白痴 英文版 The Idiot
陀思妥耶夫斯基 Fyodor Dostoyevsky
The Idiot IX.
Nastasia's arrival was a most unexpected and overwhelming eventto all parties. In the first place, she had never been before. Upto now she had been so haughty that she had never even askedGania to introduce her to his parents. Of late she had not somuch as mentioned them. Gania was partly glad of this; but stillhe had put it to her debit in the account to be settled aftermarriage.
He would have borne anything from her rather than this visit. Butone thing seemed to him quite clear-her visit now, and thepresent of her portrait on this particular day, pointed outplainly enough which way she intended to make her decision!
The incredulous amazement with which all regarded the prince didnot last long, for Nastasia herself appeared at the door andpassed in, pushing by the prince again.
"At last I've stormed the citadel! Why do you tie up your bell?"she said, merrily, as she pressed Gania's hand, the latter havingrushed up to her as soon as she made her appearance. "What areyou looking so upset about? Introduce me, please!"
The bewildered Gania introduced her first to Varia, and bothwomen, before shaking hands, exchanged looks of strange import.Nastasia, however, smiled amiably; but Varia did not try to lookamiable, and kept her gloomy expression. She did not evenvouchsafe the usual courteous smile of etiquette. Gania darted aterrible glance of wrath at her for this, but Nina Alexandrovna,mended matters a little when Gania introduced her at last.Hardly, however, had the old lady begun about her " highlygratified feelings," and so on, when Nastasia left her, andflounced into a chair by Gania's side in the corner by thewindow, and cried: "Where's your study? and where are the--thelodgers? You do take in lodgers, don't you?"
Gania looked dreadfully put out, and tried to say something inreply, but Nastasia interrupted him:
"Why, where are you going to squeeze lodgers in here? Don't youuse a study? Does this sort of thing pay?" she added, turning toNina Alexandrovna.
"Well, it is troublesome, rather," said the latter; "but Isuppose it will 'pay' pretty well. We have only just begun,however--"
Again Nastasia Philipovna did not hear the sentence out. Sheglanced at Gania, and cried, laughing, "What a face! My goodness,what a face you have on at this moment!"
Indeed, Gania did not look in the least like himself. Hisbewilderment and his alarmed perplexity passed off, however, andhis lips now twitched with rage as he continued to stare evillyat his laughing guest, while his countenance became absolutelylivid.
There was another witness, who, though standing at the doormotionless and bewildered himself, still managed to remarkGania's death-like pallor, and the dreadful change that had comeover his face. This witness was the prince, who now advanced inalarm and muttered to Gania:
"Drink some water, and don't look like that!"
It was clear that he came out with these words quitespontaneously, on the spur of the moment. But his speech wasproductive of much--for it appeared that all. Gania's rage nowoverflowed upon the prince. He seized him by the shoulder andgazed with an intensity of loathing and revenge at him, but saidnothing--as though his feelings were too strong to permit ofwords.
General agitation prevailed. Nina Alexandrovna gave a little cryof anxiety; Ptitsin took a step forward in alarm; Colia andFerdishenko stood stock still at the door in amazement;--onlyVaria remained coolly watching the scene from under hereyelashes. She did not sit down, but stood by her mother withfolded hands. However, Gania recollected himself almostimmediately. He let go of the prince and burst out laughing.
"Why, are you a doctor, prince, or what?" he asked, as naturallyas possible. "I declare you quite frightened me! NastasiaPhilipovna, let me introduce this interesting character to you--though I have only known him myself since the morning."
Nastasia gazed at the prince in bewilderment. "Prince? He aPrince? Why, I took him for the footman, just now, and sent himin to announce me! Ha, ha, ha, isn't that good!"
"Not bad that, not bad at all!" put in Ferdishenko, "se non evero--"
"I rather think I pitched into you, too, didn't I? Forgive me--do!Who is he, did you say? What prince? Muishkin?" she added,addressing Gania.
"He is a lodger of ours," explained the latter.
"An idiot!"--the prince distinctly heard the word half whisperedfrom behind him. This was Ferdishenko's voluntary information forNastasia's benefit.
"Tell me, why didn't you put me right when I made such a dreadfulmistake just now?" continued the latter, examining the princefrom head to foot without the slightest ceremony. She awaited theanswer as though convinced that it would be so foolish that shemust inevitably fail to restrain her laughter over it.
"I was astonished, seeing you so suddenly--" murmured the prince.
"How did you know who I was? Where had you seen me before? Andwhy were you so struck dumb at the sight of me? What was there sooverwhelming about me?"
"Oho! ho, ho, ho!" cried Ferdishenko. "NOW then, prince! Myword, what things I would say if I had such a chance as that! Mygoodness, prince--go on!"
"So should I, in your place, I've no doubt!" laughed the princeto Ferdishenko; then continued, addressing Nastasia: "Yourportrait struck me very forcibly this morning; then I was talkingabout you to the Epanchins; and then, in the train, before Ireached Petersburg, Parfen Rogojin told me a good deal about you;and at the very moment that I opened the door to you I happenedto be thinking of you, when--there you stood before me!"
"And how did you recognize me?"
"From the portrait!"
"What else?"
"I seemed to imagine you exactly as you are--I seemed to haveseen you somewhere."
"Where--where?"
heard a good deal byreport.
"I seem to have seen your eyes somewhere; but it cannot be! Ihave not seen you--I never was here before. I may have dreamed ofyou, I don't know."
The prince said all this with manifest effort--in brokensentences, and with many drawings of breath. He was evidentlymuch agitated. Nastasia Philipovna looked at him inquisitively,but did not laugh.
"Bravo, prince!" cried Ferdishenko, delighted.
At this moment a loud voice from behind the group which hedged inthe prince and Nastasia Philipovna, divided the crowd, as itwere, and before them stood the head of the family, GeneralIvolgin. He was dressed in evening clothes; his moustache wasdyed.
This apparition was too much for Gania. Vain and ambitious almostto morbidness, he had had much to put up with in the last twomonths, and was seeking feverishly for some means of enablinghimself to lead a more presentable kind of existence. At home, henow adopted an attitude of absolute cynicism, but he could notkeep this up before Nastasia Philipovna, although he had sworn tomake her pay after marriage for all he suffered now. He wasexperiencing a last humiliation, the bitterest of all, at thismoment--the humiliation of blushing for his own kindred in his ownhouse. A question flashed through his mind as to whether the gamewas really worth the candle.
For that had happened at this moment, which for two months hadbeen his nightmare; which had filled his soul with dread andshame--the meeting between his father and Nastasia Philipovna. Hehad often tried to imagine such an event, but had found thepicture too mortifying and exasperating, and had quietly droppedit. Very likely he anticipated far worse things than was at allnecessary; it is often so with vain persons. He had long sincedetermined, therefore, to get his father out of the way,anywhere, before his marriage, in order to avoid such a meeting;but when Nastasia entered the room just now, he had been sooverwhelmed with astonishment, that he had not thought of hisfather, and had made no arrangements to keep him out of the way.And now it was too late--there he was, and got up, too, in a dresscoat and white tie, and Nastasia in the very humour to heapridicule on him and his family circle; of this last fact, he feltquite persuaded. What else had she come for? There were hismother and his sister sitting before her, and she seemed to haveforgotten their very existence already; and if she behaved likethat, he thought, she must have some object in view.
Ferdishenko led the general up to Nastasia Philipovna.
"Ardalion Alexandrovitch Ivolgin," said the smiling general, witha low bow of great dignity, "an old soldier, unfortunate, and thefather of this family; but happy in the hope of including in thatfamily so exquisite--"
He did not finish his sentence, for at this moment Ferdishenkopushed a chair up from behind, and the general, not very firm onhis legs, at this post-prandial hour, flopped into it backwards.It was always a difficult thing to put this warrior to confusion,and his sudden descent left him as composed as before. He had satdown just opposite to Nastasia, whose fingers he now took, andraised to his lips with great elegance, and much courtesy. Thegeneral had once belonged to a very select circle of society, buthe had been turned out of it two or three years since on accountof certain weaknesses, in which he now indulged with all the lessrestraint; but his good manners remained with him to this day, inspite of all.
Nastasia Philipovna seemed delighted at the appearance of thislatest arrival, of whom she had of course heard a good deal byreport.
"I have heard that my son--" began Ardalion Alexandrovitch.
"Your son, indeed! A nice papa you are! YOU might have come tosee me anyhow, without compromising anyone. Do you hide yourself,or does your son hide you?"
"The children of the nineteenth century, and their parents--"began the general, again.
"Nastasia Philipovna, will you excuse the general for a moment?Someone is inquiring for him," said Nina Alexandrovna in a loudvoice, interrupting the conversation.
"Excuse him? Oh no, I have wished to see him too long for that.Why, what business can he have? He has retired, hasn't he? Youwon't leave me, general, will you?"
"I give you my word that he shall come and see you--but he--heneeds rest just now."
"General, they say you require rest," said Nastasia Philipovna,with the melancholy face of a child whose toy is taken away.
Ardalion Alexandrovitch immediately did his best to make hisfoolish position a great deal worse.
"My dear, my dear!" he said, solemnly and reproachfully, lookingat his wife, with one hand on his heart.
"Won't you leave the room, mamma?" asked Varia, aloud.
"No, Varia, I shall sit it out to the end."
Nastasia must have overheard both question and reply, but hervivacity was not in the least damped. On the contrary, it seemedto increase. She immediately overwhelmed the general once morewith questions, and within five minutes that gentleman was ashappy as a king, and holding forth at the top of his voice, amidthe laughter of almost all who heard him.
Colia jogged the prince's arm.
"Can't YOU get him out of the room, somehow? DO, please," andtears of annoyance stood in the boy's eyes. "Curse that Gania!"he muttered, between his teeth.
"Oh yes, I knew General Epanchin well," General Ivolgin wassaying at this moment; "he and Prince Nicolai IvanovitchMuishkin--whose son I have this day embraced after an absence oftwenty years--and I, were three inseparables. Alas one is in thegrave, torn to pieces by calumnies and bullets; another is nowbefore you, still battling with calumnies and bullets--"
"Bullets?" cried Nastasia.
"Yes, here in my chest. I received them at the siege of Kars, andI feel them in bad weather now. And as to the third of our trio,Epanchin, of course after that little affair with the poodle inthe railway carriage, it was all UP between us."
"Poodle? What was that? And in a railway carriage? Dear me," saidNastasia, thoughtfully, as though trying to recall something tomind.
"Oh, just a silly, little occurrence, really not worth telling,about Princess Bielokonski's governess, Miss Smith, and--oh, itis really not worth telling!"
"No, no, we must have it!" cried Nastasia merrily.
"Yes, of course," said Ferdishenko. "C'est du nouveau."
"Ardalion," said Nina Alexandrovitch, entreatingly.
"Papa, you are wanted!" cried Colia.
"Well, it is a silly little story, in a few words," began thedelighted general. "A couple of years ago, soon after the newrailway was opened, I had to go somewhere or other on business.Well, I took a first-class ticket, sat down, and began to smoke,or rather CONTINUED to smoke, for I had lighted up before. I wasalone in the carriage. Smoking is not allowed, but is notprohibited either; it is half allowed--so to speak, winked at. Ihad the window open."
"Suddenly, just before the whistle, in came two ladies with alittle poodle, and sat down opposite to me; not bad-lookingwomen; one was in light blue, the other in black silk. Thepoodle, a beauty with a silver collar, lay on light blue's knee.They looked haughtily about, and talked English together. I tookno notice, just went on smoking. I observed that the ladies weregetting angry--over my cigar, doubtless. One looked at me throughher tortoise-shell eyeglass.
"I took no notice, because they never said a word. If they didn'tlike the cigar, why couldn't they say so? Not a word, not a hint!Suddenly, and without the very slightest suspicion of warning,'light blue' seizes my cigar from between my fingers, and,wheugh! out of the window with it! Well, on flew the train, and Isat bewildered, and the young woman, tall and fair, and ratherred in the face, too red, glared at me with flashing eyes.
"I didn't say a word, but with extreme courtesy, I may say withmost refined courtesy, I reached my finger and thumb over towardsthe poodle, took it up delicately by the nape of the neck, andchucked it out of the window, after the cigar. The train wentflying on, and the poodle's yells were lost in the distance."
"Oh, you naughty man!" cried Nastasia, laughing and clapping herhands like a child.
"Bravo!" said Ferdishenko. Ptitsin laughed too, though he hadbeen very sorry to see the general appear. Even Colia laughed andsaid, "Bravo!"
"And I was right, truly right," cried the general, with warmthand solemnity, "for if cigars are forbidden in railway carriages,poodles are much more so."
"Well, and what did the lady do?" asked Nastasia, impatiently.
observe," insisted the.
" She--ah, that's where all the mischief of it lies!" repliedIvolgin, frowning. "Without a word, as it were, of warning, sheslapped me on the cheek! An extraordinary woman!"
"And you?"
The general dropped his eyes, and elevated his brows; shruggedhis shoulders, tightened his lips, spread his hands, and remainedsilent. At last he blurted out:
"I lost my head!"
"Did you hit her?"
"No, oh no!--there was a great flare-up, but I didn't hit her! Ihad to struggle a little, purely to defend myself; but the verydevil was in the business. It turned out that 'light blue' was anEnglishwoman, governess or something, at Princess Bielokonski's,and the other woman was one of the old-maid princessesBielokonski. Well, everybody knows what great friends theprincess and Mrs. Epanchin are, so there was a pretty kettle offish. All the Bielokonskis went into mourning for the poodle. Sixprincesses in tears, and the Englishwoman shrieking!
"Of course I wrote an apology, and called, but they would notreceive either me or my apology, and the Epanchins cut me, too!"
"But wait," said Nastasia. "How is it that, five or six dayssince, I read exactly the same story in the paper, as happeningbetween a Frenchman and an English girl? The cigar was snatchedaway exactly as you describe, and the poodle was chucked out ofthe window after it. The slapping came off, too, as in your case;and the girl's dress was light blue!"
The general blushed dreadfully; Colia blushed too; and Ptitsinturned hastily away. Ferdishenko was the only one who laughed asgaily as before. As to Gania, I need not say that he wasmiserable; he stood dumb and wretched and took no notice ofanybody.
"I assure you," said the general, "that exactly the same thinghappened to myself!"
particular day, pointed outplainly enough.
"I remembered there was some quarrel between father and MissSmith, the Bielokonski's governess," said Colia.
"How very curious, point for point the same anecdote, andhappening at different ends of Europe! Even the light blue dressthe same," continued the pitiless Nastasia. "I must really sendyou the paper."
"You must observe," insisted the general, "that my experience wastwo years earlier."
"Ah! that's it, no doubt!"
Nastasia Philipovna laughed hysterically.
"Father, will you hear a word from me outside!" said Gania, hisvoice shaking with agitation, as he seized his father by theshoulder. His eyes shone with a blaze of hatred.
At this moment there was a terrific bang at the front door,almost enough to break it down. Some most unusual visitor musthave arrived. Colia ran to open.