白痴 英文版 The Idiot
陀思妥耶夫斯基 Fyodor Dostoyevsky
The Idiot XVI. Page 1
"It's good business," said Ptitsin, at last, folding the letterand handing it back to the prince. "You will receive, without theslightest trouble, by the last will and testament of your aunt, avery large sum of money indeed."
"Impossible!" cried the general, starting up as if he had beenshot.
Ptitsin explained, for the benefit of the company, that theprince's aunt had died five months since. He had never known her,but she was his mother's own sister, the daughter of a Moscowmerchant, one Paparchin, who had died a bankrupt. But the elderbrother of this same Paparchin, had been an eminent and very richmerchant. A year since it had so happened that his only two sonshad both died within the same month. This sad event had soaffected the old man that he, too, had died very shortly after.He was a widower, and had no relations left, excepting theprince's aunt, a poor woman living on charity, who was herselfat the point of death from dropsy; but who hadtime, before she died, to set Salaskin to work to find hernephew, and to make her will bequeathing her newly-acquiredfortune to him.
It appeared that neither the prince, nor the doctor with whom helived in Switzerland, had thought of waiting for furthercommunications; but the prince had started straight away withSalaskin's letter in his pocket.
"One thing I may tell you, for certain," concluded Ptitsin,addressing the prince, "that there is no question about theauthenticity of this matter. Anything that Salaskin writes you asregards your unquestionable right to this inheritance, you maylook upon as so much money in your pocket. I congratulate you,prince; you may receive a million and a half of roubles, perhapsmore; I don't know. All I DO know is that Paparchin was a veryrich merchant indeed."
"Hurrah!" cried Lebedeff, in a drunken voice. "Hurrah for thelast of the Muishkins!"
"My goodness me! and I gave him twenty-five roubles this morningas though he were a beggar," blurted out the general, halfsenseless with amazement. "Well, I congratulate you, Icongratulate you!" And the general rose from his seat andsolemnly embraced the prince. All came forward withcongratulations; even those of Rogojin's party who had retreatedinto the next room, now crept softly back to look on. For themoment even Nastasia Philipovna was forgotten.
But gradually the consciousness crept back into the minds of eachone present that the prince had just made her an offer ofmarriage. The situation had, therefore, become three times asfantastic as before.
Totski sat and shrugged his shoulders, bewildered. He was theonly guest left sitting at this time; the others had throngedround the table in disorder, and were all talking at once.
It was generally agreed, afterwards, in recalling that evening,that from this moment Nastasia Philipovna seemed entirely to loseher senses. She continued to sit still in her place, lookingaround at her guests with a strange, bewildered expression, asthough she were trying to collect her thoughts, and could not.Then she suddenly turned to the prince, and glared at him withfrowning brows; but this only lasted one moment. Perhaps itsuddenly struck her that all this was a jest, but his face seemedto reassure her. She reflected, and smiled again, vaguely.
"So I am really a princess," she whispered to herself,ironically, and glancing accidentally at Daria Alexeyevna's face,she burst out laughing.
"Ha, ha, ha!" she cried, "this is an unexpected climax, afterall. I didn't expect this. What are you all standing up for,gentlemen? Sit down; congratulate me and the prince! Ferdishenko,just step out and order some more champagne, will you? Katia,Pasha," she added suddenly, seeing the servants at the door,"come here! I'm going to be married, did you hear? To the prince.He has a million and a half of roubles; he is Prince Muishkin,and has asked me to marry him. Here, prince, come and sit by me;and here comes the wine. Now then, ladies and gentlemen, whereare your congratulations?"
"Hurrah!" cried a number of voices. A rush was made for the wineby Rogojin's followers, though, even among them, there seemedsome sort of realization that the situation had changed. Rogojinstood and looked on, with an incredulous smile, screwing up oneside of his mouth.
"Prince, my dear fellow, do remember what you are about," saidthe general, approaching Muishkin, and pulling him by the coatsleeve.
Nastasia Philipovna overheard the remark, and burst out laughing.
"No, no, general!" she cried. "You had better look out! I am theprincess now, you know. The prince won't let you insult me.Afanasy Ivanovitch, why don't you congratulate me? I shall beable to sit at table with your new wife, now. Aha! you see what Igain by marrying a prince! A million and a half, and a prince,and an idiot into the bargain, they say. What better could I wishfor? Life is only just about to commence for me in earnest.Rogojin, you are a little too late. Away with your paper parcel!I'm going to marry the prince; I'm richer than you are now."
But Rogojin understood how things were tending, at last. Aninexpressibly painful expression came over his face. He wrung hishands; a groan made its way up from the depths of his soul.
"Surrender her, for God's sake!" he said to the prince.
All around burst out laughing.
"What? Surrender her to YOU?" cried Daria Alexeyevna. "To afellow who comes and bargains for a wife like a moujik! Theprince wishes to marry her, and you--"
"So do I, so do I! This moment, if I could! I'd give everyfarthing I have to do it."
"You drunken moujik," said Daria Alexeyevna, once more. "Youought to be kicked out of the place."
The laughter became louder than ever.
"Do you hear, prince?" said Nastasia Philipovna. "Do you hear howthis moujik of a fellow goes on bargaining for your bride?"
"He is drunk," said the prince, quietly, "and he loves you verymuch."
"Won't you be ashamed, afterwards, to reflect that your wife verynearly ran away with Rogojin?"
"Oh, you were raving, you were in a fever; you are still halfdelirious."
"And won't you be ashamed when they tell you, afterwards, thatyour wife lived at Totski's expense so many years?"
quarters of theroom. motionless, with armsfolded and eyes?
"No; I shall not be ashamed of that. You did not so live by yourown will."
"And you'll never reproach me with it?"
"Never."
"Take care, don't commit yourself for a whole lifetime."
"Nastasia Philipovna." said the prince, quietly, and with deepemotion, "I said before that I shall esteem your consent to be mywife as a great honour to myself, and shall consider that it isyou who will honour me, not I you, by our marriage. You laughedat these words, and others around us laughed as well; I heardthem. Very likely I expressed myself funnily, and I may havelooked funny, but, for all that, I believe I understand wherehonour lies, and what I said was but the literal truth. You wereabout to ruin yourself just now, irrevocably; you would neverhave forgiven yourself for so doing afterwards; and yet, you areabsolutely blameless. It is impossible that your life should bealtogether ruined at your age. What matter that Rogojin camebargaining here, and that Gavrila Ardalionovitch would havedeceived you if he could? Why do you continually remind us ofthese facts? I assure you once more that very few could find itin them to act as you have acted this day. As for your wish to gowith Rogojin, that was simply the idea of a delirious andsuffering brain. You are still quite feverish; you ought to be inbed, not here. You know quite well that if you had gone withRogojin, you would have become a washer-woman next day, ratherthan stay with him. You are proud, Nastasia Philipovna, andperhaps you have really suffered so much that you imagineyourself to be a desperately guilty woman. You require a greatdeal of petting and looking after, Nastasia Philipovna, and Iwill do this. I saw your portrait this morning, and it seemedquite a familiar face to me; it seemed to me that the portrait-face was calling to me for help. I-I shall respect you all mylife, Nastasia Philipovna," concluded the prince, as thoughsuddenly recollecting himself, and blushing to think of the sortof company before whom he had said all this.
Ptitsin bowed his head and looked at the ground, overcome by amixture of feelings. Totski muttered to himself: "He may be anidiot, but he knows that flattery is the best road to successhere."
The prince observed Gania's eyes flashing at him, as though theywould gladly annihilate him then and there.
"That's a kind-hearted man, if you like," said Daria Alexeyevna,whose wrath was quickly evaporating.
"A refined man, but--lost," murmured the general.
Totski took his hat and rose to go. He and the general exchangedglances, making a private arrangement, thereby, to leave thehouse together.
"Thank you, prince; no one has ever spoken to me like thatbefore," began Nastasia Philipovna. "Men have always bargainedfor me, before this; and not a single respectable man has everproposed to marry me. Do you hear, Afanasy Ivanovitch? What doYOU think of what the prince has just been saying? It was almostimmodest, wasn't it? You, Rogojin, wait a moment, don't go yet! Isee you don't intend to move however. Perhaps I may go with youyet. Where did you mean to take me to?"
"To Ekaterinhof," replied Lebedeff. Rogojin simply stood staring,with trembling lips, not daring to believe his ears. He wasstunned, as though from a blow on the head.
"What are you thinking of, my dear Nastasia?" said DariaAlexeyevna in alarm. "What are you saying?" "You are not goingmad, are you?"
Nastasia Philipovna burst out laughing and jumped up from thesofa.
"You thought I should accept this good child's invitation to ruinhim, did you?" she cried. "That's Totski's way, not mine. He'sfond of children. Come along, Rogojin, get your money ready! Wewon't talk about marrying just at this moment, but let's see themoney at all events. Come! I may not marry you, either. I don'tknow. I suppose you thought you'd keep the money, if I did! Ha,ha, ha! nonsense! I have no sense of shame left. I tell you Ihave been Totski's concubine. Prince, you must marry AglayaIvanovna, not Nastasia Philipovna, or this fellow Ferdishenkowill always be pointing the finger of scorn at you. You aren'tafraid, I know; but I should always be afraid that I had ruinedyou, and that you would reproach me for it. As for what you sayabout my doing you honour by marrying you-well, Totski can tellyou all about that. You had your eye on Aglaya, Gania, you knowyou had; and you might have married her if you had not comebargaining. You are all like this. You should choose, once forall, between disreputable women, and respectable ones, or you aresure to get mixed. Look at the general, how he's staring at me!"
"This is too horrible," said the general, starting to his feet.All were standing up now. Nastasia was absolutely beside herself.
"I am very proud, in spite of what I am," she continued. "Youcalled me 'perfection' just now, prince. A nice sort ofperfection to throw up a prince and a million and a half ofroubles in order to be able to boast of the fact afterwards! Whatsort of a wife should I make for you, after all I have said?Afanasy Ivanovitch, do you observe I have really and truly thrownaway a million of roubles? And you thought that I should consideryour wretched seventy-five thousand, with Gania thrown in for ahusband, a paradise of bliss! Take your seventy-five thousandback, sir; you did not reach the hundred thousand. Rogojin cut abetter dash than you did. I'll console Gania myself; I have anidea about that. But now I must be off! I've been in prison forten years. I'm free at last! Well, Rogojin, what are you waitingfor? Let's get ready and go."
"Come along!" shouted Rogojin, beside himself with joy. "Hey! allof you fellows! Wine! Round with it! Fill the glasses!"
"Get away!" he shouted frantically, observing that DariaAlexeyevna was approaching to protest against Nastasia's conduct."Get away, she's mine, everything's mine! She's a queen, getaway!"
He was panting with ecstasy. He walked round and round NastasiaPhilipovna and told everybody to "keep their distance."
All the Rogojin company were now collected in the drawing-room;some were drinking, some laughed and talked: all were in thehighest and wildest spirits. Ferdishenko was doing his best tounite himself to them; the general and Totski again made anattempt to go. Gania, too stood hat in hand ready to go; butseemed to be unable to tear his eyes away from the scene beforehim
"Get out, keep your distance!" shouted Rogojin.
"What are you shouting about there!" cried Nastasia "I'm notyours yet. I may kick you out for all you know I haven't takenyour money yet; there it all is on the table Here, give me overthat packet! Is there a hundred thousand roubles in that onepacket? Pfu! what abominable stuff it looks! Oh! nonsense, DariaAlexeyevna; you surely did not expect me to ruin HIM?"(indicating the prince). "Fancy him nursing me! Why, he needs anurse himself! The general, there, will be his nurse now, you'llsee. Here, prince, look here! Your bride is accepting money. Whata disreputable woman she must be! And you wished to marry her!What are you crying about? Is it a bitter dose? Never mind, youshall laugh yet. Trust to time." (In spite of these words therewere two large tears rolling down Nastasia's own cheeks.) "It'sfar better to think twice of it now than afterwards. Oh! youmustn't cry like that! There's Katia crying, too. What is it,Katia, dear? I shall leave you and Pasha a lot of things, I'velaid them out for you already; but good-bye, now. I made anhonest girl like you serve a low woman like myself. It's betterso, prince, it is indeed. You'd begin to despise me afterwards--we should never be happy. Oh! you needn't swear, prince, I shan'tbelieve you, you know. How foolish it would be, too! No, no; we'dbetter say good-bye and part friends. I am a bit of a dreamermyself, and I used to dream of you once. Very often during thosefive years down at his estate I used to dream and think, and Ialways imagined just such a good, honest, foolish fellow as you,one who should come and say to me: 'You are an innocent woman,Nastasia Philipovna, and I adore you.' I dreamt of you often. Iused to think so much down there that I nearly went mad; and thenthis fellow here would come down. He would stay a couple ofmonths out of the twelve, and disgrace and insult and deprave me,and then go; so that I longed to drown myself in the pond athousand times over; but I did not dare do it. I hadn't theheart, and now--well, are you ready, Rogojin?"
them, there seemedsome sort of realization that the situation had changed.
"Ready--keep your distance, all of you!"
"We're all ready," said several of his friends. "The troikas[Sledges drawn by three horses abreast.] are at the door, bellsand all."
Nastasia Philipovna seized the packet of bank-notes.
"Gania, I have an idea. I wish to recompense you--why should youlose all? Rogojin, would he crawl for three roubles as far as theVassiliostrof?
"Oh, wouldn't he just!"
"Well, look here, Gania. I wish to look into your heart oncemore, for the last time. You've worried me for the last threemonths--now it's my turn. Do you see this packet? It contains ahundred thousand roubles. Now, I'm going to throw it into thefire, here--before all these witnesses. As soon as the firecatches hold of it, you put your hands into the fire and pick itout--without gloves, you know. You must have bare hands, and youmust turn your sleeves up. Pull it out, I say, and it's allyours. You may burn your fingers a little, of course; but thenit's a hundred thousand roubles, remember--it won't take you longto lay hold of it and snatch it out. I shall so much admire youif you put your hands into the fire for my money. All herepresent may be witnesses that the whole packet of money is yoursif you get it out. If you don't get it out, it shall burn. I willlet no one else come; away--get away, all of you--it's my money!Rogojin has bought me with it. Is it my money, Rogojin?"
"Yes, my queen; it's your own money, my joy."
he said to the prince.you were raving.
"Get away then, all of you. I shall do as I like with my own--don't meddle! Ferdishenko, make up the fire, quick!"
"Nastasia Philipovna, I can't; my hands won't obey me," saidFerdishenko, astounded and helpless with bewilderment.
"Nonsense," cried Nastasia Philipovna, seizing the poker andraking a couple of logs together. No sooner did a tongue of flameburst out than she threw the packet of notes upon it.
Everyone gasped; some even crossed themselves.
"She's mad--she's mad!" was the cry.
"Oughtn't-oughtn't we to secure her?" asked the general ofPtitsin, in a whisper; "or shall we send for the authorities?Why, she's mad, isn't she--isn't she, eh?"
"N-no, I hardly think she is actually mad," whispered Ptitsin,who was as white as his handkerchief, and trembling like a leaf.He could not take his eyes off the smouldering packet.
"I told you she wasn't an ordinary woman," replied the latter,who was as pale as anyone.
"Oh, but, positively, you know--a hundred thousand roubles!"
"Goodness gracious! good heavens!" came from all quarters of theroom.
All now crowded round the fire and thronged to see what was goingon; everyone lamented and gave vent to exclamations of horror andwoe. Some jumped up on chairs in order to get a better view.Daria Alexeyevna ran into the next room and whispered excitedlyto Katia and Pasha. The beautiful German disappeared altogether.
"My lady! my sovereign!" lamented Lebedeff, falling on his kneesbefore Nastasia Philipovna, and stretching out his hands towardsthe fire; "it's a hundred thousand roubles, it is indeed, Ipacked it up myself, I saw the money! My queen, let me get intothe fire after it--say the word-I'll put my whole grey head intothe fire for it! I have a poor lame wife and thirteen children.My father died of starvation last week. Nastasia Philipovna,Nastasia Philipovna!" The wretched little man wept, and groaned,and crawled towards the fire.
Philipovna, I can't; my hands won't obey me,"
"Away, out of the way!" cried Nastasia. "Make room, all of you!Gania, what are you standing there for? Don't stand on ceremony.Put in your hand! There's your whole happiness smouldering away,look! Quick!"
But Gania had borne too much that day, and especially thisevening, and he was not prepared for this last, quite unexpectedtrial.
The crowd parted on each side of him and he was left face to facewith Nastasia Philipovna, three paces from her. She stood by thefire and waited, with her intent gaze fixed upon him.
Gania stood before her, in his evening clothes, holding his whitegloves and hat in his hand, speechless and motionless, with armsfolded and eyes fixed on the fire.
though he were a beggar," blurted out the general, halfsenseless with.
A silly, meaningless smile played on his white, death-like lips.He could not take his eyes off the smouldering packet; but itappeared that something new had come to birth in his soul--asthough he were vowing to himself that he would bear this trial.He did not move from his place. In a few seconds it becameevident to all that he did not intend to rescue the money.