白痴 英文版 The Idiot
陀思妥耶夫斯基 Fyodor Dostoyevsky
The Idiot VII. Page 2
"Yes, your father kindly recommended me to him."
"Then look out for him, I warn you! He won't forgive you easily,for taking back the letter."
Aglaya pressed the prince's hand and left the room. Her face wasserious and frowning; she did not even smile as she nodded good-bye to him at the door.
"I'll just get my parcel and we'll go," said the prince to Gania,as he re-entered the drawing-room. Gania stamped his foot withimpatience. His face looked dark and gloomy with rage.
At last they left the house behind them, the prince carrying hisbundle.
"The answer--quick--the answer!" said Gania, the instant theywere outside. "What did she say? Did you give the letter?" Theprince silently held out the note. Gania was struck motionlesswith amazement.
"How, what? my letter?" he cried. "He never delivered it! I mighthave guessed it, oh! curse him! Of course she did not understandwhat I meant, naturally! Why-why-WHY didn't you give her the note,you--"
"Excuse me; I was able to deliver it almost immediately afterreceiving your commission, and I gave it, too, just as you askedme to. It has come into my hands now because Aglaya Ivanovna hasjust returned it to me."
"How? When?"
"As soon as I finished writing in her album for her, and when sheasked me to come out of the room with her (you heard?), we wentinto the dining-room, and she gave me your letter to read, andthen told me to return it."
"To READ?" cried Gania, almost at the top of his voice; "to READ,and you read it?"
And again he stood like a log in the middle of the pavement; soamazed that his mouth remained open after the last word had leftit.
"Yes, I have just read it."
"And she gave it you to read herself--HERSELF?"
"Yes, herself; and you may believe me when I tell you that Iwould not have read it for anything without her permission."
Gania was silent for a minute or two, as though thinking out someproblem. Suddenly he cried:
"It's impossible, she cannot have given it to you to read! Youare lying. You read it yourself!"
"I am telling you the truth," said the prince in his formercomposed tone of voice; "and believe me, I am extremely sorrythat the circumstance should have made such an unpleasantimpression upon you!"
"But, you wretched man, at least she must have said something?There must be SOME answer from her!"
"Yes, of course, she did say something!"
"Out with it then, damn it! Out with it at once!" and Ganiastamped his foot twice on the pavement.
I asked her what I wasto say, as I took!
"As soon as I had finished reading it, she told me that you werefishing for her; that you wished to compromise her so far as toreceive some hopes from her, trusting to which hopes you mightbreak with the prospect of receiving a hundred thousand roubles.She said that if you had done this without bargaining with her,if you had broken with the money prospects without trying toforce a guarantee out of her first, she might have been yourfriend. That's all, I think. Oh no, when I asked her what I wasto say, as I took the letter, she replied that 'no answer is thebest answer.' I think that was it. Forgive me if I do not use herexact expressions. I tell you the sense as I understood itmyself."
Ungovernable rage and madness took entire possession of Gania,and his fury burst out without the least attempt at restraint.
"Oh! that's it, is it!" he yelled. "She throws my letters out ofthe window, does she! Oh! and she does not condescend to bargain,while I DO, eh? We shall see, we shall see! I shall pay her outfor this."
He twisted himself about with rage, and grew paler and paler; heshook his fist. So the pair walked along a few steps. Gania didnot stand on ceremony with the prince; he behaved just as thoughhe were alone in his room. He clearly counted the latter as anonentity. But suddenly he seemed to have an idea, andrecollected himself.
"But how was it?" he asked, "how was it that you (idiot that youare)," he added to himself, "were so very confidential a coupleof hours after your first meeting with these people? How wasthat, eh?"
Up to this moment jealousy had not been one of his torments; nowit suddenly gnawed at his heart.
"That is a thing I cannot undertake to explain," replied theprince. Gania looked at him with angry contempt.
"Oh! I suppose the present she wished to make to you, when shetook you into the dining-room, was her confidence, eh?"
"I suppose that was it; I cannot explain it otherwise?"
"But why, WHY? Devil take it, what did you do in there? Why didthey fancy you? Look here, can't you remember exactly what yousaid to them, from the very beginning? Can't you remember?"
"Oh, we talked of a great many things. When first I went in webegan to speak of Switzerland."
"Oh, the devil take Switzerland!"
"Then about executions."
"Executions?"
"Yes--at least about one. Then I told the whole three years'story of my life, and the history of a poor peasant girl--"
"Oh, damn the peasant girl! go on, go on!" said Gania,impatiently.
"Then how Schneider told me about my childish nature, and--"
"Oh, CURSE Schneider and his dirty opinions! Go on."
"Then I began to talk about faces, at least about the EXPRESSIONSof faces, and said that Aglaya Ivanovna was nearly as lovely asNastasia Philipovna. It was then I blurted out about theportrait--"
"But you didn't repeat what you heard in the study? You didn'trepeat that--eh?"
"No, I tell you I did NOT."
"Then how did they--look here! Did Aglaya show my letter to theold lady?"
"Oh, there I can give you my fullest assurance that she did NOT.I was there all the while--she had no time to do it!"
"But perhaps you may not have observed it, oh, you damned idiot,you!" he shouted, quite beside himself with fury. "You can't evendescribe what went on."
Gania having once descended to abuse, and receiving no check,very soon knew no bounds or limit to his licence, as is often theway in such cases. His rage so blinded him that he had not evenbeen able to detect that this "idiot," whom he was abusing tosuch an extent, was very far from being slow of comprehension,and had a way of taking in an impression, and afterwards givingit out again, which was very un-idiotic indeed. But something alittle unforeseen now occurred.
"I think I ought to tell you, Gavrila Ardalionovitch," said theprince, suddenly, "that though I once was so ill that I reallywas little better than an idiot, yet now I am almost recovered,and that, therefore, it is not altogether pleasant to be calledan idiot to my face. Of course your anger is excusable,considering the treatment you have just experienced; but I mustremind you that you have twice abused me rather rudely. I do notlike this sort of thing, and especially so at the first time ofmeeting a man, and, therefore, as we happen to be at this momentstanding at a crossroad, don't you think we had better part, youto the left, homewards, and I to the right, here? I have twenty-five roubles, and I shall easily find a lodging."
Gania was much confused, and blushed for shame "Do forgive me,prince!" he cried, suddenly changing his abusive tone for one ofgreat courtesy. "For Heaven's sake, forgive me! You see what amiserable plight I am in, but you hardly know anything of thefacts of the case as yet. If you did, I am sure you would forgiveme, at least partially. Of course it was inexcusable of me, Iknow, but--"
"Oh, dear me, I really do not require such profuse apologies,"replied the prince, hastily. "I quite understand how unpleasantyour position is, and that is what made you abuse me. Socome along to your house, after all. I shall be delighted--"
"I am not going to let him go like this," thought Gania, glancingangrily at the prince as they walked along. " The fellow hassucked everything out of me, and now he takes off his mask--there's something more than appears, here we shall see. It shallall be as clear as water by tonight, everything!"
But by this time they had reached Gania's house.