白痴 英文版 The Idiot
陀思妥耶夫斯基 Fyodor Dostoyevsky
The Idiot XV.
Katia, the maid-servant, made her appearance, terriblyfrightened.
"Goodness knows what it means, ma'am," she said. "There is awhole collection of men come--all tipsy--and want to see you. Theysay that 'it's Rogojin, and she knows all about it.'"
"It's all right, Katia, let them all in at once."
"Surely not ALL, ma'am? They seem so disorderly--it's dreadful tosee them."
"Yes ALL, Katia, all--every one of them. Let them in, or they'llcome in whether you like or no. Listen! what a noise they aremaking! Perhaps you are offended, gentlemen, that I shouldreceive such guests in your presence? I am very sorry, and askyour forgiveness, but it cannot be helped--and I should be verygrateful if you could all stay and witness this climax. However,just as you please, of course."
The guests exchanged glances; they were annoyed and bewildered bythe episode; but it was clear enough that all this had been pre-arranged and expected by Nastasia Philipovna, and that there wasno use in trying to stop her now--for she was little short ofinsane.
Besides, they were naturally inquisitive to see what was tohappen. There was nobody who would be likely to feel much alarm.There were but two ladies present; one of whom was the livelyactress, who was not easily frightened, and the other the silentGerman beauty who, it turned out, did not understand a word ofRussian, and seemed to be as stupid as she was lovely.
Her acquaintances invited her to their "At Homes" because she wasso decorative. She was exhibited to their guests like a valuablepicture, or vase, or statue, or firescreen. As for the men,Ptitsin was one of Rogojin's friends; Ferdishenko was as much athome as a fish in the sea, Gania, not yet recovered from hisamazement, appeared to be chained to a pillory. The old professordid not in the least understand what was happening; but when henoticed how extremely agitated the mistress of the house, and herfriends, seemed, he nearly wept, and trembled with fright: but hewould rather have died than leave Nastasia Philipovna at such acrisis, for he loved her as if she were his own granddaughter.Afanasy Ivanovitch greatly disliked having anything to do withthe affair, but he was too much interested to leave, in spite ofthe mad turn things had taken; and a few words that had droppedfrom the lips of Nastasia puzzled him so much, that he felt hecould not go without an explanation. He resolved therefore, tosee it out, and to adopt the attitude of silent spectator, asmost suited to his dignity. Genera Epanchin alone determined todepart. He was annoyed at the manner in which his gift had beenreturned, an though he had condescended, under the influence ofpassion, to place himself on a level with Ptitsin andFerdishenko, his self-respect and sense of duty now returnedtogether with a consciousness of what was due to his social rankand official importance. In short, he plainly showed hisconviction that a man in his position could have nothing to dowith Rogojin and his companions. But Nastasia interrupted him athis first words.
"Ah, general!" she cried, "I was forgetting! If I had onlyforeseen this unpleasantness! I won't insist on keeping youagainst your will, although I should have liked you to be besideme now. In any case, I am most grateful to you for your visit,and flattering attention . . . but if you are afraid . . ."
"Excuse me, Nastasia Philipovna," interrupted the general, withchivalric generosity. "To whom are you speaking? I have remaineduntil now simply because of my devotion to you, and as for danger,I am only afraid that the carpets may be ruined, and the furnituresmashed! . . . You should shut the door on the lot, in my opinion.But I confess that I am extremely curious to see how it ends."
"Rogojin!" announced Ferdishenko.
"What do you think about it?" said the general in a low voice toTotski. "Is she mad? I mean mad in the medical sense of the word.. . . eh?"
"I've always said she was predisposed to it," whispered AfanasyIvanovitch slyly. "Perhaps it is a fever!"
Since their visit to Gania's home, Rogojin's followers had beenincreased by two new recruits--a dissolute old man, the hero ofsome ancient scandal, and a retired sub-lieutenant. A laughablestory was told of the former. He possessed, it was said, a set offalse teeth, and one day when he wanted money for a drinkingorgy, he pawned them, and was never able to reclaim them! Theofficer appeared to be a rival of the gentleman who was so proudof his fists. He was known to none of Rogojin's followers, but asthey passed by the Nevsky, where he stood begging, he had joinedtheir ranks. His claim for the charity he desired seemed based onthe fact that in the days of his prosperity he had given away asmuch as fifteen roubles at a time. The rivals seemed more than alittle jealous of one another. The athlete appeared injured atthe admission of the "beggar" into the company. By naturetaciturn, he now merely growled occasionally like a bear, andglared contemptuously upon the "beggar," who, being somewhat of aman of the world, and a diplomatist, tried to insinuate himselfinto the bear's good graces. He was a much smaller man than theathlete, and doubtless was conscious that he must tread warily.Gently and without argument he alluded to the advantages of theEnglish style in boxing, and showed himself a firm believer inWestern institutions. The athlete's lips curled disdainfully, andwithout honouring his adversary with a formal denial, heexhibited, as if by accident, that peculiarly Russian object--anenormous fist, clenched, muscular, and covered with red hairs!The sight of this pre-eminently national attribute was enough toconvince anybody, without words, that it was a serious matter forthose who should happen to come into contact with it.
None of the band were very drunk, for the leader had kept hisintended visit to Nastasia in view all day, and had done his bestto prevent his followers from drinking too much. He was soberhimself, but the excitement of this chaotic day--the strangest dayof his life--had affected him so that he was in a dazed, wildcondition, which almost resembled drunkenness.
He had kept but one idea before him all day, and for that he hadworked in an agony of anxiety and a fever of suspense. Hislieutenants had worked so hard from five o'clock until eleven,that they actually had collected a hundred thousand roubles forhim, but at such terrific expense, that the rate of interest wasonly mentioned among them in whispers and with bated breath.
As before, Rogojin walked in advance of his troop, who followedhim with mingled self-assertion and timidity. They were speciallyfrightened of Nastasia Philipovna herself, for some reason.
Many of them expected to be thrown downstairs at once, withoutfurther ceremony, the elegant arid irresistible Zaleshoff amongthem. But the party led by the athlete, without openly showingtheir hostile intentions, silently nursed contempt and evenhatred for Nastasia Philipovna, and marched into her house asthey would have marched into an enemy's fortress. Arrived there,the luxury of the rooms seemed to inspire them with a kind ofrespect, not unmixed with alarm. So many things were entirely newto their experience--the choice furniture, the pictures, thegreat statue of Venus. They followed their chief into the salon,however, with a kind of impudent curiosity. There, the sight ofGeneral Epanchin among the guests, caused many of them to beat ahasty retreat into the adjoining room, the "boxer" and "beggar"being among the first to go. A few only, of whom Lebedeff madeone, stood their ground; he had contrived to walk side by sidewith Rogojin, for he quite understood the importance of a man whohad a fortune of a million odd roubles, and who at this momentcarried a hundred thousand in his hand. It may be added that thewhole company, not excepting Lebedeff, had the vaguest idea ofthe extent of their powers, and of how far they could safely go.At some moments Lebedeff was sure that right was on their side;at others he tried uneasily to remember various cheering andreassuring articles of the Civil Code.
Rogojin, when he stepped into the room, and his eyes fell uponNastasia, stopped short, grew white as a sheet, and stoodstaring; it was clear that his heart was beating painfully. So hestood, gazing intently, but timidly, for a few seconds. Suddenly,as though bereft of his senses, he moved forward, staggeringhelplessly, towards the table. On his way he collided againstPtitsin's chair, and put his dirty foot on the lace skirt of thesilent lady's dress; but he neither apologized for this, nor evennoticed it.
On reaching the table, he placed upon it a strange-lookingobject, which he had carried with him into the drawing-room. Thiswas a paper packet, some six or seven inches thick, and eight ornine in length, wrapped in an old newspaper, and tied round threeor four times with string.
Having placed this before her, he stood with drooped arms andhead, as though awaiting his sentence.
His costume was the same as it had been in the morning, exceptfor a new silk handkerchief round his neck, bright green and red,fastened with a huge diamond pin, and an enormous diamond ring onhis dirty forefinger.
Lebedeff stood two or three paces behind his chief; and the restof the band waited about near the door.
The two maid-servants were both peeping in, frightened and amazedat this unusual and disorderly scene.
"What is that?" asked Nastasia Philipovna, gazing intently atRogojin, and indicating the paper packet.
"A hundred thousand," replied the latter, almost in a whisper.
"Oh! so he kept his word--there's a man for you! Well, sit down,please--take that chair. I shall have something to say to youpresently. Who are all these with you? The same party? Let themcome in and sit down. There's room on that sofa, there are somechairs and there's another sofa! Well, why don't they sit down?"
Sure enough, some of the brave fellows entirely lost their headsat this point, and retreated into the next room. Others, however,took the hint and sat down, as far as they could from the table,however; feeling braver in proportion to their distance fromNastasia.
Rogojin took the chair offered him, but he did not sit long; hesoon stood up again, and did not reseat himself. Little by littlehe began to look around him and discern the other guests. SeeingGania, he smiled venomously and muttered to himself, "Look at that!"
He gazed at Totski and the general with no apparent confusion, andwith very little curiosity. But when he observed that the prince wasseated beside Nastasia Philipovna, he could not take his eyes off himfor a long while, and was clearly amazed. He could not accountfor the prince's presence there. It was not in the leastsurprising that Rogojin should be, at this time, in a more orless delirious condition; for not to speak of the excitements ofthe day, he had spent the night before in the train, and had notslept more than a wink for forty-eight hours.
"This, gentlemen, is a hundred thousand roubles," said NastasiaPhilipovna, addressing the company in general, "here, in thisdirty parcel. This afternoon Rogojin yelled, like a madman, thathe would bring me a hundred thousand in the evening, and I havebeen waiting for him all the while. He was bargaining for me, youknow; first he offered me eighteen thousand; then he rose toforty, and then to a hundred thousand. And he has kept his word,see! My goodness, how white he is! All this happened thisafternoon, at Gania's. I had gone to pay his mother a visit--myfuture family, you know! And his sister said to my very face,surely somebody will turn this shameless creature out. After whichshe spat in her brother Gania's face--a girl of character, that!"
"Nastasia Philipovna!" began the general, reproachfully. He wasbeginning to put his own interpretation on the affair.
"Well, what, general? Not quite good form, eh? Oh, nonsense! Herehave I been sitting in my box at the French theatre for the lastfive years like a statue of inaccessible virtue, and kept out ofthe way of all admirers, like a silly little idiot! Now, there'sthis man, who comes and pays down his hundred thousand on thetable, before you all, in spite of my five years of innocence andproud virtue, and I dare be sworn he has his sledge outsidewaiting to carry me off. He values me at a hundred thousand! I seeyou are still angry with me, Gania! Why, surely you never reallywished to take ME into your family? ME, Rogojin's mistress! Whatdid the prince say just now?"
"I never said you were Rogojin's mistress--you are NOT!" said theprince, in trembling accents.
"Nastasia Philipovna, dear soul!" cried the actress, impatiently,"do be calm, dear! If it annoys you so--all this--do go away andrest! Of course you would never go with this wretched fellow, inspite of his hundred thousand roubles! Take his money and kickhim out of the house; that's the way to treat him and the likesof him! Upon my word, if it were my business, I'd soon clear themall out!"
The actress was a kind-hearted woman, and highly impressionable.She was very angry now.
"Don't be cross, Daria Alexeyevna!" laughed Nastasia. "I was notangry when I spoke; I wasn't reproaching Gania. I don't know howit was that I ever could have indulged the whim of entering anhonest family like his. I saw his mother--and kissed her hand,too. I came and stirred up all that fuss, Gania, this afternoon,on purpose to see how much you could swallow--you surprised me,my friend--you did, indeed. Surely you could not marry a womanwho accepts pearls like those you knew the general was going togive me, on the very eve of her marriage? And Rogojin! Why, inyour own house and before your own brother and sister, hebargained with me! Yet you could come here and expect to bebetrothed to me before you left the house! You almost broughtyour sister, too. Surely what Rogojin said about you is notreally true: that you would crawl all the way to the other end ofthe town, on hands and knees, for three roubles?"
"Yes, he would!" said Rogojin, quietly, but with an air ofabsolute conviction.
"H'm! and he receives a good salary, I'm told. Well, what shouldyou get but disgrace and misery if you took a wife you hated intoyour family (for I know very well that you do hate me)? No, no! Ibelieve now that a man like you would murder anyone for money--sharpen a razor and come up behind his best friend and cut histhroat like a sheep--I've read of such people. Everyone seemsmoney-mad nowadays. No, no! I may be shameless, but you are farworse. I don't say a word about that other--"
"Nastasia Philipovna, is this really you? You, once so refinedand delicate of speech. Oh, what a tongue! What dreadful thingsyou are saying," cried the general, wringing his hands in realgrief.
"I am intoxicated, general. I am having a day out, you know--it'smy birthday! I have long looked forward to this happy occasion.Daria Alexeyevna, you see that nosegay-man, that Monsieur auxCamelias, sitting there laughing at us?"
"I am not laughing, Nastasia Philipovna; I am only listening withall my attention," said Totski, with dignity.
"Well, why have I worried him, for five years, and never let himgo free? Is he worth it? He is only just what he ought to be--nothing particular. He thinks I am to blame, too. He gave me myeducation, kept me like a countess. Money--my word! What a lot ofmoney he spent over me! And he tried to find me an honest husbandfirst, and then this Gania, here. And what do you think? Allthese five years I did not live with him, and yet I took hismoney, and considered I was quite justified.
"You say, take the hundred thousand and kick that man out. It istrue, it is an abominable business, as you say. I might havemarried long ago, not Gania--Oh, no!--but that would have beenabominable too.
"Would you believe it, I had some thoughts of marrying Totski,four years ago! I meant mischief, I confess--but I could have hadhim, I give you my word; he asked me himself. But I thought, no!it's not worthwhile to take such advantage of him. No! I hadbetter go on to the streets, or accept Rogojin, or become awasherwoman or something--for I have nothing of my own, you know.I shall go away and leave everything behind, to the last rag--heshall have it all back. And who would take me without anything?Ask Gania, there, whether he would. Why, even Ferdishenkowouldn't have me!"
"No, Ferdishenko would not; he is a candid fellow, NastasiaPhilipovna," said that worthy. "But the prince would. You sithere making complaints, but just look at the prince. I've beenobserving him for a long while."
Nastasia Philipovna looked keenly round at the prince.
"Is that true?" she asked.
"Quite true," whispered the prince.
"You'll take me as I am, with nothing?"
announced Ferdishenko. "There is awhole collection of men come--all tipsy.
"I will, Nastasia Philipovna."
"Here's a pretty business!" cried the general. "However, it mighthave been expected of him."
The prince continued to regard Nastasia with a sorrowful, butintent and piercing, gaze.
"Here's another alternative for me," said Nastasia, turningonce more to the actress; "and he does it out of purekindness of heart. I know him. I've found a benefactor. Perhaps,though, what they say about him may be true--that he's an--weknow what. And what shall you live on, if you are really so madlyin love with Rogojin's mistress, that you are ready to marry her--eh?"
"I take you as a good, honest woman, Nastasia Philipovna--not asRogojin's mistress."
"Who? I?--good and honest?"
"Yes, you."
"Oh, you get those ideas out of novels, you know. Times arechanged now, dear prince; the world sees things as they reallyare. That's all nonsense. Besides, how can you marry? You need anurse, not a wife."
The prince rose and began to speak in a trembling, timid tone,but with the air of a man absolutely sure of the truth of hiswords.
"I know nothing, Nastasia Philipovna. I have seen nothing. Youare right so far; but I consider that you would be honouring me,and not I you. I am a nobody. You have suffered, you have passedthrough hell and emerged pure, and that is very much. Why do youshame yourself by desiring to go with Rogojin? You are delirious.You have returned to Mr. Totski his seventy-five thousandroubles, and declared that you will leave this house and all thatis in it, which is a line of conduct that not one person herewould imitate. Nastasia Philipovna, I love you! I would die foryou. I shall never let any man say one word against you, NastasiaPhilipovna! and if we are poor, I can work for both."
As the prince spoke these last words a titter was heard fromFerdishenko; Lebedeff laughed too. The general grunted withirritation; Ptitsin and Totski barely restrained their smiles.The rest all sat listening, open-mouthed with wonder.
"But perhaps we shall not be poor; we may be very rich, NastasiaPhilipovna." continued the prince, in the same timid, quiveringtones. "I don't know for certain, and I'm sorry to say I haven'thad an opportunity of finding out all day; but I received aletter from Moscow, while I was in Switzerland, from a Mr.Salaskin, and he acquaints me with the fact that I am entitled toa very large inheritance. This letter--"
The prince pulled a letter out of his pocket.
There was silence for a moment. Then Ptitsin spoke.
"I think you said, prince, that your letter was from Salaskin?Salaskin is a very eminent man, indeed, in his own world; he is awonderfully clever solicitor, and if he really tells you this, Ithink you may be pretty sure that he is right. It so happens,luckily, that I know his handwriting, for I have lately hadbusiness with him. If you would allow me to see it, I shouldperhaps be able to tell you."
The prince held out the letter silently, but with a shaking hand.
"What, what?" said the general, much agitated.
"What's all this? Is he really heir to anything?"
All present concentrated their attention upon Ptitsin, readingthe prince's letter. The general curiosity had received a newfillip. Ferdishenko could not sit still. Rogojin fixed his eyesfirst on the prince, and then on Ptitsin, and then back again; hewas extremely agitated. Lebedeff could not stand it. He crept upand read over Ptitsin's shoulder, with the air of a naughty boywho expects a box on the ear every moment for his indiscretion.