturally receives his blessing and a bag of money. in another, the dissipated life of the young man is painted in glaring colours; he is sitting at a table surrounded by false friends and shameless women. in the next picture, the ruined youth in his shirt sleeves and a three-corned hat, is taking care of some swine while sharing their food. his face expresses deep sorrow and contrition. finally, there was the representation of his return to his father. the kind old man, in the same cap and dressing gown, runs out to meet him; the prodigal son falls on his knees before him; in the distance, the cook is killing the fatted calf, and the eldest son is asking the servants the reason of all this rejoicing. at the foot of each picture i read some appropriate german verses. i remember them all distinctly, as well as some pots of balsams, the bed with the speckled curtains, and many other characteristic surroundings. i can see the stationmaster at this moment; a man about fifty years of age, fresh and strong, in a long green coat, with three medals on faded ribbons.
i had scarcely time to settle with my old driver when dunia returned with the samovar. the[pg 139] little coquette saw at a second glance the impression she had produced upon me. she lowered her large, blue eyes. i spoke to her, and she replied confidently, like a girl accustomed to society. i offered a glass of punch to her father, to dunia i handed a cup of tea. then we all three fell into easy conversation, as if we had known each other all our lives.
the horses had been waiting a long while, but i was loth to part from the postmaster and his daughter. at last i took leave of them, the father wishing me a pleasant journey, while the daughter saw me to the telega. in the corridor i stopped and asked permission to kiss her. dunia consented. i can remember a great many kisses since then, but none which left such a lasting, such a delightful impression.
several years passed, when circumstances brought me back to the same tract, to the very same places. i recollected the old postmasters daughter, and rejoiced at the prospect of seeing her again.
"but," i thought, "perhaps the old postmaster has been changed, and dunia may be already married." the idea that one or the other might be dead also passed through my mind, and i approached the station of ---- with sad presentiments. the horses drew up at the small station house. i entered the waiting-room, and[pg 140] instantly recognised the pictures representing the story of the prodigal son. the table and the bed stood in their old places, but the flowers on the window sills had disappeared, while all the surroundings showed neglect and decay.
the postmaster was asleep under his great-coat, but my arrival awoke him and he rose. it was certainly simeon virin, but how aged! while he was preparing to make a copy of my travelling certificate, i looked at his grey hairs, and the deep wrinkles in his long, unshaven face, his bent back, and i was amazed to see how three or four years had managed to change a strong, middle-aged man into a frail, old one.
"do you recognise me?" i asked him, "we are old friends."
"may be," he replied, gloomily, "this is a highway, and many travellers have passed through here."
"is your dunia well?" i added. the old man frowned.
"heaven knows," he answered.
"apparently, she is married," i said.
the old man pretended not to hear my question, and in a low voice went on reading my travelling certificate. i ceased my inquiries and ordered hot water.
my curiosity was becoming painful, and i hoped that the punch would loosen the tongue of my old[pg 141] friend. i was not mistaken; the old man did not refuse the proffered tumbler. i noticed that the rum dispelled his gloom. at the second glass he became talkative, remembered, or at any rate looked as if he remembered, me, and i heard the story, which at the time interested me and even affected me much.
"so you knew my dunia?" he began. "but, then, who did not? oh, dunia, dunia! what a beautiful girl you were! you were admired and praised by every traveller. no one had a word to say against her. the ladies gave her presents—one a handkerchief, another a pair of earrings. the gentlemen stopped on purpose, as if to dine or to take supper, but really only to take a longer look at her. however rough a man might be, he became subdued in her presence and spoke graciously to me. will you believe me, sir? couriers and special messengers would talk to her for half-an-hour at the time. she was the support of the house. she kept everything in order, did everything and looked after everything. while i, the old fool that i was, could not see enough of her, or pet her sufficiently. how i loved her! how i indulged my child! surely her life was a happy one? but, no! fate is not to be avoided."
then he began to tell me his sorrow in detail. three years before, one winter evening, while the[pg 142] postmaster was ruling a new book, his daughter in the next partition was busy making herself a dress, when a troika drove up and a traveller, wearing a circassian hat and a long military overcoat, and muffled in a shawl, entered the room and demanded horses.
the horses were all out. hearing this, the traveller had raised his voice and his whip, when dunia, accustomed to such scenes, rushed out from behind the partition and inquired pleasantly whether he would not like something to eat? her appearance produced the usual effect. the passenger's rage subsided, he agreed to wait for horses, and ordered some supper. he took off his wet hat, unloosed the shawl, and divested himself of his long overcoat.
the traveller was a tall, young hussar with a small black moustache. he settled down comfortably at the postmaster's and began a lively, conversation with him and his daughter. supper was served. meanwhile, the horses returned and the postmaster ordered them instantly, without being fed, to be harnessed to the traveller's kibitka. but returning to the room, he found the young man senseless on the bench where he lay in a faint. such a headache had attacked him that it was impossible for him to continue his journey. what was to be done? the postmaster gave up his own bed to him; and it was arranged that if[pg 143] the patient was not better the next morning to send to c——— for the doctor.
next day the hussar was worse. his servant rode to the town to fetch the doctor. dunia bound up his head with a handkerchief moistened in vinegar, and sat down with her needlework by his bedside. in the presence of the postmaster the invalid groaned and scarcely said a word.
nevertheless, he drank two cups of coffee and, still groaning, ordered a good dinner. dunia never left him. every time he asked for a drink dunia handed him the jug of lemonade prepared by herself. after moistening his lips, the patient each time he returned the jug gave her hand a gentle pressure in token of gratitude.
towards dinner time the doctor arrived. he felt the patient's pulse, spoke to him in german and in russian, declared that all he required was rest, and said that in a couple of days he would be able to start on his journey. the hussar handed him twenty-five rubles for his visit, and gave him an invitation to dinner, which the doctor accepted. they both ate with a good appetite, and drank a bottle of wine between them. then, very pleased with one another, they separated.
another day passed, and the hussar had quite recovered. he became very lively, incessantly joking, first with dunia, then with the postmaster, whistling tunes, conversing with the[pg 144] passengers, copying their travelling certificates into the station book, and so ingratiating himself that on the third day the good postmaster regretted parting with his dear lodger.
it was sunday, and dunia was getting ready to attend mass. the hussar's kibitka was at the door. he took leave of the postmaster, after recompensing him handsomely for his board and lodging, wished dunia good-bye, and proposed to drop her at the church, which was situated at the other end of the village. dunia hesitated.
"what are you afraid of?" asked her father. "his nobility is not a wolf. he won't eat you. drive with him as far as the church."
dunia got into the carriage by the side of the hussar. the servant jumped on the coach box, the coachman gave a whistle, and the horses went off at a gallop.
the poor postmaster could not understand how he came to allow his dunia to drive off with the hussar; how he could have been so blind, and what had become of his senses. before half-an-hour had passed his heart misgave him. it ached, and he became so uneasy that he could bear the situation no longer, and started for the church himself. approaching the church, he saw that the people were already dispersing. but dunia was neither in the churchyard nor at the entrance. he hurried into the church; the priest was just[pg 145] leaving the altar, the clerk was extinguishing the tapers, two old women were still praying in a corner; but dunia was nowhere to be seen. the poor father could scarcely summon courage to ask the clerk if she had been to mass. the clerk replied that she had not. the postmaster returned home neither dead nor alive. he had only one hope left; that dunia in the flightiness of her youth had, perhaps, resolved to drive as far as the next station, where her godmother lived. in patient agitation he awaited the return of the troika with which he had allowed her to drive off, but the driver did not come back. at last, towards night, he arrived alone and tipsy, with the fatal news that dunia had gone on with the hussar.
the old man succumbed to his misfortune, and took to his bed, the same bed where, the day before, the young impostor had lain. recalling all the circumstances, the postmaster understood now that the hussar's illness had been shammed. the poor fellow sickened with severe fever, he was removed to c———, and in his place another man was temporarily appointed. the same doctor who had visited the hussar attended him. he assured the postmaster that the young man had been perfectly well, that he had from the first had suspicions of his evil intentions, but that he had kept silent for fear of his whip.
[pg 146]
whether the german doctor spoke the truth, or was anxious only to prove his great penetration, his assurance brought no consolation to the poor patient. as soon as he was beginning to recover from his illness, the old postmaster asked his superior postmaster of the town of c——— for two months' leave of absence, and without saying a word to anyone, he started off on foot to look for his daughter.
from the station book he discovered that captain minsky had left smolensk for petersburg. the coachman who drove him said that dunia had wept all the way, though she seemed to be going of her own free will.
"perhaps," thought the station master, "i shall bring back my strayed lamb." with this idea he reached st. petersburg, and stopped with the ismailovsky regiment, in the quarters of a non-commissioned officer, his old comrade in arms. beginning his search he soon found out that captain minsky was in petersburg, living at demuth's hotel. the postmaster determined to see him.
early in the morning he went to minsky's antechamber, and asked to have his nobility informed that an old soldier wished to see him. the military attendant, in the act of cleaning a boot on a boot-tree, informed him that his master was asleep, and never received anyone before eleven o'clock. the postmaster left to return at the appointed time.[pg 147] minsky came out to him in his dressing gown and red skull cap.
"well, my friend, what do you want?" he inquired.
the old maids heart boiled, tears started to his eyes, and in a trembling voice he could only say, "your nobility; be divinely merciful!"
minsky glanced quickly at him, flushed, and seizing him by the hand, led him into his study and locked the door.
"your nobility!" continued the old man, "what has fallen from the cart is lost; give me back, at any rate, my dunia. let her go. do not ruin her entirely."
"what is done cannot be undone," replied the young man, in extreme confusion. "i am guilty before you, and ready to ask your pardon. but do not imagine that i could neglect dunia. she shall be happy, i give you my word of honour. why do you want her? she loves me; she has forsaken her former existence. neither you nor she can forget what has happened." then, pushing something up his sleeve, he opened the door, and the postmaster found himself, he knew not how, in the street.
he stood long motionless, at last catching sight of a roll of papers inside his cuff, he pulled them out and unrolled several crumpled-up fifty ruble notes. his eyes again filled with tears, tears of[pg 148] indignation! he crushed the notes into a ball, threw them on the ground, and, stamping on them with his heel, walked away. after a few steps he stopped, reflected a moment, and turned back.
but the notes were gone. a well-dressed young man, who had observed him, ran towards an isvoshtchick, got in hurriedly, and called to the driver to be "off."
the postmaster did not pursue him. he had resolved to return home to his post-house; but before doing so he wished to see his poor dunia once more. with this view, a couple of days afterwards he returned to minsky's lodgings. but the military servant told him roughly that his master received nobody, pushed him out of the antechamber, and slammed the door in his face. the postmaster stood and stood, and at last went away.
that same day, in the evening, he was walking along the leteinaia, having been to service at the church of the all saints, when a smart drojki flew past him, and in it the postmaster recognised minsky. the drojki stopped in front of a three-storeyed house at the very entrance, and the hussar ran up the steps. a happy thought occurred to the postmaster. he retraced his steps.
"whose horses are these?" he inquired of the coachman. "don't they belong to minsky?"
[pg 149]
"exactly so," replied the coachman. "why do you ask?"
"why! your master told me to deliver a note for him to his dunia, and i have forgotten where his dunia lives."
"she lives here on the second floor; but you are too late, my friend, with your note; he is there himself now."
"no matter," answered the postmaster, who had an undefinable sensation at his heart. "thanks for your information; i shall be able to manage my business." with these words he ascended the steps.
the door was locked; he rang. there were several seconds of painful delay. then the key jingled, and the door opened.
"does avdotia simeonovna live here?" he inquired.
"she does," replied the young maid-servant, "what do you want with her?"
the postmaster did not reply, but walked on.
"you must not, must not," she called after him; "avdotia simeonovna has visitors." but the postmaster, without listening, went on. the first two rooms were dark. in the third there was a light. he approached the open door and stopped. in the room, which was beautifully furnished, sat minsky in deep thought. dunia, dressed in all the splendour of the latest fashion, sat on the arm[pg 150] of his easy chair, like a rider on an english side saddle. she was looking tenderly at minsky, while twisting his black locks round her glittering fingers. poor postmaster! his daughter had never before seemed so beautiful to him. in spite of himself, he stood admiring her.
"who is there?" she asked, without raising her head.
he was silent.
receiving no reply dunia looked up, and with a cry she fell on the carpet.
minsky, in alarm, rushed to pick her up, when suddenly seeing the old postmaster in the doorway, he left dunia and approached him, trembling with rage.
"what do you want?" he inquired, clenching his teeth. "why do you steal after me everywhere, like a burglar? or do you want to murder me? begone!" and with a strong hand he seized the old man by the scruff of the neck and pushed him down the stairs.
the old man went back to his rooms. his friend advised him to take proceedings, but the postmaster reflected, waved his hand, and decided to give the matter up. two days afterwards he left petersburg for his station and resumed his duties.
"this is the third year," he concluded, "that i am living without my dunia; and i have had no tidings whatever of her. whether she is alive or[pg 151] not god knows. many tilings happen. she is not the first, nor the last, whom a wandering blackguard has enticed away, kept for a time, and then dropped. there are many such young fools in petersburg to-day, in satins and velvets, and to-morrow you see them sweeping the streets in the company of drunkards in rags. when i think sometimes that dunia, too, may end in the same way, then, in spite of myself, i sin, and wish her in her grave."
such was the story of my friend, the old postmaster, the story more than once interrupted by tears, which he wiped away picturesquely with the flap of his coat like the faithful terentieff in dmitrieff's beautiful ballad. the tears were partly caused by punch, of which he had consumed five tumblers in the course of his narrative. but whatever their origin, i was deeply affected by them. after parting with him, it was long before i could forget the old postmaster, and i thought long of poor dunia.
lately, again passing through the small place of ———, i remembered my friend. i heard that the station over which he ruled had been done away with. to my inquiry, "is the postmaster alive?" no one could give a satisfactory answer. having resolved to pay a visit to the familiar place, i hired horses of my own, and started for the village of n——.
[pg 152]
it was autumn. grey clouds covered the sky; a cold wind blew from the close reaped fields, carrying with it the brown and yellow leaves of the trees which it met. i arrived in the village at sunset, and stopped at the station house. in the passage (where once dunia had kissed me) a stout woman met me; and to my inquiries, replied that the old postmaster had died about a year before; that a brewer occupied his house; and that she was the wife of that brewer. i regretted my fruitless journey, and my seven roubles of useless expense.
"of what did he die?" i asked the brewer's wife.
"of drink," she answered.
"and where is he buried?"
"beyond the village, by the side of his late wife."
"could someone take me to his grave?"
"certainly! hi, vanka! cease playing with the cat and take this gentleman to the cemetery, and show him the postmaster's grave."
at these words, a ragged boy, with red hair and a squint, ran towards me to lead the way.
"did you know the poor man?" i asked him, on the road.
"how should i not know him? he taught me to make whistles. when (may he be in heaven!) we met him coming from the tavern, we used to run after him calling, 'daddy! daddy! some[pg 153] nuts,' and he gave us nuts. he idled most of his time away with, us."
"and do the travellers ever speak of him?"
"there are few travellers now-a-days, unless the assize judge turns up; and he is too busy to think of the dead. but a lady, passing through last summer, did ask after the old postmaster, and she went to his grave."
"what was the ladylike?" i inquired curiously.
"a beautiful lady," answered the boy. "she travelled in a coach with six horses, three beautiful little children, a nurse, and a little black dog; and when she heard that the old postmaster was dead, she wept, and told the children to keep quiet while she went to the cemetery. i offered to show her the way, but the lady said, 'i know the way,' and she gave me a silver piatak (twopence) ... such a kind lady!"
we reached the cemetery. it was a bare place unenclosed, marked with wooden crosses and unshaded by a single tree. never before had i seen such a melancholy cemetery.
"here is the grave of the old postmaster," said the boy to me, as he pointed to a heap of sand into which had been stuck a black cross with a brass icon (image).
"did the lady come here?" i asked.
"she did," replied vanka. "i saw her from a distance. she lay down here, and remained[pg 154] lying down for a long while. then she went into the village and saw the priest. she gave him some money and drove off. to me she gave a silver piatak. she was a splendid lady!"
and i also gave the boy a silver piatak, regretting neither the journey nor the seven roubles that it had cost me.