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diff --git a/.gitattributes b/.gitattributes new file mode 100644 index 0000000..d7b82bc --- /dev/null +++ b/.gitattributes @@ -0,0 +1,4 @@ +*.txt text eol=lf +*.htm text eol=lf +*.html text eol=lf +*.md text eol=lf diff --git a/LICENSE.txt b/LICENSE.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..6312041 --- /dev/null +++ b/LICENSE.txt @@ -0,0 +1,11 @@ +This eBook, including all associated images, markup, improvements, +metadata, and any other content or labor, has been confirmed to be +in the PUBLIC DOMAIN IN THE UNITED STATES. + +Procedures for determining public domain status are described in +the "Copyright How-To" at https://www.gutenberg.org. + +No investigation has been made concerning possible copyrights in +jurisdictions other than the United States. Anyone seeking to utilize +this eBook outside of the United States should confirm copyright +status under the laws that apply to them. diff --git a/README.md b/README.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..c208077 --- /dev/null +++ b/README.md @@ -0,0 +1,2 @@ +Project Gutenberg (https://www.gutenberg.org) public repository for +eBook #55577 (https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/55577) diff --git a/old/55577-8.txt b/old/55577-8.txt deleted file mode 100644 index c3b4f0d..0000000 --- a/old/55577-8.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,5923 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg EBook of Tales of Two Countries, by Maxim Gorky - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most -other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of -the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - -Title: Tales of Two Countries - -Author: Maxim Gorky - -Release Date: September 18, 2017 [EBook #55577] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK TALES OF TWO COUNTRIES *** - - - - -Produced by Marc D'Hooghe at Free Literature (online soon -in an extended version,also linking to free sources for -education worldwide ... MOOC's, educational materials,...) -Images generously made available by the Internet Archive) - - - - - - -TALES OF -TWO COUNTRIES - -BY - -MAXIM GORKY - -LONDON - -T. WERNER LAURIE, LTD. -8 ESSEX STREET, STRAND - -1914 - - - - -"Aleksyei Maksimovitch Pyeshkof (pseudonym Maxim Gorky). Born at -Nijni-Novgorod, March 14, 1868. A Russian writer. He led a vagabond -life for many years, working and tramping with the poorest classes -in Russia, and his writings record the tragedy of poverty and crime -as he found it. Among the best known of his works are 'MAKAR CHUDRA' -(1890), 'EMILIAN PIBGAI,' 'CHELKASH,' 'OSHYBKA' (1895), 'TYENOVYA -KARTINKI'(1895), 'TOSKA,' 'KONOVALOV' (1896), 'MALVA' (1896), 'FOMA -GORDYEEV'(1901), 'MUJIKI' (1901). Three volumes of short stories -(1898-99), 'MIEST-CHANYE' (1902), 'COMRADES' (1907), 'THE SPY' (1908), -and 'IN THE DEPTHS,' a play". _Century Cyclopædia of Names._ - - - - ITALIAN TALES - - MAN AND THE SIMPLON - AN UNWRITTEN SONATA - SUN AND SEA - LOVE OF LOVERS - HEARTS AND CREEDS - THE TRAITOR'S MOTHER - THE FREAK - THE MIGHT OF MOTHERHOOD - A MESSAGE FROM THE SEA - THE HONOUR OF THE VILLAGE - THE SOCIALIST - THE HUNCHBACK - ON THE STEAMER - - RUSSIAN TALES - - THE PROFESSOR - THE POET - THE WRITER - THE MAN WITH A NATIONAL FACE - THE LIBERAL - THE JEWS AND THEIR FRIENDS - HARD TO PLEASE - PASSIVE RESISTANCE - MAKING A SUPERMAN - - - - -ITALIAN TALES - - - - -MAN AND THE SIMPLON - - -A blue lake is deeply set in mountains capped with eternal snow. A -dark network of gardens descends in gorgeous folds to the water. White -houses that look like lumps of sugar peer down from the bank into the -lake; and everything around is as quiet and peaceful as the sleep of a -child. - -It is morning. A perfume of flowers is wafted gently from the -mountains. The sun is new risen and the dew still glistens on the -leaves of trees and the petals of flowers. A road like a grey ribbon -thrusts into the quiet mountain gorge--a stone-paved road which yet -looks as soft as velvet, so that one almost has a desire to stroke it. - -Near a pile of stones sits a workman, like some dark coloured beetle; -on his breast is a medal; his face is serious, bold, but kindly. - -Placing his sunburnt hands on his knees and looking up into the face of -a passer-by who has stopped in the shade of a chestnut-tree, he says: - -"This is the Simplon, signor, and this is a medal for working in the -Simplon tunnel," - -And lowering his eyes to his breast he smiles fondly at the bright -piece of metal. - -"Oh, every kind of work is hard for a time, until you get used to it, -and then it grows upon you and becomes easy. Ay, but it was hard work -though!" - -He shook his head a little, smiling at the sun; then suddenly he -checked and waved his hand; his black eyes glistened. - -"I was afraid at times. The earth must have some feeling, don't you -think? When we had burrowed to a great depth, when we had made this -wound in the mountain, she received us rudely enough. She breathed a -hot breath on us that made the heart stop beating, made the head dizzy -and the bones to ache. Many experienced this. Then the mother earth -showered stones upon her children, poured hot water over us; ay, there -was fear in it, signor! Sometimes, in the torchlight, the water became -red and my father told me that we had wounded the earth and that she -would drown us, would burn us all up with her blood--'you will live to -see it!' It was all fancy, like enough, but when one hears such words -deep in the bowels of the earth--in the damp and suffocating darkness, -amid the plaintive splashing of water and the grinding of iron against -stone--one forgets for the moment how much is fantasy. For everything -was fantastic there, dear signor: we men were so puny, while the -mountain, into whose belly we were boring, reached up to the sky. One -must see in order to understand it. It is necessary to see the black -gaping mouth cut by us, tiny people, who entered it at sunset--and how -sadly the sun looks after those who desert him and go into the bowels -of the earth! It is necessary to see our machines and the grim face of -the mountain, and to hear the dark rumblings in it and the blasts, like -the wild laughter of a madman." - -He looked at his hands, set right the medal on his blue blouse and -sighed. - -"Man knows how to work!" he continued, with manifest pride. "Oh, -signor, a puny man, when he wills to work, is an invincible force! -And, believe me: in the end, the little man will do everything he wants -to do. My father did not believe it at first. - -"'To cut through a mountain from country to country,' he said, 'is -contrary to the will of God, who separated countries by mountain walls; -you will see that the Madonna will not be with us!' He was wrong, -the old man; the Madonna is on the side of everyone who loves her. -Afterwards my father began to think as I now think and avow to you, -because he felt that he was greater and stronger than the mountain; but -there was a time when, on holidays, sitting at a table before a bottle -of wine, he would declare to me and others: - -"'Children of God'--that was his favourite saying, for he was a kind -and good man--'children of God, you must not struggle with the earth -like that; she will be revenged on you for her wounds, and will remain -unconquerable! You will see: when we bore into the mountain as far as -the heart, when we touch the heart, it will burn us up, it will hurl -fire upon us, because the earth's heart is fiery--everybody knows -that! To cultivate the soil means to help it to give birth--we are -bidden to do that; but now we are spoiling its physiognomy, its form. -Behold! The farther we dig into the mountain the hotter the air becomes -and the harder it is to breathe.'" - -The man laughed quietly and curled the ends of his moustache with both -hands. - -"Not he alone thought like that, and he was right; the farther we went -in the tunnel, the hotter it became, and men fell prostrate and were -overcome. Water gushed forth faster from the hot springs, whole seams -fell down, and two of our fellows from Lugano went mad. At night in the -barracks many of us talked in delirium, groaned and jumped up from our -beds in terror. - -"'Am I not right?' said my father, with fear in his eyes and coughing -more and more, and more and more huskily--he did, signor. 'Am I not -right?' he said. 'She is unconquerable, the earth.' - -"At last the old man lay down for the last time. He was very strong, my -old one; for more than three weeks he struggled bravely with death, as -a man who knows his worth, and never complained. - -"'My work is finished, Paolo,' he said to me once in the night. 'Take -care of yourself and return home; let the Madonna guide you!' - -"Then he was silent for a long time; he covered up his face, and was -nigh to choking." - -The man stood up, looked at the mountains and stretched himself with -such force that his sinews cracked. - -"He took me by the hand, drew me to himself and said--it's the solemn -truth, signor-- - -"'Do you know, Paolo, my son, in spite of all, I think it will be done: -we and those who advance from the other side will meet in the mountain, -we shall meet--do you believe that?' - -"I did believe it, signor. - -"'Well, my son, so you must: everything must be done with a firm belief -in a happy ending and in God who helps good people by the prayers of -the Madonna. I beg you, my son, if it does happen, if the men meet, -come to my grave and say: "Father, it is done," so that I may know!' - -"It was all right, dear signor, I promised him. He died five days after -my words were spoken, and two days before his death he asked me to bury -him at the spot where he had last worked in the tunnel. He prayed, but -I think it was in delirium. - -"We and the others who came from the opposite side met in the mountain -thirteen weeks after my father's death--it was a mad day, signor! -Oh, when we heard there, under the earth, in the darkness, the noise -of other workmen, the noise of those who came to meet us under the -earth--you understand, signor, under the tremendous weight of the earth -which might have crushed us, puny little things, all at once had it but -known how! - -"For many days we heard these rumbling sounds, every day they became -louder and louder, clearer and clearer, and we became possessed by -the joyful madness of conquerors--we worked like demons, like persons -without bodies, not feeling fatigue, not requiring direction--it -was as good as a dance on a sunny day, upon my word of honour! We all -became as good and kind to one another as children are. Oh, if you only -knew how strong, how intensely passionate is one's desire to meet a -human being in the dark, under the earth into which one has burrowed -like a mole for many long months!" - -His face flushed, he walked up close to the listener and, looking into -the latter's face with deep kindling eyes, went on quietly and joyously: - -"And when the last wall finally crumbled away, and in the opening -appeared the red light of a torch and somebody's dark face covered -with tears of joy, and then another face, and more torches and more -faces--shouts of victory resounded, shouts of joy.... Oh, it was the -best day of my life, and when I think of it I feel that I have not -lived in vain! There was work, my work, holy work, signor, I tell you, -yes!.... Yes, we kissed the conquered mountain, kissed the earth--that -day the earth was specially near and dear to me, signor, and I fell in -love with it as if it had been a woman! - -"Of course I went to my father! Of course--although I don't know that -the dead can hear--but I went: we must respect the wishes of those who -toiled for us and who suffered no less than we do--must we not, signor? - -"Yes, yes, I went to his grave, knocked with my foot against the ground -and said, as he wished: - -"'Father--it is done!' I said. 'The people have conquered. It is done, -father!'" - - - - -AN UNWRITTEN SONATA - - -A young musician, his dark eyes fixed intently on far-off things, said -quietly: - -"I should like to set this down in terms of music": - -Along a road leading to a large town walks a little boy. He walks and -hastens not. - -The town lies prostrate; the heavy mass of its buildings presses -against the earth. And it groans, this town, and sends forth a -murmurous sound. From afar it looks as if it had just burned out, -for over it the blood-red flame of the sunset still lingers, and the -crosses of its churches, its spires and vanes, seem red-hot. - -The edges of the black clouds are also on fire, angular roofs of tall -buildings stand out ominously against the red patches, window-panes -like deep wounds glisten here and there. The stricken town, spent with -woe, the scene of an incessant striving after happiness--is bleeding -to death, and the warm blood sends up a reek of yellowish, suffocating -smoke. - -The boy walks on. The road, like a broad ribbon, cleaves a way amid -fields invaded by the gathering twilight; straight it goes, piercing -the side of the town like a rapier thrust by a powerful, unseen hand. -The trees by the roadside resemble unlit torches; their large black -heads are uplifted above the silent earth in motionless expectancy. - -The sky is covered with clouds and no stars are to be seen; there are -no shadows; the late evening is sad and still, and save for the slow, -light steps of the boy no sound breaks the silence of the tired fields -as they fall asleep in the dusk. - -The boy walks on. And, noiselessly, the night follows him and envelops -in its black mantle the distances from which he has emerged. - -As the dusk grows deeper it hides in its embrace the red and white -houses which sink submissively into the earth. It hides the gardens -with their trees, and leaves them lonely, like orphans, on the -hillsides. It hides the chimney-stacks. - -Everything around becomes black, vanishes, blotted out by the darkness -of the night; it is as if the little figure advancing slowly, stick in -hand, along the road inspired some strange kind of fear. - -He goes on, without speaking, without hastening, his eyes steadily -fixed upon the town; he is alone, ridiculously small and insignificant, -yet it seems as if he bore something indispensable to and long awaited -by all in the town, where blue, yellow and red lights are being -speedily lit to greet him. - -The sun sinks completely. The crosses, the vanes and the spires melt -and vanish, the town seems to subside, grow smaller, and to press ever -more closely against the dumb earth. - -Above the town, an opal cloud, weirdly coloured, flares and gradually -grows larger; a phosphorescent, yellowish mist settles unevenly on -the grey network of closely huddled houses. The town itself no longer -seems to be consumed by fire and reeking in blood--the broken lines -of the roofs and walls have the appearance now of something magical, -fantastic, but yet of something incomplete, not properly finished, as -if he who planned this great town for men had suddenly grown tired and -fallen asleep, or had lost faith, and, casting everything aside in his -disappointment, had gone away, or died. - -But the town lives and is possessed by an anxious longing to see itself -beautiful and upraised proudly before the sun. It murmurs in a fever of -many-sided desire for happiness, it is excited by a passionate will to -live. Slow waves of muffled sound issue into the dark silence of the -surrounding fields, and the black bowl of the sky is gradually filled -with a dull, languishing light. - -The boy stops, with uplifted brows, and shakes his head; then he looks -boldly ahead and, staggering, walks quickly on. - -The night, following him, says in the soft, kind voice of a mother: - -"It is time, my son, hasten! They are waiting." - -"Of course it is impossible to write it down!" said the young musician -with a thoughtful smile. - -Then, after a moment's silence, he folded his hands, and added, -wistfully, fondly, in a low voice: - -"Purest Virgin Mary! what awaits him?" - - - - -SUN AND SEA - - -The sun melts in the blue midday sky, pouring hot, many-coloured rays -on to the water and the earth. The sea slumbers and exhales an opal -mist, the bluish water glistens like steel. A strong smell of brine is -carried to the lonely shore. - -The waves advance and splash lazily against a mass of grey stones; they -roll slowly upon the beach and the pebbles make a jingling sound; they -are gentle waves, as clear as glass, and there is no foam on them. - -The mountain is enveloped in a violet haze of heat, the grey leaves of -the olive-trees shine like old silver in the sun; in the gardens which -cover the mountain-side the gold of lemons and oranges gleams in the -dark velvet of the foliage; the red blossoms of pomegranate-trees smile -brightly, and everywhere there are flowers. - -How the sun loves the earth! - -There are two fishermen on the stones. One is an old man, in a straw -hat. He has a heavy-looking face, covered on cheeks and chin and upper -lip with grey bristles; his eyes are embedded in fat, his nose is red, -and his hands are sunburnt. He has cast his pliant fishing-rod far out -into the sea, and he sits upon a rock, his hairy legs hanging over the -green water. A wave washes up and bathes them, and from the dark toes -clear, heavy drops of water fall back into the sea. - -Behind the old man, leaning with one elbow on a rock, stands a tawny -black-eyed fellow, thin and lank. On his head is a red cap, and a -white jersey covers his muscular torso; his blue trousers are rolled -up to the knee. He tugs with his right hand at his moustache and looks -thoughtfully out to sea; in the distance black streaks of fishing boats -are moving, and far beyond them, scarcely visible, is a white sail; the -white sail is motionless, and seems to melt like a cloud in the sun. - -"Is she a rich signora?" the old man inquires, in a husky voice, as he -makes an unsuccessful effort to cross his knees. - -The young man answered quietly: - -"I think so. She has a brooch, and earrings with large stones as blue -as the sea, and many rings, and a watch.... I think she is an American." - -"And beautiful?" - -"Oh yes! Very slender, it is true, but such eyes, just like flowers, -and, do you know, a mouth so small, and slightly open." - -"It is the mouth of an honest woman and of the kind that loves but once -in her life." - -"I think so too." - -The old man drew in his rod, winked as he looked at the hook, and -muttered with a laugh: - -"A fish is no fool, to be sure." - -"Who fishes at midday?" asked the youth, getting down on his knees. - -"I," replied the old man, putting on fresh bait. And, having thrown the -line far into the sea, he asked: - -"You rowed her till the morning, you said?" - -"The sun was rising when we got out on the shore," readily replied the -young man, with a heavy sigh. - -"Twenty lire?" - -"Yes." - -"She might have given more." - -"She might have given much." - -"What did you speak to her about?" - -The youth seemed annoyed and lowered his head gloomily. - -"She does not know more than ten words, so we were silent." - -"True love," said the old man, looking back and showing his strong -teeth in a broad smile, "strikes the heart like lightning, and is as -dumb as lightning, you know." - -The young man picked up a large stone and was about to throw it into -the sea; but he threw it back over his shoulder, saying: - -"Sometimes one cannot understand what people want with different -languages." - -"They say some day it will be different," said the old man, after a -moments thought. - -Over the blue surface of the sea, in the far-off milky mist, -noiselessly glides a white steamer, like the shadow of a cloud. - -"To Sicily," said the old man, nodding towards the steamer. - -From somewhere or other he took a long, uneven, black cigar, broke it -in two and, handing one half over his shoulder to the young man, asked: - -"What did you think about as you sat with her?" - -"Man always thinks of happiness." - -"That's why he is always so stupid," the old man put in quietly. - -They began to smoke. The blue smoke wreaths hung over the stones in the -breathless air which was impregnated with the rich odour of fertile -earth and gentle water. - -"I sang to her and she smiled." - -"Eh?" - -"But you know that I sing badly." - -"Yes, I know." - -"Then I rested the oars and looked at her." - -"Aha!" - -"I looked, saying to myself: 'Here am I, young and strong, while you -are languishing. Love me and make me happy.'" - -"Was she feeling lonely?" - -"Who that is not poor goes to a strange land if he feels merry?" - -"Bravo!" - -"I promise by the name of the Virgin Mary--I thought to myself--that I -will be kind to you and that everybody shall be happy who lives near -us." - -"Well, well!" exclaimed the old man, throwing back his large head and -bursting into loud bass laughter. - -"I will always be true to you." - -"H'm." - -"Or--I thought--let us live together a little while; I will love you to -your heart's content; then you can give me some money for a boat and -rigging, and a piece of land; and I will return to my own dear country -and will always, as long as I live, remember and think kindly of you." - -"There's some sense in that." - -"Then--towards the morning--it seemed to me that I needed nothing, that -I did not want money, only her, even if it were only for one night." - -"That is simpler." - -"Just for one single night." - -"Well, well!" said the old man. - -"It seems to me, Uncle Pietro, that a small happiness is always more -honest." - -The old man was silent. His thick, shaven lips were compressed; he -looked intently into the green water. The young man sang quietly and -sadly: - -"Oh, sun!" - -"Yes, yes," said the old man suddenly, shaking his head, "a small -happiness is more honest, but a great happiness is better. Poor people -are better-looking, but the rich are stronger. It is always so." - -The waves rock and splash. Blue wreaths of smoke float, like nymphs, -above the heads of the two men. The young man rises to his feet and -sings quietly, his cigar stuck in a corner of his mouth. He leans his -shoulder against the grey side of the rock, folds his arms across his -chest, and looks out to sea with the eyes of a dreamer. - -But the old man is motionless, his head has sunk on his breast and he -seems to doze. - -The violet shadows on the mountains grow deeper and softer. - -"O sun!" sings the youth. - - "The sun was born more beautiful, - More beautiful than thou! - Bathe me in thy light, - O sun! - Fill me with thy life!" - -The green waves chuckle merrily. - - - - -LOVE OF LOVERS - - -At a small station between Rome and Genoa the guard opened the door of -our compartment and, with the assistance of a dirty oiler, led, carried -almost, a little, one-eyed, old man up the steps into our midst. - -"Very old!" remarked both at the same time, smiling good-naturedly. - -But the old man turned out to be very vigorous. After thanking his -helpers with a pretty gesture of his wrinkled hand he politely and -gaily lifted his shabby dust-stained hat from his grey head, and, -looking sharply at the seats with his one eye, inquired: - -"Will you permit me?" - -He was given a seat at once. He then straightened his blue linen suit, -heaved a sigh of relief and, putting his hands on his little, withered -knees, smiled good-humouredly, disclosing a toothless mouth. - -"Going far, uncle?" asked my companion. - -"Only three stations!" he replied readily. "I am going to my grandson's -wedding." - -After a few minutes he became very talkative and, raising his voice -above the noise made by the wheels of the train, told us as he swayed -this way and that like a broken branch on a windy day: - -"I am a Ligurian: we Ligurians are a strong people. I, for instance, -have thirteen sons and four daughters; I confuse my grandchildren in -counting them; this is the second one to get married--that's pretty -good, don't you think?" - -He looked proudly round the compartment with his lustreless but still -merry eye; then he laughed quietly and said: "See how many people I -have given to my country and to the king!" - -"How did I lose my eye? Oh, that was long ago, when I was still a boy, -but already helping my father. He was breaking stones in the vineyard; -our soil is very hard, and needs a lot of attention: there are a -great many stones. A stone flew from underneath my father's pick and -hit me in the eye. I don't remember any pain, but at dinner my eye -came out--it was terrible, signors! They put it back in its place and -applied some warm bread, but the eye died!" - -The old man rubbed his brown skinny cheek, and laughed again in a -merry, good-humoured way. - -"At that time there were not so many doctors, and people were much more -stupid. What! you think they may have been kinder? Perhaps they were." - -And now this dried-up, one-eyed, deeply wrinkled face, with its partial -covering of greenish-grey, mouldy-looking hair, became knowing and -triumphant. - -"When one has lived as long as I one may talk confidently about men, -isn't that so?" - -He raised significantly a dark, crooked finger as though threatening -someone. - -"I will tell you, signors, something about people. - -"When my father died--I was thirteen at the time--you see how small -I am even now: but I was very skilful and could work without getting -tired (that is all I inherited from my father)--our house and land were -sold for debts. And so, with but one eye and two hands, I lived on, -working wherever I could get work. It was hard, but youth is not afraid -of work, is it? - -"When I was nineteen I met a girl whom Fate had meant me to love; she -was as poor as myself, though stronger and more robust; she, also, -lived with her mother, an old woman in failing health, and worked when -and where she could. She was not very comely, but kind and clever. And -she had a fine voice--oh! she sang like a professional, and that in -itself means riches, signors! - -"'Shall we get married?' said I, after we had known each other for some -time. - -"'It would be funny, you one-eyed fellow!' she replied rather sadly. -'Neither you nor I have anything. What should we live on?' - -"Upon my soul, neither I nor she had anything! But what does that -signify to young love? You all know, signors, how little love requires; -I was insistent and got my way. - -"'Yes, perhaps you are right,' said Ida at last. 'If the Holy Mother -helps you and me now when we live apart, it will be much easier for -her to help us when we live together.' - -"We decided upon it and went to the priest. - -"'This is madness!' said the priest. 'Aren't there beggars enough in -Liguria? Unhappy people, playthings of the devil, you must struggle -against his snares or you will pay dearly for your weakness.' - -"All the youths in the commune jeered at us, and all the old people -shook their heads, I can tell you. But youth is obstinate and will -have its way! The wedding day drew near; we were no better off than we -had been before; we really did not know where we should sleep on our -wedding night. - -"'Let us go into the fields,' said Ida. 'Why won't that do? The -Mother of God is equally kind to all, and love is everywhere equally -passionate when people are young.' - -"That is what we decided upon: that the earth should be our bed and the -sky our coverlet! - -"At this point another story begins, signors; please pay attention; -this is the best story of my long life. Early in the morning of the -day before our wedding the old man Giovanni, for whom I worked, said to -me like this, his pipe between his teeth, as if he were speaking about -trifles: - -"'Ugo, you had better go and clean out the old sheep-shed and put some -straw in it. Although it is dry there, and no sheep have been in it for -over a year, it ought to be cleaned out properly if you want to live in -it with Ida.' - -"Thus we had a house! - -"As I worked and sang, the carpenter Constanzio stood in the door and -asked: - -"'Are you going to live here with Ida? Where is your bed? You must come -to me when you have finished and get one from me--I have one to spare.' - -"As I went to his house Mary, the bad-tempered shopkeeper, shouted: - -"'The wretched sillies get married and don't possess a sheet, or -pillow, or anything else! You are quite crazy, you one-eyed fellow! -Send your sweetheart to me.' - -"And Ettore Viano, tortured by rheumatism and fever, shouted from the -threshold of his house: - -"'Ask him whether he has saved up much wine for the guests! Oh, good -people, who could be more light-headed than these two?'" - -In a deep wrinkle on the old man's cheek glistened a tear of happiness; -he threw back his head and laughed noiselessly, pawing his old throat -and the flabby skin of his face; his arms were as restless as a child's. - -"Oh, signors, signors!" said he, laughing and catching his breath. "On -our wedding morn we had everything that was wanted for a home--a statue -of the Madonna, crockery, linen, furniture--everything, I swear! Ida -wept and laughed, and so did I, and everybody laughed--it is not the -thing to weep on one's wedding day, and they all laughed at us! - -"Signors, words cannot tell how sweet it is to be able to say 'our' -people. It is better still _to feel_ that they are 'yours,' near and -dear to you, your kindred, for whom your life is no joking matter, your -happiness no plaything! And the wedding took place! It was a great -day. The whole commune turned out to see us, and everybody came to -our shed, which had become a rich house, as in a fairy-tale. We had -everything: wine and fruit, meat and bread, and all ate and were merry. -There is no greater happiness, signors, than to do good to others; -believe me, there is nothing more beautiful or more joyful. - -"And we had a priest. 'These people,' he said gravely, and in a manner -suited to the occasion, 'have worked for you all, and now you have -provided for them so that they may be happy on this the best day of -their life. That is exactly what you should have done, for they have -worked for you, and work is of more account than copper and silver -coins; work is always greater than the payment that is given for it! -Money disappears, but work remains. These people are happy and humble; -their life has been hard but they have not grumbled; it may be harder -yet and they will not murmur--and you will help them in an hour of -need. Their hands are willing and their hearts as good as gold.' -He said a lot of flattering things to me, to Ida and to the whole -commune!" - -The old man looked triumphantly, with his one eye, at his -fellow-travellers, and there was something youthful and vigorous in his -glance as he said: - -"There you have something about people, signors. Curious, isn't it?" - - - - -HEARTS AND CREEDS - - -It is spring-time, the sun shines brightly, and everyone is gay. Even -the window-panes of the old stone houses seem to wear a cheerful smile. - -Along the street of the little town streams a crowd in bright holiday -attire. The whole population of the town is there: workers, soldiers, -tradespeople, priests, officials, fishermen; all are intoxicated -with the spirit of spring-time, talking, laughing, singing in joyous -confusion, as if they were a single body overflowing with the zest of -life. - -The hats and parasols of the women make a medley of bright colours; -red and blue balloons, like wonderful flowers, float from the hands -of the children; and children, merry lords of the earth, laughing and -rejoicing, are everywhere, like gems on the gorgeous cloak of a fairy -prince. - -The tender green leaves of the trees have not yet unfolded; they are -sheathed in gorgeous buds, greedily drinking in the warm rays of the -sun. Far off the sun smiles gently and seems to beckon us. - -The impression seems to prevail that people have outlived their -misfortunes, that yesterday was the last day of the hard shameful life -that wearied them to death. To-day they have all awakened in high -spirits, like schoolboys, with a strong, clear faith in themselves, in -the invincibility of their will to overcome all obstacles, and now, all -together, they march boldly into the future. - -It was strange--strange and sad and suddenly depressing--to notice a -sorrowful face in this lively crowd: it was that of a tall, strongly -built man, not yet over thirty but already grey, who passed arm-in-arm -with a young woman. He carried his hat in his hand, the hair on his -shapely head glistened like silver, his thin but healthy face was calm -and destined to remain for ever sad. The eyes, large and dark, and -shaded by long lashes, were those of a man who cannot forget--who will -never forget--the acute suffering through which he has passed. - -"Notice that couple," said my companion to me, "especially the man: he -has lived through one of those dramas which are enacted more and more -frequently amongst the workers of Northern Italy." - -And my companion went on: - -That man is a socialist, the editor of a local Labour paper, a workman -himself, a painter. He is one of those characters for whom science -becomes a religion, and a religion that still more incites the thirst -for knowledge. A keen and clever Anti-Clerical he was--just note what -fierce looks the black priests send after him. - -About five years ago he, a propagandist, met in one of his circles a -girl who at once attracted his attention. Here women have learnt to -believe silently and steadfastly; the priests have cultivated this -ability in them for many centuries, and have achieved what they wished. -Somebody rightly said that the Catholic Church has been built up on the -breast of womankind. The cult of the Madonna is not only beautiful, -as such heathen practices go, it is first of all a clever cult. The -Madonna is simpler than Christ, she is nearer to one's heart, there -are no contradictions in her, she does not threaten with Gehenna--she -only loves, pities, forgives--it is easy for her to make a captive of a -woman's heart for life. - -But there he sees a girl who can speak, can inquire; and in all her -questions he perceives, side by side with her naïve wonderment at his -ideas, an undisguised lack of belief in him, and sometimes even fear -and repulsion. The Italian propagandist has to speak a great deal -about religion, to say incisive things about the Pope and the clergy; -every time he spoke on that subject he saw contempt and hate for him -in the eyes of the girl; if she asked about anything her words sounded -unfriendly and her soft voice breathed poison. It was evident that she -was acquainted with Catholic literature directed against socialism, and -that in this circle her word had as much weight as his own. - -Until latterly the attitude here towards women was far more vulgar and -much coarser than in Russia, and the Italian women were themselves to -blame for this; taking no interest in anything except the Church, they -were for the most part strangers to the work of social advancement -carried on by men and did not understand its meaning. - -The man's self-love was wounded, the clever propagandist's fame -suffered in the collisions with the girl; he got angry; lost his -temper; occasionally he ridiculed her successfully, but she paid him -back in his own coin, evoking his involuntary admiration, forcing him -carefully to prepare the lectures he had to give to the circle she -attended. - -In addition to all this he noticed that every time he came to speak -about the present shameful state of things, how man was being -oppressed, his body and his soul mutilated--whenever he drew pictures -of the life of the future when all will be both outwardly and inwardly -free--he noticed that she was quite another being: she listened to his -speeches, stifling the anger of a strong and clever woman who knows -the weight of life's chains; listened to them with the rapt eagerness -of a child that is told a fairy tale which is in harmony with its own -magically complex soul. - -This excited in him the anticipation of victory over a strong foe--a -foe who could be a fine comrade, a valiant champion in the cause of a -better future. - -The rivalry between them lasted nearly a year, without calling forth -any desire in them to join issue and fight their battle out; at length -he made the first advance. - -"Signorina is my constant opponent," he said, "does she not think that -in the interests of the cause it would be better if we were to become -more closely acquainted?" - -She willingly fell in with his suggestion, and almost from the -first word they entered upon a spirited contest: the girl fiercely -defended the Church as the only place where the souls of the weary -find rest, where before the face of the Madonna all are equal and -equally pitiable, notwithstanding the differences in worldly seeming. -He replied that it was not rest that people needed but struggle, that -civic equality is impossible without equality in material things, and -that behind the cloak of the Madonna is concealed a man to whom it is -advantageous that people should remain miserable and unenlightened. - -Thereafter these discussions filled their whole life, every meeting -was a continuation of the one same endless, passionate theme, and every -day the stubborn strength of their beliefs became more and more evident. - -For him life was a struggle for the widening of knowledge, for the -conquest of the forces of Nature, a struggle for the subjugation of -mysterious energies to the will of man. It was meet that everybody -should be equally armed for this struggle, which was to issue in -Freedom and the triumph of Reason--the most powerful of all forces, and -the only force in the world which acts consciously. For her life was a -slow and painful sacrifice of man to the Unknown, the subjugation of -Reason to that will the laws and aims of which are known to the priest -only. - -Nonplussed by this, he inquired: - -"Why do you attend my lectures and what do you expect from socialism?" - -"Yes, I know that I sin and contradict myself!" she confessed -sorrowfully. - -"But it is pleasant to listen to you and to dream about the possibility -of happiness for all!" - -Though not specially pretty she was slim and graceful, with an -intelligent face, and large eyes, whose glance could be mild or angry, -gentle or severe. She worked in a silk factory, lived with her old -mother, her one-legged father and a younger sister who was attending -a technical school. Sometimes she was happy, not boisterously, -but quietly happy; she was fond of museums and old churches, grew -enthusiastic over pictures and the beauty of which they were the token, -and looking at them would say: - -"How strange it is to think that these things have been hidden in -private houses and that but one person had the right to enjoy them! -Everybody must see the beautiful, for only then does it live!" - -She often spoke in so strange a manner that it seemed to him that her -words came from some dark crevice in her soul; they reminded him of the -groans of a wounded man. He felt that this girl loved life and mankind -with that deep mother love which is full of anxiety and compassion; -he waited patiently till his faith should kindle her heart and this -quiet love change to passion. The girl appeared to him to listen more -attentively to his speeches and, in her heart, to be in agreement -with him. And he spoke more passionately of the need for an incessant, -active struggle for the emancipation of man, of the nation, of humanity -as a whole, from the old chains, the rust of which had eaten into their -souls, and was blighting and poisoning them. - -Once, while accompanying her home, he told her that he loved her, and -that he wanted her to be his wife. He was startled at the effect his -words had on her: she reeled as though she had been struck, stared with -wide-open eyes and turned pale; she leaned against the wall, and said, -clasping her hands and looking, almost terrified, into his face: - -"I was beginning to fear that that might be so; almost I felt it, -because I loved you long ago. But, O God! what is going to happen now?" - -"Days of your happiness and mine will begin, days of mutual work," he -exclaimed. - -"No," said the girl, her head drooping. "No; we should not have talked -about love." - -"Why?' - -"Will you be married according to the laws of the Church?" she asked -quietly. - -"No!" - -"Then, good-bye!" - -And she walked quickly away from him. - -He overtook her, tried to persuade her; she heard him out in silence -and then said: - -"I, my mother and my father are all believers, and will die believers. -Marriage at the registrar's is no marriage for me; if children are born -of such a marriage I know they will be unhappy. Love is consecrated -only by marriage in a church, which alone can give happiness and peace." - -It seemed to him that soon she would yield; he, of course, could not -give in. They parted. As she bade him good-bye the girl said: - -"Let us not torment each other, don't seek meetings with me. Oh, if -only you would go away from here! I cannot, I am so poor." - -"I will make no promises," he replied. - -The struggle between two strong natures began: they met, of course, and -even more often than before; they met because they loved each other, -sought meetings in the hope that one or other of them would be unable -to stand the torments of an ungratified longing which was becoming more -and more intense. Their meetings were full of anguish and despair; -after each one he felt quite worn out and exhausted; she, all in tears, -went to confess to a priest. He knew this and it seemed to him that -the black wall of people in tonsures became stronger, higher and more -insurmountable every day, that it grew and parted them till death. - -Once, on a holiday, while walking with her through a field outside the -town, he said, not threateningly, but more as if to himself: - -"Do you know, it seems to me sometimes that I could kill you." - -She remained silent. - -"Did you hear what I said?" - -Looking at him affectionately she answered: - -"Yes." - -And he understood that she would rather die than give in to him. Before -this "yes" he had embraced and kissed her sometimes; she struggled with -him, but her resistance was becoming feebler, and he cherished the -hope that some day she would yield, and that then her woman's instinct -would help him to conquer. But now he understood that that would not be -victory, but enslavement, and from that day on he ceased to appeal to -the woman in her. - -So he wandered with her in the dark circle of her life's horizon, lit -all the beacons before her that he could; but she listened to him with -the dreamy smile of the blind, saw nothing, believed him not. - -Once she said: - -"I understand sometimes that all you say is possible, but I think that -is because I love you! I understand, but I do not believe, I cannot -believe! As soon as you go away all that is of you goes away too." - -This drama lasted nearly two years, and then the girl's health broke -down: she became seriously ill. He gave up his employment, ceased -to attend to the work of his organisation, got into debt. Avoiding -his comrades, he spent his time wandering round her lodgings; or sat -at her bedside, watching her wasting from disease and becoming more -transparent every day, noting how the fire of fever glowed more and -more brightly in her eyes. - -"Speak to me of life, of the future," she asked him. - -But he spoke of the present, enumerating vindictively everything that -crushes us, all those things against which he was vowed to a lifelong -struggle; he spoke of things that ought to be cast out of mens lives, -as one discards soiled and worn-out rags. - -She listened until the pain it gave her became unbearable; then touched -his hand, and stopped him with an imploring look. - -"I, am I dying?" she asked him once, many days after the doctor had -told him that she was in a galloping consumption and that her condition -was hopeless. - -He bowed his head but did not answer. - -"I know that I shall die soon," she said. "Give me your hand." - -And, taking his outstretched hand, she pressed it to her burning lips -and said: - -"Forgive me, I have done you wrong. It was all a mistake--and I have -worn you out. Now when I am struck down I see that my faith was only -fear before what I could not understand, notwithstanding my desire and -my efforts. It was fear, but it was in my blood, I was born with it. I -have my own mind--or yours--but somebody else's heart; you are right, I -understand it now, but my heart could not agree with you." - -A few days later she died; he turned grey during her agony; he was only -twenty-seven. - -Not long ago he married the only friend of that girl, his pupil. It is -they who go to the cemetery, to her--they go there every Sunday and -place flowers on her grave. - -He does not believe in his victory, he is convinced that when she -said to him: "You are right," she lied to him in order to console -him. His wife thinks the same; they both lovingly revere her memory. -This sad episode of a good woman who perished gives them strength by -filling them with a desire to avenge her; it gives their mutual work -a strangely fascinating character, and renders them untiring in their -efforts. - -* - -The river of gaily dressed people streams on in the sunshine; a merry -noise accompanies its flow: children shout and laugh. Not everyone is -gay and joyful; there are many hearts, no doubt, oppressed by dark -sorrow, many minds tormented by contradictions; but we all go steadily -forward. And "Freedom, Freedom is our goal!" - -And the more vigour we put into it the faster we shall advance! - - - - -THE TRAITOR'S MOTHER - - -Many are the tales that may be told about mothers. - -For several weeks now the town had been surrounded by a close ring -of armed foes. Of nights bonfires were lit and a multitude of fiery -red eyes looked out from the darkness upon the walls. They glowed -ominously, these fires, as if warning the inhabitants of the town. And -the thoughts they conjured up were of a gloomy kind. - -From the walls it was apparent that the noose of foes was being drawn -tighter and tighter. Black shadows could be seen moving this way and -that about the fires. The neighing of well-fed horses could be heard, -and the clatter of arms and the loud laughter and merry songs of men -confident of victory--and what is more painful to listen to than the -laughter and songs of the foe? - -The enemy had filled with corpses the streams which supplied the -town with water; they had burned down the vineyards around the town, -trampled down the fields, and cut down the trees of the neighbourhood, -leaving the town exposed on all sides; and almost every day missiles of -iron and lead were poured into it by the guns and rifles of the foe. - -Detachments of half-starved soldiers, tired out by skirmishes, passed -along the narrow streets of the town; from the windows of the houses -come the groans of wounded, the raving of men in delirium, the prayers -of women and the crying of children. Everybody spoke quietly, in -subdued tones, interrupting one another's speech in the middle of a -word to listen intently to detect whether the foe was not commencing to -storm the town. - -Life became especially unbearable in the evening, when the groans -and cries became louder and more noticeable in the stillness, when -blue-black shadows crept from the far-off mountain gorges, hiding the -enemy's camp and moving towards the half-shattered walls, and, over the -black summits of the mountains, the moon appeared, like a lost shield -battered by the blows of heavy swords. - -Expecting no assistance from without, spent with toil and hunger, and -losing hope more and more every day, the people looked fearfully at the -moon, at the sharp crests and the black gorges of the mountains, at -the noisy camp of the enemy--everything spoke to them of death and no -single star twinkled solace to them. - -They were afraid to light lamps in the houses; a thick fog enveloped -the streets, and in this fog, like a fish at the bottom of a river, a -woman flitted silently to and fro, wrapped from head to foot in a black -mantle. - -People, noticing her, asked one another: - -"Is it she?" - -"Yes!" - -And they drew back into the recesses of the doorways or, lowering their -heads, ran past her silently. The men in charge of the patrols warned -her sternly: - -"You are in the street again, Monna Marianna? Have a care! They may -kill you and no one will trouble to search for the culprit." - -She stood erect and waited, but the patrol passed her by, either -hesitating or not wishing to harm her. Armed men walked round her as -if she had been a corpse. Yet she lingered on in the darkness, moving -slowly from street to street, solitary, silent and black, seeming the -personification of the town's misfortunes. And around her, mournfully -pursuing her, surged depressing sounds: groans, sobs, prayers, and the -grim talk of soldiers who had lost all hope of victory. - -She was a citizen and a mother, and her thoughts were of her son and of -the town of her birth. And her son, a handsome but gay and heartless -youth, was at the head of the men who were destroying the town. Not -long ago she had looked at him with pride, as upon her precious gift -to the fatherland, as upon a beneficent force created by her for the -welfare of the town, her birthplace, and the place also where she had -borne and brought up her son. Hundreds of indissoluble ties bound her -heart to the ancient stones, out of which her ancestors had built the -houses and the city walls; to the soil in which lay the bones of her -kindred; to the legends, songs and hopes of her native people. And -this heart now had lost him whom it had loved most and it was rent in -twain; it was like a balance in which her love for her son was being -weighed against her love for the town. And it was not possible yet to -decide which love outweighed the other. - -In this state of mind she walked the streets at night, and many, not -recognising her, were frightened, thinking that the dark figure was -the personification of Death which was so near to them all; those that -recognised her stepped hurriedly out of her way to avoid the traitor's -mother. - -Once, in a deserted corner of the city wall, she came across another -woman: she was kneeling by the side of a corpse, and praying with face -uplifted to the stars; on the wall, above her head, sentinels were -talking quietly; their guns clattered as they knocked against the -projecting stones of the wall. - -The traitor's mother inquired: - -"Your husband?" - -"No." - -"Brother?" - -"Son. My husband was killed thirteen days ago; this one to-day." - -And, rising, the mother of the dead man said humbly: - -"The Madonna sees everything, she knows everything, and I thank her!" - -"What for?" asked Marianna, and the other replied: - -"Now that he has fallen with honour, fighting for his fatherland, I -can say that he sometimes caused me anxiety: he was reckless, fond of -pleasure, and I feared lest for that reason he might betray the town, -as Marianna's son has done, the enemy of God and men, the leader of our -foes; accursed be he and accursed be the womb that bore him!" - -Covering her face Marianna hurried away. The next day she went to the -defenders of the town and said: - -"Either kill me because my son has become your enemy, or open the gate -for me, that I may go to him." - -They replied: - -"You are a citizen, and the town should be dear to you; your son is -just as much your enemy as he is ours." - -"I am his mother: I love him and deem it to be my fault that he is -what he is." - -Then they consulted together as to what should be done and came to this -decision: - -"We cannot, in honour, kill you for your son's sin; we know you could -not have suggested this terrible sin to him; and we can guess how you -must be suffering. You are not wanted by the town, even as a hostage; -your son does not trouble himself about you; we think he has forgotten -you, the fiend--and therein lies your punishment, if you think you have -deserved it! To us it seems more terrible than death!" - -"Yes," she said; "it is more terrible." - -They opened the gate for her, and let her out of the town. For a long -time they watched her from the wall as she made her way over this -native soil, sodden now with blood shed by her son. She walked slowly, -dragging her feet painfully through the mire, bowing her head before -the corpses of the defenders of the town and repugnantly spurning the -pieces of broken weapons that lay in her path--for mothers hate the -instruments of destruction, believing only in that which preserves -life. - -She walked carefully, as though she carried under her cloak a bowl full -of some liquid which she was afraid of spilling. And as she went on, -as her figure grew smaller and smaller, it seemed to those who watched -her from the wall that their former depression and hopelessness were -disappearing with her. - -They saw her stop when she had covered half the distance, and, throwing -back her hood, gaze long at the town. Beyond, in the enemy's camp, -they had also noticed her advancing alone through the deserted fields; -figures, as black as herself, cautiously approached her. They went up -to her, asked her who she was and whither she was going. - -"Your leader is my son," she said, and none of the soldiers doubted -her words. They walked by her side, speaking in terms of praise of the -bravery and cleverness of their leader. She listened to them, her head -raised proudly in the air and showing not the least surprise. That was -just how her son should be! - -And now she stands before the man whom she knew nine months before -his birth; before him whom she had never put out of her heart. And he -stands before her, in silk and velvet, and wearing a sword ornamented -with precious stones. In everything fit and seemly, exactly as she had -seen him many a time in her dreams--rich, famous and beloved! - -"Mother!" he said, kissing her hands. "You come to me; it means that -you have understood me, and to-morrow I will capture this accursed -town!" - -"In which you were born," she reminded him. - -Intoxicated by his exploits, maddened by the desire for still greater -glory, he spoke to her with the insolent pride of youth. - -"I was born into the world and for the world, in order to strike it -with astonishment! I spared this town for your sake--it is like a -splinter in my foot and hinders me from advancing to fame as quickly as -I could wish. But either to-day or tomorrow I will destroy the nest of -these stubborn ones!" - -"Where every stone knows you and remembers you as a child," she said. - -"Stones are dumb; if men cannot make them speak let mountains speak of -me--that is what I want!" - -"But the people?" she asked. - -"O yes, I remember them, mother. I need them also, for only in the -memories of people are heroes immortal." - -She replied: - -"He is a hero who creates life, spiting death, who conquers death." - -"No," he replied. "He who destroys becomes as famous as he who builds -cities. For instance, we do not know whether Æneas or Romulus built -Rome, but we know the name of Alaric and the other heroes who destroyed -it." - -"It has outlived all names," the mother suggested. - -In this strain he spoke to her till sunset. She interrupted his vain -talk less frequently and her proud head gradually drooped. - -A mother creates, she preserves, and to talk about destruction in her -presence is to speak against her understanding of life. But not knowing -this the son was denying all that life meant for his mother. - -A mother is always against death, and the hand that introduces death -into people's dwellings is hateful and hostile to all mothers. But the -son did not see it, blinded by the cold gleam of glory which kills the -heart. - -And he did not know that a mother can be just as resourceful, just as -pitiless and fearless as an animal, when it concerns life which the -mother herself creates and preserves. - -She sat limply, with head bowed down. Through the open mouth of the -rich tent of the leader could be seen the town where she had thrilled -to the conception and travailed in the birth of this her firstborn -child, whose only wish now was to destroy. - -The purple rays of the sun bathed in blood the walls and towers of the -town, the window-panes glistened ominously; the whole town seemed to -be wounded, and from its hundreds of wounds streamed the red blood of -life. Time went on, and the town grew black, like a corpse, and the -stars like funeral candles were lit above it. - -She saw with her mind's eye the dark houses where they were afraid -to light the lamps, for fear of attracting the attention of the -enemy; and the dark streets filled with the odour of corpses and the -subdued whispers of people awaiting death--she saw everything and all; -everything that was native and familiar to her stood out before her, -awaiting her decision in silence, and she felt that she was the mother -of all the people of her native town. - -From the dark mountain-tops clouds descended into the valley, and like -winged coursers sped upon the doomed town. - -"Perhaps we shall make an attack to-night," said her son, "if the night -is dark enough! It is not easy to kill when the sun looks into one's -eyes and the glitter of the weapons blinds one--many blows are wasted -then," said he, examining his sword. - -"Come here," said his mother; "put your head on my breast; rest a -while, and recall to your mind how happy and kind you were as a child, -and how everybody loved you." - -He obeyed, knelt against her and said, closing his eyes: - -"I love only glory and you, because you bore me as I am." - -"But women?" she asked, bending over him. - -"There are many of them, one soon tires of them, as of everything -sweet." - -And finally she asked him: - -"Do you not wish to have children?" - -"Why? In order that they may be killed? Somebody like me would kill -them; it would grieve me, and no doubt I should be too old then, and -too weak, to avenge them." - -"You are handsome, but as sterile as the lightning," she said, sighing. - -He answered, smiling: - -"Yes, as the lightning." - -And he fell asleep on her breast like a child. - -Then she covered him with her black cloak and plunged a knife into his -heart. He shuddered, and died instantaneously, for she, his mother, -knew well where her son's heart beat. And having pushed the corpse off -her knees to the feet of the astonished guards, she said, pointing in -the direction of the town: - -"As a citizen I have done all I could for my fatherland: as a mother I -remain with my son! It is too late for me to give birth to another, my -life is of no use to anyone." - -And the same knife, still warm with his blood--her blood--she plunged -into her own bosom, and doubtless struck the heart. When one's heart -aches it is easy to strike it without missing. - - - - -THE FREAK - - -It is a quiet sultry day, and life seems to have come to a standstill -in the serene calm; the sky looks affably down at the earth, with a -limpid eye of which the sun is the fiery iris. - -The sea has been hammered smooth out of some blue metal, the coloured -boats of the fishermen are as motionless as if they were soldered into -the semicircle of the bay, which is as clear as the sky overhead. A -seagull flies past, lazily flapping its wings; out of the water comes -another bird, whiter yet and more beautiful than the one in the air. - -In the distant mist floats, as if melting in the sun, a violet isle, a -solitary rock in the sea, like a precious stone in the ring formed by -the Neapolitan bay. - -The rocky isle, with its rugged promontories sloping down to the sea, -is covered with gorgeous clusters of the dark foliage of the vine, of -orange, lemon and fig trees, and the dull silver of the tiny olive -leaves. Out of this mass of green, which falls abruptly to the sea, -red, white and golden flowers smile pleasantly, while the yellow and -orange-coloured fruits remind one of the stars on a hot moonlight -night, when the sky is dark and the air moist. - -There is quiet in the sky, on the sea and in one's soul; one stops and -listens to all the living things singing a wordless prayer to their -God--the Sun. - -Between the gardens winds a narrow path, and along it a tall woman in -black descends slowly to the sea, stepping from stone to stone. Her -dress has faded in the sun: brown spots and even patches can be seen -on it from afar. Her head is bare; her grey hair glistens like silver, -framing in crisp curls her high forehead, her temples and the tawny -skin of her cheeks; it is of the kind that no combing could render -smooth. - -Her face is sharp, severe, once seen to be remembered for ever; there -is something profoundly ancient in its withered aspect; and when one -encounters the direct look of her dark eyes one involuntarily thinks of -the burning wilderness of the East, of Deborah and Judith. - -Her head is bent over some red garment which she is knitting; the steel -of her hook glistens. A ball of wool is hidden somewhere in her dress, -but the red thread appears to come from her bosom. The path is steep -and treacherous, the pebbles fall and rattle as she steps, but this -greyhaired woman descends as confidently as if her feet themselves -could find the way. This tale is told of her in the village: She is -a widow; her husband, a fisherman, soon after their wedding went out -fishing and never returned, leaving her with a child under her heart. - -When the child was born she hid it; she did not take her son out into -the street and sunshine to show him off, as mothers are wont to do, but -kept him in a dark corner of her hut, swaddling him in rags. Not one -of the neighbours knew how the new-born baby was shaped--they saw only -the large head and big, motionless eyes in a yellow face. Previously -she had been healthy, alert and cheerful and able not only to struggle -persistently with necessity herself but knowing also how to say a word -of encouragement to others. But now it was noticed that she had become -silent, that she was always musing, and knitting her brows, and looked -at everything as through a mist of sorrow, with a strange, wistful, -searching expression. - -Little time was needed for everyone to learn about her misfortune: the -child born to her was a freak, that is why she hid it, that is what -depressed her. - -The neighbours told her, of course, how shameful it is for a woman to -be the mother of a freak; no one except the Madonna knows whether this -cruel insult is a punishment justly deserved or not; but that the child -was guiltless, and she was wrong to deprive it of sunshine. - -She listened to them and showed them her son. His arms and legs were -short, like the fins of a fish, his head, which was puffed out like a -huge ball, was weakly supported by a thin, skinny neck, and his face -was wrinkled like that of an old man; he had a pair of dull eyes and a -large mouth drawn into a set smile. - -The women cried when they beheld him, men frowned, expressed loathing -and went gloomily away; the freak's mother sat on the ground, now -bowing her head, now raising it and looking at the others, as if -silently inquiring about something which no one could grasp. - -The neighbours made a box like a coffin for the freak, and filled -it with rags and combings of wool; they put the little child into -this soft warm nest and placed the box out in the yard in the shade, -entertaining a secret hope that the sunlight which performs miracles -every day might work yet one miracle more. - -Time passed, but he remained unchanged, with a large head, a thin -body, and four helpless limbs; only his smile assumed a more definite -expression of ravenous greed, and his mouth was becoming filled with -two rows of sharp, crooked teeth. The short paws learnt to catch chunks -of bread and to carry them, with rarely a mistake, to the large warm -mouth. - -He was dumb, but when food was being consumed near him and he could -smell it he made a mumbling sound, working his jaws and shaking his -large head, and the dull whites of his eyes became covered with a red -network of bloody veins. - -The freak's appetite was enormous, and waxed greater as time went -on; his mumbling never ceased. The mother worked untiringly, but very -often her earnings were small and sometimes she earned nothing at all. -She did not complain, and accepted help from the neighbours rather -unwillingly, and always without a word. When she was away from home the -neighbours, irritated by the mumbling of the child, ran into the yard -and shoved crusts of bread, vegetables, fruit, anything that could be -eaten, into the ever-hungry jaws. - -"Soon he will devour everything you have," they said to her. "Why don't -you send him to some orphanage or hospital?" - -She answered gloomily: - -"Leave him alone! I am his mother, I gave him life and I must feed him." - -She was fair to look upon, and more than one man sought her love, but -unsuccessfully. To one whom she liked more than the rest she said: - -"I cannot be your wife; I am afraid of giving birth to another freak; -you would be ashamed. No, go away!" - -The man tried to persuade her, reminded her of the Madonna, who is -just to mothers and looks upon them as her sisters, but the freak's -mother replied to him: - -"I don't know what I am guilty of, but I have been cruelly punished." - -He implored, wept, raged; and finally she said: - -"One cannot do what one does not believe to be right. Go away!" - -He went away to a far-off place and she never saw him again. - -And so for many years she filled the insatiable jaws, which chewed -incessantly. He devoured the fruits of her toil, her blood, her life; -his head grew and became more terrible, until it seemed ready to break -away from the thin weak neck and to rise in the air like a balloon; one -could imagine it in its course knocking against the corners of houses, -and swaying lazily from side to side. - -All who looked into the yard stopped involuntarily and shuddered, -unable to understand what they saw. Near the vine-covered wall, propped -up on stones, as on an altar, was a box, out of which rose a head, -showing up clearly against the background of foliage. The yellow, -freckled, wrinkled face, with its high cheekbones, and vacant eyes -starting out of their sockets, impressed itself on the memory of all -who saw it; the broad flat nostrils quivered, the abnormally developed -cheek-bones and jaws worked monotonously, the fleshy lips hung loose, -disclosing two rows of ravenous teeth; the large projecting ears, like -those of an animal, seemed to lead a separate existence. And this awful -visage was crowned by a mass of black hair growing in small, close -curls, like the wool of a negro. - -Holding in his little hands, which were short and small like the paws -of a lizard, a chunk of something to eat, the freak would bend his -head forward like a bird pecking, and, wrenching off bits of food with -his teeth, would munch noisily and snuffle. When he was satisfied he -grinned; his eyes shifted towards the bridge of his nose, forming one -dull, expressionless spot on the half-dead face, the movements of which -recalled to mind the twitchings of a person in agony. When he was -hungry he would crane his neck forward, open his red maw and mumble -clamorously, moving a thin, snake-like tongue. - -Crossing themselves and muttering a prayer people stepped aside, -reminded of everything evil that they had lived through, of all the -misfortunes they had experienced in their lives. - -The blacksmith, an old man of a gloomy disposition, said more than once: - -"When I see the all-devouring mouth of this creature I feel that -somebody like him has devoured my strength; it seems to me that we all -live and die for the sake of such parasites." - -This dumb head called forth in everyone sombre thoughts and feelings -that oppressed the heart. - -The freak's mother listened to what people said, and was silent; but -her hair turned quickly grey, wrinkles appeared on her face and she -had long since forgotten how to laugh. It was known that sometimes she -would spend the whole night standing in the doorway, and looking up at -the sky as if waiting for something. Shrugging their shoulders they -said to one another: - -"Whatever is she waiting for?" - -"Put him on the square near the old church," her neighbours advised -her. "Foreigners pass there; they will be sure to throw him a few -coppers." - -The mother shuddered as if in horror, saying: - -"It would be terrible if he were seen by strangers, by people from -other countries--what would they think of us?" - -They replied: - -"There is misfortune everywhere, and they all know it." - -Disparagingly she shook her head. - -But foreigners, driven by the desire for change, wander everywhere, -and naturally enough as they passed her house looked in. She was at -home, she saw the ugly looks, expressing aversion and loathing, on -the repleted faces of these idle people, heard how they spoke about -her son, making wry mouths and screwing up their eyes. Her heart -was especially wounded by a few words uttered contemptuously, with -animosity, and obvious triumph. - -Many times she repeated to herself the stranger's words, committing -them to memory; her heart, the heart of an Italian woman and a mother, -divined their insulting meaning. - -That same day she went to an interpreter whom she knew and asked what -the words meant. - -"It depends upon who uttered them!" he replied, knitting his brows. -"They mean: 'Italy is the first of the Latin races to degenerate.' ... -Where did you hear this lie?" - -She went away without answering. - -The next day her son died in convulsions from over-eating. - -She sat in the yard near the box, her hand on the head of her dead son; -still seeming to be calmly waiting, waiting. She looked questioningly -into the eyes of everybody who came to the house to look upon the -deceased. - -All were silent, no one spoke to her, though perhaps many wished to -congratulate her--she had been freed from slavery--to say a word -of consolation to her--she had lost a son--but everyone was mute. -Sometimes people understand that there is a time for silence. - -For some time after this she continued to gaze long into people's -faces, as if questioning them about something; then she became as -ordinary as everybody else. - - - - -THE MIGHT OF MOTHERHOOD - - -Let us praise Woman-Mother, the inexhaustible source of all-conquering -life! - -Here we shall tell of the Iron Timur-Lenk, the Lame Lynx--of -Sahib-Kiran, the lucky conqueror--of Tamerlane, as the Infidels have -named him--of the man who sought to destroy the whole world. - -For fifty years he scoured the earth, his iron heel crushing towns and -states as an elephant's foot crushes ant-hills. Red rivers of blood -flowed in his tracks wherever he went. He built high towers of the -bones of conquered peoples; he destroyed Life, vying with the might -of Death, on whom he took revenge for having robbed him of his son -Jihangir. He was a terrible man, for he wanted to deprive Death of all -his victims; to leave Death to die of hunger and ennui! - -From the day on which his son Jihangir died and the people of -Samarcand, clothed in black and light blue, their heads covered with -dust and ashes, met the conqueror of the cruel Getes, from that day -until the hour when Death met him in Otrar, and overcame him--for -thirty years Timur did not smile. He lived with lips compressed, bowing -his head to no one, and his heart was closed to compassion for thirty -years. - -Let us praise Woman-Mother, the only power to which Death humbly -submits. Here we shall tell the true tale of a mother, how Iron -Tamerlane, the servant and slave of Death, and the bloody scourge of -the earth, bowed down before her. - -This is how it came to pass. Timur-Bek was feasting in the beautiful -valley of Canigula which is covered with clouds of roses and jasmine, -in the valley called "Love of Flowers" by the poets of Samarcand, from -which one can see the light blue minarets of the great town, and the -blue cupolas of the mosques. - -Fifteen hundred round tents were spread out fan-wise in the valley, -looking like so many tulips. Above them hundreds of silk flags were -gently swaying, like living flowers. - -In their midst, like a queen among her subjects, was the tent of -Gurgan-Timur. The tent had four sides, each measuring one hundred -paces, three spears' length in height; its roof rested on twelve -golden columns as thick as the body of a man. The tent was made of -silk, striped in black, yellow and light blue; five hundred red cords -fastened it to the ground. There was a silver eagle at each of the -four corners, and under the blue cupola, on a dais in the middle of -the tent, was seated a fifth eagle--the all-conquering Timur-Gurgan -himself, the King of Kings. - -He wore a loose robe of light blue silk covered with no fewer than five -thousand large pearls. On his grey head, which was terrible to look -upon, was a white cap with a ruby on the sharp point. The ruby swayed -backwards and forwards; it glistened like a fiery eye surveying the -world. - -The face of the Lame One was like a broad knife covered with rust from -the blood into which it had been plunged thousands of times. His eyes -were narrow and small but they saw everything; their gleam resembled -the cold gleam of "Tsaramut," the favourite stone of the Arabs, which -the infidels call emerald, and by means of which epilepsy can be cured. - -The king wore earrings of rubies from Ceylon which resembled in colour -a pretty girl's lips. - -On the ground, on carpets that could not be matched, were three hundred -golden pitchers of wine and everything needed for the royal banquet. -Behind Timur stood the musicians; at his feet were his kindred: kings -and princes and the commanders of his troops; by his side was no one. -Nearest of all to him was the tipsy poet Kermani, he who once to the -question of the destroyer of the world, "Kermani, how much would you -give for me if I were to be sold?" replied to the sower of death and -terror: - -"Twenty-five askers." - -"But that is the value of my belt alone!" exclaimed Timur, surprised. - -"I was only thinking of the belt," replied Kermani, "only of the belt; -because you yourself are not worth a farthing!" - -Thus spake the poet Kermani to the King of Kings, to the man of evil -and terror. Let us therefore value the fame of the poet, the friend of -truth, always higher than the fame of Timur. Let us praise poets who -have only one God--the beautifully spoken, fearless word of truth--that -which is their god for ever! - -It was an hour of mirth, carousal and proud reminiscences of battles -and victories. Amid the sounds of music and popular games, warriors -were fencing before the tent of the king, and endeavouring to show -their prowess in killing. A number of motley-coloured clowns were -tumbling about, strong men were wrestling, acrobats were performing as -though they had no bones in their bodies. A performance of elephants -was also in progress; they were painted red and green, which made -some of them look ludicrous, others terrible. At this hour of joy, -when Timur's men were intoxicated with fear before him, with pride in -his fame, with the fatigue of battles, with wine and koumiss--at this -mad hour, suddenly through the noise, like lightning through a cloud, -the cry of a woman reached the ears of the conqueror of the Sultan -Bayazet, the cry of a proud eagle, a sound familiar and attuned to his -afflicted soul--afflicted by Death, and therefore so cruel to mankind -and to life. - -He gave orders to inquire who had cried out in this voice devoid of -joy. He was told that a woman had come, all in rags and covered with -dust; she seemed crazy, and speaking Arabic demanded--she demanded--to -see the master of three parts of the world. - -"Lead her in!" said the king. - -Before him stood a woman, barefooted, in rags faded by the sun. Her -black hair hung loose, covering her naked breast, and her face was of -the colour of bronze. Her eyes expressed command and her tawny hand did -not shake as she pointed it at the "Lame One." - -"Are you he that defeated Sultan Bayazet?" she asked. - -"Yes, I am he. I have conquered many and am not yet tired of victories. -What have you to tell me about yourself, woman?" - -"Listen," she said. "Whatever you may have done, you are only a man, -but I am a mother. You serve Death--I serve Life. You are guilty before -me and I am come to demand that you atone for your guilt. They tell me -that your watchword is 'Justice is Power.' I do not believe it, but you -must be just to me because I am a mother." - -The king was wise enough to overlook the insult and felt the force of -the words behind it. He said: - -"Sit down and speak. I will listen to you." - -She settled herself comfortably on a carpet in the narrow circle of -kings and related as follows:-- - -"I have come from near Salerno. It is in far-off Italy--you would not -know it. My father was a fisherman, my husband also; he was as handsome -as he was happy. It was I who made him happy. I also had a son who was -the finest boy in the world----" - -"Like my Jihangir," said the old warrior quietly. - -"My son was the finest and cleverest boy. He was six years old when -Saracen pirates came to our shore. They killed my father and my -husband, and many others. They kidnapped my son and for four years I -have searched for him all over the earth. He must be with you now; I -know it, because Bayazet's warriors captured the pirates; you defeated -Bayazet and took away all he had; therefore you must know where my son -is, you must give him back to me!" - -"She is insane," said the kings and friends of Timur, his princes and -marshals; and they all laughed, for kings always account themselves -wise. - -But Kermani looked seriously at the woman, and Tamerlane seemed greatly -astonished. - -"She is as insane as a mother," quietly said the poet Kermani; but the -king--the enemy of the world--replied: - -"Woman, how came you from that unknown country, across the seas, across -rivers and mountains, through the forests? How is it that wild beasts, -and men, who are often more ferocious than the wildest of beasts, did -not harm you? You came even without a weapon, the only friend of the -defenceless that does not betray them as long as they have strength in -their arms. I must know it all in order that I may believe you and in -order that my astonishment may not prevent me from understanding you." - -Let us praise Woman-Mother, whose love knows no bounds, by whose breast -the whole world has been nourished. Everything that is beautiful in man -comes from the rays of the sun and from mother's milk; these are the -sources of our love of life. - -The woman replied to Timur-Lenk: - -"I came across one sea only, a sea with many islands, where I found -fishermen's boats. When one is seeking what one loves the wind is -always favourable. For one who has been born and bred by the seashore -it is easy to swim across rivers. Mountains? I saw no mountains." - -"A mountain becomes a valley when one loves!" interjected smilingly the -poet Kermani. - -"True, there were forests on the way. There were wild boars, -bears, lynxes and terrible-looking bulls that lowered their heads -threateningly; twice lynxes stared at me with eyes like yours. But -every beast has a heart. I talked to them as I talk to you. They -believed me that I was a mother and went away sighing. They pitied me. -Know you not that beasts also love their young, and will fight for the -life and freedom of those they love as valiantly as men?" - -"That is true, woman," said Timur. "Very often, I know, their love is -stronger and they fight harder than men." - -"Men," she continued like a child, for every mother is a hundred times -a child in her soul, "men are always children of their mothers, for -everyone has a mother, everyone is somebody's son, even you, old man; a -woman bore you. You may renounce God, but that you cannot renounce, old -man." - -"That is true, woman," exclaimed Kermani, the fearless poet. "You can -have no calves from a herd of bulls, no flowers bloom without the sun, -there is no happiness without love. There is no love without woman. -There is no poet or hero without a mother." - -And the woman said: - -"Give me back my child, because I am a mother and I love him!" - -Let us bow down before Woman--she gave birth to Moses, Mahomet, and -the Great Prophet Jesus who was murdered by the wicked, but who, as -Sherif-eddin said, "will rise and come to judge the living and the -dead. It will happen in Damascus." - -Let us bow down before her who through the centuries gives birth to -great men. Aristotle was her son, and Firdousi, and honey-sweet Saadi, -and Omar Khayyam that is like wine mixed with poison, Iscander and -blind Homer. All these are her children, they all have drunk her milk -and every one of them was led into the world by her hand--when they -were no taller than a tulip. All the pride of the world is due to -mothers. - -And the grey destroyer of towns, the lame tiger Timur-Gurgan, grew -thoughtful and for a long time was silent. Then to all present he said: - -"Men Tangri Kuli, Timur (I, Timur, a servant of God) say what I must -say. I have lived for many years and the earth groans under me. For -thirty years, with this hand of mine, I have been destroying the -harvest of Death, I have been taking revenge upon Death because Death -put out the sun of my heart--robbed me of my Jihangir. Others have -struggled for cities and for kingdoms, but none has so striven for a -man. Men had no value in my eyes; I cared not who they were nor why -they were in my way. It was I, Timur, who said to Bayazet when I had -defeated him: 'O Bayazet, it seems that kingdoms are nothing before -God; you see that He gives them into the hands of people like us--you -who are a cripple and me who am lame!' I said this to him when he was -led up to me in chains, groaning under their weight. I looked upon his -misfortune and felt that love was bitter as wormwood, the weed that -grows on ruins. - -"A servant of God, I say what I must. A woman sits before me, her -number is legion and she has awakened in my soul feelings hitherto -unknown to me. As an equal she speaks to me and she does not ask, she -demands. I see and understand why this woman is so powerful: she loves -and love helped her to recognise that her child is the spark of life -from which a flame may spring that will burn for many centuries. Have -not all prophets been children, and all heroes been weak? O Jihangir, -the light of my eyes, perhaps it was thy lot to warm the earth, to sow -happiness on it: I have covered it well with blood and made it fertile." - -Again the Scourge of Nations pondered long. At last he said: - -"I, Timur, slave of God, say what I must. Let three hundred horsemen go -to all the four corners of my kingdom and let them find this woman's -son. She shall wait here and I will wait with her. Happy shall he be -who returns with the child on his saddle. Woman, is that right?" - -She tossed her black hair from her face, smiled at him and, nodding, -answered: - -"Quite right, O king!" - -Then the terrible old man rose and bowed to her in silence, but the -merry poet Kermani sang joyfully like a child: - - "What is more delightful than a song of flowers and stars? - - Everyone will say: a song of love. - - What is more enchanting than the midday sun in May? - - A lover will reply: she whom I love. - - Ah, I know the stars are splendid in the sky at depth of night, - - And I know the sun is gorgeous on a dazzling summer's day, - - But the eyes of my beloved out-rival all the flowers, - - And her smile is more entrancing than the sun in May. - - But no one yet has sung the best, most charming song of all; - - Tis the song of all beginnings, of the heart of all the world, - - Of the magic heart of women, and the mother of us all!" - -Timur-Lenk said to his poet: - -"Quite right, Kermani! God did not err when He selected your lips to -announce his wisdom!" - -"Well, God himself is a good poet!" said the drunken Kermani. - -And the woman smiled, and all the kings and princes and warriors smiled -too, like children, as they looked at her--the Woman-Mother. - -All this is true. What is said here is the truth, all mothers know it, -ask them and they will say: - -"Yes, all this is everlasting truth. We are more powerful than Death, -we who ceaselessly present sages, poets and heroes to the world, we who -sow in it everything that is glorious!" - - - - -A MESSAGE FROM THE SEA - - -It is as if thousands of metallic wires were strung in the thick -foliage of the olive-trees. The wind moves the stiff, hard leaves, they -touch the strings, and these light, continuous contacts fill the air -with a hot, intoxicating sound. It is not yet music, but a sound as if -unseen hands were tuning hundreds of invisible harps, and one awaits -impatiently the moment of silence before a powerful hymn bursts forth, -a hymn to the sun, the sky and the sea, played on numberless stringed -instruments. - -The wind sways the tops of the trees, which seem to be moving down the -mountain slope towards the sea. The waves beat in a measured, muffled -way against the stones on the shore. The sea is covered with moving -white spots, as if numberless flocks of birds had settled on its blue -expanse; they all swim in the same direction, disappear, diving into -the depths, and reappear, giving forth a faint sound. On the horizon, -looking like grey birds, move two ships under full sail, dragging the -other birds in their train. All this reminds one of a half-forgotten -dream seen long ago; it is so unlike reality. - -"The wind will freshen towards evening," says an old fisherman, sitting -on a little mound of jingling pebbles in the shade of the rocks. - -The breakers have washed up on to the stones a tangle of smelling -seaweed--brown and golden and green; the wrack withers in the sun and -on the hot stones, the salt air is saturated with the penetrating odour -of iodine. One after another the curling breakers beat upon the heap of -shingle. - -The old fisherman resembles a bird: he has a small pinched face and an -aquiline nose; his eyes, which are almost hidden in the folds of the -skin, are small and round, though probably keen enough. His fingers are -like crooks, bony and stiff. - -"Half-a-century ago, signor," said the old man, in a tone that was -in harmony with the beating of the waves and the chirping of the -crickets--it was just such another day as this, gladsome and noisy, -with everything laughing and singing. My father was forty, I was -sixteen, and in love of course--it is inevitable when one is sixteen -and the sun is bright. - -"'Let us go, Guido, and catch some pezzoni,' said my father to me. -Pezzoni, signor, are very thin and tasty fish with pink fins; they are -also called coral fish because they live at a great depth where coral -is found. To catch them one has to cast anchor, and angle with a hook -attached to a heavy weight. It is a pretty fish. - -"And we set off, looking forward to naught but a good catch. My -father was a strong man, an experienced fisherman, but just then he -had been ailing, his chest hurt him, and his fingers were contracted -with rheumatism--he had worked on a cold winter's day and caught the -fisherman's complaint. - -"The wind here is very tricky and mischievous, the kind of wind that -sometimes breathes on you from the shore as if gently pushing you into -the sea; and at another time will creep up to you unawares and then -rush at you as if you had offended it. The boat breaks loose and flies -before it, sometimes with keel uppermost, with you yourself in the -water. All this happens in a moment, you have no chance either to curse -or to mention God's name, as you are whirled and driven far out to -sea. A highwayman is more honourable than this kind of wind. But then, -signor, human beings are always more honourable than elemental forces. - -"Yes, this wind pounced upon us when we were three miles from the -shore--quite close, you see, but it struck us as unexpectedly as a -coward or a scoundrel. 'Guido,' said my father, clutching at the oars -with his crippled hands. 'Hold on, Guido! Be quick--weigh anchor!' - -"While I was weighing the anchor my father was struck in the chest by -one of the oars and fell stunned into the bottom of the boat. I had no -time to help him, signor; every second we might capsize. Events moved -quickly: when I got hold of the oars, we were rushing along rapidly, -surrounded by the dust-like spray of the water; the wind picked off the -tops of the waves and sprinkled us like a priest, only with more zest, -signor, and without any desire to wash away our sins. - -"'This is a bad look-out!' said my father when he came to, and had -taken a look in the direction of the shore. 'It will soon be all over, -my son.' - -"When one is young one does not readily believe in danger; I tried to -row, did all that one can do on the water in such a moment of danger, -when the wind, like the breath of wicked devils, amiably digs thousands -of graves for you and sings the requiems for nothing. - -"'Sit still, Guido,' said my father, grinning and shaking the water -off his head. 'What is the use of poking the sea with match-sticks? -Save your strength, my son; otherwise they will wait in vain for you at -home.' - -"The green waves toss out little boat as children toss a ball, peer at -us over the boat's sides, rise above our heads, roar, shake, drop us -into deep pits. We rise again on the white crests, but the coast runs -farther and farther away from us and seems to dance like our boat. Then -my father said to me: - -"'Maybe you will return to land, but I--never. Listen and I will tell -you something about a fisherman's work.' - -"And he began to tell me all he knew of the habits of the different -kinds of fishes: where, when and how best to catch them. - -"'Should we not rather pray, father?' I asked him when I realised that -our plight was desperate; we were like a couple of rabbits amidst a -pack of white hounds which grinned at us on all sides. - -"'God sees everything,' he said. 'If he sees everything He knows that -men who were created for the land are now perishing in the sea, and -that one of them, hoping to be saved, wishes to tell Him what he, the -Father, already knows. It is not prayer but work that the earth and the -people need. God understands that.' - -"And having told me everything he knew about work my father began to -talk about how one should live with others. - -"'Is this the proper time to teach me?' said I. 'You did not do it when -we were on shore.' - -"'On shore I did not feel the proximity of death so.' - -"The wind howled like a wild beast and furiously lashed the waves; my -father had to shout to make me hear. - -"'Always act as if there lived no one better and no one worse than -yourself--that will always be right! A landowner and a fisherman, -a priest and a soldier, belong to one body; you are needed just as -much as any other of its members. Never approach a man with the idea -that there is more bad in him than good; get to think that the good -outweighs the bad and it will be so. People give what is asked of -them.'" - -"These things were not said all at once, of course, but intermittently, -like words of command. We were tossed from wave to wave, and the words -came to me sometimes from below, sometimes from above through the -spray. Much of what he said was carried off before it reached my ear, -much I could not understand: is it a time to learn, signor, when every -minute you are threatened with death! I was in great fear; it was the -first time that I had seen the sea in such a rage, and I felt utterly -helpless. The sensation is still vivid in my memory, but I cannot tell -whether I experienced it then or afterwards when I recalled those hours. - -"As if it were now I see my father: he sits at the bottom of the boat, -his feeble arms outstretched, his hands gripping the sides of the boat; -his hat has been washed away; from right and left, from fore and aft, -the waves are breaking over his head and shoulders.... He shook his -head, sniffed and shouted to me from time to time. He was wet through -and looked very small, and fear, or perhaps it was pain, had made his -eyes large. I think it was pain. - -"'Listen!' he shouted to me. 'Do you hear?' - -"'At times,' I replied to him, 'I hear.' - -"'Remember that everything that is good comes from man.' - -"'I will remember!' I replied. - -"He had never spoken to me in this way on land. He had been jovial -and kindly, but it seemed to me that he regarded me with a lack of -confidence and a sort of contempt--I was still a child for him; -sometimes it offended me, for in youth one's pride is strong. - -"His shouts must have lessened my fear, for I remember it all very -clearly." The old fisherman remained silent for a while, looking at the -white sea and smiling; then with a wink he said: - -"As I have observed men, I know that to remember means to understand, -and the more you understand the more good you see; that is quite true, -believe me. - -"Yes, I remember his wet face that was so dear to me, and his big eyes -that looked at me so earnestly, so lovingly, and in such a way that -somehow I knew at the time that I was not going to perish on that day. -I was frightened, but I knew that I should not perish. - -"Our boat capsized, of course, and we were in the swirling water, in -the blinding foam, hedged in by sharp-crested waves, which tossed our -bodies about, and battered them against the keel of the boat. We had -fastened ourselves to the boat with everything that could be tied, and -were holding on by ropes. As long as our strength lasted we should -not be torn away from our boat, but it was difficult to keep afloat. -Several times he and I were tossed on to the keel and then washed off -again. The worst of it is, signor, that you become dizzy, and deaf and -blind--the water gets into your eyes and ears and you swallow a lot of -it. - -"This lasted long--for full seven hours--and then the wind suddenly -changed, blew towards the coast and swept us along with it. I was -overjoyed and shouted: - -"'Hold on!' - -"My father also cried out, but I understood only: - -"'They will smash us.' - -"He meant the stones, but they were still far off; I did not believe -him. But he understood matters better than I: we rushed along amid -mountains of water, clinging like snails to our 'mother who fed us.' -The waves had battered our bodies, dashed us against the boat and we -already felt exhausted and benumbed. So we went on for a long time; -but when once the dark mountains came in sight everything moved with -lightning speed. The mountains seemed to reel as they came towards -us, to bend over the water as if about to tumble on our heads. One, -two! The white waves toss up our bodies, our boat crackles like a nut -under the heel of a boot; I am torn away from it, I see the broken -ribs of the rocks, like sharp knives, like the devil's claws, and I -see my father's head high above me. He was found on the rocks two days -later, with his back broken and his skull smashed. The wound in the -head was large, part of the brain had been washed out. I remember the -grey particles intermingled with red sinews in the wound, like marble -or foam streaked with blood. He was terribly mutilated, all broken, but -his face was uninjured and calm, and his eyes were tightly closed. - -"And I? Yes, I also was badly mangled. They dragged me on to the shore -unconscious. We were carried to the mainland beyond Amalfi--a place -unknown to us, but the people there were also fishermen, our own kith -and kin. Cases like ours do not surprise them, but render them kind; -people who lead a dangerous life are always kind! - -"I fear I have not spoken to you as I feel about my father, and of -what I have kept in my heart for fifty-one years. Special words may be -required to do that, even a song; but we are simple folk, like fishes, -and are unable to speak as prettily and expressively as one would wish! -One always feels and knows more than one is able to tell. - -"What is most striking about the whole matter is that, although my -father knew that the hour of his death had come, he did not get -frightened or forget me, his son. He found time and strength to tell me -all he considered important. I have lived sixty-seven years and I can -say that everything he imparted to me is true!" - -The old man took off his knitted cap, which had once been red but had -faded, and pulled a pipe out of it. Then, inclining his bald bronzed -skull to one side, he said with emphasis: - -"It is all true, dear signor! People are just as you like to see them; -look at them with kind eyes and all will be well with you, and with -them, too; it will make them still better, and you too! It is very -simple!" - -The wind freshens considerably, the waves become higher, sharper and -whiter, birds appear on the sea and fly swiftly away, disappearing in -the distance. The two ships with their outspread sails have passed -beyond the blue streak of the horizon. - -The steep banks of the island are edged with lace-like foam, the blue -water splashes angrily, and the crickets chirp on with never a pause. - - - - -THE HONOUR OF THE VILLAGE - - -"On the day when this happened the sirocco was blowing--a hot wind -from Africa, and a nasty wind, too! It irritates one's nerves and puts -one in a bad temper! That is probably the reason why the two carters, -Giuseppe Cirotta and Luigi Meta, were quarrelling. No one knew how the -quarrel began. No one knew who began it. All that people saw was that -Luigi had thrown himself upon Giuseppe and was trying to clutch his -throat; while the latter, his shoulders hunched to protect his head and -his thick red neck, was making a lusty use of his strong black fists. - -"They were separated and asked: - -"'What is the matter?' - -"Quite purple with anger Luigi exclaimed: - -"'Let this bull repeat in the presence of everybody what he said about -my wife!' - -"Cirotta tried to get away. His small eyes hidden in the folds of a -disdainful grimace, he shook his black bullet head, and stubbornly -refused to repeat the offending words. Meta then shouted out in a loud -voice: - -"'He says that he has known the sweetness of my wife's caresses!' - -"'H'm,' said the people, 'this is no joking matter; this requires -serious attention. Be calm, Luigi. You are a stranger in our parts; -your wife belongs here. We all knew her as a child, and if you have -been wronged her guilt falls equally on all of us. Let us be outspoken!' - -"They all gathered round Cirotta. - -"'Did you say it?' - -"'Well, yes, I did,' he admitted. - -"'And is it the truth?' - -"'Who has ever known me tell a lie?' - -"Cirotta was a respectable man--a husband and a father; the matter was -taking a very serious turn. Those present were perplexed and seemed to -be thinking hard. Luigi went home and said to Concetta: - -"'I am going away! I don't want you any more unless you can prove that -the words of this scoundrel are a calumny.' - -"Of course she began to cry, but then tears do not acquit one: Luigi -pushed her away. She would be left with a child in her arms without -food or money. - -"Catherine was the first of the women to intervene. She kept a small -greengrocer's shop and was as cunning as a fox; in appearance she -resembled an old sack filled unevenly with flesh and bones. - -"'Signor,' she said, 'you have already heard that this concerns the -honour of us all. It is not a prank prompted by a night when the moon -is bright; the fate of two mothers is involved, isn't that so? I will -take Concetta to my house and let her live with me till we find out the -truth.' - -"She was as good as her word; and later she and Luccia, the noisy, -shrivelled old witch, whose voice could be heard three miles away, both -tackled poor Giuseppe: they asked him to come out and began to pluck at -his soul as if it had been an old rag. - -"'Well, my good man, tell us how many times you took Concetta to -yourself?' - -"The fat Giuseppe puffed out his cheeks, thought awhile, and said: - -"'Once!' - -"'He could have told us that without reflection,' remarked Luccia -aloud, as if talking to herself. - -"'Did it happen in the evening, in the night, or in the morning?' asked -Catherine, after the fashion of a judge. - -"Giuseppe chose evening without thinking. - -"'Was it still daylight?' - -"'Yes,' said the fool. - -"'That means that you saw her body?' - -"'Yes, of course.' - -"'Then tell us what it looked like.' - -"He understood at last the drift of the questions, and opened his mouth -like a sparrow choking with a grain of barley. He understood, and -muttered angrily under his breath; blood rushed to his large ears till -they became quite purple. - -"'Well, what can I say? I did not examine her like a doctor!' - -"'You eat fruit without enjoying the look of it?' asked Luccia. 'But -perhaps you noticed one of Concetta's peculiarities?' She went on -questioning him, laughing and winking as she did so. - -"'It all happened so quickly,' said Giuseppe, 'that, to tell you the -truth, I didn't notice anything.' - -"'That means that you never had her,' said Catherine. - -"She was a kind woman, but, when necessary, she could be quite stern. -In the end, they so confused the fellow and made him contradict himself -so often that he lost his head--and confessed: - -"'Nothing at all happened; I said it simply out of malice.' - -"This did not surprise the old women. - -"'It is what we thought,' they said; and, letting him go, they left the -matter to the decision of the men. - -"Two days later our Workers' Society met. Cirotta had to face them, -having been accused of libelling a woman. Old Giacomo Fasca, a -blacksmith, said in a way that did credit to him: - -"'Citizens, comrades and good people! We demand that justice shall be -done to us. We on our part must be just to everybody: let everybody -understand that we know the high value of what we want, and that -justice is not an empty word for us as it is for our masters. Here is a -man who has libelled a woman, offended a comrade, disrupted one family -and brought sorrow to another, who has made his wife suffer jealousy -and shame. Our attitude to this man should be stern. What do you -propose to do?' - -"Sixty-seven tongues exclaimed in one voice: - -"'Drive him out of the commune!' - -"Fifteen of the men thought that this was too severe a punishment, and -a dispute arose. And the dispute became a very noisy one, for the fate -of a man hung on their decision, and not the fate of one man only: the -man was married and had three children. What had his wife and children -done? He had a house, a vineyard, a pair of horses, four donkeys for -the use of foreigners. All these things had been acquired by his own -labour and had cost him a deal of pains. Poor Giuseppe was skulking in -a corner amongst the children and looked as gloomy as the very devil. -He sat doubled up on a chair, his head bowed, fumbling his hat. He had -pulled off the ribbon already, and now was slowly tearing off the brim. -His fingers jerked as if he were playing the fiddle. When he was asked -what he had to say he stood up slowly and, straightening his body, said: - -"'I beg you to be lenient! There is no one without sin. To drive me off -the land on which I have lived for more than thirty years, and where my -ancestors have worked, would not be just.' - -"The women were also against his being exiled, so Giacomo Fasca at last -made the following proposal:-- - -"'I think, friends, that he will be sufficiently punished if we saddle -him with the duty of keeping Luigi's wife and child--let him pay her -half as much as Luigi earned!' - -"They discussed the matter at great length and finally settled on that. -Giuseppe Cirotta was very pleased to get off so easily. Besides, this -decision satisfied all: the matter was not taken into the law courts, -it was decided in their own circle and no knives were used. - -"We do not like, signor, what they write about our affairs in the -papers in a language unfamiliar to us. The words that we can understand -occur only here and there, like teeth in an old man's mouth. Besides, -we don't like the way the judges talk of us, for they are strangers to -us and don't understand our life. They talk of us as if we were savages -and they themselves angels of God, who don't know the taste of meat or -wine, and don't touch womenkind. We are simple folks and we look on -life in a simple way. - -"So they decided that Giuseppe Cirotta should keep the wife and child -of Luigi Meta. - -"The matter however had a different ending. - -"When Luigi found out that Cirotta's words were untrue and that his -wife was innocent, and when he heard our decision, he wrote her a short -note in which he invited her to come home: - -* - -"'Come to me and we shall live happily again. Do not take a farthing -from that man and, if you have taken any, throw it in his face! I am -guilty before you. Could I have thought that a man would lie in such a -matter as love?' - -* - -"But he also wrote another letter to Cirotta: - -"'I have three brothers and all four of us have sworn to one another -that we will kill you like a ram if you ever leave the island and land -in Sorrento, Castellamare, Torre, or anywhere else. As soon as we find -it out we shall kill you, remember! This is as true as that we belong -to your commune and are good honest people. My wife has no need of your -help. Even my pig would refuse to eat your bread. Do not leave this -island until I tell you you may!' - -"That is how it all happened. It is said that Cirotta took this letter -to the judge and asked him whether Luigi could not be punished for -threatening him, and that the judge said: - -"'Of course he can, but then his brothers will certainly kill you; they -will come over here and kill you. I advise you to wait. That is better. -Anger is not like love: it does not last for ever!' - -"The judge may have said it: he is a good and clever man, and makes -very good verses; but I don't believe that Cirotta ever went to him or -showed him the letter. No, Cirotta is a decent fellow and it is not -likely that he would have acted so stupidly. People would have jeered -at him. - -"We are simple working people, signor. We have our own life, our own -ideas and opinions. We have a right to shape our life as we like and as -we think best. - -"Socialists? Friend, in my opinion a working man is born a socialist; -although we don't read books we can smell the truth--truth has a strong -smell about it which is always the same--the smell of the sweat of -labour!" - - - - -THE SOCIALIST - - -Before the door of a white canteen hidden among the thick vines of an -old vineyard, in the shade of a canopy of vine branches interspersed -with morning glory and small Chinese roses, at a table on which stood a -decanter of wine, sat Vincenzo, a painter, with Giovanni, a locksmith. -The painter is a small man, thin and dark; his eyes are lit with the -soft, musing smile of a dreamer. His upper lip and cheeks have the -appearance of having been recently shaved, but his smile makes him look -very young, almost childlike. He has a small, pretty mouth like that of -a girl; his wrists are slender, and in his nimble fingers he twists a -yellow rose, pressing it to his full lips and closing his eyes. - -"Perhaps so. I don't know; perhaps so," he says quietly, shaking his -head, which has hollows at the temples. Dark curls fall over his high -forehead. - -"Yes, yes, the farther north one goes the more persistent are the -people," asserts Giovanni, a broad-shouldered fellow with a large head -and black curls. His face is copper-coloured, his nose sunburnt and -covered with white scales of dead skin. His eyes are large and gentle -like those of an ox, and there is a finger missing from his left hand. -His speech is as slow as the movements of his hands, which are stained -with oil and iron dust. Grasping his wineglass in his dark fingers, the -nails of which are chipped and broken, he continues in his deep voice: - -"Milan, Turin--there are splendid workshops there in which new people -are being made, where a new brain is growing. Wait a little while and -the world will become honest and wise!" - -"Yes," said the little painter; and he lifted his glass, trying to -catch a sunbeam in the wine, and sang: - - "When we are young - How high the heart aspires! - How Time hath slaked its fires - When we are old!" - -"The farther north one goes, I say, the better is the work. The -French, for instance, do not lead such a lazy life as we do. Farther -on, there are the Germans, and last of all the Russians: they are men -if you like!" - -"Quite true." - -"Having no rights and no fear of being deprived of their freedom and -life, they have done grand work: it is owing to them that the whole -East has awakened to life." - -"The county of heroes," said the painter, inclining his head. "I should -like to live amongst them." - -"Would you?" exclaimed the locksmith, striking his knee with his fist. -"You would turn into a piece of ice there in a week!" - -They both laughed good humouredly. - -Around them there are blue and golden flowers; sunbeams tremble in the -air; in the transparent glass of the decanter and the tumblers the wine -seems to be on fire. From afar comes the soft murmur of the sea. - -"Well, my good Vincenzo," said the locksmith, with a broad smile. "Tell -me in verse how I became a socialist. Do you know how it happened?" - -"No," said the painter, filling the glasses with wine and smiling at -the red stream. "You have never told me. This skin fits your bones so -well that I thought you were born in it!" - -"I was born naked and stupid, like you and everybody else; in my youth -I dreamed of a rich wife; when I was a soldier I studied in order to -pass the examination for an officer's rank. I was twenty-three when I -felt that all was not as it should be in this world, and that it was a -shame to live as if it were, like a fool." - -The painter rested his elbows on the table and, raising his head, gazed -at the mountains where, on the very edge of the precipice, moving their -large branches, stood huge pine-trees. - -"We, our whole regiment, were sent to Bologna. The peasantry there were -in revolt, some demanding that the rent of land should be lowered, -others shouting about the necessity for raising wages: both parties -seemed to be in the wrong. 'To lower rents and increase wages, what -nonsense!' thought I. 'That would ruin the landowners.' To me, who was -a town-dweller, it seemed utter foolishness. I was very indignant--the -heat helped to make one so, and the constant travelling from place -to place and the mounting guard at night. For, you know, these fine -fellows were breaking the machinery belonging to the landowners; and it -pleased them to burn the corn and to try to spoil everything that did -not belong to them. Just think of it!" - -He sipped his wine and, becoming more animated, went on: - -"They roamed about the fields in droves like sheep, always silently, -but threateningly and as if they meant business. We used to scatter -them, threatening them with our bayonets sometimes. Now and then we -struck them with the butts of our rifles. Without showing much fear, -they dispersed in leisurely fashion, but always came together again. -It was a tedious business, like mass, and it lasted for days, like an -attack of fever. Luoto, our non-commissioned officer, a fine fellow -from Abruzzi, himself a peasant, was anxious and troubled: he turned -quite yellow and thin, and more than once he said to us: - -"'It's a bad business, boys; it will probably be necessary to shoot, -damn it!' - -"His grumbling upset us still more; and then, you know, from every -corner, from every hillock and tree we could see peeping the obstinate -heads of the peasants; their angry eyes seemed to pierce us. For these -people, naturally enough, did not regard us in a very friendly light." - -"Drink," said little Vincenzo cordially, pushing a full glass towards -his friend. - -"Thank you. Long live the people who persist!" exclaimed the locksmith -in his bass voice. He emptied the glass, wiped his moustache with his -hands, and continued: - -"Once I stood on a small hillock near an olive grove, guarding some -trees which the peasants had been injuring. At the bottom of the hill -two men were at work, an old man and a youth. They were digging a -ditch. It was very hot, the sun burnt like fire, one felt irritable, -longed to be a fish, and I remember I eyed them angrily. At noon they -both left off work, and got out some bread and cheese and a jug of -wine. 'Oh, devil take them!' thought I to myself. Suddenly the old man, -who previously had not once looked at me, said something to the youth, -who shook his head disapprovingly, but the old man shouted: - -'Go on!' He said this very sternly. - -"The youth came up to me with the jug in his hand, and said, not very -willingly, you know: - -"'My father thinks that you would like a drink and offers you some -wine.' - -"I felt embarrassed, but I was pleased. I refused, nodding at the same -time to the old man and thanking him. He responded by looking at the -sky. - -"'Drink it, signor, drink it. We offer this to you as a man, not as a -soldier. We do not expect a soldier to become kinder because he has -drunk our wine!' - -"'D--you, don't get nasty,' I thought to myself, and having drunk about -three mouthfuls I thanked him. Then they began to eat down below. A -little later I was relieved by Ugo from Salertino. I told him quietly -that these two peasants were good fellows. The same night, as I stood -at the door of a barn where the machinery was kept a slate fell on -my head from the roof--it did not do much damage, but another slate, -striking my shoulder edgewise, hurt me so severely that my left arm -dropped benumbed." - -The locksmith burst into a loud laugh, his mouth wide open, his eyes -half-closed. - -"Slates, stones, sticks," said he, through his laughter, "in those -days and at that place were alive. This independent action of lifeless -things made some pretty big bumps on our heads. Wherever a soldier -stood or walked, a stick would suddenly fly at him from the ground, -or a stone fall upon him from the sky. It made us savage, as you can -guess." - -The eyes of the little painter became sad, his face turned pale and he -said quietly: - -"One always feels ashamed to hear of such things." - -"What is one to do? People take time to get wise. Then I called for -help. I was led into a house where another fellow lay, his face cut by -a stone. When I asked him how it happened he said, smiling, but not -with mirth: - -"'An old woman, comrade, an old grey witch struck me, and then -proposed that I should kill her!' - -"'Was she arrested?' - -"'I said that I had done it myself, that I had fallen and hurt myself. -The commander did not believe it, I could see it by his eyes. But, -don't you see, it was awkward to confess that I had been wounded by an -old woman. Eh? The devil! Of course they are hard pressed and one can -understand that they do not love us!' - -"'H'm!' thought I. The doctor came and two ladies with him, one of -them fair and very pretty, evidently a Venetian. I don't remember the -other. They looked at my wound. It was slight, of course. They applied -a poultice and went away." - -The locksmith frowned, became silent and rubbed his hands hard; his -companion filled the glasses again with wine; as he lifted the decanter -the wine seemed to dance in the air like a live red fire. - -"We used both to sit at the window," continued the locksmith darkly. -"We sat in such a way that the light did not fall on us, and there -once we heard the charming voice of this fair lady. She and her -companion were walking with the doctor in the garden outside the window -and talking in French, which I understand very well. - -"'Did you notice the colour of his eyes?' she asked. 'He is a peasant -of course, and once he has taken off his uniform will no doubt become -a socialist, like they all are here. People with eyes like that want -to conquer the whole world, to reconstruct the whole of life, to drive -us out, to destroy us in order that some blind, tedious justice should -triumph!' - -"'Foolish fellows,' said the doctor-'half children, half brutes.' - -"'Brutes, that is quite true. But what is there childish about them?' - -"'What about those dreams of universal equality?' - -"'Yes, just imagine it. The fellow with the eyes of an ox and the other -with the face of a bird our equals! You, she and I their equals, the -equals of these people of inferior blood! People who can be bidden to -come and kill their fellows, who are brutes like them....' - -"She spoke much and vehemently. I listened and thought: - -"'Quite right, signora.' I had seen her more than once, and you know of -course that no one dreams more ardently of a woman than a soldier. I -imagined her to be kind and clever and warmhearted; and at that time I -had an idea that the landed nobility were especially clever, or gifted, -or something of the kind. I don't know why! - -"I asked my comrade: - -"'Do you understand this language?' - -"No, he did not understand. Then I translated for him the fair lady's -speech. The fellow got as angry as the devil, and started to jump about -the room, his one eye glistening--the other was bandaged. - -"'Is that so?' he murmured. 'Is that possible? She makes use of me and -does not look upon me as a man. For her sake I allow my dignity to be -offended and she denies it. For the sake of guarding her property I -risk losing my soul.' - -"He was not a fool and felt that he had been very much insulted, and so -did I. The following day we talked about this lady in a loud voice, -not heeding Luoto, who only muttered: - -"'Be more careful, boys; don't forget that you are soldiers, and that -there is such a thing as discipline.' - -"No, we did not forget it. But many of us, almost all, to tell you the -truth, became deaf and blind, and these young peasants made use of our -deafness and blindness to very good purpose. They won. They treated -us very well indeed. The fair lady could have learnt from them: for -instance, they could have taught her very convincingly how honest -people should be valued. When we left the place whither we had come -with the idea of shedding blood, many of us were given flowers. As we -marched along the streets of the village not stones and slates but -flowers were thrown at us, my friend. I think we had deserved it. One -may forget a cool reception when one has received such a good send-off!" - -He laughed heartily, then said: - -"That is what you should turn into verse, Vincenzo." - -The painter replied with a pensive smile: - -"Yes, it's a good subject for a small poem. I think I may be able to -do something with it. But when a man is over twenty-five he is a poor -lyric poet." - -He threw away the crumpled flower, picked another and, looking round, -continued quietly: - -"When one has covered the road from mother's breast to the breast of -one's sweetheart, one must go on to another kind of happiness." - -The locksmith became silent, tilting his wine in the glass. - -Below them the sea murmurs softly; in the hot air above the vineyards -floats the perfume of flowers. - -"It is the sun that makes us so lazy and good-for-nothing," murmured -the locksmith. - -"I don't seem to be able to manage lyric verse satisfactorily now. I am -rather sick about it," said Vincenzo quietly, knitting his thin brows. - -"Have you written anything lately?" - -The painter did not reply at once. - -"Yes, yesterday I wrote something on the roof of the Hotel Como." - -And he read in a low tone and pensive and sing-song manner: - - "The autumn sun falls softly, taking leave, - And lights the greyness of the lonely shore. - The greedy waves o'erlip the scattered stones - And lick the sun into the cold blue sea. - The autumn wind goes gleaning yellow leaves, - To toss them idly in the blust'ring air. - Pale is the sky, and wild the angry sea, - The sun still faintly smiles, and sinks, and sets." - -They were both silent for a time. The painter's head had sunk and his -eyes were fixed on the ground. The big, burly locksmith smiled and said -at last: - -"One can speak in a beautiful way about everything, but what is most -beautiful of all is a word about a good man, a song of good people." - - - - -THE HUNCHBACK - - -The sun, like a golden rain, streams down through the dark curtain of -vine leaves on to the terrace of the hotel; it is as if golden threads -were strung in the air. - -On the grey pavement and on the white table-cloths the shadows make -strange designs, and it seems as though, if one looked long at them, -one might learn to read them as one reads poetry, one might learn the -meaning of it all. Bunches of grapes gleam in the sun, like pearls or -the strange dull stone olivine, and the water in the decanter on the -table sparkles like blue diamonds. - -In the passage between the tables lies a round lace handkerchief, -dropped, without a doubt, by a woman divinely fair--it cannot be -otherwise, one cannot think otherwise on this sultry day full of -glowing poetry, a day when everything banal and commonplace becomes -invisible and hides from the sun, as if ashamed of itself. - -All is quiet, save for the twitter of the birds in the garden and -the humming of the bees as they hover over the flowers. From the -vineyards on the mountain-side the sounds of a song float on the hot -air and reach the ear: the singers are a man and a woman. Each verse -is separated from the others by a moment's pause, and this interval of -silence lends a special expression to the song, giving it something of -the character of a prayer. - -A lady comes from the garden and ascends the broad marble steps; she is -old and very tall. Her dark face is serious; her brows are contracted -in a deep frown, and her thin lips are tightly compressed, as if she -had just said: - -"No!" - -Round her spare shoulders is a long, broad, gold-coloured scarf edged -with lace, which looks almost like a mantle. The grey hair of her -little head, which is too small for her size, is covered with black -lace. In one hand she carries a long-handled red sunshade, in the other -a black velvet bag embroidered in silver. She walks as firmly as a -soldier through the web of sunbeams, tapping the noisy pavement with -the end of her sunshade. - -Her profile is the very picture of sternness: her nose is aquiline -and on the end of her sharp chin grows a large grey wart; her rounded -forehead projects over dark hollows where, in a network of wrinkles, -her eyes are hidden. They are hidden so deep that the woman appears -almost blind. - -On the steps behind her, swaying from side to side like a duck, appears -noiselessly the square body of a hunchback with a large, heavy, -forward-hanging head, covered with a grey soft hat. His hands are in -the pockets of his waistcoat, which makes him look broader and more -angular still. He wears a white suit and white boots with soft soles. -His weak mouth is half open, disclosing prominent, yellow and uneven -teeth. The dark moustache which grows on his upper lip is unsightly, -for the bristles are sparse and wiry. He breathes quickly and heavily. -His nostrils quiver but the moustache does not move. He moves his short -legs jerkily as he walks. His large eyes gaze languidly, as if tired, -at the ground; and on his small body are displayed many large things: -a large gold ring with a cameo on the first finger of his left hand, -a large golden charm with two rubies at the end of a black ribbon fob, -and a large--a too large--opal, an unlucky stone, in his blue necktie. - -A third figure follows them leisurely along the terrace. It is that -of another old woman, small and round, with a kind red face and quick -eyes: she is, one may guess, of an amiable and talkative disposition. - -They walk across the terrace through the hotel doorway, looking like -people out of a picture of Hogarth's--sad, ugly, grotesque, unlike -anything else under the sun. Everything seems to grow dark and dim in -their presence. - -They are Dutch people, brother and sister, the children of a diamond -merchant and banker. Their life has been full of strange events if one -may believe what is lightly said of them. - -As a child, the hunchback was quiet, self-contained, always musing, -and not fond of toys. This attracted no special attention from anybody -except his sister. His father and mother thought that was how a -deformed boy should be; but in the girl, who was four years older than -her brother, his character aroused a feeling of anxiety. - -Almost every day she was with him, trying in all possible ways to -awaken in him some animation. To make him laugh she would push toys -towards him. He piled them one on top of another, building a sort of -pyramid. Only very rarely did he reward her efforts with a forced -smile; as a rule he looked at his sister, as at everything else, with a -forlorn look in his large eyes which seemed to suffer from some strange -kind of blindness. This look chilled her ardour and irritated her. - -"Don't dare to look at me like that! You will grow up an idiot!" she -shouted, stamping her foot. And she would pinch him and beat him. He -whimpered and put up his long arms to guard his head, but he never ran -away from her and never complained. - -Later on, when she thought that he could understand what had become -quite clear to her she kept saying to him: - -"Since you are a freak, you must be clever, or else everybody will be -ashamed of you, father, mother, and everybody! Even other people will -be ashamed that in such a rich house there should be a freak. In a rich -house everything must be beautiful and clever. Do you understand that?" - -"Yes," said he, in his serious way, inclining his large head towards -one side and looking into her face with his dark, lifeless _eyes._ - -His father and mother were pleased with this attitude of their daughter -towards her brother. They praised her good heart in his presence and -by degrees she became the acknowledged guardian of the hunchback. She -taught him to play with toys, helped him to prepare his lessons, read -him stories about princes and fairies. - -But, as formerly, he piled his toys in tall heaps, as if trying to -reach something. He did his lessons carelessly and badly; but at the -marvellous in tales he smiled in a curious, indecisive way, and once he -asked his sister: - -"Are princes ever hunchbacks?" - -"No." - -"And knights?" - -"Of course not." - -The boy sighed, as though tired; but putting her hand on his bristly -hair his sister said: - -"But wise wizards are always hunchbacks." - -"That means that I shall be a wizard," submissively remarked the -hunchback, and then, after pondering a while, he said: - -"Are fairies always beautiful?" - -"Always." - -"Like you?" - -"Perhaps. I think they are even more beautiful," she said frankly. - -When he was eight years old his sister noticed that when, during -their walks, they passed houses in course of construction a strange -expression of astonishment always appeared on the boy's face; he would -look intently at the people working and then turn his expressionless -eyes questioningly to her. - -"Does that interest you?" she asked. And he, who spoke little as a -rule, replied: - -"Yes." - -"Why?" - -"I don't know." - -But once he explained: - -"Such little people, and such small bricks, and the houses are so -big.... Is the whole town made like that?" - -"Yes, of course." - -"And our house?" - -"Of course." - -Looking at him she said in a decisive manner: - -"You will be a famous architect, that's it." - -They bought a lot of wooden cubes for him, and from that time on an -ardent passion for building took possession of him: for whole days he -would sit silently on the floor of his room, building tall towers, -which fell down with a crash, only to be built again. So constant did -his preoccupation become that even at table, during dinner, he used to -try to build things with the knives and forks and napkin rings. His -eyes became deeper and more concentrated, his arms more agile and very -restless, and he handled every object that came within his reach. - -Now, during their walks in the town, he was ready to stand for hours in -front of a building in construction, observing how from a small thing -it grew huge, rising towards the sky. His nostrils quivered as they -took in the smell of the brick dust and lime. His eyes became clouded, -as if covered with a film, and he seemed deeply engrossed in thought. -When he was told that it was not the proper thing to stand in the -street he did not hear. - -"Let us go!" His sister would rouse him, taking his arm. - -He lowered his head and walked on, but kept looking back over his -shoulder. - -"You will become an architect, won't you?" she asked him repeatedly, -trying to inculcate this idea in him. - -"Yes." - -Once after dinner, while waiting for the coffee in the sitting-room, -the father remarked that it was time for him to leave his toys and -begin to study in real earnest, but the sister, speaking in a tone -which indicated that her authority was recognised, and that her opinion -too had to be reckoned with, said: - -"I hope, papa, that you will not send him to school." - -The father, who was tall, clean-shaven and adorned with a large number -of sparkling precious stones, replied, lighting his cigar: - -"Why not?" - -"You know why." - -As the conversation turned upon the hunchback he quietly walked out of -the room; but he walked slowly and heard his sister say: - -"They will jeer at him." - -"Yes, of course," said the mother, in a low tone, which sounded as -cheerless as the autumn wind. - -"Boys such as he should be kept in the background," his sister said -fervently. - -"Yes, he is nothing to be proud of," said the mother. "There is not -much sense in his little head." - -"Perhaps you are right," the father agreed. - -"No, there's a lot of sense." - -The hunchback came back, stopped in the doorway and said: - -"I am not a fool either." - -"We shall see," said the father; and his mother remarked: - -"No one thinks anything of the sort." - -"You will study at home," declared his sister, making him sit down by -her side. - -"You will study everything that it is necessary for an architect to -know. Would you like that?" - -"Yes, you will see." - -"What shall I see?" - -"What I like." - -She was slightly taller than he, about half a head, but she domineered -over everybody, even her father and mother. At that time she was -fifteen; he resembled a crab, but she was slim and straight and -strong and seemed to him a fairy, under whose power the whole house -lived--even he, the little hunchback. - -Polite, formal people came to him, explaining things and putting -questions to him. But he confessed frankly that he did not understand -what they were trying to teach him, and would look in an absent-minded -way past his instructors, preoccupied with his own thoughts. It was -clear to everybody that he took no interest in ordinary things. He -spoke little, but sometimes he asked strange questions. - -"What happens to those who don't want to do anything at all?" - -The well-trained tutor, in his tightly buttoned black frock-coat--he -resembled at once a priest and a soldier--replied: "Everything bad -happens to such people, anything that you can imagine. For instance, -many of them become socialists." - -"Thank you," said the hunchback. His attitude towards his teachers was -always correct and reserved, like that of an adult. "And what is a -socialist?" "At best he is a dreamer and a lazy fellow--a moral freak -who is deprived of all idea of God, property and nationality." - -The teachers always replied briefly and to the point. Their answers -fixed themselves in one's memory as tightly as if they were the stones -of a pavement. - -"Can an old woman also be a moral freak?" - -"Of course in their midst----" - -"And girls too?" - -"Yes, it is an inborn quality." - -The teachers said of him: - -"He has little capacity for mathematics, but he shows great interest in -moral questions." - -"You speak too much," said his sister to him on hearing of his talks -with the tutors. - -"They talk more than I do." - -"You pray very little to God." - -"He won't set my hump right." - -"Oh, is that how you are beginning to think!" exclaimed his sister in -astonishment; and she warned him: - -"I will excuse you this time, but don't entertain such thoughts again. -Do you hear?" - -"Yes." - -She already wore long dresses; he was then just thirteen. - -And now a number of annoyances began to fall to her lot: almost every -time she entered her brother's work-room, boards and tools and blocks -of all sorts fell at her feet, grazing her shoulder, her head, or -hurting her hands. The hunchback always cautioned her by a cry of: - -"Look out!" - -But he was always too slow and the damage was done. Once, limping -slightly, pale and very angry, she sprang at him, and shouted in his -face: - -"You do all this purposely, you freak," and she struck him in the face. - -His legs were weak, he fell down, and, as he sat on the floor, quietly, -without tears and without complaining, he said to her: - -"How can you think that? You love me, don't you? Do you love me?" - -She ran away groaning. Presently she came back. - -"You see this never happened formerly," she explained. - -"Nor this," he quietly remarked, making a wide circle with his -long hand: in the corners of the room boards and boxes were heaped -up; everything was in confusion; there were piles of wood on the -carpenter's and turner's benches which stood against the wall. - -"Why have you brought in all this rubbish?" she asked, looking -doubtfully and squeamishly around. - -"You will see." - -He had begun to build, he had made a little rabbit hutch and a dog -kennel. He was planning a rat-trap. His sister followed his work with -interest and at table spoke proudly to his mother and father about it. -His father, nodding his head approvingly, said: - -"Everything springs from small beginnings and everything begins like -that." - -And his mother, embracing her, said to her son: - -"You don't realise how much you owe to her care of you." - -"Yes, I do," replied the hunchback. - -When he had finished the rat-trap he asked his sister into his room and -showed her the clumsy contrivance, saying: - -"This is not a toy, mind you, and we can take out a patent for it. See -how simple and strong it is; touch it here." - -The girl touched it; something snapped and she screamed wildly; but the -hunchback, dancing around her, muttered: - -"Oh, not that, not that." - -His mother ran up, and the servants came; they broke the rat-trap, and -freed the girl's finger, which had turned quite blue. They carried her -away fainting, and the boy's mother said to him: - -"I will have everything thrown away. I forbid you." - -At night he was asked to go to his sister, who said to him: - -"You did it purposely. You hate me. What for?" - -Moving his hunch he said quietly and calmly: - -"You touched it with the wrong hand." - -"That's a lie." - -"But why should I hurt your hand? It is not even the hand you hit me -with." - -"Look out, you freak, I'll pay you out." - -"I know." - -There were no signs that he pitied his sister or looked upon himself as -being to blame for her misfortune. His angular face was as calm as it -always was, the expression of his eyes was serious and steady--it was -impossible to believe that he could lie or be actuated by malice. - -After that she did not go so often to his room. She was visited by -her friends, chattering girls in bright coloured dresses, as noisy as -so many crickets. They brought a welcome note of colour and gaiety -to the large rooms, which were rather cold and gloomy--the pictures, -the statues, the flowers, the gilt, everything seemed warmer in their -presence. Sometimes his sister took them to his room. They affectedly -held out their little pink-nailed fingers, taking his hand gingerly -as if they were afraid of breaking it. They talked to him very nicely -and pleasantly, looking a little astonished, but showing no particular -interest in the little hunchback, busy in the midst of tools, drawings, -pieces of wood and shavings. He knew that the girls called him "the -inventor." His sister had impressed this idea upon them and told them -that in the future something might be expected of him which would make -the name of his father famous. His sister spoke of this with conviction. - -"Of course he is ugly, but he is very clever," she reminded them very -often. - -She was nineteen years old, and had a sweetheart, when her father and -mother both perished at sea. The yacht in which they were taking a -pleasure trip was run down and sunk by an American cargo boat in charge -of a drunken helmsman. She was to have accompanied them, but a sudden -toothache had prevented her going. - -When the news came of her father's and mother's death she forgot her -tooth-ache, and rushed about the room throwing up her arms and crying: - -"No, no; it cannot be." - -The hunchback stood at the door and, wrapping the portiere round him, -looked at her closely and said, shaking his hunch: - -"Father was so round and hollow; I don't see how he could be drowned." - -"Be quiet; you do not love anybody!" shouted his sister. - -"I simply cannot say nice words," he replied. - -The father's corpse was never found, but the mother had been killed -in the moment of the collision. Her body was recovered and laid in -a coffin, looking as lean and brittle as the dead branch of an old -tree--just as she had looked when she was alive. - -"Now you and I are left alone," the sister said to her brother sternly, -but in a mournful voice, after the mother's funeral; and the cold look -in her grey eyes daunted him. "It will be hard for us: we are ignorant -of the world and may lose much. What a pity it is that I cannot get -married at once." - -"Oh!" exclaimed the hunchback. - -"What do you mean by 'Oh'?" - -He said, after thinking a while: - -"We are alone." - -"You seem to speak as if you rejoiced at it." - -"I do not rejoice at anything." - -"What a pity it is you are so little like a man." - -In the evenings her lover came--an active little man, with white -eyebrows and eyelashes, and a round sunburnt face relieved by a woolly -moustache. He laughed continuously the whole evening, and probably -could have laughed the whole day long. They were already engaged, and -a new house was being built for them in one of the best streets of the -town, the cleanest and the quietest. The hunchback had never seen this -building and did not like to hear others talk of it. One day the fiancé -slapped him on the shoulder with his plump and much beringed little -hand, and said, showing a great number of tiny teeth: - -"You ought to come and look over it, eh? What do you say?" - -He refused for a long time under different pretexts, but at last he -gave way and went with him and his sister. The two men climbed to -the top storey of the scaffolding and then fell. The fiancé dropped -plump to the ground into the lime-pit, but the brother, whose clothes -got caught in the scaffolding, hung in mid-air and was rescued by the -workmen. He had no worse than a dislocated leg and wrist and a badly -bruised face. The fiancé, on the other hand, broke his back and was -severely gashed in the side. - -The sister fell into convulsions, and tore at the ground with -her hands, raising little clouds of white dust. She wept almost -continuously for more than a month and then became like her mother. She -grew thin and haggard, and began to speak in a cold, expressionless -voice. - -"You are my misfortune," she said. - -He answered nothing, but kept his large eyes bent upon the ground. His -sister dressed herself in black, made her eyebrows meet in a line, and -whenever she met her brother clenched her teeth so that her jaw-bones -made sharp angles. He, on his part, tried to avoid meeting her eye and -was for ever busy planning and designing, alone in silence. So he -lived till he was of age, and then began between them an open struggle -to which their whole life was given, a struggle which bound them to -each other by the strong links of mutual insults and offences. - -On the day of his coming of age he said to her in the tone of an elder -brother: - -"There are no wise wizards, and no kind fairies. There are only men and -women, some of them wicked, others stupid, and everything that is said -about goodness is a myth. But I want the myth to become a reality. Do -you remember saying, 'In a rich house everything should be beautiful -and smart'? In a rich town also everything should be beautiful. I am -buying some land outside the town and am going to build a house there -for myself and for freaks like me. I shall take them out of the town, -where their life is almost unendurable and where it is unpleasant for -people like you to look upon them." - -"No," she said; "you certainly will not do that. It is a crazy idea." - -"It is your idea." - -They disputed about it in the coldly hostile manner in which two -people dispute who hate each other bitterly, and have no need to -disguise their hatred. - -"It is decided," he said. - -"Not by me," his sister replied. - -He raised his hunch and went off; and soon after his sister discovered -that the land had been bought and, what was more, that workmen were -already digging trenches for the foundation; that tens of thousands of -bricks were being carted, and stones and iron and wood. - -"Do you think you are still a boy?" she asked. "Do you think it is a -game?" - -He made no answer. - -Once a week his sister, lean and straight and proud, drove into the -town in her little carriage drawn by a white horse. She drove slowly -past the spot where the work was proceeding and looked coldly at the -red bricks, like little chunks of meat, held in place by a framework of -iron girders; yellow wood was being fitted into the ponderous mass like -a network of nerves. She saw in the distance her brother's crab-like -figure. He crawled about the scaffolding, stick in hand, a crumpled hat -upon his head. He was covered with dust and looked like a grey spider. -At home she gazed intently at his excited face and into his dark eyes, -which had become softer and clearer. - -"No," he said quietly to himself, "I have hit upon an idea: it should -be equally good for all concerned! It is wonderful work to build, and -it seems to me that I shall soon consider myself a happy man." - -"Happy?" she asked wonderingly, measuring with her eyes the hunchback's -body. - -"Yes, you know people who work are quite unlike us, they awaken new -thoughts in one.... How good it must be to be a bricklayer walking -through the streets of a town where he has built dozens of houses. -There are many socialists among the workers--steady, sober fellows, -first of all. Truly they have their own sense of dignity.... Sometimes -it seems to me that we don't understand our people." - -"You are talking strangely," she said. - -The hunchback was becoming animated, getting more and more talkative -every day. - -"In reality everything is turning out as you wished it: I am becoming -a wise wizard who frees the town from freaks. You could be a good fairy -if you wished. Why don't you help me?" - -"We will speak about it later," she said, playing with her gold -watch-chain. - -Once he spoke out in a language quite unfamiliar to her: - -"Maybe I have wronged you more than you have wronged me." - -She was astonished. - -"I wronged you?" - -"Wait a minute. Upon my word of honour I am not as guilty as you -think. I walk badly. I may have pushed him, but there was no malicious -intention. No, believe me. I am more guilty of having wanted to injure -your hand, the hand you hit me with." - -"Don't let us speak about that," she said. - -"It seems to me one ought to be kinder," muttered the hunchback. "I -think that goodness is not a myth--it is possible." - -The big building in the town grew rapidly; it had spread over the rich -soil and was rising towards the sky, which was always grey, always -threatening with rain. - -Once a little group of officials came to the place where the work was -proceeding. They examined the building and, after talking quietly among -themselves, gave orders to stop the work. - -"You have done this," exclaimed the hunchback, rushing at his sister -and clutching her throat with his long, nervous hands; but some men ran -up and pulled him away from her. The sister said to them: - -"You see, gentlemen, he is really abnormal, and must be looked after. -This sort of thing began immediately after the death of his father, -whom he loved passionately. Ask the servants: they all know of his -illness. They kept silence until latterly, these good people; the -honour of the house where many of them have lived since their childhood -is dear to them. I also tried to hide our misfortune. An insane brother -is not a thing to be proud of." - -His face turned purple and his eyes started out of their sockets as he -listened to this speech. He was dumbfounded, and silently scratched -with his nails the hands of those who held him while she continued: - -"This house was a ruinous enterprise. I intend to give it to the town, -in the name of my father, as an asylum for insane people." - -He shrieked, lost consciousness and was carried away. - -His sister continued the building with the same speed with which he had -been conducting it, and when the house was finished, the first patient -who went into it was her brother. Seven years he spent there--ample -time for him to develop melancholia and become an imbecile. His sister -turned old in the meantime. She lost all hope of ever becoming a -mother, and when at last she saw that he was vanquished and would not -rise against her she took him under her care. - -And now they are travelling all over the globe, hither and thither, -like blinded birds. They look on everything without sense or joy, and -see nothing anywhere except themselves. - - - - -ON THE STEAMER - - -The blue water seems as thick as oil. The screw of the steamer works -softly, almost silently. One can detect no trembling of the deck and -the mast, pointing towards the clear sky, strains and quivers ever -so slightly. The rigging, taut as the strings of an instrument, hums -gently, but one has grown used to the vibration, and does not notice -it, and it seems as if the steamer--white and graceful as a swan--were -motionless on the smooth water. To perceive the motion one must look -over the gunwale, where a greenish wave retreats from the white side -of the steamer. It seems to fall away in broad soft folds, rolling and -glistening like quicksilver and splashing dreamily. - -It is morning. The sea seems half asleep. The rosy hues of sunrise have -not yet disappeared from the sky. We have just passed the island of -Gorgona, still slumbering. It is a stern, solitary rock, covered with -woods and surmounted by a round grey tower; a cluster of little white -houses can be seen at the edge of the sleepy water. A few small boats -are moving rapidly on either side of the steamer, rowed by people from -the island going to catch sardines. The measured splashing of the long -oars and the slim figures of the fishermen linger in the memory. The -men row standing and seem to be bowing to the sun. - -Behind the ship's stern is a broad streak of greenish foam. Above it -seagulls soar lazily. Now and then a bird seems to come from nowhere. -It flies noiselessly, stretched out like a cigar, and, after skimming -the surface of the water, suddenly darts into it like an arrow. - -In the distance, like a cloud from the sea, rises the coast-line of -Liguria, with its violet mountains. In another two or three hours the -steamer will enter the narrow harbour of the marble town of Genoa. - -The sun climbs higher and higher, promising a hot day. - -The stewards run up on to the deck; one of them is young, thin, and -quick in his movements, like a Neapolitan, with an ever-changing -expression on his mobile face; the other is a man of medium height, -with a grey moustache, black eyebrows, and silvery bristles on his -round skull. He has an aquiline nose and serious, intelligent eyes. -Laughing and joking they quickly lay the table for breakfast and -depart. Then one after another the passengers creep slowly from their -cabins. First comes a fat man with a small head and red bloated face; -he looks melancholy and his tired swollen red lips are half open. He is -followed by a tall, sleek man with grey side-whiskers, eyes that cannot -be seen, and a little nose that looks like a button on his flat yellow -face. After them, leaping over the brass rail of the companion-way, -comes a plump red-haired man, with a moustache curled in military -fashion; he is dressed like an Alpine mountaineer, and wears a green -feather in his hat. All three stop near the gunwale. The fat man, -half-closing his sad eyes, remarks: - -"How calm it is!" - -The man with the side-whiskers put his hands into his pockets, spread -out his legs, and stood there resembling a pair of open scissors. The -red-haired man took out his large gold watch, which looked like the -pendulum of a clock, looked at it, then at the sky and along the deck; -then he began to whistle, swinging his watch and beating time with his -foot. - -Two ladies came up, the younger, _embonpoint,_ with a porcelain face -and amiable milky-blue eyes. Her dark brows seemed to have been -pencilled and one was higher than the other. The other was older, -sharp-featured, and her headdress of faded hair looked enormous. She -had a large black mole on her left cheek, two gold chains round her -neck, and a lorgnon and a number of trinkets hanging from the belt of -her grey dress. - -Coffee was served; the young lady sat down silently at the table and -began to pour out the black liquid, affectedly curving her arms, which -were bare to the elbow. - -The men came to the table and sat down in silence. The fat man took a -cup and said sighing: - -"It is going to be hot." - -"You are spilling it on to your knees," remarked the elder lady. - -He looked down, his chin and cheeks became puffed out as they rested on -his chest; he put his cup on the table, wiped drops of coffee off his -grey trousers with a handkerchief, and then wiped his face, which was -in a perspiration. - -"Yes," unexpectedly remarked the red-haired man in a loud voice, -shuffling his short legs. "Yes, yes, even if the Parties of the Left -have begun to complain about hooliganism it means----" - -"Don't chatter, John," interrupted the elder lady. "Isn't Lisa coming -out?" - -"She doesn't feel well," answered the younger lady in a sonorous voice. - -"But the sea is quite calm." - -"Oh, but when a woman is in her condition." - -The red-haired man smiled voluptuously and closed his eyes. - -Beyond the gunwale, breaking the calm expanse of the sea, porpoises -were making a commotion. The man with the side-whiskers, watching them -attentively, said: - -"The porpoises look like pigs." - -The red-haired man chimed in: - -"There is plenty of piggery here." - -The colourless lady raised a cup to her lips, smelt the coffee and made -a grimace. - -"It is disgusting." - -"And the milk, eh?" said the fat man, blinking and seeming ill at ease. - -The lady with the porcelain face said in a sing-song voice: "Everything -is very dirty, and they all look very much like Jews." - -The red-haired man was rapidly whispering something into the ear of -the man with the side-whiskers, as if he were giving replies to his -teacher, proud of having learnt his lesson well. His listener seemed -tickled, and betrayed curiosity. He wagged his head slightly from side -to side, and, in his fat face, his wide-open mouth looked like a hole -in a dried-up board. At times he seemed to want to say something and -began in a strange, hoarse voice: - -"In our province----" - -But without continuing he again attentively inclined his head to the -lips of the red-haired man. - -The fat man sighed heavily, saying: - -"How you buzz, John!" - -"Well, give me some coffee." - -He drew up to the table, causing a clatter, and his companion said -impressively: - -"John has ideas----" - -"You have not had enough sleep," said the elder lady, looking through -her lorgnon at the man with the side-whiskers. The latter passed his -hand over his face, then looked at his palm. - -"I seem to have got some powder on my face. Do you notice it?" - -"Oh, uncle," exclaimed the younger lady, "that is a peculiarity of -beautiful Italy! One's skin dries here so terribly!" The elder lady -inquired: - -"Do you notice, Lydia, how bad the sugar is here?" - -A man of large proportions came on deck. His grey, curly hair looked -like a cap. He had a big nose, merry eyes and a cigar between his lips. -The stewards who stood near the gunwale bowed reverently to him. - -"Good-morning, boys, good-morning," said he, in a loud, hoarse voice, -benevolently nodding his head. - -The Russians became silent, looking askance at the new-comer from time -to time. John of the military moustache said in a low voice: - -"A retired military man, one can see at once----" - -Noticing that he was being observed the grey-haired man took the cigar -from his mouth and bowed pleasantly to the Russians. The elder lady -threw back her head and, raising her lorgnon to her nose, looked at -him defiantly. The man with the moustache was embarrassed and, turning -away, took out his watch and began to swing it in the air. Only the fat -man acknowledged the greeting, pressing his chin against his chest. The -Italian became embarrassed in his turn. He pushed his cigar nervously -into a corner of his mouth and asked the middle-aged steward in a low -tone: - -"Are those Russians?" - -"Yes, sir: a Russian Governor and his family." - -"What kind faces they always have." "Very nice people." - -"The best of the Slavs of course." - -"They are a trifle careless I should say." - -"Careless? Why?" - -"It seems so to me--they are careless in their treatment of people." - -The fat Russian blushed and, smiling broadly, said in a subdued tone: - -"They are speaking about us." - -"What?" asked the elder lady, with a disdainful grimace. - -"They are saying we are the best of the Slavs," answered the fat man, -with a giggle. - -"They are such flatterers," declared the lady, but red-haired John put -away his watch and, twisting his moustache with both hands, said, in an -off-hand way: - -"They are all amazingly ignorant about everything that concerns us." - -"You are being praised," said the fat man, "and you say it is due -to ignorance." "Nonsense! That is not what I mean, but generally -speaking.... I know myself that we are the best of Slavs." - -The man with the side-whiskers, who for some time had been attentively -watching the porpoises at play, sighed and, shaking his head, remarked: - -"What a stupid fish!" - -Two more persons joined the greyhaired Italian: an old bespectacled man -in a black frock-coat and a pale youth with long hair, a high forehead -and dark eyebrows. They all stood at the gunwale about five yards from -the Russians; the grey-haired man said quietly: - -"When I see Russians I think of Messina." - -"Do you remember how we met the sailors at Naples?" asked the youth. - -"Yes, they will never forget that day in their forests!" - -"Have you seen the medal struck in their honour?" - -"I do not think much of the workmanship." - -"They are talking about Messina," the fat man informed his companions. - -"And they laugh!" exclaimed the younger lady. "It is amazing!" - -Seagulls overtook the steamer, and one of them, beating its crooked -wings, seemed to hang in the air over the gunwale; the younger lady -began to throw biscuits to it. The birds, in catching the pieces, -disappeared below the gunwale and then, shrieking greedily, rose -again in the blue void above the sea. Some coffee was brought to the -Italians: they also began to feed the birds, tossing up pieces of -biscuits. The lady raised her brows and said: - -"Look at the monkeys." - -The fat man continued to listen to the animated talk of the Italians -and presently said: - -"He is not a military man, he is a merchant. He talks about trading in -corn with us, and about being able to buy petroleum, timber and coal -from us." - -"I noticed at once that he was not a military man," said the elder lady. - -The red-haired man began again to speak into the ear of the man with -side-whiskers. The latter screwed up his mouth sceptically as he -listened to him. The young Italian, glancing sideways at the Russians, -said: - -"What a pity it is that we know so little about this country of big, -blue-eyed people!" - -The sun was now high in the sky and burning hotly; the sea glistened -and dazzled one. In the distance, on the port side, mountains and -clouds appeared out of the water. - -"Annette," said the man with the side-whiskers, his smile reaching -his ears, "just think what an idea has struck funny John! He has hit -upon the best way of ridding the villages of malcontents. It is very -ingenious." - -And rolling in his chair he related in a slow and halting manner, -as if he were translating from another language: "The idea is that -on holidays and market-days the local 'district chief' should get -together, at the public expense, a great quantity of stakes and stones; -and should then set out before the peasants, also at the public -expense, thirty, sixty, a hundred and fifty gallons of vodka, according -to the number of people. That is all that is wanted!" - -"I don't understand," declared the elder lady. "Is it a joke?" - -The red-haired man answered quickly: - -"No, it is quite serious. Just think of it, ma tante." - -The younger lady opened her eyes wide, and shrugged her shoulders. - -"What nonsense to let them drink Government vodka when they already. - -"No, wait a bit, Lydia," exclaimed the red-haired man, jumping up from -his chair. The man with the side-whiskers rocked from side to side, -laughing noiselessly with his mouth wide open. - -"Just think of it! The hooligans who don't succeed in getting dead -drunk will kill one another with the sticks and stones. Don't you see?" - -"Why one another?" asked the fat man. - -"Is it a joke?" inquired the elder lady again. - -The red-haired man waved his short arms excitedly and tried to explain. - -"When the authorities pacify them, the Parties of the Left cry out -about cruelty and atrocities. That means that a way must be found by -which they can pacify themselves. Don't you agree?" The steamer gave a -lurch and the crockery rattled. The plump lady was alarmed and caught -hold of the table; and the elder lady, laying her hand on the fat man's -shoulder, asked sharply: - -"What's that?" - -"We are turning." - -The coast, rising out of the water, becomes higher and more defined. -One can see the gardens on the slopes of the mist-enveloped hills and -mountains. Bluish boulders peep out from among the vineyards; white -houses appear through the haze. The window-panes glisten in the sun and -patches of bright colour greet the eye. Right on the water's edge, at -the foot of the cliffs, a little house faces the sea; it is overhung -with a thick mass of bright violet flowers. Above it, pouring like a -broad red stream over the stones of the terraces, is a profusion of -red geraniums. The colours are gay, the coast-line looks amiable and -hospitable. The soft contours of the mountains seem to entice one into -the shade of the gardens. - -"How small everything is here!" said the fat man, with a sigh. The -elder lady looked at him sharply; then, compressing her thin lips and -throwing back her head, gazed through her lorgnon at the coast. - -A number of dark-complexioned people in light costumes are now on deck, -talking loudly. The Russian ladies look at them disdainfully, as queens -on their subjects. - -"How they wave their arms," said the younger lady, and the fat man, -catching his breath, explained: - -"It is the fault of their language. It is poor and requires gestures." - -"O Lord!" said the elder lady, with a deep sigh. Then after a pause she -inquired: - -"Are there many museums in Genoa?" - -"I understand there are three," answered the fat man. - -"And a cemetery?" asked the younger lady. - -"Campo Santo? And churches, of course." - -"Are the cabmen as bad as in Naples?" "As bad as in Moscow." - -The red-haired man and the man with the side-whiskers rose and moved -away from the gunwale, talking together earnestly and interrupting one -another. - -"What is the Italian saying?" asked the lady, adjusting her gorgeous -headdress. Her elbows were pointed, her ears large and yellow, like -faded leaves. The fat man listened attentively and obediently to the -animated talk of the curly-headed Italian. - -"It seems that there is a very old law which forbids the Jews to enter -Moscow. It is no doubt a relic of former despotism, you know, of John -the Terrible. Even in England there are many obsolete laws unrepealed -even to this day. It may be that the Jew was trying to mislead me; -anyhow, for some reason or other he was not allowed to enter Moscow, -the ancient city of the Tsars, of sacred things." - -"But here in Rome the Mayor is a Jew--in Rome, which is more ancient -and more sacred than Moscow," said the youth, smiling. - -"And he gives the Pope some very shrewd knocks--the little tailor. -Let us wish him success in that," put in the old man in spectacles, -clapping his hands. - -"What is the old man saying?" asked the lady. - -"Just a minute! Some nonsense. They speak the Neapolitan dialect." - -"This Jew went to Moscow, however--they must have blood--and there he -goes to the house of a prostitute. It was the only place he could go -to, so he said." - -"A fairy tale!" said the old man decisively; and he waved his arm as if -brushing the tale aside. - -"To tell you the truth, I am of the same opinion." - -"Of course, it's a fable!" - -"And what was the sequel?" asked the youth. - -"He was betrayed by her to the police; but she took his money first." - -"What baseness," said the old man. "He is a man with a dirty -imagination, that's all. I know some Russians who were with me at the -University; they are fine fellows." - -"But listen to me. The strange thing was ..." - -"I have heard it said ..." - -The fat Russian, wiping his perspiring face with a handkerchief, said -to the ladies in an idle, indifferent tone: - -"He is telling a Jewish anecdote." - -"With such animation?" smiled the young lady; and the other remarked: - -"In these people, with their gestures and their noise, there is a -lack of variety." A town grows on the coast, houses rise from beyond -the hills and huddle close together, until they form a solid wall of -buildings which reflect the sunlight and look as if they were carved -out of ivory. - -"It is like Yalta," remarked the young lady, rising up. "I will go to -Lisa." - -She ambled her portly body, which was clothed in some bluish material, -slowly along the deck. As she passed the group of Italians the -grey-haired man interrupted his speech and said quietly: - -"What fine eyes!" - -"Yes," nodded the old man in spectacles. "Basilida, I imagine, must -have looked like that." - -"Basilida, the Byzantine?" - -"I picture her as a Slav woman." - -"They are saying something about Lydia," said the fat man. - -"What?" asked the lady. "No doubt some low jokes?" - -"About her eyes. They admire----" - -The lady made a grimace. - -The brasswork on the steamer glistened as, gently and rapidly, she -neared the shore. The black walls of the pier came in sight and, beyond -them, rising into the sky, a forest of masts. Here and there bright -coloured flags hung motionless; dark smoke ascended and seemed to melt -in the air; there was a smell of oil and coal dust; the noise of work -proceeding in the harbour and the complex bourdon note of a large town -reached the ear. - -The fat man suddenly burst out laughing. - -"What's the matter?" asked the lady, half-closing her grey, faded eyes. - -"The Germans will smash them up, by Jove! You will see it!" - -"Why should you rejoice at that?" - -"Just so." - -The man with the side-whiskers, examining the soles of his boots, asked -the red-haired man, speaking deliberately and in a loud voice: - -"Were you satisfied with this surprise or not?" - -The red-haired man twisted his moustache fiercely, and made no reply. - -The steamer slowed down. The green water splashed against the white -sides of the ship, as if in protest. It gave no reflection of the -marble houses, the high towers and the azure terraces. The black jaws -of the harbour opened, disclosing a thick scattering of ships. - - - - -RUSSIAN TALES - - - - -THE PROFESSOR - - -The young man was ugly, and knew it. But he said to himself: - -"I am clever, am I not? I will become a sage. It is an easy matter here -in Russia." - -He began to read bulky works, for he was by no means stupid: he -understood that the presence of wisdom can most easily be proved by -quotations from books. - -Having read as many wise books as were necessary to make him -short-sighted, he proudly held up his nose, which had become red from -the weight of the spectacles, and declared to the world at large: - -"Well, you won't deceive me. I see that life is a trap, put here for me -by nature." - -"And love?" asked the Spirit of Life. - -"No, I thank you. Praise be to God, I am not a poet. I will not enter -the iron cage of inevitable duties for the sake of a piece of cheese." - -But he was only moderately talented, and so he decided to take up the -duties of a professor of philosophy. - -He went to the Minister of Popular Education and said to him: - -"Your Excellency, I can preach that life is meaningless, and that one -should not submit to the dictates of nature." - -The Minister considered a while whether that would do, then asked: - -"Should the orders of the authorities be obeyed?" - -"Most decidedly," said the philosopher, reverently inclining his head, -which the study of so many books had rendered bald. "Since human -passions----" - -"Very well, you may have the chair. Your salary will be sixteen roubles -a month. But should I require you to take into consideration the laws -of nature, take care, have no opinions of your own. I shall not put up -with that." - -After thinking for some moments the Minister added, in a melancholy -voice: "We live at a time when, for the sake of the unity of the state, -it will perhaps be necessary to recognise that the laws of nature not -only exist, but that they may to a certain extent prove useful." - -"Just think of it!" exclaimed the philosopher to himself. "Even I may -live to see it." But aloud he said nothing. - -So he settled down to his work: every week he ascended the rostrum and -spoke for an hour to curly-headed youths in this strain: - -"Gentlemen, man is limited from without, he is limited from within. -Nature is antagonistic to him. Woman is a blind tool of Nature. All our -life, therefore, is meaningless." - -He had grown accustomed to think like this himself, and often in his -enthusiasm he spoke eloquently and well. The young students were -enthusiastic in their applause. He, pleased with himself, nodded -his bald head and smiled at them kindly. His little nose shone, and -everything went on smoothly. - -Dining at a restaurant disagreed with him--like all pessimists he -suffered from indigestion--so he got married and ate his dinners at -home for twenty-nine years. In between his work--he had not noticed -how--he brought up four children. Then he died. - -Behind his coffin solemnly walked his three grief-stricken daughters -with their young husbands, and his son, a poet, who was in love with -all the beautiful women in the world. The students sang: "Eternal -Memory." They sang loudly and with animation, but badly. Over his grave -his colleagues, the professors, made flowery speeches, referring to -the well-ordered metaphysics of the departed; everything was done in -correct style; it was solemn, and at times even touching. - -"Well, the old man is dead," said a student to his comrades as they -were leaving the cemetery. - -"He was a pessimist," chimed in another. - -A third one asked: - -"Is that so?" - -"Yes, a pessimist and a conservative." "What, the bald-headed one was? -I had not noticed it." - -The fourth student was a poor man, and he inquired expectantly: - -"Shall we be invited to the obituary feast?" - -Yes, they had been invited. - -During his lifetime the deceased had written a number of excellent -books, in which he proved, in glowing and beautiful language, the -vanity of life. Needless to say, the books were bought and read with -pleasure. Whatever may be said to the contrary, man likes what is -beautiful. - -His family was well provided for--even pessimism can achieve that. - -The obituary feast was arranged on a large scale. The poor student had -a good meal, such as he seldom had, and as he went home he thought, -smiling good-humouredly: - -"Well, even pessimism is useful at times." - - - - -THE POET - - -There was another case. - -A man, thinking himself a poet, wrote verse. But for some reason it was -poor verse, and the circumstance disconcerted him. - -Walking in the street one day, he saw a whip lying in the road, lost by -a cabman. An inspiration came to the poet, and the following image at -once formed itself in his mind:-- - - "In the road, in the dust, the snake lies, - Like a whip in the dust of the road. - In a swarm, like a cloud, come the flies, - And the ants and their kind in a swarm. - - Thro' the skin, like the links of a chain, - Show the ribs--they show white thro' the skin. - O dead snake, thou remind'st me again - Of my love, my dead love, O dead snake." - -Suddenly the whip stood up on end and, swaying, said to him: - -"Why are you telling lies? You are a married man, you know how to read -and write, yet you are telling lies. Your love has not died. You love -your wife and you are afraid of her." - -The poet became angry. - -"That is no business of yours." - -"And the verses are poor." - -"They are better than you could make. You can only crack, and even that -you cannot do by yourself." - -"But, anyhow, why do you tell lies? Your love did not die." - -"All kinds of things happen--it was necessary it should." - -"Oh, your wife will whip you. Take me to her." - -"Oh, you may wait." - -"Well, well, go your own way," said the whip, curling itself up like a -corkscrew; it lay down in the road and began to think of other people. -The poet went to an inn, ordered a bottle of beer, and began to think -about himself. - -"Although the whip was decidedly rude, the verse is poor again, that's -true enough. How strange it is! One person always writes bad verse, -while another sometimes succeeds in writing verse that is good. How -badly everything is arranged in this world! What a stupid world it is!" - -So he sat and drank, trying to arrive at a clearer conception of the -world. He came to the conclusion at last that it was necessary to speak -the truth. This world is good for nothing, and it really disgusts a man -to live in it. He thought about an hour and a half in this strain, and -then he wrote: - - "For all their pleasant seeming, our desires - A dread scourge are that drives us to our doom; - Blindly we blunder thro' the maze where waits us - Death, the fell serpent, in the murky gloom. - - Oh! let us strangle our insensate longings! - They do but lure us from the appointed way; - Lead us thro' thorns to our most bitter ruing, - Leave us heartbroken in the twilight grey. - - And in the end full surely Death awaits us, - Lives there the man but knows that he must die?" - -He wrote more in the same spirit--twenty-eight lines in all. - -"That's good!" exclaimed the poet; and went home quite satisfied with -himself. - -At home he read the lines to his wife. She liked them. She merely said: - -"There is something wrong with the first four lines." - -"They will swallow it all right. Pushkin too began rather badly. But -what do you think of the metre? It is that of a requiem." - -Then he began to play with his little son: he put him on his knee and, -tossing him up, sang in a poor tenor: - - "Tramp, tramp, - On somebody's bridge! - When I grow rich - I will pave my own bridge, - And nobody else - Shall walk over my bridge." - -They spent the evening merrily, and the next morning the poet took his -verses to an editor, who spoke in a profound manner (these editors are -all profound--that is why their magazines are so dry)? - -"H'm!" said the editor, rubbing his nose. "You know, this is not -altogether bad, and, what is more important, it is quite in the spirit -of the times. Very much so. You seem to have discovered yourself. You -must continue in the same strain. Sixteen copecks a line ... four ... -forty-eight. I congratulate you." - -The verses were printed, and the poet felt as if he had had another -birthday. His wife kissed him fervently, and said dreamily: - -"Oh, my poet!" - -They had a great time. But a youth, a very good youth, who was -earnestly seeking the meaning of life, read these verses and shot -himself dead. - -He was quite convinced, you see, that, before denouncing life, the poet -had sought the meaning as long as he himself had done, and that the -search had been attended by sorrow, as in his own case. The youth did -not know that these sombre thoughts were sold at the rate of sixteen -copecks a line. He was an earnest youth. - -Let not the reader think I mean that even a whip can, at times, be used -on people to their advantage. - - - - -THE WRITER - - -There once lived a very ambitious writer. - -When he was abused, it seemed to him that he was abused too much, and -unjustly. When he was praised he thought that they neither praised him -enough, nor wisely. He lived in a state of perpetual discontent, until -the time came for him to die. - -The writer lay down on his bed and began grumbling: - -"That's just how it is. What do you think of it? Two novels are not -yet finished--and altogether I have enough material for ten years. The -devil take this law of nature, and every other law. What nonsense! -The novels might have turned out well. Why have they invented this -idiotic compulsory service, as if things could not have been arranged -differently? And it always comes at the wrong time: the novels are not -finished yet." - -He was angry, but disease was eating into his bones and whispering -into his ears: - -"You trembled, eh? Why did you tremble? You don't sleep at night, eh? -Why don't you sleep? You have drunk of sorrow, eh?--and of joy too?" - -He kept knitting his brows, but realised at last that nothing could be -done. With a wave of the arm he dismissed the thought of his novels, -and died. - -It was very disagreeable, but he died. - -So far so good. They washed him, dressed him according to custom, -combed his hair and placed him on the table, straight and stiff like -a soldier, heels together, toes apart. He lay very still, his nose -drooped, and the only feeling he had was surprise. - -"How strange it is that I feel nothing at all! It's the first time in -my life. Ah, my wife is crying. Well, now you cry, but before, when -anything went wrong, you flew into a rage. My little son is crying -too. No doubt he will grow up a good-for-nothing fellow--the sons of -writers, I have noticed, always do. No doubt that also is in accordance -with some law of nature. What an infernal number of such laws there -are." - -So he lay and thought and thought, and wondered at his composure. He -was not accustomed to it. - -They started for the cemetery, but as he was being borne along he -suddenly felt there were not enough mourners. - -"No matter," said he to himself, "though I may not be a very great -writer, literature must be respected." - -He looked out of the coffin and saw that, as a matter of fact, without -counting his relations, only nine people accompanied him, among whom -were two beggars and a lamplighter with a ladder over his shoulder. - -At this discovery he became quite indignant. - -"What swine!" - -The slight so incensed him that he immediately became resurrected, and, -being a small man, jumped unperceived out of his coffin. He ran into a -barber's, had his moustache and beard shaved off, and borrowed a black -coat with a patch under the armpit, leaving his own coat in its stead. -Then he made his face look solemn and aggrieved, and became like a -living man. It was impossible to recognise him. - -With the curiosity natural to his profession he asked the barber: - -"Are you not astonished at this strange incident?" - -The latter stroked his moustache condescendingly and replied: - -"Well, we live in Russia, and we are used to all kinds of things." - -"But then I am a deceased person and suddenly I change my attire?" - -"It is the fashion of the times. And in what way are you a deceased -person? Only externally! As far as the general run of people goes it -would be better if God made them all like you. At the present time -living people don't look half so natural." - -"Don't I look rather yellowish?" - -"Quite in the spirit of the epoch, as you should be. It is -Russia--everyone here suffers from one ill or another." - -It is well known that barbers are flatterers of the first order and the -most obliging people on earth. - -He bade him good-bye, and ran to overtake the coffin, moved by a -keen desire to show for the last time his reverence for literature. -He caught up with the procession and the number of those who -accompanied the coffin became ten. The respect for the writer increased -correspondingly. Passers-by exclaimed, astonished: - -"Just look! A writer's funeral! Oh! Oh!" - -And people who knew what was taking place thought, with a sort of -pride, as they went about their business: - -"It is plain that the importance of literature is being understood -better and better by the country." - -The writer was now following his own coffin as if he were an admirer of -literature and a friend of the deceased. He addressed the lamplighter. - -"Did you know the deceased person?" - -"Certainly; I made use of him in a small way." - -"I am very pleased to hear it." - -"Yes; our work is like that of the sparrow; where something drops we -pick it up." - -"How am I to understand that?" - -"Take it in a very simple manner, sir." - -"In a simple manner?" - -"Yes, certainly. Of course, it is a sin if one looks at it from a -certain point of view. One cannot, however, get on in this world -without using ones wits." - -"H'm! Are you sure of that?" - -"Quite sure, sir. There was a lamp right against his window, and every -night he sat up till sunrise. Well, I did not light that lamp because -enough light streamed from his window. So this one lamp was a net -profit to me: he was a very useful man." - -So, talking quietly to this one and that, the writer reached the -cemetery, and it came to pass that he had to make a speech about -himself, because all those who accompanied him on that day had -toothache. This happened in Russia, and there people always have an -ache of one sort or another. - -He made a rather good speech. One paper went so far as to praise it in -the following terms:-- - -"One of the followers, who from his appearance we judged to be an -actor, made a warm and touching oration over the grave, albeit from -our point of view he no doubt over-estimated and exaggerated the rather -modest merits of the deceased. He was a writer of the old school who -made no effort to rid himself of its defects--the naïve didactism, -namely, and the over-insistence on the so-called civic duties--which -to us nowadays have become so tiresome. Nevertheless, the speech was -delivered with a feeling of unquestionable love for the written word." -When the speech had been duly made the writer lay down in the coffin -and thought, quite satisfied with himself: - -"There, we are ready now. Everything has gone well and with dignity." - -At this point he became quite dead. Thus should one's calling be -respected, even though it be literature. - - - - -THE MAN WITH A NATIONAL FACE - - -Once upon a time there was a gentleman who had lived more than half his -life, when he suddenly felt that something was lacking in him. He was -very much alarmed. - -He felt himself; everything seemed to be all right and in its -place, his stomach was even protruding. He examined himself in a -looking-glass, and saw that he had eyes, ears, and everything else that -a serious man should have. He counted his fingers: there were ten right -enough, and ten toes on his feet; but still he had an uncomfortable -feeling that something was missing. - -He was sadly puzzled. - -He asked his wife: - -"What do you think, Mitrodora? Is everything about me in order?" - -She answered reassuringly: - -"Everything." - -"But sometimes it seems to me----" - -She was a religious woman and advised him: - -"Whenever you begin to imagine anything, recite mentally: 'Let God -arise and his enemies will fall.'" - -He questioned his friends also, in a roundabout way. They answered -evasively, but looked at him suspiciously, as though he merited strong -condemnation. - -"What can it be?" thought the gentleman, feeling downcast. - -He tried to recall his past. Everything seemed to be quite normal. He -had been a socialist, had incited youths to revolt; but later on he had -renounced everything, and for a long time now had strenuously trampled -underfoot the "crops" himself had sown. Generally speaking he had lived -like everybody else, in accordance with the spirit and inspirations of -the times. - -He pondered and pondered and suddenly discovered what it was: - -"O Lord, I haven't got a national face!" - -He rushed to the looking-glass and saw that his face really had an -indistinct expression, like that of a blind man. It suggested a page of -a translation from some foreign language, done carelessly by a more -or less illiterate person who had omitted all punctuation, so that it -was impossible to make out what was on the page. It might be read as -containing either a demand that one's soul should be sacrificed for the -liberty of the people, or that it was necessary to recognise the full -sway of absolutism. - -"H'm, what a mixture, to be sure," thought the gentleman; and he -decided at once: "No, it is not the thing to live with a face like -that." - -So he began to wash it every day with expensive soaps, but this did -not help: the skin shone, but the indistinctness remained. He began to -lick his face with his tongue--his tongue was long and well adjusted, -for at one time the gentleman had been engaged in journalism. But even -his tongue was of no avail. He applied Japanese massage to his face, -and bumps appeared, as they do after a hard fight, but still he could -obtain no definiteness of expression. - -He tried and tried, but without success; all that he achieved was to -lose a pound and a half in weight. Suddenly to his joy he learned that -the head constable of his district, von Judenfresser, was known for -his understanding of national problems. He went to him and said: - -"Matters stand so-and-so, your Honour. Cannot you help me in my -trouble?" - -The head constable of course was flattered: here was an educated man, -not long since suspected of disloyalty to the throne, now asking advice -with confidence on how to change the expression of his face. The -constable chuckled, and in his great joy exclaimed: - -"There is nothing simpler, my dear friend, my American gem. Rub your -face against members of a subject nationality. Your real face will at -once be revealed." - -The gentleman was pleased, the weight of a mountain fell from -his shoulders. He sniggered loyally and said to himself in some -astonishment: - -"Why could I not have guessed it myself? The whole matter is so simple." - -They parted very good friends. The gentleman rushed out into the -street, planted himself at a comer and waited. Presently a Jew came -along; he rushed up to him and began: - -"If you," he said, "are a Jew, you must become a Russian. If you do -not want to, then----" - -The Jew (as is known from all anecdotes) belongs to a nervous and timid -people. But this one was of a capricious character and would not put up -with pogroms. He raised his arm, gave the gentleman a blow on the left -cheek, and went home to his family. - -The gentleman leaned against the wall, rubbing his face, and thinking: - -"Well, well, the formation of one's national face is connected with -sensations not always altogether agreeable, but let it be. Nekrassoff, -although he was a poor poet, said quite truly: - - "Nothing can be got for naught: - Fate demands its victims." - -Suddenly a native of the Caucasus passed by. As proved by all anecdotes -they are an uncivilised and hot-headed people. He was singing as he -walked along: - -"Mitskhales sakles mingrule."[1] - -The gentleman pounced upon him: - -"No," he said, "be quiet. If you are a Georgian you must become a -Russian, and you must not love the hut of a Mingrelian, but what you -are ordered to love. You must like prison, even without orders----" - -The Georgian left the gentleman in a horizontal position and went and -drank Kachetin wine. The gentleman lay on the ground and pondered: - -"Well, well, there are also Tartars, Armenians, Bashkirs, Kirghises, -Mordva, Lithuanians. O Lord, what a number! And these are not all. -There are our own people, the Slavs." - -At this juncture a Little Russian came along, and of course he was -singing in a very disloyal manner: - -"Our ancestors once led -A happy life in Ukraina...." - -"No," said the gentleman, rising to his feet. "Will you be kind enough -in future to use the letter 'y' instead of 'oo'[2]; otherwise you -undermine the unity of the empire." - -He argued the point at some length, and the Little Russian listened, -for, as proved most conclusively by all the collections of Little -Russian anecdotes, the Little Russians are a very slow people, and like -to do their work without hurrying. Unfortunately this gentleman was -somewhat insistent. - -Some kind people picked the gentleman up and asked him: - -"Where do you live?" - -"In Great Russia." - -Of course they took him to the police station. As they were driving -along he felt his face, not without pride, though with a certain sense -of pain. It seemed to him that it had grown considerably broader and he -thought to himself: - -"I believe I have acquired ..." - -He was taken before von Judenfresser, and the latter, like the humane -person he was, sent for the police doctor. When the doctor came they -began to whisper to each other in surprise, and kept giggling, which -seemed a strange thing to do in the circumstances. - -"It is the first case in the whole of my practice," whispered the -doctor. "I cannot make it out." - -"What may that mean?" thought the gentleman, and asked: - -"Well, how do I look?" - -"The old face is quite rubbed off," answered von Judenfresser. - -"And generally speaking has my face changed?" - -"Of course it has, only, you know----" - -The doctor said consolingly: - -"Your face is such, dear sir, that you may just as well put your -trousers on it." - -So it remained for the rest of his life. There is no moral here. - - - -[1] "Love a Mingrelian hut."--_Trans._ - -[2] The Little Russians speak a dialect of the language in which the -Russian sound for "y" is pronounced "oo." - - - - -THE LIBERAL - - -There once lived a nobleman who liked to back up his statements by -quoting history. Whenever he wanted to tell a lie, he went to a likely -man and gave him the order: - -"Egorka,[1] go and find me facts from history to prove that -such-and-such a thing does not repeat itself, and vice versa." - -Egorka was a smart fellow, and readily found what was wanted. The -nobleman armed himself with these facts as occasion required and -contrived to prove everything that was necessary. In fact, he was -invincible. - -He was, moreover, a plotter against the Government. At one time -everyone thought it necessary to conspire against the Government. They -were not afraid even to say to one another: - -"The English have habeas corpus, but we have ukases." - -And they made mock at these differences between nations. - -Having done that, they would forget the Government oppression under -which they suffered, and sit down and play whist till the cocks crew -for the third time. - -When the cocks announced the approach of mom the nobleman commanded: - -"Egorka, sing something inspiring, and suitable to the hour." - -Egorka stood up and, lifting his finger, reminded them in a manner full -of meaning: - - "In Holy Russia the cocks crow, - It will soon be day in Holy Russia." - -"Quite true," said the nobleman; "it will soon be day." - -And they retired to rest. - -So far so good; but suddenly the people began to get agitated. The -nobleman noticed this and asked: - -"Egorka, why are the people restless?" - -The latter looked pleased as he reported: - -"The people want to live like human beings." - -"Well, who taught them that? I did. For fifty years I and my ancestors -have fostered in them the idea that it was time for them to live like -human beings; haven't we?" - -He began to get excited and pressed Egorka eagerly. - -"Find me facts from history about the agrarian movement in Europe. -Texts from the Gospels about equality, and from the history of -civilisation about the origin of property. Be quick about it." - -Egorka was pleased. He perspired freely as he hurried hither and -thither. He tore all the leaves out of the books, so that only the -bindings were left. He carried big bundles of all kinds of convincing -proofs to the nobleman, who still kept urging him on. - -"Stick to it! When we have a constitution I will make you editor of a -large Liberal paper." - -And becoming quite bold at last he began himself to speak to the more -moderate of the peasants. - -"Besides," said he, "there were the brothers Gracchus in Rome; then -in England, in Germany, in France.... And all this is historically -necessary. Egorka, get me facts." - -Thereupon he proved, by facts, that every nation is bound to desire -liberty, even against the wish of the authorities. - -The peasants of course were pleased and cried: - -"We thank you humbly." - -Everything went very well, harmoniously, in Christian love and mutual -confidence, till suddenly the peasants began to ask: - -"When are you going to clear out?" - -"Clear out? Where?" - -"Away." - -"Where from?" - -"Off the land." - -And they laughed, saying: - -"What a funny fellow. He understands everything, but he has ceased to -understand what is simplest of all." They laughed, but the nobleman -became angry. - -"But listen to me," he said. "Why should I go if the land is mine?" - -But the peasants did not heed him. - -"How can it be yours when you have said yourself that it is the Lord's, -and that even before the time of Jesus Christ there were some just men -who knew it?" He did not understand them, and they did not understand -him. So he went again to Egorka. - -"Egorka, look up the ancient histories and find me ..." - -But the latter replied in a perfectly independent spirit: - -"All the histories were pulled to pieces to prove the contrary." - -"You are lying, you plotter." - -He rushed to the library and saw that it was true. Only the empty -covers of the books remained. The surprise was so great that it threw -him into a perspiration, and he began to appeal to his ancestors, -saying sorrowfully: - -"And who taught you to write history in such a one-sided manner? Look -what you have done. Alas! what kind of history is it? To the devil with -it!" But the peasants kept repeating the same thing: - -"You have proved it all to us very clearly," they said. "Get away as -quickly as you can, or else we shall drive you away." - -Egorka had gone completely over to the peasants. When he met the -nobleman he turned up his nose and laughed sneeringly: - -"O you Liberal! Habeas corpus!" - -Things went from bad to worse. The peasants sang songs and were in -such high spirits that they carried off to their homes a stack of the -nobleman's hay. - -Suddenly the nobleman remembered that he had another card to play. In -the entresol sat his great-grandmother, awaiting an inevitable death. -She was so old that she had forgotten all human words; she could only -remember one thing: - -"Don't give ..." - -Since the year 1861[2] she had not been able to say anything else. - -He hastened to her, his feelings greatly agitated. He fell at her feet -affectionately and appealed to her: - -"Mother of mothers, you are a living history...." - -But she only mumbled: - -"Don't give.. - -"But what is to be done?" - -"Don't give..." - -"But they want to drown me--to plunder me." - -"Don't give..." - -"But should I give full play to my desire not to let the Governor know?" - -"Don't give..." - -He obeyed the voice of this living history, and sent in the name of his -greatgrandmother a telegram containing an irresistible appeal. Then he -went out to the peasants and informed them: - -"You have so frightened the old lady that she has sent for the -soldiers. Be calm, nothing will happen, I shall not let the soldiers -harm you." - -Fierce-looking warriors galloped up on horseback. It was winter-time, -and the horses, which had sweated freely on the way, began to shiver -as the hoar-frost settled on them. The nobleman pitied the horses and -stabled them on his estate, saying to the peasants: - -"You carted away some hay to which you had no right; please send it -back for these horses. They are animals, guilty of nothing; don't you -understand?" - -The soldiers were hungry; they caught and ate all the cocks in the -village, and everything became peaceful in the nobleman's district. -Egorka, of course, went over to the nobleman's side and, as before, the -nobleman used his services in matters of history: he bought new copies -of all the books and ordered all those facts to be erased which are apt -to incline one towards Liberalism; and into those which could not be -erased he ordered new sense to be put. - -As for Egorka, he was equal to anything. To prove his versatility he -turned his hand to pornography. Nevertheless a bright spot remained in -his soul, and while he was busy blotting out historical facts his heart -misgave him, and to appease his conscience he wrote verses and printed -them under the _nom de plume_, "V. W."--_i.e._ "Vanquished Warrior." - - "O chanticler, thou harbinger of morn, - How comes it that thy proud call has been stilled? - How comes it that thy place of t'other day - By yonder gloomy barn-owl now is filled? - The nobleman he needs no future now, - And all of us live each day like the last; - Poor chanticler has long since ceased to crow - And giv'n his drumsticks to a last repast. - When shall we waken unto life once more? - And who will call us when the dawn is nigh? - If chanticler, poor chanticler, is dead, - Pray who will wake and turn us out of bed?" - -And the peasants of course calmed down; they now live in peace, and, as -they have nothing else to do, spend their time making ribald verse: - - "O honest Mother! - The Spring is nigh - When we shall groan - And, starving, die!" - -The Russians are a happy people. - - -[1] By Egorka is meant the ordinary type of the Russian "intellectual" -who has no backbone or principle, and is always at the beck and call of -the landed proprietor, capitalist or the authorities. - -[2] The year in which the serfs were liberated. - - - - -THE JEWS AND THEIR FRIENDS - - -Once upon a time, in a certain country, lived some Jews. They were -ordinary Jews, fit for pogroms, for being slandered, or any other state -requirements. - -For example. - -Whenever the native population began to show signs of being -dissatisfied with life, the authorities removed certain clauses from -the state regulations and sounded the following hope-awakening call: - -"Draw near, you people; approach the seat of power." - -The people drew near; and the authorities began to remonstrate with -them: - -"What is the cause of the agitation?" - -"Your Honours, we have nothing to eat." - -"Have you any teeth left?" - -"Yes, a few." - -"You see, you always manage to conceal something from the authorities." - -When the local authorities found that the agitation could be -suppressed by knocking out the remaining teeth, they immediately -resorted to that remedy. But if they saw that harmonious relations -could not be established by this means they began to ask tempting -questions: - -"What do you want?" - -"Some land." - -Some of them who were so deep sunken in ignorance that they were not -able to understand what was in the interest of the state, went further -and kept repeating: - -"We want reforms of some kind in order that our teeth and ribs and -insides, at least, may be regarded as our own property, and not be -touched without cause." - -The authorities reasoned with them: - -"Oh, friends, why should you have these idle dreams? It is said that -man liveth not by bread alone, also that one person that has been -beaten is worth two that have not." - -"And do they agree?" - -"Who?" - -"Those who have not been beaten?" - -"Of course, dear friends. Did not the English ask us not very many -years ago: 'Exile,' they said, 'all your own people to Siberia, and -put us in their place. We,' they said, 'will pay the taxes punctually, -and will drink twelve gallons of vodka per person per year, and, -generally speaking..' 'No,' we said, 'why should we? Our people are all -right, they are humble and obedient, they are not going to give us any -trouble.' So now, you good fellows, instead of getting excited like -this, don't you think you had better go and shake up the Jews a bit? -What do you say to that? What else are they for?" - -The people pondered and pondered; they saw that they could get no -redress, so they decided to act upon the suggestion of the authorities. - -"Well, fellows," they said, "with God's blessing we will smash them." - -They ransacked fifty houses and killed a few Jews. But they soon tired -of their labours, and, their desire for reforms being satisfied, -everything went on as before. - -Besides the authorities, the native population and the Jews, there -lived some kind-hearted people in the state. Their function was to -divert agitation into other channels and to quiet passions. After each -pogrom their whole number came together, eighteen men in all, and sent -forth to the world their written protest, thus: - -"Although we know the Jews are Russian subjects, we are nevertheless -convinced that they ought not to be utterly exterminated, and, -therefore, taking all considerations into account, we hereby express -our condemnation of this extreme persecution of living people. -(_Signed_) High-Brow, Narrow-Chin, Long-Hair, Biting-Lip, Yea and Nay, -Big Bellows, Joseph Three-Ear, Noisy-One, Know-All, Cyril Just-So, -Flow-of-Words, Look-Wise, Quill-Driver, Lieutenant-Colonel (retired) -Drink-no-Beer, Narym (solicitor), Busybody, On-All-Fours and Grisha -In-the-Future, seven years old, a boy." - -These protests appeared after each pogrom with the only difference that -the age of Grisha kept changing and that Quill-Driver signed on behalf -of Narym,[1] who was suddenly exiled to a town bearing the same name. - -Sometimes the provinces responded to these protests: - -"We sympathise and add our signatures," Pull-Apart telegraphed from -Sleepy-Town, and Featherbrain from Daft Town; Samogryzoff "and others" -from Okuroff also joined in. It was clear to everybody that "the -others" were an invention, to make the message look more formidable, -for there were no others in Okuroff. - -The Jews were greatly distressed when they read these protests, and on -one occasion one of them, who was a very shrewd man, made the following -proposal:-- - -"Do you know what? You don't? Well, let us hide all the pens and ink -and paper before the next pogrom, and see what these eighteen people, -including Grisha, will do then." - -These Jews knew how to act together. Once decided, they bought up and -hid all the paper and pens and poured all the ink into the Black Sea. -Then they quietly awaited the result. - -They had not long to wait: the necessary permission was received from -the authorities, a pogrom took place, the hospitals were full of -Jews--and the humanitarians were running about St Petersburg looking -for pens and paper. They could find none anywhere except in the offices -of the authorities. And the latter would not give them any. - -"What do you take us for?" they said. "We know what you want it for. -No, you must do without it this time." - -"But how can we?" Mr Busybody entreated them. - -"Well," they answered, "you ought to realise by now that we have given -you plenty of chances to protest." - -Grisha, who was already forty-three years old, cried: - -"I want to protest." - -But there was nothing to protest on. A happy thought struck Know-All: - -"Shall we write something on the fence at least?" - -There were no fences in St Petersburg, only iron railings. - -But they proceeded to the outskirts of the town, where, near the -slaughterhouses, they came upon an old fence. No sooner, however, had -Mr High-Brow made the first letter in chalk than, suddenly, as if -dropping from the skies came a policeman and began to expostulate with -him: - -"What does this mean? When boys do this sort of thing they are whipped, -but you, staid gentlemen, what are you doing?" - -Of course he could not understand them, taking them for writers old -enough to be writing their thousand and first article. They were -nonplussed, and, scattering literally in all directions, went home. - -So that one pogrom was not protested against, and the humanitarians -were deprived of a pleasure. - -People who understand the psychology of races say rightly: "The Jews -are a shrewd people." - - -[1] A well-known place of exile in Siberia. - - - - -HARD TO PLEASE - - -Tired of their struggle with those who had opinions of their own, the -authorities, wishing at last to rest on their laurels, once issued the -following stringent order:-- - -"Hereby you are commanded to drag out into the light of day all those -who have opinions of their own, to drag them out unceremoniously from -their hiding-places, and to exterminate them by any measures that may -seem necessary." - -The execution of this order was entrusted to Oronty Strevenko, who had -volunteered to exterminate living human beings of both sexes and of all -ages. He was an ex-captain in the service of his Highness the King of -the Fuegians, and an important personage in Terra del Fuego. For his -services Oronty was allowed sixteen thousand roubles. - -Oronty obtained the commission not because others could not be found -as base, but because he looked unnaturally fierce, and was covered -with an abundant growth of hair, which enabled him to go naked in all -climates. Besides, he had four rows of teeth, sixty-four in all, a -circumstance that won for him the special confidence of the authorities. - -But in spite of all these advantages even he was confronted by the -thought: - -"How are they to be unearthed? They keep so quiet." - -And in truth the inhabitants of this town were remarkably well -trained. They went in fear of one another, seeing in everyone an -agent-provocateur, and never asserted anything. Even in their talks -with their mothers they spoke in a form agreed upon, and in a foreign -language: - -"N'est ce pas?" - -"Maman, it is time to dine, n'est ce pas?' - -"Maman, we ought to go to the cinema show to-night, n'est ce pas?" - -However, after much thought, Strevenko devised a plan for unearthing -secret plots. He washed his hair with peroxide of hydrogen, shaved -himself where necessary, and became a fairhaired individual of gloomy -appearance. Then he put on a sad-coloured suit so that no one could -recognise him. - -At night he went out into the street, and walked about as if deep in -thought. Noticing a citizen stealing along, he pounced upon him from -the left and whispered in a provocative manner: - -"Comrade, are you really satisfied with your existence?" - -The citizen slackened his pace, as if considering the question; but as -soon as a policeman appeared in the distance he shouted in accordance -with his invariable practice: - -"Policeman, hold him." - -Strevenko sprang over the fence like a tiger, and as he sat in the -stinging nettles thought to himself: - -"You cannot get hold of them like this; they act in a perfectly legal -manner, the devils." - -In the meantime the money allowed him was disappearing. He put on a -less dismal-looking suit, and tried another way of trapping people. -Boldly approaching a citizen he would ask him: - -"Would you like to become an agent-provocateur, sir?" - -And the citizen would reply coolly: - -"What is the salary?" - -Others declined politely: - -"No, thank you, I am already engaged." - -"Well," thought Oronty, "how am I to catch them?" - -In the meantime the money allowed him was gradually melting away. - -In the course of his search he looked in at the headquarters of the -Society for the Many-Sided Use of Empty Egg-Shells, but discovered that -the society enjoys the exalted patronage of three bishops, and of a -general of gendarmerie; that it meets once a year and gets a special -permit each time from St Petersburg. Oronty still failed to catch -plotters and the money allowed him seemed to him to have galloping -consumption. - -Oronty was thoroughly annoyed: - -"I'll soon show them!" - -And he began to act quite openly. He would go up to a citizen and ask -him straight out: - -"Are you satisfied with your existence?" - -"Quite satisfied." - -"Well, but the authorities are dissatisfied. Please come along." - -And if anyone said that he was not satisfied, the result was, of -course, the same: - -"Take him along!" said Strevenko. - -"But, excuse me." - -"What?" - -"But I am dissatisfied because their measures are not sufficiently -rigorous." - -"Indeed? Take him." - -Thus, in the course of three weeks, he had gathered together ten -thousand men and women of one sort and another. At first he imprisoned -them where he could; then he began to hang them; but for the sake of -economy he did it at the expense of the citizens themselves. - -Everything went very well till, one day, a superior official, who -chanced to be out beagling in the outskirts of the town, saw unusual -animation in the fields; a picture of the peaceful activity of citizens -presented itself to him. They were reviling one another, hanging and -burying one another, whilst Strevenko walked amongst them staff in -hand, barking out words of encouragement: - -"Hurry up, you melancholy owl, and be more cheerful about it! And you -reverend-looking old man, there, why do you look so stupefied? The -noose is ready; get into it; don't keep the others waiting. Whoa, lad; -why do you get into the noose before your father? Gentlemen, don't -be in such a hurry; your turn will come right enough. You have been -patient for years, awaiting pacification by the Government; you can -afford to wait a few minutes. You, peasant, where are you going? You -ignoramus!" - -The superior official, mounted on a handsome horse, looked on and -thought: - -"Anyway, he has got hold of a good many. He is a fine fellow! That is -why all the windows in the town are boarded up." - -But suddenly, to his utter astonishment, he saw his own aunt hanging by -the neck, her feet dangling above the ground: - -"Who gave the order?" - -Strevenko was on the spot and said: - -"I, your Excellency." - -"Well, brother, you are a fool. You are simply wasting money belonging -to the Treasury. Let me see your account." - -Strevenko produced his account, wherein it was stated: - -"In execution of the order concerning the extermination of those who -have opinions of their own I have unearthed and imprisoned 10,107 -persons of both sexes. Of this number: - -"729 persons of both sexes have been killed; 541 persons of both sexes -have been hanged; 937 persons of both sexes have been crippled for -life; 317 persons of both sexes have died prematurely; 63 persons of -both sexes have committed suicide; total number exterminated, 1876. - -"Total Cost: Roubles 16,884--_i.e._ at the rate of 7 roubles per person. - -"Deficit: Roubles 884." - -The superior official, was staggered. He muttered in a fury: - -"A deficit! You Fuegian! The whole of your Terra Del Fuego, together -with the king and you yourself, is not worth eight hundred roubles. -Just think of it! If you are going to steal money like that what am -I to do?--I, who occupy a rank ten times higher? If we have such -appetites Russia won't last us three years. There are many others -besides you who want to live. Can't you understand that? And besides, -you have wrongly included three hundred and eighty persons, for three -hundred and seventeen 'died prematurely' and sixty-three committed -suicide. You swindler, you have included them as well." - -"Your Excellency," Oronty tried to justify himself, "but I drove them -into such a state of mind that they loathed their life." - -"And seven roubles a head for that? Besides, no doubt a lot of those -included were not concerned in the matter at all. The total population -of the town is only twelve thousand. No, my friend, I will bring you -before the court." - -A very strict investigation was accordingly made into the activity of -the Fuegian, and he was found guilty of having misappropriated nine -hundred and sixteen roubles belonging to the Treasury. - -The court that tried Oronty was a just one; he was sentenced to three -months' imprisonment, and his career was spoilt. The Fuegian was out of -sight for three months. - -It is no easy matter to please the authorities. - - - - -PASSIVE RESISTANCE - - -A kind-hearted man debated what was best to do and finally decided: - -"I will cease to resist evil by violence. I will overcome it by -patience." - -This man was not of a weak character. Having decided, he waited -patiently. - -Igemon's assistants, hearing of this, reported: - -"Amongst the citizens who are under supervision there is one who has -suddenly begun to conduct himself in a strange manner. He does not -move about or say anything: evidently he is trying to deceive the -authorities, pretending not to exist at all." - -Igemon flew into a rage: - -"How, who does not exist? Bring him into my presence." - -The citizen was brought and Igemon commanded: "Search him." - -They searched him, deprived him of everything about him that was of -value, such as his watch and gold wedding ring. - -They scraped the fillings out of his teeth, for they were gold. They -took off his new braces, cut off his buttons and reported: - -"Ready, Igemon." - -"Well, anything found?" - -"Nothing but what was superfluous about him; we have rid him of it all." - -"And in his head?" - -"There seems to be nothing in his head." - -"Let him in." - -The citizen came into Igemon's presence, and from the way he held -up his trousers Igemon saw and understood his complete readiness -for all kinds of contingencies in life. But Igemon desired to make -an impression upon him which would crush his soul, so he roared -ferociously: - -"Oh, citizen, you have come!" - -And the citizen admitted quietly: - -"Yes, I have brought the whole of me." - -"What is it you are doing?" - -"I, Igemon, am doing nothing, I have simply decided to conquer by -patience." Igemon bristled with anger and roared: "Again? To conquer -again?" - -"Yes, to overcome evil." - -"Be silent!" - -"I did not mean you." - -Igemon did not believe him and said: - -"If not me then whom do you mean?" - -"Myself." - -Igemon was surprised. - -"Wait a minute. What evil do you mean?" - -"Resistance." - -"You are lying." - -"Heaven knows I am not." - -Igemon broke into a perspiration. - -"What is the matter with him?" he thought, looking at the man; and, -after pondering for some moments, he asked him: - -"What is it you want?" - -"I don't want anything." - -"Really nothing at all?" - -"Nothing. Merely permit me to teach the people patience by my own -example." Igemon pondered again, biting his moustache. He was possessed -of a soul which took delight in daydreams. He liked to steam himself in -a Turkish bath, giving forth voluptuous sounds of pleasure. Generally -speaking, he was in favour of enjoying the pleasures of life. There -was only one thing he could not stand, and that was rudeness and -opposition, against which he acted in a manner that rendered everything -soft, reducing to a pulp the bones and gristle of the resisters. But -when not busy enjoying life or crushing citizens he liked to indulge in -daydreams about universal peace, and in the salvation of the soul. - -He looked with embarrassment at the citizen and said: - -"Not long since you thought the reverse, and now?" - -Then, overcome by more tender feelings, he asked with a sigh: "How did -it come about?" - -The citizen replied: - -"Evolution." - -"Well, brother, such is our life. First it is one thing, then another. -There is failure in everything. We sway from side to side, but we do -not know on which side to lie down, we cannot choose." - -And Igemon sighed again, for he knew that the man loved the fatherland -which had nurtured him. All kinds of dangerous thoughts were running -through Igemon's head: - -"True, it is pleasant to see a citizen yielding and peaceful. But if -everybody ceased to resist, would it not cut off our daily allowance -and our travelling expenses? We might lose our bonuses too.... No, -it cannot be that there is no resistance left in him. The rogue is -pretending; he must be put to the test. To what use shall I put him? -Make of him an agent-provocateur? The expression of his face is -indefinite, his lack of personality could not be hidden by any mask. -Besides, his powers of oratory are evidently not great. Make him a -hangman? He has not strength enough." - -At last a thought struck him and he said to his subordinates: - -"Put this happy man in the third section of the fire brigade to clean -the stables." - -It was done. The citizen strenuously cleaned the stables without saying -a word, while Igemon looked on, touched by his patience; his confidence -in the man was steadily increasing. - -"But if everybody behaved like that?" - -After a short trial he promoted him into his own office and asked him -to copy a false report which he himself had written about the income -and expenditure of various sums. The citizen copied it and kept silence. - -Igemon was touched to such an extent that he shed tears. - -"No, he is a useful man, although literate." - -He called the citizen to him and said: - -"I believe in you! Go and preach your truth, but keep your eyes open." - -The citizen went to market-places, to fairs, through large towns, -through small towns, saying everywhere: - -"What are you doing?" - -The people saw that he was unusually meek and this, together with his -personality, caused them to confide in him. They confessed to him -all of which they were guilty, and even revealed to him their inmost -thoughts. One of them wanted to steal something and to evade being -punished for it, another wanted to cheat somebody, a third simply -wanted to slander somebody. All of them, like genuine Russians, wanted -to get out of having any duties in life, and to forget all their -obligations. - -He said to them: - -"Oh, give up all this, because it is said: 'All existence is suffering, -but it becomes suffering through desire; hence, in order to destroy -suffering, you must destroy desire.' Let us cease to desire and all -evil will disappear of its own accord; truly it will." - -The people, of course, were glad. It seemed reasonable and was very -simple. Where they happened to stand they lay down. They all felt -relieved. - -After what interval is not recorded, but there came a time when Igemon -noticed that all was peace around him, and he was struck by fear. Still -he tried to put on a brave face: - -"The rogues are pretending." - -Meanwhile, the insects, continuing to fulfil their natural obligations, -were beginning to multiply in an unnatural way, and becoming more and -more arrogant in their actions. - -"What silence," thought Igemon, wriggling and scratching himself all -over. - -He called a willing citizen to him: - -"Come, free me from the superfluous." - -He answered: - -"I cannot." - -"What?" - -"I cannot, because even if they do annoy you, they are living things, -and----" - -"I will make a corpse of you this minute." - -"As you will." - -And so in everything; they all answered him with one voice: - -"As you will." - -But as soon as he asked them to fulfil his will he found it a most -tedious task. Igemon's palace was falling to pieces; it was overrun -with rats, which ate up the deeds, and died of the resultant poisoning. -Igemon himself was sinking deeper and deeper into inaction. He lay on -the sofa daydreaming about the past. How good life was in those days! -The inhabitants tried to resist his orders in all kinds of ways. Some -of them had to be executed, which meant obituary feasts with pancakes -and free drinks. Or a citizen would embark upon some new enterprise; -it was necessary to go and stop him, which meant travelling expenses. -When he reported to the proper quarter that in the district entrusted -to him all the inhabitants had been exterminated he used to receive a -special bonus and a fresh batch was sent into the district. - -Igemon was daydreaming about the past, but his neighbours, the Igemons -of other tribes, lived as they had lived before, on the old basis. -The inhabitants opposed them on every occasion, and as vigorously as -they could. All was noise and disorder. The Igemons rushed hither and -thither, without any special object. They found it profitable and, in a -general way, interesting. - -And the thought struck Igemon: - -"By Jove! the citizen has fooled me." - -He jumped up, rushed through the whole district, shaking people, -pummelling them, and shouting: - -"Get up! Wake up! Arise!" - -It was no good. He seized them by their collars, but the collars were -rotten and broke away. - -"The devils," shouted Igemon, greatly agitated. "What are you doing? -Look at your neighbours--even China----" - -The inhabitants were silent as they clung to the soil. - -"O Lord!" said Igemon in disgust, "what is to be done?" - -And he resorted to deception; he bent over an inhabitant and whispered -into his ear: - -"Oh, citizen, the fatherland is in danger. It is, I swear. By all -that's holy! it is in great danger. Get up; it is necessary to resist. -They say that all kinds of activities will be allowed. Citizen!" But -the dying citizen only murmured: "My fatherland is in God." - -The others were simply silent, like offended corpses. - -"The cursed fatalists!" shouted Igemon in despair. "Get up! All kinds -of resistance is allowed." - -One who had been a jolly fellow, and had distinguished himself by -knocking out people's teeth, raised himself a little, looked round and -said: - -"What shall we resist? There is nothing to resist." - -"But the vermin?" - -"We are used to it." - -Igemon's reason received the last shock. He got up and roared in -awe-inspiring tones: - -"I permit you everything, fellows; save yourselves; do what you like; -everything is permitted--eat each other." - -The calm and quiet were delightful! Igemon saw that all was over. - -He started to cry aloud; hot tears ran down his cheeks; he tore his -hair and roared, calling upon them: - -"Citizens, dear fellows, what am I to do? Must I make a revolution -myself? Bethink yourselves; it is historically necessary; it is -nationally inevitable. You see that it is impossible for me alone to -make a revolution. I have not even police for that, the vermin have -eaten them." - -The citizens only blinked their eyes; even if they had been pierced by -a stake they would not have uttered a sound. - -So they all died in silence, and Igemon, in utter despair, last of all. - -From this it follows that even in patience we must observe a certain -amount of moderation. - - - - -MAKING A SUPERMAN - - -The wisest of the citizens pondered the following problem:-- - -"What does it mean? Wherever one looks everything is at sixes and -sevens." - -And after much thought they concluded: - -"It is because we have no personality. It is necessary for us to create -a central thinking organ which shall be quite free from any sort of -bias, which shall be capable of raising itself above everything, which -shall stand out from everything and everybody--in the same way as a -goat from amongst a flock of sheep." Somebody said: - -"Brothers, have we not already suffered enough from central -personalities?" They did not like this. - -"That seems to savour of politics, and even of civic sorrow." - -Somebody insisted: - -"But how can we ignore politics if politics penetrate everything? The -facts are that the prisons are overcrowded, that in the hard labour -prisons it is impossible to turn round; and to remedy this we must -enlarge the scope of our rights." - -But they answered him sternly: - -"This, sir, is idealism, and it is time you left it alone. A new man is -wanted, and nothing else." - -After this they set to work to create a man according to the methods -referred to in the traditions of the holy fathers: they spat on the -ground, and began to mix the spittle with earth. Then they smeared -themselves up to the ears with the mixture, but the results were -poor. In their eagerness they trampled rare flowers into the ground, -and destroyed useful cereals. They tried hard, they sweated in the -earnestness of their efforts; but there was no result--nothing but a -waste of words and mutual accusations of creative incapacity. They -even put the elements out of patience by their zeal: whirlwinds began -to blow, the heat became intense, it thundered, and the rain poured -down in torrents; the ground became sodden, and the whole atmosphere -saturated with heavy odours, so that it was difficult to breathe. - -However, from time to time this wrestling with the elements seemed to -come to an end, and a new personality came into God's world. - -There was general rejoicing everywhere, but it was short-lived, and -soon turned into oppressive embarrassment. For, if a new personality -arose out of the peasant soil, it became forthwith a polished merchant, -and, starting business at once, began to sell the fatherland piecemeal -to foreigners--first of all at forty-five copecks[1] a plot, and -afterwards going to such lengths that it wanted to sell a whole -district, with all its live stock and thinking machines. - -If they stirred up a new man on merchant soil he either was born -a degenerate or at once became a bureaucrat. If they did it on a -nobleman's estate, beings arose, as they had done before, who seemed -intent upon swallowing up the whole revenue of the state. On the -soil of the middle class and petty property-owners all sorts of wild -thistles grew: agents-provocateurs, Nihilists, pacifists, and goodness -knows what. - -"But we already have all these in a sufficient quantity," the wise -citizens confessed to each other. - -And they were sadly puzzled. - -"We have made some kind of mistake in the technique of creation," they -said. - -"But what was the mistake?" - -They sat in the mud and thought very hard. - -Then they began to upbraid one another: - -"You, Selderey Lavrovich, you spit too much, and in all directions." - -"And you, Kornishon Lukich, are too faint-hearted to do likewise." - -The newly born Nihilists, pretending to be Vaska Buslayeffs, looked at -everything with contempt and shouted: - -"Oh, you vegetables, try and think what place is best, and we will help -you to spit on it." - -And they spat and spat. - -They all seemed bored and irritable with one another; and they were -covered with mud. - -Just at that time Mitya Korofyshkin, nicknamed "Steel Claw," who was -playing truant from school, passed by. He was a pupil in the second -class of the Miamlin Gymnasium, and was known as a collector of -foreign stamps. As he passed he saw the people sitting in a puddle and -spitting, deep in thought. - -"Grown-ups, and they bespatter themselves like that!" thought Mitya -contemptuously; which was natural in one of his tender years. - -He peeped to see if there was not a teacher in their midst, and not -noticing one he inquired: - -"What are you doing in the puddle, uncles?" - -One of the citizens, resenting the question, immediately began to argue: - -"Where do you see a puddle? It is simply a reflection of the primordial -chaos." - -"And what are you doing?" - -"We are trying to create a new man. We are sick of people like you." - -Mitya became interested. - -"After whose likeness?" - -"What do you mean? We want to create somebody unlike anyone else. Go -away." - -As Mitya was a child, and not yet versed in the secrets of nature, -he, of course, was glad of the opportunity to be present at such an -important affair, and he asked them simply: - -"Will you make him with three legs?" - -"What are you saying?" - -"How funnily he will run!" - -"Go away, boy." - -"Or with wings! What a fine thing it would be! Make him with wings, by -Jove! and let him kidnap teachers, like the condor did in 'The Children -of Captain Grant.' There, of course, the condor does not kidnap a -teacher, but it would be better if he did kidnap the teacher." - -"Boy, you are talking nonsense, and it is sinful nonsense. Remember -your prayers before and after your lessons." - -But Mitya was a boy with a fertile imagination, and he became very -excited. - -"As the teacher is going to the gymnasium it will grab him by the -collar and carry him away to somewhere in the air, it makes no -difference where. The teacher will simply kick and drop all his -books--I hope the books will never be found." - -"Boy, have reverence for your elders." - -"And the teacher shouts to his wife from above: 'Good-bye, I am going -to heaven like Elijah and Enoch,' And his wife kneels in the middle of -the road and whimpers: 'My school teacher! Oh, my school teacher!'" - -They got quite angry with him. - -"Get away, you are jabbering nonsense. There are many who can do that. -You are beginning too soon." - -They drove him away, but he stopped before he had gone far, thought a -while, and asked: - -"Do you really mean it?" - -"Of course." - -"And it won't work?" - -They sighed sullenly and said: - -"No; leave us alone." - -Then Mitya moved a little farther away, put out his tongue and mocked -them: - -"I know why! I know why!" - -He ran away, but they chased him, and as they were used to changing the -scene of their operations and running from place to place they soon -caught him. Then they began to beat him. - -"Oh, you scamp ... cheeking your elders." - -Mitya cried and implored: - -"Uncles, I will give you a Soudanese stamp--I have a duplicate.... I -will make you a present of my penknife----" - -But they tried to frighten him with the headmaster's name. - -"Uncles, really and truly, I will never tease you again. Now I have -really guessed why a new man cannot be created." - -"Speak!" - -"Don't hold me so tight!" - -They released him all but his hands, and he said to them: - -"Uncles, it is not the proper soil. The soil is no good, on my word of -honour. You may spit as much as you like, nothing will come of it. For, -when God created Adam in his image, the land belonged to nobody. Now it -all belongs to someone or other; therefore man now belongs to somebody. -Spitting makes no difference whatever." - -They were so dumbfounded that they dropped their hands; Mitya rushed -away from them, and making a trumpet of his hands shouted: - -"You red-skinned Comanches! Iroquois!" - -But they all went back to the puddle, and the wisest of them said: - -"Colleagues, let us resume our occupation. Let us forget this boy, for -he is very likely a socialist in disguise." - -Oh, Mitya, Mitya! - - -[1] Elevenpence.--_Trans._ - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Tales of Two Countries, by Maxim Gorky - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK TALES OF TWO COUNTRIES *** - -***** This file should be named 55577-8.txt or 55577-8.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/5/5/5/7/55577/ - -Produced by Marc D'Hooghe at Free Literature (online soon -in an extended version,also linking to free sources for -education worldwide ... 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Thus, we do not -necessarily keep eBooks in compliance with any particular paper -edition. - -Most people start at our Web site which has the main PG search -facility: www.gutenberg.org - -This Web site includes information about Project Gutenberg-tm, -including how to make donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary -Archive Foundation, how to help produce our new eBooks, and how to -subscribe to our email newsletter to hear about new eBooks. - diff --git a/old/55577-8.zip b/old/55577-8.zip Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index c72129f..0000000 --- a/old/55577-8.zip +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/55577-h.zip b/old/55577-h.zip Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 353454a..0000000 --- a/old/55577-h.zip +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/55577-h/55577-h.htm b/old/55577-h/55577-h.htm deleted file mode 100644 index bfe1094..0000000 --- a/old/55577-h/55577-h.htm +++ /dev/null @@ -1,6158 +0,0 @@ -<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Strict//EN" - "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-strict.dtd"> -<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en"> - <head> - <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html;charset=iso-8859-1" /> - <meta http-equiv="Content-Style-Type" content="text/css" /> - <title> - The Project Gutenberg eBook of Tales of Two Countries, by Maxim Gorky. - </title> - <style type="text/css"> - -body { - margin-left: 10%; - margin-right: 10%; -} - - h1,h2,h3,h4,h5,h6 { - text-align: center; /* all headings centered */ - clear: both; -} - -p { - margin-top: .51em; - text-align: justify; - margin-bottom: .49em; -} - -.p2 {margin-top: 2em;} -.p4 {margin-top: 4em;} -.p6 {margin-top: 6em;} - -hr { - width: 33%; - margin-top: 2em; - margin-bottom: 2em; - margin-left: auto; - margin-right: auto; - clear: both; -} - -hr.tb {width: 45%;} -hr.chap {width: 65%} -hr.full {width: 95%;} - -hr.r5 {width: 5%; margin-top: 1em; margin-bottom: 1em;} -hr.r65 {width: 65%; margin-top: 3em; margin-bottom: 3em;} - - -a:link {color: #000099;} - -v:link {color: #000099;} - -.blockquot { - margin-left: 5%; - margin-right: 10%; -} - -.center {text-align: center;} - -.right {text-align: right;} - - -/* Images */ -.figcenter { - margin: auto; - text-align: center; -} - -.figleft { - float: left; - clear: left; - margin-left: 0; - margin-bottom: 1em; - margin-top: 1em; - margin-right: 1em; - padding: 0; - text-align: center; -} - -.figright { - float: right; - clear: right; - margin-left: 1em; - margin-bottom: - 1em; - margin-top: 1em; - margin-right: 0; - padding: 0; - text-align: center; -} - -/* Footnotes */ -.footnotes {border: dashed 1px;} - -.footnote {margin-left: 10%; margin-right: 10%; font-size: 0.9em;} - -.footnote .label {position: absolute; right: 84%; text-align: right;} - -.fnanchor { - vertical-align: super; - font-size: .8em; - text-decoration: - none; -} - - - </style> - </head> -<body> - - -<pre> - -The Project Gutenberg EBook of Tales of Two Countries, by Maxim Gorky - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most -other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of -the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - -Title: Tales of Two Countries - -Author: Maxim Gorky - -Release Date: September 18, 2017 [EBook #55577] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK TALES OF TWO COUNTRIES *** - - - - -Produced by Marc D'Hooghe at Free Literature (online soon -in an extended version,also linking to free sources for -education worldwide ... MOOC's, educational materials,...) -Images generously made available by the Internet Archive) - - - - - - -</pre> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 500px;"> -<img src="images/cover.jpg" width="500" alt="" /> -</div> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 500px;"> -<img src="images/tales_tp.jpg" width="500" alt="" /> -</div> - -<h1>TALES OF<br /> -TWO COUNTRIES</h1> - -<h3>BY</h3> - -<h2>MAXIM GORKY</h2> - -<h5>LONDON</h5> - -<h5>T. WERNER LAURIE, LTD.<br /> -8 ESSEX STREET, STRAND</h5> - -<h5>1914</h5> -<hr class="full" /> - - -<p>"Aleksyei Maksimovitch Pyeshkof (pseudonym Maxim Gorky). Born at -Nijni-Novgorod, March 14, 1868. A Russian writer. He led a vagabond -life for many years, working and tramping with the poorest classes -in Russia, and his writings record the tragedy of poverty and crime -as he found it. Among the best known of his works are <span style="font-size: 0.9em;">'MAKAR CHUDRA' -(1890), 'EMILIAN PIBGAI,' 'CHELKASH,' 'OSHYBKA' (1895), 'TYENOVYA -KARTINKI'(1895), 'TOSKA,' 'KONOVALOV' (1896), 'MALVA' (1896), 'FOMA -GORDYEEV'(1901), 'MUJIKI' (1901)</span>. Three volumes of short stories -<span style="font-size: 0.9em;">(1898-99), 'MIEST-CHANYE' (1902), 'COMRADES' (1907), 'THE SPY' (1908)</span>, -and <span style="font-size: 0.9em;">'IN THE DEPTHS</span>,' a play". <i>Century Cyclopædia of Names.</i></p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p style="font-size: 0.8em; margin-left: 25%;"> -CONTENTS<br /> -<br /> -ITALIAN TALES<br /> -<br /> -<a href="#MAN_AND_THE_SIMPLON">MAN AND THE SIMPLON</a><br /> -<a href="#AN_UNWRITTEN_SONATA">AN UNWRITTEN SONATA</a><br /> -<a href="#SUN_AND_SEA">SUN AND SEA</a><br /> -<a href="#LOVE_OF_LOVERS">LOVE OF LOVERS</a><br /> -<a href="#HEARTS_AND_CREEDS">HEARTS AND CREEDS</a><br /> -<a href="#THE_TRAITORS_MOTHER">THE TRAITOR'S MOTHER</a><br /> -<a href="#THE_FREAK">THE FREAK</a><br /> -<a href="#THE_MIGHT_OF_MOTHERHOOD">THE MIGHT OF MOTHERHOOD</a><br /> -<a href="#A_MESSAGE_FROM_THE_SEA">A MESSAGE FROM THE SEA</a><br /> -<a href="#THE_HONOUR_OF_THE_VILLAGE">THE HONOUR OF THE VILLAGE</a><br /> -<a href="#THE_SOCIALIST">THE SOCIALIST</a><br /> -<a href="#THE_HUNCHBACK">THE HUNCHBACK</a><br /> -<a href="#ON_THE_STEAMER">ON THE STEAMER</a><br /> -<br /> -RUSSIAN TALES<br /> -<br /> -<a href="#THE_PROFESSOR">THE PROFESSOR</a><br /> -<a href="#THE_POET">THE POET</a><br /> -<a href="#THE_WRITER">THE WRITER</a><br /> -<a href="#THE_MAN_WITH_A_NATIONAL_FACE">THE MAN WITH A NATIONAL FACE</a><br /> -<a href="#THE_LIBERAL">THE LIBERAL</a><br /> -<a href="#THE_JEWS_AND_THEIR_FRIENDS">THE JEWS AND THEIR FRIENDS</a><br /> -<a href="#HARD_TO_PLEASE">HARD TO PLEASE</a><br /> -<a href="#PASSIVE_RESISTANCE">PASSIVE RESISTANCE</a><br /> -<a href="#MAKING_A_SUPERMAN">MAKING A SUPERMAN</a><br /> -</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> -<h3>ITALIAN TALES</h3> - -<hr /> -<h4><a name="MAN_AND_THE_SIMPLON" id="MAN_AND_THE_SIMPLON">MAN AND THE SIMPLON</a></h4> - - -<p>A blue lake is deeply set in mountains capped with eternal snow. A -dark network of gardens descends in gorgeous folds to the water. White -houses that look like lumps of sugar peer down from the bank into the -lake; and everything around is as quiet and peaceful as the sleep of a -child.</p> - -<p>It is morning. A perfume of flowers is wafted gently from the -mountains. The sun is new risen and the dew still glistens on the -leaves of trees and the petals of flowers. A road like a grey ribbon -thrusts into the quiet mountain gorge—a stone-paved road which yet -looks as soft as velvet, so that one almost has a desire to stroke it.</p> - -<p>Near a pile of stones sits a workman, like some dark coloured beetle; -on his breast is a medal; his face is serious, bold, but kindly.</p> - -<p>Placing his sunburnt hands on his knees and looking up into the face of -a passer-by who has stopped in the shade of a chestnut-tree, he says:</p> - -<p>"This is the Simplon, signor, and this is a medal for working in the -Simplon tunnel,"</p> - -<p>And lowering his eyes to his breast he smiles fondly at the bright -piece of metal.</p> - -<p>"Oh, every kind of work is hard for a time, until you get used to it, -and then it grows upon you and becomes easy. Ay, but it was hard work -though!"</p> - -<p>He shook his head a little, smiling at the sun; then suddenly he -checked and waved his hand; his black eyes glistened.</p> - -<p>"I was afraid at times. The earth must have some feeling, don't you -think? When we had burrowed to a great depth, when we had made this -wound in the mountain, she received us rudely enough. She breathed a -hot breath on us that made the heart stop beating, made the head dizzy -and the bones to ache. Many experienced this. Then the mother earth -showered stones upon her children, poured hot water over us; ay, there -was fear in it, signor! Sometimes, in the torchlight, the water became -red and my father told me that we had wounded the earth and that she -would drown us, would burn us all up with her blood—'you will live to -see it!' It was all fancy, like enough, but when one hears such words -deep in the bowels of the earth—in the damp and suffocating darkness, -amid the plaintive splashing of water and the grinding of iron against -stone—one forgets for the moment how much is fantasy. For everything -was fantastic there, dear signor: we men were so puny, while the -mountain, into whose belly we were boring, reached up to the sky. One -must see in order to understand it. It is necessary to see the black -gaping mouth cut by us, tiny people, who entered it at sunset—and how -sadly the sun looks after those who desert him and go into the bowels -of the earth! It is necessary to see our machines and the grim face of -the mountain, and to hear the dark rumblings in it and the blasts, like -the wild laughter of a madman."</p> - -<p>He looked at his hands, set right the medal on his blue blouse and -sighed.</p> - -<p>"Man knows how to work!" he continued, with manifest pride. "Oh, -signor, a puny man, when he wills to work, is an invincible force! -And, believe me: in the end, the little man will do everything he wants -to do. My father did not believe it at first.</p> - -<p>"'To cut through a mountain from country to country,' he said, 'is -contrary to the will of God, who separated countries by mountain walls; -you will see that the Madonna will not be with us!' He was wrong, -the old man; the Madonna is on the side of everyone who loves her. -Afterwards my father began to think as I now think and avow to you, -because he felt that he was greater and stronger than the mountain; but -there was a time when, on holidays, sitting at a table before a bottle -of wine, he would declare to me and others:</p> - -<p>"'Children of God'—that was his favourite saying, for he was a kind -and good man—'children of God, you must not struggle with the earth -like that; she will be revenged on you for her wounds, and will remain -unconquerable! You will see: when we bore into the mountain as far as -the heart, when we touch the heart, it will burn us up, it will hurl -fire upon us, because the earth's heart is fiery—everybody knows -that! To cultivate the soil means to help it to give birth—we are -bidden to do that; but now we are spoiling its physiognomy, its form. -Behold! The farther we dig into the mountain the hotter the air becomes -and the harder it is to breathe.'"</p> - -<p>The man laughed quietly and curled the ends of his moustache with both -hands.</p> - -<p>"Not he alone thought like that, and he was right; the farther we went -in the tunnel, the hotter it became, and men fell prostrate and were -overcome. Water gushed forth faster from the hot springs, whole seams -fell down, and two of our fellows from Lugano went mad. At night in the -barracks many of us talked in delirium, groaned and jumped up from our -beds in terror.</p> - -<p>"'Am I not right?' said my father, with fear in his eyes and coughing -more and more, and more and more huskily—he did, signor. 'Am I not -right?' he said. 'She is unconquerable, the earth.'</p> - -<p>"At last the old man lay down for the last time. He was very strong, my -old one; for more than three weeks he struggled bravely with death, as -a man who knows his worth, and never complained.</p> - -<p>"'My work is finished, Paolo,' he said to me once in the night. 'Take -care of yourself and return home; let the Madonna guide you!'</p> - -<p>"Then he was silent for a long time; he covered up his face, and was -nigh to choking."</p> - -<p>The man stood up, looked at the mountains and stretched himself with -such force that his sinews cracked.</p> - -<p>"He took me by the hand, drew me to himself and said—it's the solemn -truth, signor—</p> - -<p>"'Do you know, Paolo, my son, in spite of all, I think it will be done: -we and those who advance from the other side will meet in the mountain, -we shall meet—do you believe that?'</p> - -<p>"I did believe it, signor.</p> - -<p>"'Well, my son, so you must: everything must be done with a firm belief -in a happy ending and in God who helps good people by the prayers of -the Madonna. I beg you, my son, if it does happen, if the men meet, -come to my grave and say: "Father, it is done," so that I may know!'</p> - -<p>"It was all right, dear signor, I promised him. He died five days after -my words were spoken, and two days before his death he asked me to bury -him at the spot where he had last worked in the tunnel. He prayed, but -I think it was in delirium.</p> - -<p>"We and the others who came from the opposite side met in the mountain -thirteen weeks after my father's death—it was a mad day, signor! -Oh, when we heard there, under the earth, in the darkness, the noise -of other workmen, the noise of those who came to meet us under the -earth—you understand, signor, under the tremendous weight of the earth -which might have crushed us, puny little things, all at once had it but -known how!</p> - -<p>"For many days we heard these rumbling sounds, every day they became -louder and louder, clearer and clearer, and we became possessed by -the joyful madness of conquerors—we worked like demons, like persons -without bodies, not feeling fatigue, not requiring direction—it -was as good as a dance on a sunny day, upon my word of honour! We all -became as good and kind to one another as children are. Oh, if you only -knew how strong, how intensely passionate is one's desire to meet a -human being in the dark, under the earth into which one has burrowed -like a mole for many long months!"</p> - -<p>His face flushed, he walked up close to the listener and, looking into -the latter's face with deep kindling eyes, went on quietly and joyously:</p> - -<p>"And when the last wall finally crumbled away, and in the opening -appeared the red light of a torch and somebody's dark face covered -with tears of joy, and then another face, and more torches and more -faces—shouts of victory resounded, shouts of joy.... Oh, it was the -best day of my life, and when I think of it I feel that I have not -lived in vain! There was work, my work, holy work, signor, I tell you, -yes!.... Yes, we kissed the conquered mountain, kissed the earth—that -day the earth was specially near and dear to me, signor, and I fell in -love with it as if it had been a woman!</p> - -<p>"Of course I went to my father! Of course—although I don't know that -the dead can hear—but I went: we must respect the wishes of those who -toiled for us and who suffered no less than we do—must we not, signor?</p> - -<p>"Yes, yes, I went to his grave, knocked with my foot against the ground -and said, as he wished:</p> - -<p>"'Father—it is done!' I said. 'The people have conquered. It is done, -father!'"</p> - - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<h4><a name="AN_UNWRITTEN_SONATA" id="AN_UNWRITTEN_SONATA">AN UNWRITTEN SONATA</a></h4> - - -<p>A young musician, his dark eyes fixed intently on far-off things, said -quietly:</p> - -<p>"I should like to set this down in terms of music":</p> - -<p>Along a road leading to a large town walks a little boy. He walks and -hastens not.</p> - -<p>The town lies prostrate; the heavy mass of its buildings presses -against the earth. And it groans, this town, and sends forth a -murmurous sound. From afar it looks as if it had just burned out, -for over it the blood-red flame of the sunset still lingers, and the -crosses of its churches, its spires and vanes, seem red-hot.</p> - -<p>The edges of the black clouds are also on fire, angular roofs of tall -buildings stand out ominously against the red patches, window-panes -like deep wounds glisten here and there. The stricken town, spent with -woe, the scene of an incessant striving after happiness—is bleeding -to death, and the warm blood sends up a reek of yellowish, suffocating -smoke.</p> - -<p>The boy walks on. The road, like a broad ribbon, cleaves a way amid -fields invaded by the gathering twilight; straight it goes, piercing -the side of the town like a rapier thrust by a powerful, unseen hand. -The trees by the roadside resemble unlit torches; their large black -heads are uplifted above the silent earth in motionless expectancy.</p> - -<p>The sky is covered with clouds and no stars are to be seen; there are -no shadows; the late evening is sad and still, and save for the slow, -light steps of the boy no sound breaks the silence of the tired fields -as they fall asleep in the dusk.</p> - -<p>The boy walks on. And, noiselessly, the night follows him and envelops -in its black mantle the distances from which he has emerged.</p> - -<p>As the dusk grows deeper it hides in its embrace the red and white -houses which sink submissively into the earth. It hides the gardens -with their trees, and leaves them lonely, like orphans, on the -hillsides. It hides the chimney-stacks.</p> - -<p>Everything around becomes black, vanishes, blotted out by the darkness -of the night; it is as if the little figure advancing slowly, stick in -hand, along the road inspired some strange kind of fear.</p> - -<p>He goes on, without speaking, without hastening, his eyes steadily -fixed upon the town; he is alone, ridiculously small and insignificant, -yet it seems as if he bore something indispensable to and long awaited -by all in the town, where blue, yellow and red lights are being -speedily lit to greet him.</p> - -<p>The sun sinks completely. The crosses, the vanes and the spires melt -and vanish, the town seems to subside, grow smaller, and to press ever -more closely against the dumb earth.</p> - -<p>Above the town, an opal cloud, weirdly coloured, flares and gradually -grows larger; a phosphorescent, yellowish mist settles unevenly on -the grey network of closely huddled houses. The town itself no longer -seems to be consumed by fire and reeking in blood—the broken lines -of the roofs and walls have the appearance now of something magical, -fantastic, but yet of something incomplete, not properly finished, as -if he who planned this great town for men had suddenly grown tired and -fallen asleep, or had lost faith, and, casting everything aside in his -disappointment, had gone away, or died.</p> - -<p>But the town lives and is possessed by an anxious longing to see itself -beautiful and upraised proudly before the sun. It murmurs in a fever of -many-sided desire for happiness, it is excited by a passionate will to -live. Slow waves of muffled sound issue into the dark silence of the -surrounding fields, and the black bowl of the sky is gradually filled -with a dull, languishing light.</p> - -<p>The boy stops, with uplifted brows, and shakes his head; then he looks -boldly ahead and, staggering, walks quickly on.</p> - -<p>The night, following him, says in the soft, kind voice of a mother:</p> - -<p>"It is time, my son, hasten! They are waiting."</p> - -<p>"Of course it is impossible to write it down!" said the young musician -with a thoughtful smile.</p> - -<p>Then, after a moment's silence, he folded his hands, and added, -wistfully, fondly, in a low voice:</p> - -<p>"Purest Virgin Mary! what awaits him?"</p> - - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<h4><a name="SUN_AND_SEA" id="SUN_AND_SEA">SUN AND SEA</a></h4> - - -<p>The sun melts in the blue midday sky, pouring hot, many-coloured rays -on to the water and the earth. The sea slumbers and exhales an opal -mist, the bluish water glistens like steel. A strong smell of brine is -carried to the lonely shore.</p> - -<p>The waves advance and splash lazily against a mass of grey stones; they -roll slowly upon the beach and the pebbles make a jingling sound; they -are gentle waves, as clear as glass, and there is no foam on them.</p> - -<p>The mountain is enveloped in a violet haze of heat, the grey leaves of -the olive-trees shine like old silver in the sun; in the gardens which -cover the mountain-side the gold of lemons and oranges gleams in the -dark velvet of the foliage; the red blossoms of pomegranate-trees smile -brightly, and everywhere there are flowers.</p> - -<p>How the sun loves the earth!</p> - -<p>There are two fishermen on the stones. One is an old man, in a straw -hat. He has a heavy-looking face, covered on cheeks and chin and upper -lip with grey bristles; his eyes are embedded in fat, his nose is red, -and his hands are sunburnt. He has cast his pliant fishing-rod far out -into the sea, and he sits upon a rock, his hairy legs hanging over the -green water. A wave washes up and bathes them, and from the dark toes -clear, heavy drops of water fall back into the sea.</p> - -<p>Behind the old man, leaning with one elbow on a rock, stands a tawny -black-eyed fellow, thin and lank. On his head is a red cap, and a -white jersey covers his muscular torso; his blue trousers are rolled -up to the knee. He tugs with his right hand at his moustache and looks -thoughtfully out to sea; in the distance black streaks of fishing boats -are moving, and far beyond them, scarcely visible, is a white sail; the -white sail is motionless, and seems to melt like a cloud in the sun.</p> - -<p>"Is she a rich signora?" the old man inquires, in a husky voice, as he -makes an unsuccessful effort to cross his knees.</p> - -<p>The young man answered quietly:</p> - -<p>"I think so. She has a brooch, and earrings with large stones as blue -as the sea, and many rings, and a watch.... I think she is an American."</p> - -<p>"And beautiful?"</p> - -<p>"Oh yes! Very slender, it is true, but such eyes, just like flowers, -and, do you know, a mouth so small, and slightly open."</p> - -<p>"It is the mouth of an honest woman and of the kind that loves but once -in her life."</p> - -<p>"I think so too."</p> - -<p>The old man drew in his rod, winked as he looked at the hook, and -muttered with a laugh:</p> - -<p>"A fish is no fool, to be sure."</p> - -<p>"Who fishes at midday?" asked the youth, getting down on his knees.</p> - -<p>"I," replied the old man, putting on fresh bait. And, having thrown the -line far into the sea, he asked:</p> - -<p>"You rowed her till the morning, you said?"</p> - -<p>"The sun was rising when we got out on the shore," readily replied the -young man, with a heavy sigh.</p> - -<p>"Twenty lire?"</p> - -<p>"Yes."</p> - -<p>"She might have given more."</p> - -<p>"She might have given much."</p> - -<p>"What did you speak to her about?"</p> - -<p>The youth seemed annoyed and lowered his head gloomily.</p> - -<p>"She does not know more than ten words, so we were silent."</p> - -<p>"True love," said the old man, looking back and showing his strong -teeth in a broad smile, "strikes the heart like lightning, and is as -dumb as lightning, you know."</p> - -<p>The young man picked up a large stone and was about to throw it into -the sea; but he threw it back over his shoulder, saying:</p> - -<p>"Sometimes one cannot understand what people want with different -languages."</p> - -<p>"They say some day it will be different," said the old man, after a -moments thought.</p> - -<p>Over the blue surface of the sea, in the far-off milky mist, -noiselessly glides a white steamer, like the shadow of a cloud.</p> - -<p>"To Sicily," said the old man, nodding towards the steamer.</p> - -<p>From somewhere or other he took a long, uneven, black cigar, broke it -in two and, handing one half over his shoulder to the young man, asked:</p> - -<p>"What did you think about as you sat with her?"</p> - -<p>"Man always thinks of happiness."</p> - -<p>"That's why he is always so stupid," the old man put in quietly.</p> - -<p>They began to smoke. The blue smoke wreaths hung over the stones in the -breathless air which was impregnated with the rich odour of fertile -earth and gentle water.</p> - -<p>"I sang to her and she smiled."</p> - -<p>"Eh?"</p> - -<p>"But you know that I sing badly."</p> - -<p>"Yes, I know."</p> - -<p>"Then I rested the oars and looked at her."</p> - -<p>"Aha!"</p> - -<p>"I looked, saying to myself: 'Here am I, young and strong, while you -are languishing. Love me and make me happy.'"</p> - -<p>"Was she feeling lonely?"</p> - -<p>"Who that is not poor goes to a strange land if he feels merry?"</p> - -<p>"Bravo!"</p> - -<p>"I promise by the name of the Virgin Mary—I thought to myself—that I -will be kind to you and that everybody shall be happy who lives near -us."</p> - -<p>"Well, well!" exclaimed the old man, throwing back his large head and -bursting into loud bass laughter.</p> - -<p>"I will always be true to you."</p> - -<p>"H'm."</p> - -<p>"Or—I thought—let us live together a little while; I will love you to -your heart's content; then you can give me some money for a boat and -rigging, and a piece of land; and I will return to my own dear country -and will always, as long as I live, remember and think kindly of you."</p> - -<p>"There's some sense in that."</p> - -<p>"Then—towards the morning—it seemed to me that I needed nothing, that -I did not want money, only her, even if it were only for one night."</p> - -<p>"That is simpler."</p> - -<p>"Just for one single night."</p> - -<p>"Well, well!" said the old man.</p> - -<p>"It seems to me, Uncle Pietro, that a small happiness is always more -honest."</p> - -<p>The old man was silent. His thick, shaven lips were compressed; he -looked intently into the green water. The young man sang quietly and -sadly:</p> - -<p>"Oh, sun!"</p> - -<p>"Yes, yes," said the old man suddenly, shaking his head, "a small -happiness is more honest, but a great happiness is better. Poor people -are better-looking, but the rich are stronger. It is always so."</p> - -<p>The waves rock and splash. Blue wreaths of smoke float, like nymphs, -above the heads of the two men. The young man rises to his feet and -sings quietly, his cigar stuck in a corner of his mouth. He leans his -shoulder against the grey side of the rock, folds his arms across his -chest, and looks out to sea with the eyes of a dreamer.</p> - -<p>But the old man is motionless, his head has sunk on his breast and he -seems to doze.</p> - -<p>The violet shadows on the mountains grow deeper and softer.</p> - -<p>"O sun!" sings the youth.</p> - -<p> -"The sun was born more beautiful,<br /> -More beautiful than thou!<br /> -Bathe me in thy light,<br /> -O sun!<br /> -Fill me with thy life!"<br /> -</p> - -<p>The green waves chuckle merrily.</p> - - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<h4><a name="LOVE_OF_LOVERS" id="LOVE_OF_LOVERS">LOVE OF LOVERS</a></h4> - - -<p>At a small station between Rome and Genoa the guard opened the door of -our compartment and, with the assistance of a dirty oiler, led, carried -almost, a little, one-eyed, old man up the steps into our midst.</p> - -<p>"Very old!" remarked both at the same time, smiling good-naturedly.</p> - -<p>But the old man turned out to be very vigorous. After thanking his -helpers with a pretty gesture of his wrinkled hand he politely and -gaily lifted his shabby dust-stained hat from his grey head, and, -looking sharply at the seats with his one eye, inquired:</p> - -<p>"Will you permit me?"</p> - -<p>He was given a seat at once. He then straightened his blue linen suit, -heaved a sigh of relief and, putting his hands on his little, withered -knees, smiled good-humouredly, disclosing a toothless mouth.</p> - -<p>"Going far, uncle?" asked my companion.</p> - -<p>"Only three stations!" he replied readily. "I am going to my grandson's -wedding."</p> - -<p>After a few minutes he became very talkative and, raising his voice -above the noise made by the wheels of the train, told us as he swayed -this way and that like a broken branch on a windy day:</p> - -<p>"I am a Ligurian: we Ligurians are a strong people. I, for instance, -have thirteen sons and four daughters; I confuse my grandchildren in -counting them; this is the second one to get married—that's pretty -good, don't you think?"</p> - -<p>He looked proudly round the compartment with his lustreless but still -merry eye; then he laughed quietly and said: "See how many people I -have given to my country and to the king!"</p> - -<p>"How did I lose my eye? Oh, that was long ago, when I was still a boy, -but already helping my father. He was breaking stones in the vineyard; -our soil is very hard, and needs a lot of attention: there are a -great many stones. A stone flew from underneath my father's pick and -hit me in the eye. I don't remember any pain, but at dinner my eye -came out—it was terrible, signors! They put it back in its place and -applied some warm bread, but the eye died!"</p> - -<p>The old man rubbed his brown skinny cheek, and laughed again in a -merry, good-humoured way.</p> - -<p>"At that time there were not so many doctors, and people were much more -stupid. What! you think they may have been kinder? Perhaps they were."</p> - -<p>And now this dried-up, one-eyed, deeply wrinkled face, with its partial -covering of greenish-grey, mouldy-looking hair, became knowing and -triumphant.</p> - -<p>"When one has lived as long as I one may talk confidently about men, -isn't that so?"</p> - -<p>He raised significantly a dark, crooked finger as though threatening -someone.</p> - -<p>"I will tell you, signors, something about people.</p> - -<p>"When my father died—I was thirteen at the time—you see how small -I am even now: but I was very skilful and could work without getting -tired (that is all I inherited from my father)—our house and land were -sold for debts. And so, with but one eye and two hands, I lived on, -working wherever I could get work. It was hard, but youth is not afraid -of work, is it?</p> - -<p>"When I was nineteen I met a girl whom Fate had meant me to love; she -was as poor as myself, though stronger and more robust; she, also, -lived with her mother, an old woman in failing health, and worked when -and where she could. She was not very comely, but kind and clever. And -she had a fine voice—oh! she sang like a professional, and that in -itself means riches, signors!</p> - -<p>"'Shall we get married?' said I, after we had known each other for some -time.</p> - -<p>"'It would be funny, you one-eyed fellow!' she replied rather sadly. -'Neither you nor I have anything. What should we live on?'</p> - -<p>"Upon my soul, neither I nor she had anything! But what does that -signify to young love? You all know, signors, how little love requires; -I was insistent and got my way.</p> - -<p>"'Yes, perhaps you are right,' said Ida at last. 'If the Holy Mother -helps you and me now when we live apart, it will be much easier for -her to help us when we live together.'</p> - -<p>"We decided upon it and went to the priest.</p> - -<p>"'This is madness!' said the priest. 'Aren't there beggars enough in -Liguria? Unhappy people, playthings of the devil, you must struggle -against his snares or you will pay dearly for your weakness.'</p> - -<p>"All the youths in the commune jeered at us, and all the old people -shook their heads, I can tell you. But youth is obstinate and will -have its way! The wedding day drew near; we were no better off than we -had been before; we really did not know where we should sleep on our -wedding night.</p> - -<p>"'Let us go into the fields,' said Ida. 'Why won't that do? The -Mother of God is equally kind to all, and love is everywhere equally -passionate when people are young.'</p> - -<p>"That is what we decided upon: that the earth should be our bed and the -sky our coverlet!</p> - -<p>"At this point another story begins, signors; please pay attention; -this is the best story of my long life. Early in the morning of the -day before our wedding the old man Giovanni, for whom I worked, said to -me like this, his pipe between his teeth, as if he were speaking about -trifles:</p> - -<p>"'Ugo, you had better go and clean out the old sheep-shed and put some -straw in it. Although it is dry there, and no sheep have been in it for -over a year, it ought to be cleaned out properly if you want to live in -it with Ida.'</p> - -<p>"Thus we had a house!</p> - -<p>"As I worked and sang, the carpenter Constanzio stood in the door and -asked:</p> - -<p>"'Are you going to live here with Ida? Where is your bed? You must come -to me when you have finished and get one from me—I have one to spare.'</p> - -<p>"As I went to his house Mary, the bad-tempered shopkeeper, shouted:</p> - -<p>"'The wretched sillies get married and don't possess a sheet, or -pillow, or anything else! You are quite crazy, you one-eyed fellow! -Send your sweetheart to me.'</p> - -<p>"And Ettore Viano, tortured by rheumatism and fever, shouted from the -threshold of his house:</p> - -<p>"'Ask him whether he has saved up much wine for the guests! Oh, good -people, who could be more light-headed than these two?'"</p> - -<p>In a deep wrinkle on the old man's cheek glistened a tear of happiness; -he threw back his head and laughed noiselessly, pawing his old throat -and the flabby skin of his face; his arms were as restless as a child's.</p> - -<p>"Oh, signors, signors!" said he, laughing and catching his breath. "On -our wedding morn we had everything that was wanted for a home—a statue -of the Madonna, crockery, linen, furniture—everything, I swear! Ida -wept and laughed, and so did I, and everybody laughed—it is not the -thing to weep on one's wedding day, and they all laughed at us!</p> - -<p>"Signors, words cannot tell how sweet it is to be able to say 'our' -people. It is better still <i>to feel</i> that they are 'yours,' near and -dear to you, your kindred, for whom your life is no joking matter, your -happiness no plaything! And the wedding took place! It was a great -day. The whole commune turned out to see us, and everybody came to -our shed, which had become a rich house, as in a fairy-tale. We had -everything: wine and fruit, meat and bread, and all ate and were merry. -There is no greater happiness, signors, than to do good to others; -believe me, there is nothing more beautiful or more joyful.</p> - -<p>"And we had a priest. 'These people,' he said gravely, and in a manner -suited to the occasion, 'have worked for you all, and now you have -provided for them so that they may be happy on this the best day of -their life. That is exactly what you should have done, for they have -worked for you, and work is of more account than copper and silver -coins; work is always greater than the payment that is given for it! -Money disappears, but work remains. These people are happy and humble; -their life has been hard but they have not grumbled; it may be harder -yet and they will not murmur—and you will help them in an hour of -need. Their hands are willing and their hearts as good as gold.' -He said a lot of flattering things to me, to Ida and to the whole -commune!"</p> - -<p>The old man looked triumphantly, with his one eye, at his -fellow-travellers, and there was something youthful and vigorous in his -glance as he said:</p> - -<p>"There you have something about people, signors. Curious, isn't it?"</p> - - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<h4><a name="HEARTS_AND_CREEDS" id="HEARTS_AND_CREEDS">HEARTS AND CREEDS</a></h4> - - -<p>It is spring-time, the sun shines brightly, and everyone is gay. Even -the window-panes of the old stone houses seem to wear a cheerful smile.</p> - -<p>Along the street of the little town streams a crowd in bright holiday -attire. The whole population of the town is there: workers, soldiers, -tradespeople, priests, officials, fishermen; all are intoxicated -with the spirit of spring-time, talking, laughing, singing in joyous -confusion, as if they were a single body overflowing with the zest of -life.</p> - -<p>The hats and parasols of the women make a medley of bright colours; -red and blue balloons, like wonderful flowers, float from the hands -of the children; and children, merry lords of the earth, laughing and -rejoicing, are everywhere, like gems on the gorgeous cloak of a fairy -prince.</p> - -<p>The tender green leaves of the trees have not yet unfolded; they are -sheathed in gorgeous buds, greedily drinking in the warm rays of the -sun. Far off the sun smiles gently and seems to beckon us.</p> - -<p>The impression seems to prevail that people have outlived their -misfortunes, that yesterday was the last day of the hard shameful life -that wearied them to death. To-day they have all awakened in high -spirits, like schoolboys, with a strong, clear faith in themselves, in -the invincibility of their will to overcome all obstacles, and now, all -together, they march boldly into the future.</p> - -<p>It was strange—strange and sad and suddenly depressing—to notice a -sorrowful face in this lively crowd: it was that of a tall, strongly -built man, not yet over thirty but already grey, who passed arm-in-arm -with a young woman. He carried his hat in his hand, the hair on his -shapely head glistened like silver, his thin but healthy face was calm -and destined to remain for ever sad. The eyes, large and dark, and -shaded by long lashes, were those of a man who cannot forget—who will -never forget—the acute suffering through which he has passed.</p> - -<p>"Notice that couple," said my companion to me, "especially the man: he -has lived through one of those dramas which are enacted more and more -frequently amongst the workers of Northern Italy."</p> - -<p>And my companion went on:</p> - -<p>That man is a socialist, the editor of a local Labour paper, a workman -himself, a painter. He is one of those characters for whom science -becomes a religion, and a religion that still more incites the thirst -for knowledge. A keen and clever Anti-Clerical he was—just note what -fierce looks the black priests send after him.</p> - -<p>About five years ago he, a propagandist, met in one of his circles a -girl who at once attracted his attention. Here women have learnt to -believe silently and steadfastly; the priests have cultivated this -ability in them for many centuries, and have achieved what they wished. -Somebody rightly said that the Catholic Church has been built up on the -breast of womankind. The cult of the Madonna is not only beautiful, -as such heathen practices go, it is first of all a clever cult. The -Madonna is simpler than Christ, she is nearer to one's heart, there -are no contradictions in her, she does not threaten with Gehenna—she -only loves, pities, forgives—it is easy for her to make a captive of a -woman's heart for life.</p> - -<p>But there he sees a girl who can speak, can inquire; and in all her -questions he perceives, side by side with her naïve wonderment at his -ideas, an undisguised lack of belief in him, and sometimes even fear -and repulsion. The Italian propagandist has to speak a great deal -about religion, to say incisive things about the Pope and the clergy; -every time he spoke on that subject he saw contempt and hate for him -in the eyes of the girl; if she asked about anything her words sounded -unfriendly and her soft voice breathed poison. It was evident that she -was acquainted with Catholic literature directed against socialism, and -that in this circle her word had as much weight as his own.</p> - -<p>Until latterly the attitude here towards women was far more vulgar and -much coarser than in Russia, and the Italian women were themselves to -blame for this; taking no interest in anything except the Church, they -were for the most part strangers to the work of social advancement -carried on by men and did not understand its meaning.</p> - -<p>The man's self-love was wounded, the clever propagandist's fame -suffered in the collisions with the girl; he got angry; lost his -temper; occasionally he ridiculed her successfully, but she paid him -back in his own coin, evoking his involuntary admiration, forcing him -carefully to prepare the lectures he had to give to the circle she -attended.</p> - -<p>In addition to all this he noticed that every time he came to speak -about the present shameful state of things, how man was being -oppressed, his body and his soul mutilated—whenever he drew pictures -of the life of the future when all will be both outwardly and inwardly -free—he noticed that she was quite another being: she listened to his -speeches, stifling the anger of a strong and clever woman who knows -the weight of life's chains; listened to them with the rapt eagerness -of a child that is told a fairy tale which is in harmony with its own -magically complex soul.</p> - -<p>This excited in him the anticipation of victory over a strong foe—a -foe who could be a fine comrade, a valiant champion in the cause of a -better future.</p> - -<p>The rivalry between them lasted nearly a year, without calling forth -any desire in them to join issue and fight their battle out; at length -he made the first advance.</p> - -<p>"Signorina is my constant opponent," he said, "does she not think that -in the interests of the cause it would be better if we were to become -more closely acquainted?"</p> - -<p>She willingly fell in with his suggestion, and almost from the -first word they entered upon a spirited contest: the girl fiercely -defended the Church as the only place where the souls of the weary -find rest, where before the face of the Madonna all are equal and -equally pitiable, notwithstanding the differences in worldly seeming. -He replied that it was not rest that people needed but struggle, that -civic equality is impossible without equality in material things, and -that behind the cloak of the Madonna is concealed a man to whom it is -advantageous that people should remain miserable and unenlightened.</p> - -<p>Thereafter these discussions filled their whole life, every meeting -was a continuation of the one same endless, passionate theme, and every -day the stubborn strength of their beliefs became more and more evident.</p> - -<p>For him life was a struggle for the widening of knowledge, for the -conquest of the forces of Nature, a struggle for the subjugation of -mysterious energies to the will of man. It was meet that everybody -should be equally armed for this struggle, which was to issue in -Freedom and the triumph of Reason—the most powerful of all forces, and -the only force in the world which acts consciously. For her life was a -slow and painful sacrifice of man to the Unknown, the subjugation of -Reason to that will the laws and aims of which are known to the priest -only.</p> - -<p>Nonplussed by this, he inquired:</p> - -<p>"Why do you attend my lectures and what do you expect from socialism?"</p> - -<p>"Yes, I know that I sin and contradict myself!" she confessed -sorrowfully.</p> - -<p>"But it is pleasant to listen to you and to dream about the possibility -of happiness for all!"</p> - -<p>Though not specially pretty she was slim and graceful, with an -intelligent face, and large eyes, whose glance could be mild or angry, -gentle or severe. She worked in a silk factory, lived with her old -mother, her one-legged father and a younger sister who was attending -a technical school. Sometimes she was happy, not boisterously, -but quietly happy; she was fond of museums and old churches, grew -enthusiastic over pictures and the beauty of which they were the token, -and looking at them would say:</p> - -<p>"How strange it is to think that these things have been hidden in -private houses and that but one person had the right to enjoy them! -Everybody must see the beautiful, for only then does it live!"</p> - -<p>She often spoke in so strange a manner that it seemed to him that her -words came from some dark crevice in her soul; they reminded him of the -groans of a wounded man. He felt that this girl loved life and mankind -with that deep mother love which is full of anxiety and compassion; -he waited patiently till his faith should kindle her heart and this -quiet love change to passion. The girl appeared to him to listen more -attentively to his speeches and, in her heart, to be in agreement -with him. And he spoke more passionately of the need for an incessant, -active struggle for the emancipation of man, of the nation, of humanity -as a whole, from the old chains, the rust of which had eaten into their -souls, and was blighting and poisoning them.</p> - -<p>Once, while accompanying her home, he told her that he loved her, and -that he wanted her to be his wife. He was startled at the effect his -words had on her: she reeled as though she had been struck, stared with -wide-open eyes and turned pale; she leaned against the wall, and said, -clasping her hands and looking, almost terrified, into his face:</p> - -<p>"I was beginning to fear that that might be so; almost I felt it, -because I loved you long ago. But, O God! what is going to happen now?"</p> - -<p>"Days of your happiness and mine will begin, days of mutual work," he -exclaimed.</p> - -<p>"No," said the girl, her head drooping. "No; we should not have talked -about love."</p> - -<p>"Why?'</p> - -<p>"Will you be married according to the laws of the Church?" she asked -quietly.</p> - -<p>"No!"</p> - -<p>"Then, good-bye!"</p> - -<p>And she walked quickly away from him.</p> - -<p>He overtook her, tried to persuade her; she heard him out in silence -and then said:</p> - -<p>"I, my mother and my father are all believers, and will die believers. -Marriage at the registrar's is no marriage for me; if children are born -of such a marriage I know they will be unhappy. Love is consecrated -only by marriage in a church, which alone can give happiness and peace."</p> - -<p>It seemed to him that soon she would yield; he, of course, could not -give in. They parted. As she bade him good-bye the girl said:</p> - -<p>"Let us not torment each other, don't seek meetings with me. Oh, if -only you would go away from here! I cannot, I am so poor."</p> - -<p>"I will make no promises," he replied.</p> - -<p>The struggle between two strong natures began: they met, of course, and -even more often than before; they met because they loved each other, -sought meetings in the hope that one or other of them would be unable -to stand the torments of an ungratified longing which was becoming more -and more intense. Their meetings were full of anguish and despair; -after each one he felt quite worn out and exhausted; she, all in tears, -went to confess to a priest. He knew this and it seemed to him that -the black wall of people in tonsures became stronger, higher and more -insurmountable every day, that it grew and parted them till death.</p> - -<p>Once, on a holiday, while walking with her through a field outside the -town, he said, not threateningly, but more as if to himself:</p> - -<p>"Do you know, it seems to me sometimes that I could kill you."</p> - -<p>She remained silent.</p> - -<p>"Did you hear what I said?"</p> - -<p>Looking at him affectionately she answered:</p> - -<p>"Yes."</p> - -<p>And he understood that she would rather die than give in to him. Before -this "yes" he had embraced and kissed her sometimes; she struggled with -him, but her resistance was becoming feebler, and he cherished the -hope that some day she would yield, and that then her woman's instinct -would help him to conquer. But now he understood that that would not be -victory, but enslavement, and from that day on he ceased to appeal to -the woman in her.</p> - -<p>So he wandered with her in the dark circle of her life's horizon, lit -all the beacons before her that he could; but she listened to him with -the dreamy smile of the blind, saw nothing, believed him not.</p> - -<p>Once she said:</p> - -<p>"I understand sometimes that all you say is possible, but I think that -is because I love you! I understand, but I do not believe, I cannot -believe! As soon as you go away all that is of you goes away too."</p> - -<p>This drama lasted nearly two years, and then the girl's health broke -down: she became seriously ill. He gave up his employment, ceased -to attend to the work of his organisation, got into debt. Avoiding -his comrades, he spent his time wandering round her lodgings; or sat -at her bedside, watching her wasting from disease and becoming more -transparent every day, noting how the fire of fever glowed more and -more brightly in her eyes.</p> - -<p>"Speak to me of life, of the future," she asked him.</p> - -<p>But he spoke of the present, enumerating vindictively everything that -crushes us, all those things against which he was vowed to a lifelong -struggle; he spoke of things that ought to be cast out of mens lives, -as one discards soiled and worn-out rags.</p> - -<p>She listened until the pain it gave her became unbearable; then touched -his hand, and stopped him with an imploring look.</p> - -<p>"I, am I dying?" she asked him once, many days after the doctor had -told him that she was in a galloping consumption and that her condition -was hopeless.</p> - -<p>He bowed his head but did not answer.</p> - -<p>"I know that I shall die soon," she said. "Give me your hand."</p> - -<p>And, taking his outstretched hand, she pressed it to her burning lips -and said:</p> - -<p>"Forgive me, I have done you wrong. It was all a mistake—and I have -worn you out. Now when I am struck down I see that my faith was only -fear before what I could not understand, notwithstanding my desire and -my efforts. It was fear, but it was in my blood, I was born with it. I -have my own mind—or yours—but somebody else's heart; you are right, I -understand it now, but my heart could not agree with you."</p> - -<p>A few days later she died; he turned grey during her agony; he was only -twenty-seven.</p> - -<p>Not long ago he married the only friend of that girl, his pupil. It is -they who go to the cemetery, to her—they go there every Sunday and -place flowers on her grave.</p> - -<p>He does not believe in his victory, he is convinced that when she -said to him: "You are right," she lied to him in order to console -him. His wife thinks the same; they both lovingly revere her memory. -This sad episode of a good woman who perished gives them strength by -filling them with a desire to avenge her; it gives their mutual work -a strangely fascinating character, and renders them untiring in their -efforts.</p> - -<p>*</p> - -<p>The river of gaily dressed people streams on in the sunshine; a merry -noise accompanies its flow: children shout and laugh. Not everyone is -gay and joyful; there are many hearts, no doubt, oppressed by dark -sorrow, many minds tormented by contradictions; but we all go steadily -forward. And "Freedom, Freedom is our goal!"</p> - -<p>And the more vigour we put into it the faster we shall advance!</p> - - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<h4><a name="THE_TRAITORS_MOTHER" id="THE_TRAITORS_MOTHER">THE TRAITOR'S MOTHER</a></h4> - - -<p>Many are the tales that may be told about mothers.</p> - -<p>For several weeks now the town had been surrounded by a close ring -of armed foes. Of nights bonfires were lit and a multitude of fiery -red eyes looked out from the darkness upon the walls. They glowed -ominously, these fires, as if warning the inhabitants of the town. And -the thoughts they conjured up were of a gloomy kind.</p> - -<p>From the walls it was apparent that the noose of foes was being drawn -tighter and tighter. Black shadows could be seen moving this way and -that about the fires. The neighing of well-fed horses could be heard, -and the clatter of arms and the loud laughter and merry songs of men -confident of victory—and what is more painful to listen to than the -laughter and songs of the foe?</p> - -<p>The enemy had filled with corpses the streams which supplied the -town with water; they had burned down the vineyards around the town, -trampled down the fields, and cut down the trees of the neighbourhood, -leaving the town exposed on all sides; and almost every day missiles of -iron and lead were poured into it by the guns and rifles of the foe.</p> - -<p>Detachments of half-starved soldiers, tired out by skirmishes, passed -along the narrow streets of the town; from the windows of the houses -come the groans of wounded, the raving of men in delirium, the prayers -of women and the crying of children. Everybody spoke quietly, in -subdued tones, interrupting one another's speech in the middle of a -word to listen intently to detect whether the foe was not commencing to -storm the town.</p> - -<p>Life became especially unbearable in the evening, when the groans -and cries became louder and more noticeable in the stillness, when -blue-black shadows crept from the far-off mountain gorges, hiding the -enemy's camp and moving towards the half-shattered walls, and, over the -black summits of the mountains, the moon appeared, like a lost shield -battered by the blows of heavy swords.</p> - -<p>Expecting no assistance from without, spent with toil and hunger, and -losing hope more and more every day, the people looked fearfully at the -moon, at the sharp crests and the black gorges of the mountains, at -the noisy camp of the enemy—everything spoke to them of death and no -single star twinkled solace to them.</p> - -<p>They were afraid to light lamps in the houses; a thick fog enveloped -the streets, and in this fog, like a fish at the bottom of a river, a -woman flitted silently to and fro, wrapped from head to foot in a black -mantle.</p> - -<p>People, noticing her, asked one another:</p> - -<p>"Is it she?"</p> - -<p>"Yes!"</p> - -<p>And they drew back into the recesses of the doorways or, lowering their -heads, ran past her silently. The men in charge of the patrols warned -her sternly:</p> - -<p>"You are in the street again, Monna Marianna? Have a care! They may -kill you and no one will trouble to search for the culprit."</p> - -<p>She stood erect and waited, but the patrol passed her by, either -hesitating or not wishing to harm her. Armed men walked round her as -if she had been a corpse. Yet she lingered on in the darkness, moving -slowly from street to street, solitary, silent and black, seeming the -personification of the town's misfortunes. And around her, mournfully -pursuing her, surged depressing sounds: groans, sobs, prayers, and the -grim talk of soldiers who had lost all hope of victory.</p> - -<p>She was a citizen and a mother, and her thoughts were of her son and of -the town of her birth. And her son, a handsome but gay and heartless -youth, was at the head of the men who were destroying the town. Not -long ago she had looked at him with pride, as upon her precious gift -to the fatherland, as upon a beneficent force created by her for the -welfare of the town, her birthplace, and the place also where she had -borne and brought up her son. Hundreds of indissoluble ties bound her -heart to the ancient stones, out of which her ancestors had built the -houses and the city walls; to the soil in which lay the bones of her -kindred; to the legends, songs and hopes of her native people. And -this heart now had lost him whom it had loved most and it was rent in -twain; it was like a balance in which her love for her son was being -weighed against her love for the town. And it was not possible yet to -decide which love outweighed the other.</p> - -<p>In this state of mind she walked the streets at night, and many, not -recognising her, were frightened, thinking that the dark figure was -the personification of Death which was so near to them all; those that -recognised her stepped hurriedly out of her way to avoid the traitor's -mother.</p> - -<p>Once, in a deserted corner of the city wall, she came across another -woman: she was kneeling by the side of a corpse, and praying with face -uplifted to the stars; on the wall, above her head, sentinels were -talking quietly; their guns clattered as they knocked against the -projecting stones of the wall.</p> - -<p>The traitor's mother inquired:</p> - -<p>"Your husband?"</p> - -<p>"No."</p> - -<p>"Brother?"</p> - -<p>"Son. My husband was killed thirteen days ago; this one to-day."</p> - -<p>And, rising, the mother of the dead man said humbly:</p> - -<p>"The Madonna sees everything, she knows everything, and I thank her!"</p> - -<p>"What for?" asked Marianna, and the other replied:</p> - -<p>"Now that he has fallen with honour, fighting for his fatherland, I -can say that he sometimes caused me anxiety: he was reckless, fond of -pleasure, and I feared lest for that reason he might betray the town, -as Marianna's son has done, the enemy of God and men, the leader of our -foes; accursed be he and accursed be the womb that bore him!"</p> - -<p>Covering her face Marianna hurried away. The next day she went to the -defenders of the town and said:</p> - -<p>"Either kill me because my son has become your enemy, or open the gate -for me, that I may go to him."</p> - -<p>They replied:</p> - -<p>"You are a citizen, and the town should be dear to you; your son is -just as much your enemy as he is ours."</p> - -<p>"I am his mother: I love him and deem it to be my fault that he is -what he is."</p> - -<p>Then they consulted together as to what should be done and came to this -decision:</p> - -<p>"We cannot, in honour, kill you for your son's sin; we know you could -not have suggested this terrible sin to him; and we can guess how you -must be suffering. You are not wanted by the town, even as a hostage; -your son does not trouble himself about you; we think he has forgotten -you, the fiend—and therein lies your punishment, if you think you have -deserved it! To us it seems more terrible than death!"</p> - -<p>"Yes," she said; "it is more terrible."</p> - -<p>They opened the gate for her, and let her out of the town. For a long -time they watched her from the wall as she made her way over this -native soil, sodden now with blood shed by her son. She walked slowly, -dragging her feet painfully through the mire, bowing her head before -the corpses of the defenders of the town and repugnantly spurning the -pieces of broken weapons that lay in her path—for mothers hate the -instruments of destruction, believing only in that which preserves -life.</p> - -<p>She walked carefully, as though she carried under her cloak a bowl full -of some liquid which she was afraid of spilling. And as she went on, -as her figure grew smaller and smaller, it seemed to those who watched -her from the wall that their former depression and hopelessness were -disappearing with her.</p> - -<p>They saw her stop when she had covered half the distance, and, throwing -back her hood, gaze long at the town. Beyond, in the enemy's camp, -they had also noticed her advancing alone through the deserted fields; -figures, as black as herself, cautiously approached her. They went up -to her, asked her who she was and whither she was going.</p> - -<p>"Your leader is my son," she said, and none of the soldiers doubted -her words. They walked by her side, speaking in terms of praise of the -bravery and cleverness of their leader. She listened to them, her head -raised proudly in the air and showing not the least surprise. That was -just how her son should be!</p> - -<p>And now she stands before the man whom she knew nine months before -his birth; before him whom she had never put out of her heart. And he -stands before her, in silk and velvet, and wearing a sword ornamented -with precious stones. In everything fit and seemly, exactly as she had -seen him many a time in her dreams—rich, famous and beloved!</p> - -<p>"Mother!" he said, kissing her hands. "You come to me; it means that -you have understood me, and to-morrow I will capture this accursed -town!"</p> - -<p>"In which you were born," she reminded him.</p> - -<p>Intoxicated by his exploits, maddened by the desire for still greater -glory, he spoke to her with the insolent pride of youth.</p> - -<p>"I was born into the world and for the world, in order to strike it -with astonishment! I spared this town for your sake—it is like a -splinter in my foot and hinders me from advancing to fame as quickly as -I could wish. But either to-day or tomorrow I will destroy the nest of -these stubborn ones!"</p> - -<p>"Where every stone knows you and remembers you as a child," she said.</p> - -<p>"Stones are dumb; if men cannot make them speak let mountains speak of -me—that is what I want!"</p> - -<p>"But the people?" she asked.</p> - -<p>"O yes, I remember them, mother. I need them also, for only in the -memories of people are heroes immortal."</p> - -<p>She replied:</p> - -<p>"He is a hero who creates life, spiting death, who conquers death."</p> - -<p>"No," he replied. "He who destroys becomes as famous as he who builds -cities. For instance, we do not know whether Æneas or Romulus built -Rome, but we know the name of Alaric and the other heroes who destroyed -it."</p> - -<p>"It has outlived all names," the mother suggested.</p> - -<p>In this strain he spoke to her till sunset. She interrupted his vain -talk less frequently and her proud head gradually drooped.</p> - -<p>A mother creates, she preserves, and to talk about destruction in her -presence is to speak against her understanding of life. But not knowing -this the son was denying all that life meant for his mother.</p> - -<p>A mother is always against death, and the hand that introduces death -into people's dwellings is hateful and hostile to all mothers. But the -son did not see it, blinded by the cold gleam of glory which kills the -heart.</p> - -<p>And he did not know that a mother can be just as resourceful, just as -pitiless and fearless as an animal, when it concerns life which the -mother herself creates and preserves.</p> - -<p>She sat limply, with head bowed down. Through the open mouth of the -rich tent of the leader could be seen the town where she had thrilled -to the conception and travailed in the birth of this her firstborn -child, whose only wish now was to destroy.</p> - -<p>The purple rays of the sun bathed in blood the walls and towers of the -town, the window-panes glistened ominously; the whole town seemed to -be wounded, and from its hundreds of wounds streamed the red blood of -life. Time went on, and the town grew black, like a corpse, and the -stars like funeral candles were lit above it.</p> - -<p>She saw with her mind's eye the dark houses where they were afraid -to light the lamps, for fear of attracting the attention of the -enemy; and the dark streets filled with the odour of corpses and the -subdued whispers of people awaiting death—she saw everything and all; -everything that was native and familiar to her stood out before her, -awaiting her decision in silence, and she felt that she was the mother -of all the people of her native town.</p> - -<p>From the dark mountain-tops clouds descended into the valley, and like -winged coursers sped upon the doomed town.</p> - -<p>"Perhaps we shall make an attack to-night," said her son, "if the night -is dark enough! It is not easy to kill when the sun looks into one's -eyes and the glitter of the weapons blinds one—many blows are wasted -then," said he, examining his sword.</p> - -<p>"Come here," said his mother; "put your head on my breast; rest a -while, and recall to your mind how happy and kind you were as a child, -and how everybody loved you."</p> - -<p>He obeyed, knelt against her and said, closing his eyes:</p> - -<p>"I love only glory and you, because you bore me as I am."</p> - -<p>"But women?" she asked, bending over him.</p> - -<p>"There are many of them, one soon tires of them, as of everything -sweet."</p> - -<p>And finally she asked him:</p> - -<p>"Do you not wish to have children?"</p> - -<p>"Why? In order that they may be killed? Somebody like me would kill -them; it would grieve me, and no doubt I should be too old then, and -too weak, to avenge them."</p> - -<p>"You are handsome, but as sterile as the lightning," she said, sighing.</p> - -<p>He answered, smiling:</p> - -<p>"Yes, as the lightning."</p> - -<p>And he fell asleep on her breast like a child.</p> - -<p>Then she covered him with her black cloak and plunged a knife into his -heart. He shuddered, and died instantaneously, for she, his mother, -knew well where her son's heart beat. And having pushed the corpse off -her knees to the feet of the astonished guards, she said, pointing in -the direction of the town:</p> - -<p>"As a citizen I have done all I could for my fatherland: as a mother I -remain with my son! It is too late for me to give birth to another, my -life is of no use to anyone."</p> - -<p>And the same knife, still warm with his blood—her blood—she plunged -into her own bosom, and doubtless struck the heart. When one's heart -aches it is easy to strike it without missing.</p> - - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<h4><a name="THE_FREAK" id="THE_FREAK">THE FREAK</a></h4> - - -<p>It is a quiet sultry day, and life seems to have come to a standstill -in the serene calm; the sky looks affably down at the earth, with a -limpid eye of which the sun is the fiery iris.</p> - -<p>The sea has been hammered smooth out of some blue metal, the coloured -boats of the fishermen are as motionless as if they were soldered into -the semicircle of the bay, which is as clear as the sky overhead. A -seagull flies past, lazily flapping its wings; out of the water comes -another bird, whiter yet and more beautiful than the one in the air.</p> - -<p>In the distant mist floats, as if melting in the sun, a violet isle, a -solitary rock in the sea, like a precious stone in the ring formed by -the Neapolitan bay.</p> - -<p>The rocky isle, with its rugged promontories sloping down to the sea, -is covered with gorgeous clusters of the dark foliage of the vine, of -orange, lemon and fig trees, and the dull silver of the tiny olive -leaves. Out of this mass of green, which falls abruptly to the sea, -red, white and golden flowers smile pleasantly, while the yellow and -orange-coloured fruits remind one of the stars on a hot moonlight -night, when the sky is dark and the air moist.</p> - -<p>There is quiet in the sky, on the sea and in one's soul; one stops and -listens to all the living things singing a wordless prayer to their -God—the Sun.</p> - -<p>Between the gardens winds a narrow path, and along it a tall woman in -black descends slowly to the sea, stepping from stone to stone. Her -dress has faded in the sun: brown spots and even patches can be seen -on it from afar. Her head is bare; her grey hair glistens like silver, -framing in crisp curls her high forehead, her temples and the tawny -skin of her cheeks; it is of the kind that no combing could render -smooth.</p> - -<p>Her face is sharp, severe, once seen to be remembered for ever; there -is something profoundly ancient in its withered aspect; and when one -encounters the direct look of her dark eyes one involuntarily thinks of -the burning wilderness of the East, of Deborah and Judith.</p> - -<p>Her head is bent over some red garment which she is knitting; the steel -of her hook glistens. A ball of wool is hidden somewhere in her dress, -but the red thread appears to come from her bosom. The path is steep -and treacherous, the pebbles fall and rattle as she steps, but this -greyhaired woman descends as confidently as if her feet themselves -could find the way. This tale is told of her in the village: She is -a widow; her husband, a fisherman, soon after their wedding went out -fishing and never returned, leaving her with a child under her heart.</p> - -<p>When the child was born she hid it; she did not take her son out into -the street and sunshine to show him off, as mothers are wont to do, but -kept him in a dark corner of her hut, swaddling him in rags. Not one -of the neighbours knew how the new-born baby was shaped—they saw only -the large head and big, motionless eyes in a yellow face. Previously -she had been healthy, alert and cheerful and able not only to struggle -persistently with necessity herself but knowing also how to say a word -of encouragement to others. But now it was noticed that she had become -silent, that she was always musing, and knitting her brows, and looked -at everything as through a mist of sorrow, with a strange, wistful, -searching expression.</p> - -<p>Little time was needed for everyone to learn about her misfortune: the -child born to her was a freak, that is why she hid it, that is what -depressed her.</p> - -<p>The neighbours told her, of course, how shameful it is for a woman to -be the mother of a freak; no one except the Madonna knows whether this -cruel insult is a punishment justly deserved or not; but that the child -was guiltless, and she was wrong to deprive it of sunshine.</p> - -<p>She listened to them and showed them her son. His arms and legs were -short, like the fins of a fish, his head, which was puffed out like a -huge ball, was weakly supported by a thin, skinny neck, and his face -was wrinkled like that of an old man; he had a pair of dull eyes and a -large mouth drawn into a set smile.</p> - -<p>The women cried when they beheld him, men frowned, expressed loathing -and went gloomily away; the freak's mother sat on the ground, now -bowing her head, now raising it and looking at the others, as if -silently inquiring about something which no one could grasp.</p> - -<p>The neighbours made a box like a coffin for the freak, and filled -it with rags and combings of wool; they put the little child into -this soft warm nest and placed the box out in the yard in the shade, -entertaining a secret hope that the sunlight which performs miracles -every day might work yet one miracle more.</p> - -<p>Time passed, but he remained unchanged, with a large head, a thin -body, and four helpless limbs; only his smile assumed a more definite -expression of ravenous greed, and his mouth was becoming filled with -two rows of sharp, crooked teeth. The short paws learnt to catch chunks -of bread and to carry them, with rarely a mistake, to the large warm -mouth.</p> - -<p>He was dumb, but when food was being consumed near him and he could -smell it he made a mumbling sound, working his jaws and shaking his -large head, and the dull whites of his eyes became covered with a red -network of bloody veins.</p> - -<p>The freak's appetite was enormous, and waxed greater as time went -on; his mumbling never ceased. The mother worked untiringly, but very -often her earnings were small and sometimes she earned nothing at all. -She did not complain, and accepted help from the neighbours rather -unwillingly, and always without a word. When she was away from home the -neighbours, irritated by the mumbling of the child, ran into the yard -and shoved crusts of bread, vegetables, fruit, anything that could be -eaten, into the ever-hungry jaws.</p> - -<p>"Soon he will devour everything you have," they said to her. "Why don't -you send him to some orphanage or hospital?"</p> - -<p>She answered gloomily:</p> - -<p>"Leave him alone! I am his mother, I gave him life and I must feed him."</p> - -<p>She was fair to look upon, and more than one man sought her love, but -unsuccessfully. To one whom she liked more than the rest she said:</p> - -<p>"I cannot be your wife; I am afraid of giving birth to another freak; -you would be ashamed. No, go away!"</p> - -<p>The man tried to persuade her, reminded her of the Madonna, who is -just to mothers and looks upon them as her sisters, but the freak's -mother replied to him:</p> - -<p>"I don't know what I am guilty of, but I have been cruelly punished."</p> - -<p>He implored, wept, raged; and finally she said:</p> - -<p>"One cannot do what one does not believe to be right. Go away!"</p> - -<p>He went away to a far-off place and she never saw him again.</p> - -<p>And so for many years she filled the insatiable jaws, which chewed -incessantly. He devoured the fruits of her toil, her blood, her life; -his head grew and became more terrible, until it seemed ready to break -away from the thin weak neck and to rise in the air like a balloon; one -could imagine it in its course knocking against the corners of houses, -and swaying lazily from side to side.</p> - -<p>All who looked into the yard stopped involuntarily and shuddered, -unable to understand what they saw. Near the vine-covered wall, propped -up on stones, as on an altar, was a box, out of which rose a head, -showing up clearly against the background of foliage. The yellow, -freckled, wrinkled face, with its high cheekbones, and vacant eyes -starting out of their sockets, impressed itself on the memory of all -who saw it; the broad flat nostrils quivered, the abnormally developed -cheek-bones and jaws worked monotonously, the fleshy lips hung loose, -disclosing two rows of ravenous teeth; the large projecting ears, like -those of an animal, seemed to lead a separate existence. And this awful -visage was crowned by a mass of black hair growing in small, close -curls, like the wool of a negro.</p> - -<p>Holding in his little hands, which were short and small like the paws -of a lizard, a chunk of something to eat, the freak would bend his -head forward like a bird pecking, and, wrenching off bits of food with -his teeth, would munch noisily and snuffle. When he was satisfied he -grinned; his eyes shifted towards the bridge of his nose, forming one -dull, expressionless spot on the half-dead face, the movements of which -recalled to mind the twitchings of a person in agony. When he was -hungry he would crane his neck forward, open his red maw and mumble -clamorously, moving a thin, snake-like tongue.</p> - -<p>Crossing themselves and muttering a prayer people stepped aside, -reminded of everything evil that they had lived through, of all the -misfortunes they had experienced in their lives.</p> - -<p>The blacksmith, an old man of a gloomy disposition, said more than once:</p> - -<p>"When I see the all-devouring mouth of this creature I feel that -somebody like him has devoured my strength; it seems to me that we all -live and die for the sake of such parasites."</p> - -<p>This dumb head called forth in everyone sombre thoughts and feelings -that oppressed the heart.</p> - -<p>The freak's mother listened to what people said, and was silent; but -her hair turned quickly grey, wrinkles appeared on her face and she -had long since forgotten how to laugh. It was known that sometimes she -would spend the whole night standing in the doorway, and looking up at -the sky as if waiting for something. Shrugging their shoulders they -said to one another:</p> - -<p>"Whatever is she waiting for?"</p> - -<p>"Put him on the square near the old church," her neighbours advised -her. "Foreigners pass there; they will be sure to throw him a few -coppers."</p> - -<p>The mother shuddered as if in horror, saying:</p> - -<p>"It would be terrible if he were seen by strangers, by people from -other countries—what would they think of us?"</p> - -<p>They replied:</p> - -<p>"There is misfortune everywhere, and they all know it."</p> - -<p>Disparagingly she shook her head.</p> - -<p>But foreigners, driven by the desire for change, wander everywhere, -and naturally enough as they passed her house looked in. She was at -home, she saw the ugly looks, expressing aversion and loathing, on -the repleted faces of these idle people, heard how they spoke about -her son, making wry mouths and screwing up their eyes. Her heart -was especially wounded by a few words uttered contemptuously, with -animosity, and obvious triumph.</p> - -<p>Many times she repeated to herself the stranger's words, committing -them to memory; her heart, the heart of an Italian woman and a mother, -divined their insulting meaning.</p> - -<p>That same day she went to an interpreter whom she knew and asked what -the words meant.</p> - -<p>"It depends upon who uttered them!" he replied, knitting his brows. -"They mean: 'Italy is the first of the Latin races to degenerate.' ... -Where did you hear this lie?"</p> - -<p>She went away without answering.</p> - -<p>The next day her son died in convulsions from over-eating.</p> - -<p>She sat in the yard near the box, her hand on the head of her dead son; -still seeming to be calmly waiting, waiting. She looked questioningly -into the eyes of everybody who came to the house to look upon the -deceased.</p> - -<p>All were silent, no one spoke to her, though perhaps many wished to -congratulate her—she had been freed from slavery—to say a word -of consolation to her—she had lost a son—but everyone was mute. -Sometimes people understand that there is a time for silence.</p> - -<p>For some time after this she continued to gaze long into people's -faces, as if questioning them about something; then she became as -ordinary as everybody else.</p> - - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<h4><a name="THE_MIGHT_OF_MOTHERHOOD" id="THE_MIGHT_OF_MOTHERHOOD">THE MIGHT OF MOTHERHOOD</a></h4> - - -<p>Let us praise Woman-Mother, the inexhaustible source of all-conquering -life!</p> - -<p>Here we shall tell of the Iron Timur-Lenk, the Lame Lynx—of -Sahib-Kiran, the lucky conqueror—of Tamerlane, as the Infidels have -named him—of the man who sought to destroy the whole world.</p> - -<p>For fifty years he scoured the earth, his iron heel crushing towns and -states as an elephant's foot crushes ant-hills. Red rivers of blood -flowed in his tracks wherever he went. He built high towers of the -bones of conquered peoples; he destroyed Life, vying with the might -of Death, on whom he took revenge for having robbed him of his son -Jihangir. He was a terrible man, for he wanted to deprive Death of all -his victims; to leave Death to die of hunger and ennui!</p> - -<p>From the day on which his son Jihangir died and the people of -Samarcand, clothed in black and light blue, their heads covered with -dust and ashes, met the conqueror of the cruel Getes, from that day -until the hour when Death met him in Otrar, and overcame him—for -thirty years Timur did not smile. He lived with lips compressed, bowing -his head to no one, and his heart was closed to compassion for thirty -years.</p> - -<p>Let us praise Woman-Mother, the only power to which Death humbly -submits. Here we shall tell the true tale of a mother, how Iron -Tamerlane, the servant and slave of Death, and the bloody scourge of -the earth, bowed down before her.</p> - -<p>This is how it came to pass. Timur-Bek was feasting in the beautiful -valley of Canigula which is covered with clouds of roses and jasmine, -in the valley called "Love of Flowers" by the poets of Samarcand, from -which one can see the light blue minarets of the great town, and the -blue cupolas of the mosques.</p> - -<p>Fifteen hundred round tents were spread out fan-wise in the valley, -looking like so many tulips. Above them hundreds of silk flags were -gently swaying, like living flowers.</p> - -<p>In their midst, like a queen among her subjects, was the tent of -Gurgan-Timur. The tent had four sides, each measuring one hundred -paces, three spears' length in height; its roof rested on twelve -golden columns as thick as the body of a man. The tent was made of -silk, striped in black, yellow and light blue; five hundred red cords -fastened it to the ground. There was a silver eagle at each of the -four corners, and under the blue cupola, on a dais in the middle of -the tent, was seated a fifth eagle—the all-conquering Timur-Gurgan -himself, the King of Kings.</p> - -<p>He wore a loose robe of light blue silk covered with no fewer than five -thousand large pearls. On his grey head, which was terrible to look -upon, was a white cap with a ruby on the sharp point. The ruby swayed -backwards and forwards; it glistened like a fiery eye surveying the -world.</p> - -<p>The face of the Lame One was like a broad knife covered with rust from -the blood into which it had been plunged thousands of times. His eyes -were narrow and small but they saw everything; their gleam resembled -the cold gleam of "Tsaramut," the favourite stone of the Arabs, which -the infidels call emerald, and by means of which epilepsy can be cured.</p> - -<p>The king wore earrings of rubies from Ceylon which resembled in colour -a pretty girl's lips.</p> - -<p>On the ground, on carpets that could not be matched, were three hundred -golden pitchers of wine and everything needed for the royal banquet. -Behind Timur stood the musicians; at his feet were his kindred: kings -and princes and the commanders of his troops; by his side was no one. -Nearest of all to him was the tipsy poet Kermani, he who once to the -question of the destroyer of the world, "Kermani, how much would you -give for me if I were to be sold?" replied to the sower of death and -terror:</p> - -<p>"Twenty-five askers."</p> - -<p>"But that is the value of my belt alone!" exclaimed Timur, surprised.</p> - -<p>"I was only thinking of the belt," replied Kermani, "only of the belt; -because you yourself are not worth a farthing!"</p> - -<p>Thus spake the poet Kermani to the King of Kings, to the man of evil -and terror. Let us therefore value the fame of the poet, the friend of -truth, always higher than the fame of Timur. Let us praise poets who -have only one God—the beautifully spoken, fearless word of truth—that -which is their god for ever!</p> - -<p>It was an hour of mirth, carousal and proud reminiscences of battles -and victories. Amid the sounds of music and popular games, warriors -were fencing before the tent of the king, and endeavouring to show -their prowess in killing. A number of motley-coloured clowns were -tumbling about, strong men were wrestling, acrobats were performing as -though they had no bones in their bodies. A performance of elephants -was also in progress; they were painted red and green, which made -some of them look ludicrous, others terrible. At this hour of joy, -when Timur's men were intoxicated with fear before him, with pride in -his fame, with the fatigue of battles, with wine and koumiss—at this -mad hour, suddenly through the noise, like lightning through a cloud, -the cry of a woman reached the ears of the conqueror of the Sultan -Bayazet, the cry of a proud eagle, a sound familiar and attuned to his -afflicted soul—afflicted by Death, and therefore so cruel to mankind -and to life.</p> - -<p>He gave orders to inquire who had cried out in this voice devoid of -joy. He was told that a woman had come, all in rags and covered with -dust; she seemed crazy, and speaking Arabic demanded—she demanded—to -see the master of three parts of the world.</p> - -<p>"Lead her in!" said the king.</p> - -<p>Before him stood a woman, barefooted, in rags faded by the sun. Her -black hair hung loose, covering her naked breast, and her face was of -the colour of bronze. Her eyes expressed command and her tawny hand did -not shake as she pointed it at the "Lame One."</p> - -<p>"Are you he that defeated Sultan Bayazet?" she asked.</p> - -<p>"Yes, I am he. I have conquered many and am not yet tired of victories. -What have you to tell me about yourself, woman?"</p> - -<p>"Listen," she said. "Whatever you may have done, you are only a man, -but I am a mother. You serve Death—I serve Life. You are guilty before -me and I am come to demand that you atone for your guilt. They tell me -that your watchword is 'Justice is Power.' I do not believe it, but you -must be just to me because I am a mother."</p> - -<p>The king was wise enough to overlook the insult and felt the force of -the words behind it. He said:</p> - -<p>"Sit down and speak. I will listen to you."</p> - -<p>She settled herself comfortably on a carpet in the narrow circle of -kings and related as follows:—</p> - -<p>"I have come from near Salerno. It is in far-off Italy—you would not -know it. My father was a fisherman, my husband also; he was as handsome -as he was happy. It was I who made him happy. I also had a son who was -the finest boy in the world——"</p> - -<p>"Like my Jihangir," said the old warrior quietly.</p> - -<p>"My son was the finest and cleverest boy. He was six years old when -Saracen pirates came to our shore. They killed my father and my -husband, and many others. They kidnapped my son and for four years I -have searched for him all over the earth. He must be with you now; I -know it, because Bayazet's warriors captured the pirates; you defeated -Bayazet and took away all he had; therefore you must know where my son -is, you must give him back to me!"</p> - -<p>"She is insane," said the kings and friends of Timur, his princes and -marshals; and they all laughed, for kings always account themselves -wise.</p> - -<p>But Kermani looked seriously at the woman, and Tamerlane seemed greatly -astonished.</p> - -<p>"She is as insane as a mother," quietly said the poet Kermani; but the -king—the enemy of the world—replied:</p> - -<p>"Woman, how came you from that unknown country, across the seas, across -rivers and mountains, through the forests? How is it that wild beasts, -and men, who are often more ferocious than the wildest of beasts, did -not harm you? You came even without a weapon, the only friend of the -defenceless that does not betray them as long as they have strength in -their arms. I must know it all in order that I may believe you and in -order that my astonishment may not prevent me from understanding you."</p> - -<p>Let us praise Woman-Mother, whose love knows no bounds, by whose breast -the whole world has been nourished. Everything that is beautiful in man -comes from the rays of the sun and from mother's milk; these are the -sources of our love of life.</p> - -<p>The woman replied to Timur-Lenk:</p> - -<p>"I came across one sea only, a sea with many islands, where I found -fishermen's boats. When one is seeking what one loves the wind is -always favourable. For one who has been born and bred by the seashore -it is easy to swim across rivers. Mountains? I saw no mountains."</p> - -<p>"A mountain becomes a valley when one loves!" interjected smilingly the -poet Kermani.</p> - -<p>"True, there were forests on the way. There were wild boars, -bears, lynxes and terrible-looking bulls that lowered their heads -threateningly; twice lynxes stared at me with eyes like yours. But -every beast has a heart. I talked to them as I talk to you. They -believed me that I was a mother and went away sighing. They pitied me. -Know you not that beasts also love their young, and will fight for the -life and freedom of those they love as valiantly as men?"</p> - -<p>"That is true, woman," said Timur. "Very often, I know, their love is -stronger and they fight harder than men."</p> - -<p>"Men," she continued like a child, for every mother is a hundred times -a child in her soul, "men are always children of their mothers, for -everyone has a mother, everyone is somebody's son, even you, old man; a -woman bore you. You may renounce God, but that you cannot renounce, old -man."</p> - -<p>"That is true, woman," exclaimed Kermani, the fearless poet. "You can -have no calves from a herd of bulls, no flowers bloom without the sun, -there is no happiness without love. There is no love without woman. -There is no poet or hero without a mother."</p> - -<p>And the woman said:</p> - -<p>"Give me back my child, because I am a mother and I love him!"</p> - -<p>Let us bow down before Woman—she gave birth to Moses, Mahomet, and -the Great Prophet Jesus who was murdered by the wicked, but who, as -Sherif-eddin said, "will rise and come to judge the living and the -dead. It will happen in Damascus."</p> - -<p>Let us bow down before her who through the centuries gives birth to -great men. Aristotle was her son, and Firdousi, and honey-sweet Saadi, -and Omar Khayyam that is like wine mixed with poison, Iscander and -blind Homer. All these are her children, they all have drunk her milk -and every one of them was led into the world by her hand—when they -were no taller than a tulip. All the pride of the world is due to -mothers.</p> - -<p>And the grey destroyer of towns, the lame tiger Timur-Gurgan, grew -thoughtful and for a long time was silent. Then to all present he said:</p> - -<p>"Men Tangri Kuli, Timur (I, Timur, a servant of God) say what I must -say. I have lived for many years and the earth groans under me. For -thirty years, with this hand of mine, I have been destroying the -harvest of Death, I have been taking revenge upon Death because Death -put out the sun of my heart—robbed me of my Jihangir. Others have -struggled for cities and for kingdoms, but none has so striven for a -man. Men had no value in my eyes; I cared not who they were nor why -they were in my way. It was I, Timur, who said to Bayazet when I had -defeated him: 'O Bayazet, it seems that kingdoms are nothing before -God; you see that He gives them into the hands of people like us—you -who are a cripple and me who am lame!' I said this to him when he was -led up to me in chains, groaning under their weight. I looked upon his -misfortune and felt that love was bitter as wormwood, the weed that -grows on ruins.</p> - -<p>"A servant of God, I say what I must. A woman sits before me, her -number is legion and she has awakened in my soul feelings hitherto -unknown to me. As an equal she speaks to me and she does not ask, she -demands. I see and understand why this woman is so powerful: she loves -and love helped her to recognise that her child is the spark of life -from which a flame may spring that will burn for many centuries. Have -not all prophets been children, and all heroes been weak? O Jihangir, -the light of my eyes, perhaps it was thy lot to warm the earth, to sow -happiness on it: I have covered it well with blood and made it fertile."</p> - -<p>Again the Scourge of Nations pondered long. At last he said:</p> - -<p>"I, Timur, slave of God, say what I must. Let three hundred horsemen go -to all the four corners of my kingdom and let them find this woman's -son. She shall wait here and I will wait with her. Happy shall he be -who returns with the child on his saddle. Woman, is that right?"</p> - -<p>She tossed her black hair from her face, smiled at him and, nodding, -answered:</p> - -<p>"Quite right, O king!"</p> - -<p>Then the terrible old man rose and bowed to her in silence, but the -merry poet Kermani sang joyfully like a child:</p> - -<blockquote> - -<p>"What is more delightful than a song of flowers and stars?</p> - -<p>Everyone will say: a song of love.</p> - -<p>What is more enchanting than the midday sun in May?</p> - -<p>A lover will reply: she whom I love.</p> - -<p>Ah, I know the stars are splendid in the sky at depth of night,</p> - -<p>And I know the sun is gorgeous on a dazzling summer's day,</p> - -<p>But the eyes of my beloved out-rival all the flowers,</p> - -<p>And her smile is more entrancing than the sun in May.</p> - -<p>But no one yet has sung the best, most charming song of all;</p> - -<p>Tis the song of all beginnings, of the heart of all the world,</p> - -<p>Of the magic heart of women, and the mother of us all!"</p></blockquote> - -<p>Timur-Lenk said to his poet:</p> - -<p>"Quite right, Kermani! God did not err when He selected your lips to -announce his wisdom!"</p> - -<p>"Well, God himself is a good poet!" said the drunken Kermani.</p> - -<p>And the woman smiled, and all the kings and princes and warriors smiled -too, like children, as they looked at her—the Woman-Mother.</p> - -<p>All this is true. What is said here is the truth, all mothers know it, -ask them and they will say:</p> - -<p>"Yes, all this is everlasting truth. We are more powerful than Death, -we who ceaselessly present sages, poets and heroes to the world, we who -sow in it everything that is glorious!"</p> - - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<h4><a name="A_MESSAGE_FROM_THE_SEA" id="A_MESSAGE_FROM_THE_SEA">A MESSAGE FROM THE SEA</a></h4> - - -<p>It is as if thousands of metallic wires were strung in the thick -foliage of the olive-trees. The wind moves the stiff, hard leaves, they -touch the strings, and these light, continuous contacts fill the air -with a hot, intoxicating sound. It is not yet music, but a sound as if -unseen hands were tuning hundreds of invisible harps, and one awaits -impatiently the moment of silence before a powerful hymn bursts forth, -a hymn to the sun, the sky and the sea, played on numberless stringed -instruments.</p> - -<p>The wind sways the tops of the trees, which seem to be moving down the -mountain slope towards the sea. The waves beat in a measured, muffled -way against the stones on the shore. The sea is covered with moving -white spots, as if numberless flocks of birds had settled on its blue -expanse; they all swim in the same direction, disappear, diving into -the depths, and reappear, giving forth a faint sound. On the horizon, -looking like grey birds, move two ships under full sail, dragging the -other birds in their train. All this reminds one of a half-forgotten -dream seen long ago; it is so unlike reality.</p> - -<p>"The wind will freshen towards evening," says an old fisherman, sitting -on a little mound of jingling pebbles in the shade of the rocks.</p> - -<p>The breakers have washed up on to the stones a tangle of smelling -seaweed—brown and golden and green; the wrack withers in the sun and -on the hot stones, the salt air is saturated with the penetrating odour -of iodine. One after another the curling breakers beat upon the heap of -shingle.</p> - -<p>The old fisherman resembles a bird: he has a small pinched face and an -aquiline nose; his eyes, which are almost hidden in the folds of the -skin, are small and round, though probably keen enough. His fingers are -like crooks, bony and stiff.</p> - -<p>"Half-a-century ago, signor," said the old man, in a tone that was -in harmony with the beating of the waves and the chirping of the -crickets—it was just such another day as this, gladsome and noisy, -with everything laughing and singing. My father was forty, I was -sixteen, and in love of course—it is inevitable when one is sixteen -and the sun is bright.</p> - -<p>"'Let us go, Guido, and catch some pezzoni,' said my father to me. -Pezzoni, signor, are very thin and tasty fish with pink fins; they are -also called coral fish because they live at a great depth where coral -is found. To catch them one has to cast anchor, and angle with a hook -attached to a heavy weight. It is a pretty fish.</p> - -<p>"And we set off, looking forward to naught but a good catch. My -father was a strong man, an experienced fisherman, but just then he -had been ailing, his chest hurt him, and his fingers were contracted -with rheumatism—he had worked on a cold winter's day and caught the -fisherman's complaint.</p> - -<p>"The wind here is very tricky and mischievous, the kind of wind that -sometimes breathes on you from the shore as if gently pushing you into -the sea; and at another time will creep up to you unawares and then -rush at you as if you had offended it. The boat breaks loose and flies -before it, sometimes with keel uppermost, with you yourself in the -water. All this happens in a moment, you have no chance either to curse -or to mention God's name, as you are whirled and driven far out to -sea. A highwayman is more honourable than this kind of wind. But then, -signor, human beings are always more honourable than elemental forces.</p> - -<p>"Yes, this wind pounced upon us when we were three miles from the -shore—quite close, you see, but it struck us as unexpectedly as a -coward or a scoundrel. 'Guido,' said my father, clutching at the oars -with his crippled hands. 'Hold on, Guido! Be quick—weigh anchor!'</p> - -<p>"While I was weighing the anchor my father was struck in the chest by -one of the oars and fell stunned into the bottom of the boat. I had no -time to help him, signor; every second we might capsize. Events moved -quickly: when I got hold of the oars, we were rushing along rapidly, -surrounded by the dust-like spray of the water; the wind picked off the -tops of the waves and sprinkled us like a priest, only with more zest, -signor, and without any desire to wash away our sins.</p> - -<p>"'This is a bad look-out!' said my father when he came to, and had -taken a look in the direction of the shore. 'It will soon be all over, -my son.'</p> - -<p>"When one is young one does not readily believe in danger; I tried to -row, did all that one can do on the water in such a moment of danger, -when the wind, like the breath of wicked devils, amiably digs thousands -of graves for you and sings the requiems for nothing.</p> - -<p>"'Sit still, Guido,' said my father, grinning and shaking the water -off his head. 'What is the use of poking the sea with match-sticks? -Save your strength, my son; otherwise they will wait in vain for you at -home.'</p> - -<p>"The green waves toss out little boat as children toss a ball, peer at -us over the boat's sides, rise above our heads, roar, shake, drop us -into deep pits. We rise again on the white crests, but the coast runs -farther and farther away from us and seems to dance like our boat. Then -my father said to me:</p> - -<p>"'Maybe you will return to land, but I—never. Listen and I will tell -you something about a fisherman's work.'</p> - -<p>"And he began to tell me all he knew of the habits of the different -kinds of fishes: where, when and how best to catch them.</p> - -<p>"'Should we not rather pray, father?' I asked him when I realised that -our plight was desperate; we were like a couple of rabbits amidst a -pack of white hounds which grinned at us on all sides.</p> - -<p>"'God sees everything,' he said. 'If he sees everything He knows that -men who were created for the land are now perishing in the sea, and -that one of them, hoping to be saved, wishes to tell Him what he, the -Father, already knows. It is not prayer but work that the earth and the -people need. God understands that.'</p> - -<p>"And having told me everything he knew about work my father began to -talk about how one should live with others.</p> - -<p>"'Is this the proper time to teach me?' said I. 'You did not do it when -we were on shore.'</p> - -<p>"'On shore I did not feel the proximity of death so.'</p> - -<p>"The wind howled like a wild beast and furiously lashed the waves; my -father had to shout to make me hear.</p> - -<p>"'Always act as if there lived no one better and no one worse than -yourself—that will always be right! A landowner and a fisherman, -a priest and a soldier, belong to one body; you are needed just as -much as any other of its members. Never approach a man with the idea -that there is more bad in him than good; get to think that the good -outweighs the bad and it will be so. People give what is asked of -them.'"</p> - -<p>"These things were not said all at once, of course, but intermittently, -like words of command. We were tossed from wave to wave, and the words -came to me sometimes from below, sometimes from above through the -spray. Much of what he said was carried off before it reached my ear, -much I could not understand: is it a time to learn, signor, when every -minute you are threatened with death! I was in great fear; it was the -first time that I had seen the sea in such a rage, and I felt utterly -helpless. The sensation is still vivid in my memory, but I cannot tell -whether I experienced it then or afterwards when I recalled those hours.</p> - -<p>"As if it were now I see my father: he sits at the bottom of the boat, -his feeble arms outstretched, his hands gripping the sides of the boat; -his hat has been washed away; from right and left, from fore and aft, -the waves are breaking over his head and shoulders.... He shook his -head, sniffed and shouted to me from time to time. He was wet through -and looked very small, and fear, or perhaps it was pain, had made his -eyes large. I think it was pain.</p> - -<p>"'Listen!' he shouted to me. 'Do you hear?'</p> - -<p>"'At times,' I replied to him, 'I hear.'</p> - -<p>"'Remember that everything that is good comes from man.'</p> - -<p>"'I will remember!' I replied.</p> - -<p>"He had never spoken to me in this way on land. He had been jovial -and kindly, but it seemed to me that he regarded me with a lack of -confidence and a sort of contempt—I was still a child for him; -sometimes it offended me, for in youth one's pride is strong.</p> - -<p>"His shouts must have lessened my fear, for I remember it all very -clearly." The old fisherman remained silent for a while, looking at the -white sea and smiling; then with a wink he said:</p> - -<p>"As I have observed men, I know that to remember means to understand, -and the more you understand the more good you see; that is quite true, -believe me.</p> - -<p>"Yes, I remember his wet face that was so dear to me, and his big eyes -that looked at me so earnestly, so lovingly, and in such a way that -somehow I knew at the time that I was not going to perish on that day. -I was frightened, but I knew that I should not perish.</p> - -<p>"Our boat capsized, of course, and we were in the swirling water, in -the blinding foam, hedged in by sharp-crested waves, which tossed our -bodies about, and battered them against the keel of the boat. We had -fastened ourselves to the boat with everything that could be tied, and -were holding on by ropes. As long as our strength lasted we should -not be torn away from our boat, but it was difficult to keep afloat. -Several times he and I were tossed on to the keel and then washed off -again. The worst of it is, signor, that you become dizzy, and deaf and -blind—the water gets into your eyes and ears and you swallow a lot of -it.</p> - -<p>"This lasted long—for full seven hours—and then the wind suddenly -changed, blew towards the coast and swept us along with it. I was -overjoyed and shouted:</p> - -<p>"'Hold on!'</p> - -<p>"My father also cried out, but I understood only:</p> - -<p>"'They will smash us.'</p> - -<p>"He meant the stones, but they were still far off; I did not believe -him. But he understood matters better than I: we rushed along amid -mountains of water, clinging like snails to our 'mother who fed us.' -The waves had battered our bodies, dashed us against the boat and we -already felt exhausted and benumbed. So we went on for a long time; -but when once the dark mountains came in sight everything moved with -lightning speed. The mountains seemed to reel as they came towards -us, to bend over the water as if about to tumble on our heads. One, -two! The white waves toss up our bodies, our boat crackles like a nut -under the heel of a boot; I am torn away from it, I see the broken -ribs of the rocks, like sharp knives, like the devil's claws, and I -see my father's head high above me. He was found on the rocks two days -later, with his back broken and his skull smashed. The wound in the -head was large, part of the brain had been washed out. I remember the -grey particles intermingled with red sinews in the wound, like marble -or foam streaked with blood. He was terribly mutilated, all broken, but -his face was uninjured and calm, and his eyes were tightly closed.</p> - -<p>"And I? Yes, I also was badly mangled. They dragged me on to the shore -unconscious. We were carried to the mainland beyond Amalfi—a place -unknown to us, but the people there were also fishermen, our own kith -and kin. Cases like ours do not surprise them, but render them kind; -people who lead a dangerous life are always kind!</p> - -<p>"I fear I have not spoken to you as I feel about my father, and of -what I have kept in my heart for fifty-one years. Special words may be -required to do that, even a song; but we are simple folk, like fishes, -and are unable to speak as prettily and expressively as one would wish! -One always feels and knows more than one is able to tell.</p> - -<p>"What is most striking about the whole matter is that, although my -father knew that the hour of his death had come, he did not get -frightened or forget me, his son. He found time and strength to tell me -all he considered important. I have lived sixty-seven years and I can -say that everything he imparted to me is true!"</p> - -<p>The old man took off his knitted cap, which had once been red but had -faded, and pulled a pipe out of it. Then, inclining his bald bronzed -skull to one side, he said with emphasis:</p> - -<p>"It is all true, dear signor! People are just as you like to see them; -look at them with kind eyes and all will be well with you, and with -them, too; it will make them still better, and you too! It is very -simple!"</p> - -<p>The wind freshens considerably, the waves become higher, sharper and -whiter, birds appear on the sea and fly swiftly away, disappearing in -the distance. The two ships with their outspread sails have passed -beyond the blue streak of the horizon.</p> - -<p>The steep banks of the island are edged with lace-like foam, the blue -water splashes angrily, and the crickets chirp on with never a pause.</p> - - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<h4><a name="THE_HONOUR_OF_THE_VILLAGE" id="THE_HONOUR_OF_THE_VILLAGE">THE HONOUR OF THE VILLAGE</a></h4> - - -<p>"On the day when this happened the sirocco was blowing—a hot wind -from Africa, and a nasty wind, too! It irritates one's nerves and puts -one in a bad temper! That is probably the reason why the two carters, -Giuseppe Cirotta and Luigi Meta, were quarrelling. No one knew how the -quarrel began. No one knew who began it. All that people saw was that -Luigi had thrown himself upon Giuseppe and was trying to clutch his -throat; while the latter, his shoulders hunched to protect his head and -his thick red neck, was making a lusty use of his strong black fists.</p> - -<p>"They were separated and asked:</p> - -<p>"'What is the matter?'</p> - -<p>"Quite purple with anger Luigi exclaimed:</p> - -<p>"'Let this bull repeat in the presence of everybody what he said about -my wife!'</p> - -<p>"Cirotta tried to get away. His small eyes hidden in the folds of a -disdainful grimace, he shook his black bullet head, and stubbornly -refused to repeat the offending words. Meta then shouted out in a loud -voice:</p> - -<p>"'He says that he has known the sweetness of my wife's caresses!'</p> - -<p>"'H'm,' said the people, 'this is no joking matter; this requires -serious attention. Be calm, Luigi. You are a stranger in our parts; -your wife belongs here. We all knew her as a child, and if you have -been wronged her guilt falls equally on all of us. Let us be outspoken!'</p> - -<p>"They all gathered round Cirotta.</p> - -<p>"'Did you say it?'</p> - -<p>"'Well, yes, I did,' he admitted.</p> - -<p>"'And is it the truth?'</p> - -<p>"'Who has ever known me tell a lie?'</p> - -<p>"Cirotta was a respectable man—a husband and a father; the matter was -taking a very serious turn. Those present were perplexed and seemed to -be thinking hard. Luigi went home and said to Concetta:</p> - -<p>"'I am going away! I don't want you any more unless you can prove that -the words of this scoundrel are a calumny.'</p> - -<p>"Of course she began to cry, but then tears do not acquit one: Luigi -pushed her away. She would be left with a child in her arms without -food or money.</p> - -<p>"Catherine was the first of the women to intervene. She kept a small -greengrocer's shop and was as cunning as a fox; in appearance she -resembled an old sack filled unevenly with flesh and bones.</p> - -<p>"'Signor,' she said, 'you have already heard that this concerns the -honour of us all. It is not a prank prompted by a night when the moon -is bright; the fate of two mothers is involved, isn't that so? I will -take Concetta to my house and let her live with me till we find out the -truth.'</p> - -<p>"She was as good as her word; and later she and Luccia, the noisy, -shrivelled old witch, whose voice could be heard three miles away, both -tackled poor Giuseppe: they asked him to come out and began to pluck at -his soul as if it had been an old rag.</p> - -<p>"'Well, my good man, tell us how many times you took Concetta to -yourself?'</p> - -<p>"The fat Giuseppe puffed out his cheeks, thought awhile, and said:</p> - -<p>"'Once!'</p> - -<p>"'He could have told us that without reflection,' remarked Luccia -aloud, as if talking to herself.</p> - -<p>"'Did it happen in the evening, in the night, or in the morning?' asked -Catherine, after the fashion of a judge.</p> - -<p>"Giuseppe chose evening without thinking.</p> - -<p>"'Was it still daylight?'</p> - -<p>"'Yes,' said the fool.</p> - -<p>"'That means that you saw her body?'</p> - -<p>"'Yes, of course.'</p> - -<p>"'Then tell us what it looked like.'</p> - -<p>"He understood at last the drift of the questions, and opened his mouth -like a sparrow choking with a grain of barley. He understood, and -muttered angrily under his breath; blood rushed to his large ears till -they became quite purple.</p> - -<p>"'Well, what can I say? I did not examine her like a doctor!'</p> - -<p>"'You eat fruit without enjoying the look of it?' asked Luccia. 'But -perhaps you noticed one of Concetta's peculiarities?' She went on -questioning him, laughing and winking as she did so.</p> - -<p>"'It all happened so quickly,' said Giuseppe, 'that, to tell you the -truth, I didn't notice anything.'</p> - -<p>"'That means that you never had her,' said Catherine.</p> - -<p>"She was a kind woman, but, when necessary, she could be quite stern. -In the end, they so confused the fellow and made him contradict himself -so often that he lost his head—and confessed:</p> - -<p>"'Nothing at all happened; I said it simply out of malice.'</p> - -<p>"This did not surprise the old women.</p> - -<p>"'It is what we thought,' they said; and, letting him go, they left the -matter to the decision of the men.</p> - -<p>"Two days later our Workers' Society met. Cirotta had to face them, -having been accused of libelling a woman. Old Giacomo Fasca, a -blacksmith, said in a way that did credit to him:</p> - -<p>"'Citizens, comrades and good people! We demand that justice shall be -done to us. We on our part must be just to everybody: let everybody -understand that we know the high value of what we want, and that -justice is not an empty word for us as it is for our masters. Here is a -man who has libelled a woman, offended a comrade, disrupted one family -and brought sorrow to another, who has made his wife suffer jealousy -and shame. Our attitude to this man should be stern. What do you -propose to do?'</p> - -<p>"Sixty-seven tongues exclaimed in one voice:</p> - -<p>"'Drive him out of the commune!'</p> - -<p>"Fifteen of the men thought that this was too severe a punishment, and -a dispute arose. And the dispute became a very noisy one, for the fate -of a man hung on their decision, and not the fate of one man only: the -man was married and had three children. What had his wife and children -done? He had a house, a vineyard, a pair of horses, four donkeys for -the use of foreigners. All these things had been acquired by his own -labour and had cost him a deal of pains. Poor Giuseppe was skulking in -a corner amongst the children and looked as gloomy as the very devil. -He sat doubled up on a chair, his head bowed, fumbling his hat. He had -pulled off the ribbon already, and now was slowly tearing off the brim. -His fingers jerked as if he were playing the fiddle. When he was asked -what he had to say he stood up slowly and, straightening his body, said:</p> - -<p>"'I beg you to be lenient! There is no one without sin. To drive me off -the land on which I have lived for more than thirty years, and where my -ancestors have worked, would not be just.'</p> - -<p>"The women were also against his being exiled, so Giacomo Fasca at last -made the following proposal:—</p> - -<p>"'I think, friends, that he will be sufficiently punished if we saddle -him with the duty of keeping Luigi's wife and child—let him pay her -half as much as Luigi earned!'</p> - -<p>"They discussed the matter at great length and finally settled on that. -Giuseppe Cirotta was very pleased to get off so easily. Besides, this -decision satisfied all: the matter was not taken into the law courts, -it was decided in their own circle and no knives were used.</p> - -<p>"We do not like, signor, what they write about our affairs in the -papers in a language unfamiliar to us. The words that we can understand -occur only here and there, like teeth in an old man's mouth. Besides, -we don't like the way the judges talk of us, for they are strangers to -us and don't understand our life. They talk of us as if we were savages -and they themselves angels of God, who don't know the taste of meat or -wine, and don't touch womenkind. We are simple folks and we look on -life in a simple way.</p> - -<p>"So they decided that Giuseppe Cirotta should keep the wife and child -of Luigi Meta.</p> - -<p>"The matter however had a different ending.</p> - -<p>"When Luigi found out that Cirotta's words were untrue and that his -wife was innocent, and when he heard our decision, he wrote her a short -note in which he invited her to come home:</p> - -<p>*</p> - -<p>"'Come to me and we shall live happily again. Do not take a farthing -from that man and, if you have taken any, throw it in his face! I am -guilty before you. Could I have thought that a man would lie in such a -matter as love?'</p> - -<p>*</p> - -<p>"But he also wrote another letter to Cirotta:</p> - -<p>"'I have three brothers and all four of us have sworn to one another -that we will kill you like a ram if you ever leave the island and land -in Sorrento, Castellamare, Torre, or anywhere else. As soon as we find -it out we shall kill you, remember! This is as true as that we belong -to your commune and are good honest people. My wife has no need of your -help. Even my pig would refuse to eat your bread. Do not leave this -island until I tell you you may!'</p> - -<p>"That is how it all happened. It is said that Cirotta took this letter -to the judge and asked him whether Luigi could not be punished for -threatening him, and that the judge said:</p> - -<p>"'Of course he can, but then his brothers will certainly kill you; they -will come over here and kill you. I advise you to wait. That is better. -Anger is not like love: it does not last for ever!'</p> - -<p>"The judge may have said it: he is a good and clever man, and makes -very good verses; but I don't believe that Cirotta ever went to him or -showed him the letter. No, Cirotta is a decent fellow and it is not -likely that he would have acted so stupidly. People would have jeered -at him.</p> - -<p>"We are simple working people, signor. We have our own life, our own -ideas and opinions. We have a right to shape our life as we like and as -we think best.</p> - -<p>"Socialists? Friend, in my opinion a working man is born a socialist; -although we don't read books we can smell the truth—truth has a strong -smell about it which is always the same—the smell of the sweat of -labour!"</p> - - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<h4><a name="THE_SOCIALIST" id="THE_SOCIALIST">THE SOCIALIST</a></h4> - - -<p>Before the door of a white canteen hidden among the thick vines of an -old vineyard, in the shade of a canopy of vine branches interspersed -with morning glory and small Chinese roses, at a table on which stood a -decanter of wine, sat Vincenzo, a painter, with Giovanni, a locksmith. -The painter is a small man, thin and dark; his eyes are lit with the -soft, musing smile of a dreamer. His upper lip and cheeks have the -appearance of having been recently shaved, but his smile makes him look -very young, almost childlike. He has a small, pretty mouth like that of -a girl; his wrists are slender, and in his nimble fingers he twists a -yellow rose, pressing it to his full lips and closing his eyes.</p> - -<p>"Perhaps so. I don't know; perhaps so," he says quietly, shaking his -head, which has hollows at the temples. Dark curls fall over his high -forehead.</p> - -<p>"Yes, yes, the farther north one goes the more persistent are the -people," asserts Giovanni, a broad-shouldered fellow with a large head -and black curls. His face is copper-coloured, his nose sunburnt and -covered with white scales of dead skin. His eyes are large and gentle -like those of an ox, and there is a finger missing from his left hand. -His speech is as slow as the movements of his hands, which are stained -with oil and iron dust. Grasping his wineglass in his dark fingers, the -nails of which are chipped and broken, he continues in his deep voice:</p> - -<p>"Milan, Turin—there are splendid workshops there in which new people -are being made, where a new brain is growing. Wait a little while and -the world will become honest and wise!"</p> - -<p>"Yes," said the little painter; and he lifted his glass, trying to -catch a sunbeam in the wine, and sang:</p> - -<p style="margin-left: 10%;"> -"When we are young<br /> -How high the heart aspires!<br /> -How Time hath slaked its fires<br /> -When we are old!"<br /> -</p> - -<p>"The farther north one goes, I say, the better is the work. The -French, for instance, do not lead such a lazy life as we do. Farther -on, there are the Germans, and last of all the Russians: they are men -if you like!"</p> - -<p>"Quite true."</p> - -<p>"Having no rights and no fear of being deprived of their freedom -and life, they have done grand work: it is owing to them that the whole -East has awakened to life."</p> - -<p>"The county of heroes," said the painter, inclining his head. "I should -like to live amongst them."</p> - - -<p>"Would you?" exclaimed the locksmith, striking his knee with his fist. -"You would turn into a piece of ice there in a week!"</p> - - -<p>They both laughed good humouredly.</p> - - -<p>Around them there are blue and golden flowers; sunbeams tremble in the -air; in the transparent glass of the decanter and the tumblers the wine -seems to be on fire. From afar comes the soft murmur of the sea.</p> - - -<p>"Well, my good Vincenzo," said the locksmith, with a broad smile. "Tell -me in verse how I became a socialist. Do you know how it happened?"</p> - - -<p>"No," said the painter, filling the glasses with wine and smiling at -the red stream. "You have never told me. This skin fits your bones so -well that I thought you were born in it!"</p> - - -<p>"I was born naked and stupid, like you and everybody else; in my youth -I dreamed of a rich wife; when I was a soldier I studied in order to -pass the examination for an officer's rank. I was twenty-three when I -felt that all was not as it should be in this world, and that it was a -shame to live as if it were, like a fool."</p> - - -<p>The painter rested his elbows on the table and, raising his head, gazed -at the mountains where, on the very edge of the precipice, moving their -large branches, stood huge pine-trees.</p> - - -<p>"We, our whole regiment, were sent to Bologna. The peasantry there -were in revolt, some demanding that the rent of land should be -lowered, others shouting about the necessity for raising wages: both -parties seemed to be in the wrong. 'To lower rents and increase -wages, what nonsense!' thought I. 'That would ruin the landowners.' -To me, who was a town-dweller, it seemed utter foolishness. I was -very indignant—the heat helped to make one so, and the constant -travelling from place to place and the mounting guard at night. For, -you know, these fine fellows were breaking the machinery belonging to -the landowners; and it pleased them to burn the corn and to try to -spoil everything that did not belong to them. Just think of it!"</p> - - -<p>He sipped his wine and, becoming more animated, went on:</p> - - -<p>"They roamed about the fields in droves like sheep, always silently, -but threateningly and as if they meant business. We used to scatter -them, threatening them with our bayonets sometimes. Now and then we -struck them with the butts of our rifles. Without showing much fear, -they dispersed in leisurely fashion, but always came together again. -It was a tedious business, like mass, and it lasted for days, like an -attack of fever. Luoto, our non-commissioned officer, a fine fellow -from Abruzzi, himself a peasant, was anxious and troubled: he turned -quite yellow and thin, and more than once he said to us:</p> - - -<p>"'It's a bad business, boys; it will probably be necessary to shoot, -damn it!'</p> - - -<p>"His grumbling upset us still more; and then, you know, from every -corner, from every hillock and tree we could see peeping the obstinate -heads of the peasants; their angry eyes seemed to pierce us. For these -people, naturally enough, did not regard us in a very friendly light."</p> - - -<p>"Drink," said little Vincenzo cordially, pushing a full glass towards -his friend.</p> - - -<p>"Thank you. Long live the people who persist!" exclaimed the locksmith -in his bass voice. He emptied the glass, wiped his moustache with his -hands, and continued:</p> - - -<p>"Once I stood on a small hillock near an olive grove, guarding some -trees which the peasants had been injuring. At the bottom of the hill -two men were at work, an old man and a youth. They were digging a -ditch. It was very hot, the sun burnt like fire, one felt irritable, -longed to be a fish, and I remember I eyed them angrily. At noon they -both left off work, and got out some bread and cheese and a jug of -wine. 'Oh, devil take them!' thought I to myself. Suddenly the old man, -who previously had not once looked at me, said something to the youth, -who shook his head disapprovingly, but the old man shouted:</p> - - -<p>'Go on!' He said this very sternly.</p> - - -<p>"The youth came up to me with the jug in his hand, and said, not very -willingly, you know:</p> - - -<p>"'My father thinks that you would like a drink and offers you some -wine.'</p> - - -<p>"I felt embarrassed, but I was pleased. I refused, nodding at the same -time to the old man and thanking him. He responded by looking at the -sky.</p> - - -<p>"'Drink it, signor, drink it. We offer this to you as a man, not as a -soldier. We do not expect a soldier to become kinder because he has -drunk our wine!'</p> - - -<p>"'D—you, don't get nasty,' I thought to myself, and having drunk -about three mouthfuls I thanked him. Then they began to eat down below. -A little later I was relieved by Ugo from Salertino. I told him quietly -that these two peasants were good fellows. The same night, as I stood -at the door of a barn where the machinery was kept a slate fell on my -head from the roof—it did not do much damage, but another slate, -striking my shoulder edgewise, hurt me so severely that my left arm -dropped benumbed."</p> - -<p>The locksmith burst into a loud laugh, his mouth wide open, his eyes -half-closed.</p> - - -<p>"Slates, stones, sticks," said he, through his laughter, "in those -days and at that place were alive. This independent action of lifeless -things made some pretty big bumps on our heads. Wherever a soldier -stood or walked, a stick would suddenly fly at him from the ground, -or a stone fall upon him from the sky. It made us savage, as you can -guess."</p> - -<p>The eyes of the little painter became sad, his face turned pale and he -said quietly:</p> - - -<p>"One always feels ashamed to hear of such things."</p> - - -<p>"What is one to do? People take time to get wise. Then I called for -help. I was led into a house where another fellow lay, his face cut by -a stone. When I asked him how it happened he said, smiling, but not -with mirth:</p> - - -<p>"'An old woman, comrade, an old grey witch struck me, and then -proposed that I should kill her!'</p> - - -<p>"'Was she arrested?'</p> - - -<p>"'I said that I had done it myself, that I had fallen and hurt myself. -The commander did not believe it, I could see it by his eyes. But, -don't you see, it was awkward to confess that I had been wounded by an -old woman. Eh? The devil! Of course they are hard pressed and one can -understand that they do not love us!'</p> - - -<p>"'H'm!' thought I. The doctor came and two ladies with him, one of -them fair and very pretty, evidently a Venetian. I don't remember the -other. They looked at my wound. It was slight, of course. They applied -a poultice and went away."</p> - - -<p>The locksmith frowned, became silent and rubbed his hands hard; his -companion filled the glasses again with wine; as he lifted the decanter -the wine seemed to dance in the air like a live red fire.</p> - - -<p>"We used both to sit at the window," continued the locksmith darkly. -"We sat in such a way that the light did not fall on us, and there -once we heard the charming voice of this fair lady. She and her -companion were walking with the doctor in the garden outside the window -and talking in French, which I understand very well.</p> - - -<p>"'Did you notice the colour of his eyes?' she asked. 'He is a peasant -of course, and once he has taken off his uniform will no doubt become -a socialist, like they all are here. People with eyes like that want -to conquer the whole world, to reconstruct the whole of life, to drive -us out, to destroy us in order that some blind, tedious justice should -triumph!'</p> - - -<p>"'Foolish fellows,' said the doctor-'half children, half brutes.'</p> - - -<p>"'Brutes, that is quite true. But what is there childish about them?'</p> - - -<p>"'What about those dreams of universal equality?'</p> - - -<p>"'Yes, just imagine it. The fellow with the eyes of an ox and the other -with the face of a bird our equals! You, she and I their equals, the -equals of these people of inferior blood! People who can be bidden to -come and kill their fellows, who are brutes like them....'</p> - - -<p>"She spoke much and vehemently. I listened and thought:</p> - - - -<p>"'Quite right, signora.' I had seen her more than once, and you know of -course that no one dreams more ardently of a woman than a soldier. I -imagined her to be kind and clever and warmhearted; and at that time I -had an idea that the landed nobility were especially clever, or gifted, -or something of the kind. I don't know why!</p> - - -<p>"I asked my comrade:</p> - - -<p>"'Do you understand this language?'</p> - - -<p>"No, he did not understand. Then I translated for him the fair lady's -speech. The fellow got as angry as the devil, and started to jump about -the room, his one eye glistening—the other was bandaged.</p> - - -<p>"'Is that so?' he murmured. 'Is that possible? She makes use of me and -does not look upon me as a man. For her sake I allow my dignity to be -offended and she denies it. For the sake of guarding her property I -risk losing my soul.'</p> - - -<p>"He was not a fool and felt that he had been very much insulted, and so -did I. The following day we talked about this lady in a loud voice, -not heeding Luoto, who only muttered:</p> - - -<p>"'Be more careful, boys; don't forget that you are soldiers, and that -there is such a thing as discipline.'</p> - - -<p>"No, we did not forget it. But many of us, almost all, to tell you the -truth, became deaf and blind, and these young peasants made use of our -deafness and blindness to very good purpose. They won. They treated -us very well indeed. The fair lady could have learnt from them: for -instance, they could have taught her very convincingly how honest -people should be valued. When we left the place whither we had come -with the idea of shedding blood, many of us were given flowers. As we -marched along the streets of the village not stones and slates but -flowers were thrown at us, my friend. I think we had deserved it. One -may forget a cool reception when one has received such a good send-off!"</p> - - -<p>He laughed heartily, then said:</p> - - -<p>"That is what you should turn into verse, Vincenzo."</p> - - -<p>The painter replied with a pensive smile:</p> - - -<p>"Yes, it's a good subject for a small poem. I think I may be able to -do something with it. But when a man is over twenty-five he is a poor -lyric poet."</p> - - -<p>He threw away the crumpled flower, picked another and, looking round, -continued quietly:</p> - - -<p>"When one has covered the road from mother's breast to the breast of -one's sweetheart, one must go on to another kind of happiness."</p> - - -<p>The locksmith became silent, tilting his wine in the glass.</p> - - -<p>Below them the sea murmurs softly; in the hot air above the vineyards -floats the perfume of flowers.</p> - - -<p>"It is the sun that makes us so lazy and good-for-nothing," murmured -the locksmith.</p> - - -<p>"I don't seem to be able to manage lyric verse satisfactorily now. I am -rather sick about it," said Vincenzo quietly, knitting his thin brows.</p> - - -<p>"Have you written anything lately?"</p> - - -<p>The painter did not reply at once.</p> - - -<p>"Yes, yesterday I wrote something on the roof of the Hotel Como."</p> - - -<p>And he read in a low tone and pensive and sing-song manner:</p> - - -<p style="margin-left: 10%;"> -"The autumn sun falls softly, taking leave,<br /> -And lights the greyness of the lonely shore.<br /> -The greedy waves o'erlip the scattered stones<br /> -And lick the sun into the cold blue sea.<br /> -The autumn wind goes gleaning yellow leaves,<br /> -To toss them idly in the blust'ring air.<br /> -Pale is the sky, and wild the angry sea,<br /> -The sun still faintly smiles, and sinks, and sets."<br /> -</p> - -<p>They were both silent for a time. The painter's head had sunk and his -eyes were fixed on the ground. The big, burly locksmith smiled and said -at last:</p> - -<p>"One can speak in a beautiful way about everything, but what is most -beautiful of all is a word about a good man, a song of good people."</p> - - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<h4><a name="THE_HUNCHBACK" id="THE_HUNCHBACK">THE HUNCHBACK</a></h4> - - -<p>The sun, like a golden rain, streams down through the dark curtain of -vine leaves on to the terrace of the hotel; it is as if golden threads -were strung in the air.</p> - -<p>On the grey pavement and on the white table-cloths the shadows make -strange designs, and it seems as though, if one looked long at them, -one might learn to read them as one reads poetry, one might learn the -meaning of it all. Bunches of grapes gleam in the sun, like pearls or -the strange dull stone olivine, and the water in the decanter on the -table sparkles like blue diamonds.</p> - -<p>In the passage between the tables lies a round lace handkerchief, -dropped, without a doubt, by a woman divinely fair—it cannot be -otherwise, one cannot think otherwise on this sultry day full of -glowing poetry, a day when everything banal and commonplace becomes -invisible and hides from the sun, as if ashamed of itself.</p> - -<p>All is quiet, save for the twitter of the birds in the garden and -the humming of the bees as they hover over the flowers. From the -vineyards on the mountain-side the sounds of a song float on the hot -air and reach the ear: the singers are a man and a woman. Each verse -is separated from the others by a moment's pause, and this interval of -silence lends a special expression to the song, giving it something of -the character of a prayer.</p> - -<p>A lady comes from the garden and ascends the broad marble steps; she is -old and very tall. Her dark face is serious; her brows are contracted -in a deep frown, and her thin lips are tightly compressed, as if she -had just said:</p> - -<p>"No!"</p> - -<p>Round her spare shoulders is a long, broad, gold-coloured scarf edged -with lace, which looks almost like a mantle. The grey hair of her -little head, which is too small for her size, is covered with black -lace. In one hand she carries a long-handled red sunshade, in the other -a black velvet bag embroidered in silver. She walks as firmly as a -soldier through the web of sunbeams, tapping the noisy pavement with -the end of her sunshade.</p> - -<p>Her profile is the very picture of sternness: her nose is aquiline -and on the end of her sharp chin grows a large grey wart; her rounded -forehead projects over dark hollows where, in a network of wrinkles, -her eyes are hidden. They are hidden so deep that the woman appears -almost blind.</p> - -<p>On the steps behind her, swaying from side to side like a duck, appears -noiselessly the square body of a hunchback with a large, heavy, -forward-hanging head, covered with a grey soft hat. His hands are in -the pockets of his waistcoat, which makes him look broader and more -angular still. He wears a white suit and white boots with soft soles. -His weak mouth is half open, disclosing prominent, yellow and uneven -teeth. The dark moustache which grows on his upper lip is unsightly, -for the bristles are sparse and wiry. He breathes quickly and heavily. -His nostrils quiver but the moustache does not move. He moves his short -legs jerkily as he walks. His large eyes gaze languidly, as if tired, -at the ground; and on his small body are displayed many large things: -a large gold ring with a cameo on the first finger of his left hand, -a large golden charm with two rubies at the end of a black ribbon fob, -and a large—a too large—opal, an unlucky stone, in his blue necktie.</p> - -<p>A third figure follows them leisurely along the terrace. It is that -of another old woman, small and round, with a kind red face and quick -eyes: she is, one may guess, of an amiable and talkative disposition.</p> - -<p>They walk across the terrace through the hotel doorway, looking like -people out of a picture of Hogarth's—sad, ugly, grotesque, unlike -anything else under the sun. Everything seems to grow dark and dim in -their presence.</p> - -<p>They are Dutch people, brother and sister, the children of a diamond -merchant and banker. Their life has been full of strange events if one -may believe what is lightly said of them.</p> - -<p>As a child, the hunchback was quiet, self-contained, always musing, -and not fond of toys. This attracted no special attention from anybody -except his sister. His father and mother thought that was how a -deformed boy should be; but in the girl, who was four years older than -her brother, his character aroused a feeling of anxiety.</p> - -<p>Almost every day she was with him, trying in all possible ways to -awaken in him some animation. To make him laugh she would push toys -towards him. He piled them one on top of another, building a sort of -pyramid. Only very rarely did he reward her efforts with a forced -smile; as a rule he looked at his sister, as at everything else, with a -forlorn look in his large eyes which seemed to suffer from some strange -kind of blindness. This look chilled her ardour and irritated her.</p> - -<p>"Don't dare to look at me like that! You will grow up an idiot!" she -shouted, stamping her foot. And she would pinch him and beat him. He -whimpered and put up his long arms to guard his head, but he never ran -away from her and never complained.</p> - -<p>Later on, when she thought that he could understand what had become -quite clear to her she kept saying to him:</p> - -<p>"Since you are a freak, you must be clever, or else everybody will be -ashamed of you, father, mother, and everybody! Even other people will -be ashamed that in such a rich house there should be a freak. In a rich -house everything must be beautiful and clever. Do you understand that?"</p> - -<p>"Yes," said he, in his serious way, inclining his large head towards -one side and looking into her face with his dark, lifeless <i>eyes.</i></p> - -<p>His father and mother were pleased with this attitude of their daughter -towards her brother. They praised her good heart in his presence and -by degrees she became the acknowledged guardian of the hunchback. She -taught him to play with toys, helped him to prepare his lessons, read -him stories about princes and fairies.</p> - -<p>But, as formerly, he piled his toys in tall heaps, as if trying to -reach something. He did his lessons carelessly and badly; but at the -marvellous in tales he smiled in a curious, indecisive way, and once he -asked his sister:</p> - -<p>"Are princes ever hunchbacks?"</p> - -<p>"No."</p> - -<p>"And knights?"</p> - -<p>"Of course not."</p> - -<p>The boy sighed, as though tired; but putting her hand on his bristly -hair his sister said:</p> - -<p>"But wise wizards are always hunchbacks."</p> - -<p>"That means that I shall be a wizard," submissively remarked the -hunchback, and then, after pondering a while, he said:</p> - -<p>"Are fairies always beautiful?"</p> - -<p>"Always."</p> - -<p>"Like you?"</p> - -<p>"Perhaps. I think they are even more beautiful," she said frankly.</p> - -<p>When he was eight years old his sister noticed that when, during -their walks, they passed houses in course of construction a strange -expression of astonishment always appeared on the boy's face; he would -look intently at the people working and then turn his expressionless -eyes questioningly to her.</p> - -<p>"Does that interest you?" she asked. And he, who spoke little as a -rule, replied:</p> - -<p>"Yes."</p> - -<p>"Why?"</p> - -<p>"I don't know."</p> - -<p>But once he explained:</p> - -<p>"Such little people, and such small bricks, and the houses are so -big.... Is the whole town made like that?"</p> - -<p>"Yes, of course."</p> - -<p>"And our house?"</p> - -<p>"Of course."</p> - -<p>Looking at him she said in a decisive manner:</p> - -<p>"You will be a famous architect, that's it."</p> - -<p>They bought a lot of wooden cubes for him, and from that time on an -ardent passion for building took possession of him: for whole days he -would sit silently on the floor of his room, building tall towers, -which fell down with a crash, only to be built again. So constant did -his preoccupation become that even at table, during dinner, he used to -try to build things with the knives and forks and napkin rings. His -eyes became deeper and more concentrated, his arms more agile and very -restless, and he handled every object that came within his reach.</p> - -<p>Now, during their walks in the town, he was ready to stand for hours in -front of a building in construction, observing how from a small thing -it grew huge, rising towards the sky. His nostrils quivered as they -took in the smell of the brick dust and lime. His eyes became clouded, -as if covered with a film, and he seemed deeply engrossed in thought. -When he was told that it was not the proper thing to stand in the -street he did not hear.</p> - -<p>"Let us go!" His sister would rouse him, taking his arm.</p> - -<p>He lowered his head and walked on, but kept looking back over his -shoulder.</p> - -<p>"You will become an architect, won't you?" she asked him repeatedly, -trying to inculcate this idea in him.</p> - -<p>"Yes."</p> - -<p>Once after dinner, while waiting for the coffee in the sitting-room, -the father remarked that it was time for him to leave his toys and -begin to study in real earnest, but the sister, speaking in a tone -which indicated that her authority was recognised, and that her opinion -too had to be reckoned with, said:</p> - -<p>"I hope, papa, that you will not send him to school."</p> - -<p>The father, who was tall, clean-shaven and adorned with a large number -of sparkling precious stones, replied, lighting his cigar:</p> - -<p>"Why not?"</p> - -<p>"You know why."</p> - -<p>As the conversation turned upon the hunchback he quietly walked out of -the room; but he walked slowly and heard his sister say:</p> - -<p>"They will jeer at him."</p> - -<p>"Yes, of course," said the mother, in a low tone, which sounded as -cheerless as the autumn wind.</p> - -<p>"Boys such as he should be kept in the background," his sister said -fervently.</p> - -<p>"Yes, he is nothing to be proud of," said the mother. "There is not -much sense in his little head."</p> - -<p>"Perhaps you are right," the father agreed.</p> - -<p>"No, there's a lot of sense."</p> - -<p>The hunchback came back, stopped in the doorway and said:</p> - -<p>"I am not a fool either."</p> - -<p>"We shall see," said the father; and his mother remarked:</p> - -<p>"No one thinks anything of the sort."</p> - -<p>"You will study at home," declared his sister, making him sit down by -her side.</p> - -<p>"You will study everything that it is necessary for an architect to -know. Would you like that?"</p> - -<p>"Yes, you will see."</p> - -<p>"What shall I see?"</p> - -<p>"What I like."</p> - -<p>She was slightly taller than he, about half a head, but she domineered -over everybody, even her father and mother. At that time she was -fifteen; he resembled a crab, but she was slim and straight and -strong and seemed to him a fairy, under whose power the whole house -lived—even he, the little hunchback.</p> - -<p>Polite, formal people came to him, explaining things and putting -questions to him. But he confessed frankly that he did not understand -what they were trying to teach him, and would look in an absent-minded -way past his instructors, preoccupied with his own thoughts. It was -clear to everybody that he took no interest in ordinary things. He -spoke little, but sometimes he asked strange questions.</p> - -<p>"What happens to those who don't want to do anything at all?"</p> - -<p>The well-trained tutor, in his tightly buttoned black frock-coat—he -resembled at once a priest and a soldier—replied: "Everything bad -happens to such people, anything that you can imagine. For instance, -many of them become socialists."</p> - -<p>"Thank you," said the hunchback. His attitude towards his teachers was -always correct and reserved, like that of an adult. "And what is a -socialist?" "At best he is a dreamer and a lazy fellow—a moral freak -who is deprived of all idea of God, property and nationality."</p> - -<p>The teachers always replied briefly and to the point. Their answers -fixed themselves in one's memory as tightly as if they were the stones -of a pavement.</p> - -<p>"Can an old woman also be a moral freak?"</p> - -<p>"Of course in their midst——"</p> - -<p>"And girls too?"</p> - -<p>"Yes, it is an inborn quality."</p> - -<p>The teachers said of him:</p> - -<p>"He has little capacity for mathematics, but he shows great interest in -moral questions."</p> - -<p>"You speak too much," said his sister to him on hearing of his talks -with the tutors.</p> - -<p>"They talk more than I do."</p> - -<p>"You pray very little to God."</p> - -<p>"He won't set my hump right."</p> - -<p>"Oh, is that how you are beginning to think!" exclaimed his sister in -astonishment; and she warned him:</p> - -<p>"I will excuse you this time, but don't entertain such thoughts again. -Do you hear?"</p> - -<p>"Yes."</p> - -<p>She already wore long dresses; he was then just thirteen.</p> - -<p>And now a number of annoyances began to fall to her lot: almost every -time she entered her brother's work-room, boards and tools and blocks -of all sorts fell at her feet, grazing her shoulder, her head, or -hurting her hands. The hunchback always cautioned her by a cry of:</p> - -<p>"Look out!"</p> - -<p>But he was always too slow and the damage was done. Once, limping -slightly, pale and very angry, she sprang at him, and shouted in his -face:</p> - -<p>"You do all this purposely, you freak," and she struck him in the face.</p> - -<p>His legs were weak, he fell down, and, as he sat on the floor, quietly, -without tears and without complaining, he said to her:</p> - -<p>"How can you think that? You love me, don't you? Do you love me?"</p> - -<p>She ran away groaning. Presently she came back.</p> - -<p>"You see this never happened formerly," she explained.</p> - -<p>"Nor this," he quietly remarked, making a wide circle with his -long hand: in the corners of the room boards and boxes were heaped -up; everything was in confusion; there were piles of wood on the -carpenter's and turner's benches which stood against the wall.</p> - -<p>"Why have you brought in all this rubbish?" she asked, looking -doubtfully and squeamishly around.</p> - -<p>"You will see."</p> - -<p>He had begun to build, he had made a little rabbit hutch and a dog -kennel. He was planning a rat-trap. His sister followed his work with -interest and at table spoke proudly to his mother and father about it. -His father, nodding his head approvingly, said:</p> - -<p>"Everything springs from small beginnings and everything begins like -that."</p> - -<p>And his mother, embracing her, said to her son:</p> - -<p>"You don't realise how much you owe to her care of you."</p> - -<p>"Yes, I do," replied the hunchback.</p> - -<p>When he had finished the rat-trap he asked his sister into his room and -showed her the clumsy contrivance, saying:</p> - -<p>"This is not a toy, mind you, and we can take out a patent for it. See -how simple and strong it is; touch it here."</p> - -<p>The girl touched it; something snapped and she screamed wildly; but the -hunchback, dancing around her, muttered:</p> - -<p>"Oh, not that, not that."</p> - -<p>His mother ran up, and the servants came; they broke the rat-trap, and -freed the girl's finger, which had turned quite blue. They carried her -away fainting, and the boy's mother said to him:</p> - -<p>"I will have everything thrown away. I forbid you."</p> - -<p>At night he was asked to go to his sister, who said to him:</p> - -<p>"You did it purposely. You hate me. What for?"</p> - -<p>Moving his hunch he said quietly and calmly:</p> - -<p>"You touched it with the wrong hand."</p> - -<p>"That's a lie."</p> - -<p>"But why should I hurt your hand? It is not even the hand you hit me -with."</p> - -<p>"Look out, you freak, I'll pay you out."</p> - -<p>"I know."</p> - -<p>There were no signs that he pitied his sister or looked upon himself as -being to blame for her misfortune. His angular face was as calm as it -always was, the expression of his eyes was serious and steady—it was -impossible to believe that he could lie or be actuated by malice.</p> - -<p>After that she did not go so often to his room. She was visited by -her friends, chattering girls in bright coloured dresses, as noisy as -so many crickets. They brought a welcome note of colour and gaiety -to the large rooms, which were rather cold and gloomy—the pictures, -the statues, the flowers, the gilt, everything seemed warmer in their -presence. Sometimes his sister took them to his room. They affectedly -held out their little pink-nailed fingers, taking his hand gingerly -as if they were afraid of breaking it. They talked to him very nicely -and pleasantly, looking a little astonished, but showing no particular -interest in the little hunchback, busy in the midst of tools, drawings, -pieces of wood and shavings. He knew that the girls called him "the -inventor." His sister had impressed this idea upon them and told them -that in the future something might be expected of him which would make -the name of his father famous. His sister spoke of this with conviction.</p> - -<p>"Of course he is ugly, but he is very clever," she reminded them very -often.</p> - -<p>She was nineteen years old, and had a sweetheart, when her father and -mother both perished at sea. The yacht in which they were taking a -pleasure trip was run down and sunk by an American cargo boat in charge -of a drunken helmsman. She was to have accompanied them, but a sudden -toothache had prevented her going.</p> - -<p>When the news came of her father's and mother's death she forgot her -tooth-ache, and rushed about the room throwing up her arms and crying:</p> - -<p>"No, no; it cannot be."</p> - -<p>The hunchback stood at the door and, wrapping the portiere round him, -looked at her closely and said, shaking his hunch:</p> - -<p>"Father was so round and hollow; I don't see how he could be drowned."</p> - -<p>"Be quiet; you do not love anybody!" shouted his sister.</p> - -<p>"I simply cannot say nice words," he replied.</p> - -<p>The father's corpse was never found, but the mother had been killed -in the moment of the collision. Her body was recovered and laid in -a coffin, looking as lean and brittle as the dead branch of an old -tree—just as she had looked when she was alive.</p> - -<p>"Now you and I are left alone," the sister said to her brother sternly, -but in a mournful voice, after the mother's funeral; and the cold look -in her grey eyes daunted him. "It will be hard for us: we are ignorant -of the world and may lose much. What a pity it is that I cannot get -married at once."</p> - -<p>"Oh!" exclaimed the hunchback.</p> - -<p>"What do you mean by 'Oh'?"</p> - -<p>He said, after thinking a while:</p> - -<p>"We are alone."</p> - -<p>"You seem to speak as if you rejoiced at it."</p> - -<p>"I do not rejoice at anything."</p> - -<p>"What a pity it is you are so little like a man."</p> - -<p>In the evenings her lover came—an active little man, with white -eyebrows and eyelashes, and a round sunburnt face relieved by a woolly -moustache. He laughed continuously the whole evening, and probably -could have laughed the whole day long. They were already engaged, and -a new house was being built for them in one of the best streets of the -town, the cleanest and the quietest. The hunchback had never seen this -building and did not like to hear others talk of it. One day the fiancé -slapped him on the shoulder with his plump and much beringed little -hand, and said, showing a great number of tiny teeth:</p> - -<p>"You ought to come and look over it, eh? What do you say?"</p> - -<p>He refused for a long time under different pretexts, but at last he -gave way and went with him and his sister. The two men climbed to -the top storey of the scaffolding and then fell. The fiancé dropped -plump to the ground into the lime-pit, but the brother, whose clothes -got caught in the scaffolding, hung in mid-air and was rescued by the -workmen. He had no worse than a dislocated leg and wrist and a badly -bruised face. The fiancé, on the other hand, broke his back and was -severely gashed in the side.</p> - -<p>The sister fell into convulsions, and tore at the ground with -her hands, raising little clouds of white dust. She wept almost -continuously for more than a month and then became like her mother. She -grew thin and haggard, and began to speak in a cold, expressionless -voice.</p> - -<p>"You are my misfortune," she said.</p> - -<p>He answered nothing, but kept his large eyes bent upon the ground. His -sister dressed herself in black, made her eyebrows meet in a line, and -whenever she met her brother clenched her teeth so that her jaw-bones -made sharp angles. He, on his part, tried to avoid meeting her eye and -was for ever busy planning and designing, alone in silence. So he -lived till he was of age, and then began between them an open struggle -to which their whole life was given, a struggle which bound them to -each other by the strong links of mutual insults and offences.</p> - -<p>On the day of his coming of age he said to her in the tone of an elder -brother:</p> - -<p>"There are no wise wizards, and no kind fairies. There are only men and -women, some of them wicked, others stupid, and everything that is said -about goodness is a myth. But I want the myth to become a reality. Do -you remember saying, 'In a rich house everything should be beautiful -and smart'? In a rich town also everything should be beautiful. I am -buying some land outside the town and am going to build a house there -for myself and for freaks like me. I shall take them out of the town, -where their life is almost unendurable and where it is unpleasant for -people like you to look upon them."</p> - -<p>"No," she said; "you certainly will not do that. It is a crazy idea."</p> - -<p>"It is your idea."</p> - -<p>They disputed about it in the coldly hostile manner in which two -people dispute who hate each other bitterly, and have no need to -disguise their hatred.</p> - -<p>"It is decided," he said.</p> - -<p>"Not by me," his sister replied.</p> - -<p>He raised his hunch and went off; and soon after his sister discovered -that the land had been bought and, what was more, that workmen were -already digging trenches for the foundation; that tens of thousands of -bricks were being carted, and stones and iron and wood.</p> - -<p>"Do you think you are still a boy?" she asked. "Do you think it is a -game?"</p> - -<p>He made no answer.</p> - -<p>Once a week his sister, lean and straight and proud, drove into the -town in her little carriage drawn by a white horse. She drove slowly -past the spot where the work was proceeding and looked coldly at the -red bricks, like little chunks of meat, held in place by a framework of -iron girders; yellow wood was being fitted into the ponderous mass like -a network of nerves. She saw in the distance her brother's crab-like -figure. He crawled about the scaffolding, stick in hand, a crumpled hat -upon his head. He was covered with dust and looked like a grey spider. -At home she gazed intently at his excited face and into his dark eyes, -which had become softer and clearer.</p> - -<p>"No," he said quietly to himself, "I have hit upon an idea: it should -be equally good for all concerned! It is wonderful work to build, and -it seems to me that I shall soon consider myself a happy man."</p> - -<p>"Happy?" she asked wonderingly, measuring with her eyes the hunchback's -body.</p> - -<p>"Yes, you know people who work are quite unlike us, they awaken new -thoughts in one.... How good it must be to be a bricklayer walking -through the streets of a town where he has built dozens of houses. -There are many socialists among the workers—steady, sober fellows, -first of all. Truly they have their own sense of dignity.... Sometimes -it seems to me that we don't understand our people."</p> - -<p>"You are talking strangely," she said.</p> - -<p>The hunchback was becoming animated, getting more and more talkative -every day.</p> - -<p>"In reality everything is turning out as you wished it: I am becoming -a wise wizard who frees the town from freaks. You could be a good fairy -if you wished. Why don't you help me?"</p> - -<p>"We will speak about it later," she said, playing with her gold -watch-chain.</p> - -<p>Once he spoke out in a language quite unfamiliar to her:</p> - -<p>"Maybe I have wronged you more than you have wronged me."</p> - -<p>She was astonished.</p> - -<p>"I wronged you?"</p> - -<p>"Wait a minute. Upon my word of honour I am not as guilty as you -think. I walk badly. I may have pushed him, but there was no malicious -intention. No, believe me. I am more guilty of having wanted to injure -your hand, the hand you hit me with."</p> - -<p>"Don't let us speak about that," she said.</p> - -<p>"It seems to me one ought to be kinder," muttered the hunchback. "I -think that goodness is not a myth—it is possible."</p> - -<p>The big building in the town grew rapidly; it had spread over the rich -soil and was rising towards the sky, which was always grey, always -threatening with rain.</p> - -<p>Once a little group of officials came to the place where the work was -proceeding. They examined the building and, after talking quietly among -themselves, gave orders to stop the work.</p> - -<p>"You have done this," exclaimed the hunchback, rushing at his sister -and clutching her throat with his long, nervous hands; but some men ran -up and pulled him away from her. The sister said to them:</p> - -<p>"You see, gentlemen, he is really abnormal, and must be looked after. -This sort of thing began immediately after the death of his father, -whom he loved passionately. Ask the servants: they all know of his -illness. They kept silence until latterly, these good people; the -honour of the house where many of them have lived since their childhood -is dear to them. I also tried to hide our misfortune. An insane brother -is not a thing to be proud of."</p> - -<p>His face turned purple and his eyes started out of their sockets as he -listened to this speech. He was dumbfounded, and silently scratched -with his nails the hands of those who held him while she continued:</p> - -<p>"This house was a ruinous enterprise. I intend to give it to the town, -in the name of my father, as an asylum for insane people."</p> - -<p>He shrieked, lost consciousness and was carried away.</p> - -<p>His sister continued the building with the same speed with which he had -been conducting it, and when the house was finished, the first patient -who went into it was her brother. Seven years he spent there—ample -time for him to develop melancholia and become an imbecile. His sister -turned old in the meantime. She lost all hope of ever becoming a -mother, and when at last she saw that he was vanquished and would not -rise against her she took him under her care.</p> - -<p>And now they are travelling all over the globe, hither and thither, -like blinded birds. They look on everything without sense or joy, and -see nothing anywhere except themselves.</p> - - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<h4><a name="ON_THE_STEAMER" id="ON_THE_STEAMER">ON THE STEAMER</a></h4> - - -<p>The blue water seems as thick as oil. The screw of the steamer works -softly, almost silently. One can detect no trembling of the deck and -the mast, pointing towards the clear sky, strains and quivers ever -so slightly. The rigging, taut as the strings of an instrument, hums -gently, but one has grown used to the vibration, and does not notice -it, and it seems as if the steamer—white and graceful as a swan—were -motionless on the smooth water. To perceive the motion one must look -over the gunwale, where a greenish wave retreats from the white side -of the steamer. It seems to fall away in broad soft folds, rolling and -glistening like quicksilver and splashing dreamily.</p> - -<p>It is morning. The sea seems half asleep. The rosy hues of sunrise have -not yet disappeared from the sky. We have just passed the island of -Gorgona, still slumbering. It is a stern, solitary rock, covered with -woods and surmounted by a round grey tower; a cluster of little white -houses can be seen at the edge of the sleepy water. A few small boats -are moving rapidly on either side of the steamer, rowed by people from -the island going to catch sardines. The measured splashing of the long -oars and the slim figures of the fishermen linger in the memory. The -men row standing and seem to be bowing to the sun.</p> - -<p>Behind the ship's stern is a broad streak of greenish foam. Above it -seagulls soar lazily. Now and then a bird seems to come from nowhere. -It flies noiselessly, stretched out like a cigar, and, after skimming -the surface of the water, suddenly darts into it like an arrow.</p> - -<p>In the distance, like a cloud from the sea, rises the coast-line of -Liguria, with its violet mountains. In another two or three hours the -steamer will enter the narrow harbour of the marble town of Genoa.</p> - -<p>The sun climbs higher and higher, promising a hot day.</p> - -<p>The stewards run up on to the deck; one of them is young, thin, and -quick in his movements, like a Neapolitan, with an ever-changing -expression on his mobile face; the other is a man of medium height, -with a grey moustache, black eyebrows, and silvery bristles on his -round skull. He has an aquiline nose and serious, intelligent eyes. -Laughing and joking they quickly lay the table for breakfast and -depart. Then one after another the passengers creep slowly from their -cabins. First comes a fat man with a small head and red bloated face; -he looks melancholy and his tired swollen red lips are half open. He is -followed by a tall, sleek man with grey side-whiskers, eyes that cannot -be seen, and a little nose that looks like a button on his flat yellow -face. After them, leaping over the brass rail of the companion-way, -comes a plump red-haired man, with a moustache curled in military -fashion; he is dressed like an Alpine mountaineer, and wears a green -feather in his hat. All three stop near the gunwale. The fat man, -half-closing his sad eyes, remarks:</p> - -<p>"How calm it is!"</p> - -<p>The man with the side-whiskers put his hands into his pockets, spread -out his legs, and stood there resembling a pair of open scissors. The -red-haired man took out his large gold watch, which looked like the -pendulum of a clock, looked at it, then at the sky and along the deck; -then he began to whistle, swinging his watch and beating time with his -foot.</p> - -<p>Two ladies came up, the younger, <i>embonpoint,</i> with a porcelain face -and amiable milky-blue eyes. Her dark brows seemed to have been -pencilled and one was higher than the other. The other was older, -sharp-featured, and her headdress of faded hair looked enormous. She -had a large black mole on her left cheek, two gold chains round her -neck, and a lorgnon and a number of trinkets hanging from the belt of -her grey dress.</p> - -<p>Coffee was served; the young lady sat down silently at the table and -began to pour out the black liquid, affectedly curving her arms, which -were bare to the elbow.</p> - -<p>The men came to the table and sat down in silence. The fat man took a -cup and said sighing:</p> - -<p>"It is going to be hot."</p> - -<p>"You are spilling it on to your knees," remarked the elder lady.</p> - -<p>He looked down, his chin and cheeks became puffed out as they rested on -his chest; he put his cup on the table, wiped drops of coffee off his -grey trousers with a handkerchief, and then wiped his face, which was -in a perspiration.</p> - -<p>"Yes," unexpectedly remarked the red-haired man in a loud voice, -shuffling his short legs. "Yes, yes, even if the Parties of the Left -have begun to complain about hooliganism it means——"</p> - -<p>"Don't chatter, John," interrupted the elder lady. "Isn't Lisa coming -out?"</p> - -<p>"She doesn't feel well," answered the younger lady in a sonorous voice.</p> - -<p>"But the sea is quite calm."</p> - -<p>"Oh, but when a woman is in her condition."</p> - -<p>The red-haired man smiled voluptuously and closed his eyes.</p> - -<p>Beyond the gunwale, breaking the calm expanse of the sea, porpoises -were making a commotion. The man with the side-whiskers, watching them -attentively, said:</p> - -<p>"The porpoises look like pigs."</p> - -<p>The red-haired man chimed in:</p> - -<p>"There is plenty of piggery here."</p> - -<p>The colourless lady raised a cup to her lips, smelt the coffee and made -a grimace.</p> - -<p>"It is disgusting."</p> - -<p>"And the milk, eh?" said the fat man, blinking and seeming ill at ease.</p> - -<p>The lady with the porcelain face said in a sing-song voice: "Everything -is very dirty, and they all look very much like Jews."</p> - -<p>The red-haired man was rapidly whispering something into the ear of -the man with the side-whiskers, as if he were giving replies to his -teacher, proud of having learnt his lesson well. His listener seemed -tickled, and betrayed curiosity. He wagged his head slightly from side -to side, and, in his fat face, his wide-open mouth looked like a hole -in a dried-up board. At times he seemed to want to say something and -began in a strange, hoarse voice:</p> - -<p>"In our province——"</p> - -<p>But without continuing he again attentively inclined his head to the -lips of the red-haired man.</p> - -<p>The fat man sighed heavily, saying:</p> - -<p>"How you buzz, John!"</p> - -<p>"Well, give me some coffee."</p> - -<p>He drew up to the table, causing a clatter, and his companion said -impressively:</p> - -<p>"John has ideas——"</p> - -<p>"You have not had enough sleep," said the elder lady, looking through -her lorgnon at the man with the side-whiskers. The latter passed his -hand over his face, then looked at his palm.</p> - -<p>"I seem to have got some powder on my face. Do you notice it?"</p> - -<p>"Oh, uncle," exclaimed the younger lady, "that is a peculiarity of -beautiful Italy! One's skin dries here so terribly!" The elder lady -inquired:</p> - -<p>"Do you notice, Lydia, how bad the sugar is here?"</p> - -<p>A man of large proportions came on deck. His grey, curly hair looked -like a cap. He had a big nose, merry eyes and a cigar between his lips. -The stewards who stood near the gunwale bowed reverently to him.</p> - -<p>"Good-morning, boys, good-morning," said he, in a loud, hoarse voice, -benevolently nodding his head.</p> - -<p>The Russians became silent, looking askance at the new-comer from time -to time. John of the military moustache said in a low voice:</p> - -<p>"A retired military man, one can see at once——"</p> - -<p>Noticing that he was being observed the grey-haired man took the cigar -from his mouth and bowed pleasantly to the Russians. The elder lady -threw back her head and, raising her lorgnon to her nose, looked at -him defiantly. The man with the moustache was embarrassed and, turning -away, took out his watch and began to swing it in the air. Only the fat -man acknowledged the greeting, pressing his chin against his chest. The -Italian became embarrassed in his turn. He pushed his cigar nervously -into a corner of his mouth and asked the middle-aged steward in a low -tone:</p> - -<p>"Are those Russians?"</p> - -<p>"Yes, sir: a Russian Governor and his family."</p> - -<p>"What kind faces they always have." "Very nice people."</p> - -<p>"The best of the Slavs of course."</p> - -<p>"They are a trifle careless I should say."</p> - -<p>"Careless? Why?"</p> - -<p>"It seems so to me—they are careless in their treatment of people."</p> - -<p>The fat Russian blushed and, smiling broadly, said in a subdued tone:</p> - -<p>"They are speaking about us."</p> - -<p>"What?" asked the elder lady, with a disdainful grimace.</p> - -<p>"They are saying we are the best of the Slavs," answered the fat man, -with a giggle.</p> - -<p>"They are such flatterers," declared the lady, but red-haired John put -away his watch and, twisting his moustache with both hands, said, in an -off-hand way:</p> - -<p>"They are all amazingly ignorant about everything that concerns us."</p> - -<p>"You are being praised," said the fat man, "and you say it is due -to ignorance." "Nonsense! That is not what I mean, but generally -speaking.... I know myself that we are the best of Slavs."</p> - -<p>The man with the side-whiskers, who for some time had been attentively -watching the porpoises at play, sighed and, shaking his head, remarked:</p> - -<p>"What a stupid fish!"</p> - -<p>Two more persons joined the greyhaired Italian: an old bespectacled man -in a black frock-coat and a pale youth with long hair, a high forehead -and dark eyebrows. They all stood at the gunwale about five yards from -the Russians; the grey-haired man said quietly:</p> - -<p>"When I see Russians I think of Messina."</p> - -<p>"Do you remember how we met the sailors at Naples?" asked the youth.</p> - -<p>"Yes, they will never forget that day in their forests!"</p> - -<p>"Have you seen the medal struck in their honour?"</p> - -<p>"I do not think much of the workmanship."</p> - -<p>"They are talking about Messina," the fat man informed his companions.</p> - -<p>"And they laugh!" exclaimed the younger lady. "It is amazing!"</p> - -<p>Seagulls overtook the steamer, and one of them, beating its crooked -wings, seemed to hang in the air over the gunwale; the younger lady -began to throw biscuits to it. The birds, in catching the pieces, -disappeared below the gunwale and then, shrieking greedily, rose -again in the blue void above the sea. Some coffee was brought to the -Italians: they also began to feed the birds, tossing up pieces of -biscuits. The lady raised her brows and said:</p> - -<p>"Look at the monkeys."</p> - -<p>The fat man continued to listen to the animated talk of the Italians -and presently said:</p> - -<p>"He is not a military man, he is a merchant. He talks about trading in -corn with us, and about being able to buy petroleum, timber and coal -from us."</p> - -<p>"I noticed at once that he was not a military man," said the elder lady.</p> - -<p>The red-haired man began again to speak into the ear of the man with -side-whiskers. The latter screwed up his mouth sceptically as he -listened to him. The young Italian, glancing sideways at the Russians, -said:</p> - -<p>"What a pity it is that we know so little about this country of big, -blue-eyed people!"</p> - -<p>The sun was now high in the sky and burning hotly; the sea glistened -and dazzled one. In the distance, on the port side, mountains and -clouds appeared out of the water.</p> - -<p>"Annette," said the man with the side-whiskers, his smile reaching -his ears, "just think what an idea has struck funny John! He has hit -upon the best way of ridding the villages of malcontents. It is very -ingenious."</p> - -<p>And rolling in his chair he related in a slow and halting manner, -as if he were translating from another language: "The idea is that -on holidays and market-days the local 'district chief' should get -together, at the public expense, a great quantity of stakes and stones; -and should then set out before the peasants, also at the public -expense, thirty, sixty, a hundred and fifty gallons of vodka, according -to the number of people. That is all that is wanted!"</p> - -<p>"I don't understand," declared the elder lady. "Is it a joke?"</p> - -<p>The red-haired man answered quickly:</p> - -<p>"No, it is quite serious. Just think of it, ma tante."</p> - -<p>The younger lady opened her eyes wide, and shrugged her shoulders.</p> - -<p>"What nonsense to let them drink Government vodka when they already.</p> - -<p>"No, wait a bit, Lydia," exclaimed the red-haired man, jumping up from -his chair. The man with the side-whiskers rocked from side to side, -laughing noiselessly with his mouth wide open.</p> - -<p>"Just think of it! The hooligans who don't succeed in getting dead -drunk will kill one another with the sticks and stones. Don't you see?"</p> - -<p>"Why one another?" asked the fat man.</p> - -<p>"Is it a joke?" inquired the elder lady again.</p> - -<p>The red-haired man waved his short arms excitedly and tried to explain.</p> - -<p>"When the authorities pacify them, the Parties of the Left cry out -about cruelty and atrocities. That means that a way must be found by -which they can pacify themselves. Don't you agree?" The steamer gave a -lurch and the crockery rattled. The plump lady was alarmed and caught -hold of the table; and the elder lady, laying her hand on the fat man's -shoulder, asked sharply:</p> - -<p>"What's that?"</p> - -<p>"We are turning."</p> - -<p>The coast, rising out of the water, becomes higher and more defined. -One can see the gardens on the slopes of the mist-enveloped hills and -mountains. Bluish boulders peep out from among the vineyards; white -houses appear through the haze. The window-panes glisten in the sun and -patches of bright colour greet the eye. Right on the water's edge, at -the foot of the cliffs, a little house faces the sea; it is overhung -with a thick mass of bright violet flowers. Above it, pouring like a -broad red stream over the stones of the terraces, is a profusion of -red geraniums. The colours are gay, the coast-line looks amiable and -hospitable. The soft contours of the mountains seem to entice one into -the shade of the gardens.</p> - -<p>"How small everything is here!" said the fat man, with a sigh. The -elder lady looked at him sharply; then, compressing her thin lips and -throwing back her head, gazed through her lorgnon at the coast.</p> - -<p>A number of dark-complexioned people in light costumes are now on deck, -talking loudly. The Russian ladies look at them disdainfully, as queens -on their subjects.</p> - -<p>"How they wave their arms," said the younger lady, and the fat man, -catching his breath, explained:</p> - -<p>"It is the fault of their language. It is poor and requires gestures."</p> - -<p>"O Lord!" said the elder lady, with a deep sigh. Then after a pause she -inquired:</p> - -<p>"Are there many museums in Genoa?"</p> - -<p>"I understand there are three," answered the fat man.</p> - -<p>"And a cemetery?" asked the younger lady.</p> - -<p>"Campo Santo? And churches, of course."</p> - -<p>"Are the cabmen as bad as in Naples?" "As bad as in Moscow."</p> - -<p>The red-haired man and the man with the side-whiskers rose and moved -away from the gunwale, talking together earnestly and interrupting one -another.</p> - -<p>"What is the Italian saying?" asked the lady, adjusting her gorgeous -headdress. Her elbows were pointed, her ears large and yellow, like -faded leaves. The fat man listened attentively and obediently to the -animated talk of the curly-headed Italian.</p> - -<p>"It seems that there is a very old law which forbids the Jews to enter -Moscow. It is no doubt a relic of former despotism, you know, of John -the Terrible. Even in England there are many obsolete laws unrepealed -even to this day. It may be that the Jew was trying to mislead me; -anyhow, for some reason or other he was not allowed to enter Moscow, -the ancient city of the Tsars, of sacred things."</p> - -<p>"But here in Rome the Mayor is a Jew—in Rome, which is more ancient -and more sacred than Moscow," said the youth, smiling.</p> - -<p>"And he gives the Pope some very shrewd knocks—the little tailor. -Let us wish him success in that," put in the old man in spectacles, -clapping his hands.</p> - -<p>"What is the old man saying?" asked the lady.</p> - -<p>"Just a minute! Some nonsense. They speak the Neapolitan dialect."</p> - -<p>"This Jew went to Moscow, however—they must have blood—and there he -goes to the house of a prostitute. It was the only place he could go -to, so he said."</p> - -<p>"A fairy tale!" said the old man decisively; and he waved his arm as if -brushing the tale aside.</p> - -<p>"To tell you the truth, I am of the same opinion."</p> - -<p>"Of course, it's a fable!"</p> - -<p>"And what was the sequel?" asked the youth.</p> - -<p>"He was betrayed by her to the police; but she took his money first."</p> - -<p>"What baseness," said the old man. "He is a man with a dirty -imagination, that's all. I know some Russians who were with me at the -University; they are fine fellows."</p> - -<p>"But listen to me. The strange thing was ..."</p> - -<p>"I have heard it said ..."</p> - -<p>The fat Russian, wiping his perspiring face with a handkerchief, said -to the ladies in an idle, indifferent tone:</p> - -<p>"He is telling a Jewish anecdote."</p> - -<p>"With such animation?" smiled the young lady; and the other remarked:</p> - -<p>"In these people, with their gestures and their noise, there is a -lack of variety." A town grows on the coast, houses rise from beyond -the hills and huddle close together, until they form a solid wall of -buildings which reflect the sunlight and look as if they were carved -out of ivory.</p> - -<p>"It is like Yalta," remarked the young lady, rising up. "I will go to -Lisa."</p> - -<p>She ambled her portly body, which was clothed in some bluish material, -slowly along the deck. As she passed the group of Italians the -grey-haired man interrupted his speech and said quietly:</p> - -<p>"What fine eyes!"</p> - -<p>"Yes," nodded the old man in spectacles. "Basilida, I imagine, must -have looked like that."</p> - -<p>"Basilida, the Byzantine?"</p> - -<p>"I picture her as a Slav woman."</p> - -<p>"They are saying something about Lydia," said the fat man.</p> - -<p>"What?" asked the lady. "No doubt some low jokes?"</p> - -<p>"About her eyes. They admire——"</p> - -<p>The lady made a grimace.</p> - -<p>The brasswork on the steamer glistened as, gently and rapidly, she -neared the shore. The black walls of the pier came in sight and, beyond -them, rising into the sky, a forest of masts. Here and there bright -coloured flags hung motionless; dark smoke ascended and seemed to melt -in the air; there was a smell of oil and coal dust; the noise of work -proceeding in the harbour and the complex bourdon note of a large town -reached the ear.</p> - -<p>The fat man suddenly burst out laughing.</p> - -<p>"What's the matter?" asked the lady, half-closing her grey, faded eyes.</p> - -<p>"The Germans will smash them up, by Jove! You will see it!"</p> - -<p>"Why should you rejoice at that?"</p> - -<p>"Just so."</p> - -<p>The man with the side-whiskers, examining the soles of his boots, asked -the red-haired man, speaking deliberately and in a loud voice:</p> - -<p>"Were you satisfied with this surprise or not?"</p> - -<p>The red-haired man twisted his moustache fiercely, and made no reply.</p> - -<p>The steamer slowed down. The green water splashed against the white -sides of the ship, as if in protest. It gave no reflection of the -marble houses, the high towers and the azure terraces. The black jaws -of the harbour opened, disclosing a thick scattering of ships.</p> - - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<h4>RUSSIAN TALES</h4> - - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<h4><a name="THE_PROFESSOR" id="THE_PROFESSOR">THE PROFESSOR</a></h4> - - -<p>The young man was ugly, and knew it. But he said to himself:</p> - -<p>"I am clever, am I not? I will become a sage. It is an easy matter here -in Russia."</p> - -<p>He began to read bulky works, for he was by no means stupid: he -understood that the presence of wisdom can most easily be proved by -quotations from books.</p> - -<p>Having read as many wise books as were necessary to make him -short-sighted, he proudly held up his nose, which had become red from -the weight of the spectacles, and declared to the world at large:</p> - -<p>"Well, you won't deceive me. I see that life is a trap, put here for me -by nature."</p> - -<p>"And love?" asked the Spirit of Life.</p> - -<p>"No, I thank you. Praise be to God, I am not a poet. I will not enter -the iron cage of inevitable duties for the sake of a piece of cheese."</p> - -<p>But he was only moderately talented, and so he decided to take up the -duties of a professor of philosophy.</p> - -<p>He went to the Minister of Popular Education and said to him:</p> - -<p>"Your Excellency, I can preach that life is meaningless, and that one -should not submit to the dictates of nature."</p> - -<p>The Minister considered a while whether that would do, then asked:</p> - -<p>"Should the orders of the authorities be obeyed?"</p> - -<p>"Most decidedly," said the philosopher, reverently inclining his head, -which the study of so many books had rendered bald. "Since human -passions——"</p> - -<p>"Very well, you may have the chair. Your salary will be sixteen roubles -a month. But should I require you to take into consideration the laws -of nature, take care, have no opinions of your own. I shall not put up -with that."</p> - -<p>After thinking for some moments the Minister added, in a melancholy -voice: "We live at a time when, for the sake of the unity of the state, -it will perhaps be necessary to recognise that the laws of nature not -only exist, but that they may to a certain extent prove useful."</p> - -<p>"Just think of it!" exclaimed the philosopher to himself. "Even I may -live to see it." But aloud he said nothing.</p> - -<p>So he settled down to his work: every week he ascended the rostrum and -spoke for an hour to curly-headed youths in this strain:</p> - -<p>"Gentlemen, man is limited from without, he is limited from within. -Nature is antagonistic to him. Woman is a blind tool of Nature. All our -life, therefore, is meaningless."</p> - -<p>He had grown accustomed to think like this himself, and often in his -enthusiasm he spoke eloquently and well. The young students were -enthusiastic in their applause. He, pleased with himself, nodded -his bald head and smiled at them kindly. His little nose shone, and -everything went on smoothly.</p> - -<p>Dining at a restaurant disagreed with him—like all pessimists he -suffered from indigestion—so he got married and ate his dinners at -home for twenty-nine years. In between his work—he had not noticed -how—he brought up four children. Then he died.</p> - -<p>Behind his coffin solemnly walked his three grief-stricken daughters -with their young husbands, and his son, a poet, who was in love with -all the beautiful women in the world. The students sang: "Eternal -Memory." They sang loudly and with animation, but badly. Over his grave -his colleagues, the professors, made flowery speeches, referring to -the well-ordered metaphysics of the departed; everything was done in -correct style; it was solemn, and at times even touching.</p> - -<p>"Well, the old man is dead," said a student to his comrades as they -were leaving the cemetery.</p> - -<p>"He was a pessimist," chimed in another.</p> - -<p>A third one asked:</p> - -<p>"Is that so?"</p> - -<p>"Yes, a pessimist and a conservative." "What, the bald-headed one was? -I had not noticed it."</p> - -<p>The fourth student was a poor man, and he inquired expectantly:</p> - -<p>"Shall we be invited to the obituary feast?"</p> - -<p>Yes, they had been invited.</p> - -<p>During his lifetime the deceased had written a number of excellent -books, in which he proved, in glowing and beautiful language, the -vanity of life. Needless to say, the books were bought and read with -pleasure. Whatever may be said to the contrary, man likes what is -beautiful.</p> - -<p>His family was well provided for—even pessimism can achieve that.</p> - -<p>The obituary feast was arranged on a large scale. The poor student had -a good meal, such as he seldom had, and as he went home he thought, -smiling good-humouredly:</p> - -<p>"Well, even pessimism is useful at times."</p> - - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<h4><a name="THE_POET" id="THE_POET">THE POET</a></h4> - - -<p>There was another case.</p> - -<p>A man, thinking himself a poet, wrote verse. But for some reason it was -poor verse, and the circumstance disconcerted him.</p> - -<p>Walking in the street one day, he saw a whip lying in the road, lost by -a cabman. An inspiration came to the poet, and the following image at -once formed itself in his mind:—</p> - -<p style="margin-left: 10%;"> -"In the road, in the dust, the snake lies,<br /> -Like a whip in the dust of the road.<br /> -In a swarm, like a cloud, come the flies,<br /> -And the ants and their kind in a swarm.<br /> -<br /> -Thro' the skin, like the links of a chain,<br /> -Show the ribs—they show white thro' the skin.<br /> -O dead snake, thou remind'st me again<br /> -Of my love, my dead love, O dead snake."<br /> -</p> - -<p>Suddenly the whip stood up on end and, swaying, said to him:</p> - -<p>"Why are you telling lies? You are a married man, you know how to read -and write, yet you are telling lies. Your love has not died. You love -your wife and you are afraid of her."</p> - -<p>The poet became angry.</p> - -<p>"That is no business of yours."</p> - -<p>"And the verses are poor."</p> - -<p>"They are better than you could make. You can only crack, and even that -you cannot do by yourself."</p> - -<p>"But, anyhow, why do you tell lies? Your love did not die."</p> - -<p>"All kinds of things happen—it was necessary it should."</p> - -<p>"Oh, your wife will whip you. Take me to her."</p> - -<p>"Oh, you may wait."</p> - -<p>"Well, well, go your own way," said the whip, curling itself up like a -corkscrew; it lay down in the road and began to think of other people. -The poet went to an inn, ordered a bottle of beer, and began to think -about himself.</p> - -<p>"Although the whip was decidedly rude, the verse is poor again, that's -true enough. How strange it is! One person always writes bad verse, -while another sometimes succeeds in writing verse that is good. How -badly everything is arranged in this world! What a stupid world it is!"</p> - -<p>So he sat and drank, trying to arrive at a clearer conception of the -world. He came to the conclusion at last that it was necessary to speak -the truth. This world is good for nothing, and it really disgusts a man -to live in it. He thought about an hour and a half in this strain, and -then he wrote:</p> - -<p style="margin-left: 10%;"> -"For all their pleasant seeming, our desires<br /> -A dread scourge are that drives us to our doom;<br /> -Blindly we blunder thro' the maze where waits us<br /> -Death, the fell serpent, in the murky gloom.<br /> -<br /> -Oh! let us strangle our insensate longings!<br /> -They do but lure us from the appointed way;<br /> -Lead us thro' thorns to our most bitter ruing,<br /> -Leave us heartbroken in the twilight grey.<br /> -<br /> -And in the end full surely Death awaits us,<br /> -Lives there the man but knows that he must die?"<br /> -</p> - -<p>He wrote more in the same spirit—twenty-eight lines in all.</p> - -<p>"That's good!" exclaimed the poet; and went home quite satisfied with -himself.</p> - -<p>At home he read the lines to his wife. She liked them. She merely said:</p> - -<p>"There is something wrong with the first four lines."</p> - -<p>"They will swallow it all right. Pushkin too began rather badly. But -what do you think of the metre? It is that of a requiem."</p> - -<p>Then he began to play with his little son: he put him on his knee and, -tossing him up, sang in a poor tenor:</p> - -<p style="margin-left: 10%;"> -"Tramp, tramp,<br /> -On somebody's bridge!<br /> -When I grow rich<br /> -I will pave my own bridge,<br /> -And nobody else<br /> -Shall walk over my bridge."<br /> -</p> - -<p>They spent the evening merrily, and the next morning the poet took his -verses to an editor, who spoke in a profound manner (these editors are -all profound—that is why their magazines are so dry)?</p> - -<p>"H'm!" said the editor, rubbing his nose. "You know, this is not -altogether bad, and, what is more important, it is quite in the spirit -of the times. Very much so. You seem to have discovered yourself. You -must continue in the same strain. Sixteen copecks a line ... four ... -forty-eight. I congratulate you."</p> - -<p>The verses were printed, and the poet felt as if he had had another -birthday. His wife kissed him fervently, and said dreamily:</p> - -<p>"Oh, my poet!"</p> - -<p>They had a great time. But a youth, a very good youth, who was -earnestly seeking the meaning of life, read these verses and shot -himself dead.</p> - -<p>He was quite convinced, you see, that, before denouncing life, the poet -had sought the meaning as long as he himself had done, and that the -search had been attended by sorrow, as in his own case. The youth did -not know that these sombre thoughts were sold at the rate of sixteen -copecks a line. He was an earnest youth.</p> - -<p>Let not the reader think I mean that even a whip can, at times, be used -on people to their advantage.</p> - - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<h4><a name="THE_WRITER" id="THE_WRITER">THE WRITER</a></h4> - - -<p>There once lived a very ambitious writer.</p> - -<p>When he was abused, it seemed to him that he was abused too much, and -unjustly. When he was praised he thought that they neither praised him -enough, nor wisely. He lived in a state of perpetual discontent, until -the time came for him to die.</p> - -<p>The writer lay down on his bed and began grumbling:</p> - -<p>"That's just how it is. What do you think of it? Two novels are not -yet finished—and altogether I have enough material for ten years. The -devil take this law of nature, and every other law. What nonsense! -The novels might have turned out well. Why have they invented this -idiotic compulsory service, as if things could not have been arranged -differently? And it always comes at the wrong time: the novels are not -finished yet."</p> - -<p>He was angry, but disease was eating into his bones and whispering -into his ears:</p> - -<p>"You trembled, eh? Why did you tremble? You don't sleep at night, eh? -Why don't you sleep? You have drunk of sorrow, eh?—and of joy too?"</p> - -<p>He kept knitting his brows, but realised at last that nothing could be -done. With a wave of the arm he dismissed the thought of his novels, -and died.</p> - -<p>It was very disagreeable, but he died.</p> - -<p>So far so good. They washed him, dressed him according to custom, -combed his hair and placed him on the table, straight and stiff like -a soldier, heels together, toes apart. He lay very still, his nose -drooped, and the only feeling he had was surprise.</p> - -<p>"How strange it is that I feel nothing at all! It's the first time in -my life. Ah, my wife is crying. Well, now you cry, but before, when -anything went wrong, you flew into a rage. My little son is crying -too. No doubt he will grow up a good-for-nothing fellow—the sons of -writers, I have noticed, always do. No doubt that also is in accordance -with some law of nature. What an infernal number of such laws there -are."</p> - -<p>So he lay and thought and thought, and wondered at his composure. He -was not accustomed to it.</p> - -<p>They started for the cemetery, but as he was being borne along he -suddenly felt there were not enough mourners.</p> - -<p>"No matter," said he to himself, "though I may not be a very great -writer, literature must be respected."</p> - -<p>He looked out of the coffin and saw that, as a matter of fact, without -counting his relations, only nine people accompanied him, among whom -were two beggars and a lamplighter with a ladder over his shoulder.</p> - -<p>At this discovery he became quite indignant.</p> - -<p>"What swine!"</p> - -<p>The slight so incensed him that he immediately became resurrected, and, -being a small man, jumped unperceived out of his coffin. He ran into a -barber's, had his moustache and beard shaved off, and borrowed a black -coat with a patch under the armpit, leaving his own coat in its stead. -Then he made his face look solemn and aggrieved, and became like a -living man. It was impossible to recognise him.</p> - -<p>With the curiosity natural to his profession he asked the barber:</p> - -<p>"Are you not astonished at this strange incident?"</p> - -<p>The latter stroked his moustache condescendingly and replied:</p> - -<p>"Well, we live in Russia, and we are used to all kinds of things."</p> - -<p>"But then I am a deceased person and suddenly I change my attire?"</p> - -<p>"It is the fashion of the times. And in what way are you a deceased -person? Only externally! As far as the general run of people goes it -would be better if God made them all like you. At the present time -living people don't look half so natural."</p> - -<p>"Don't I look rather yellowish?"</p> - -<p>"Quite in the spirit of the epoch, as you should be. It is -Russia—everyone here suffers from one ill or another."</p> - -<p>It is well known that barbers are flatterers of the first order and the -most obliging people on earth.</p> - -<p>He bade him good-bye, and ran to overtake the coffin, moved by a -keen desire to show for the last time his reverence for literature. -He caught up with the procession and the number of those who -accompanied the coffin became ten. The respect for the writer increased -correspondingly. Passers-by exclaimed, astonished:</p> - -<p>"Just look! A writer's funeral! Oh! Oh!"</p> - -<p>And people who knew what was taking place thought, with a sort of -pride, as they went about their business:</p> - -<p>"It is plain that the importance of literature is being understood -better and better by the country."</p> - -<p>The writer was now following his own coffin as if he were an admirer of -literature and a friend of the deceased. He addressed the lamplighter.</p> - -<p>"Did you know the deceased person?"</p> - -<p>"Certainly; I made use of him in a small way."</p> - -<p>"I am very pleased to hear it."</p> - -<p>"Yes; our work is like that of the sparrow; where something drops we -pick it up."</p> - -<p>"How am I to understand that?"</p> - -<p>"Take it in a very simple manner, sir."</p> - -<p>"In a simple manner?"</p> - -<p>"Yes, certainly. Of course, it is a sin if one looks at it from a -certain point of view. One cannot, however, get on in this world -without using ones wits."</p> - -<p>"H'm! Are you sure of that?"</p> - -<p>"Quite sure, sir. There was a lamp right against his window, and every -night he sat up till sunrise. Well, I did not light that lamp because -enough light streamed from his window. So this one lamp was a net -profit to me: he was a very useful man."</p> - -<p>So, talking quietly to this one and that, the writer reached the -cemetery, and it came to pass that he had to make a speech about -himself, because all those who accompanied him on that day had -toothache. This happened in Russia, and there people always have an -ache of one sort or another.</p> - -<p>He made a rather good speech. One paper went so far as to praise it in -the following terms:—</p> - -<p>"One of the followers, who from his appearance we judged to be an -actor, made a warm and touching oration over the grave, albeit from -our point of view he no doubt over-estimated and exaggerated the rather -modest merits of the deceased. He was a writer of the old school who -made no effort to rid himself of its defects—the naïve didactism, -namely, and the over-insistence on the so-called civic duties—which -to us nowadays have become so tiresome. Nevertheless, the speech was -delivered with a feeling of unquestionable love for the written word." -When the speech had been duly made the writer lay down in the coffin -and thought, quite satisfied with himself:</p> - -<p>"There, we are ready now. Everything has gone well and with dignity."</p> - -<p>At this point he became quite dead. Thus should one's calling be -respected, even though it be literature.</p> - - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<h4><a name="THE_MAN_WITH_A_NATIONAL_FACE" id="THE_MAN_WITH_A_NATIONAL_FACE">THE MAN WITH A NATIONAL FACE</a></h4> - - -<p>Once upon a time there was a gentleman who had lived more than half his -life, when he suddenly felt that something was lacking in him. He was -very much alarmed.</p> - -<p>He felt himself; everything seemed to be all right and in its -place, his stomach was even protruding. He examined himself in a -looking-glass, and saw that he had eyes, ears, and everything else that -a serious man should have. He counted his fingers: there were ten right -enough, and ten toes on his feet; but still he had an uncomfortable -feeling that something was missing.</p> - -<p>He was sadly puzzled.</p> - -<p>He asked his wife:</p> - -<p>"What do you think, Mitrodora? Is everything about me in order?"</p> - -<p>She answered reassuringly:</p> - -<p>"Everything."</p> - -<p>"But sometimes it seems to me——"</p> - -<p>She was a religious woman and advised him:</p> - -<p>"Whenever you begin to imagine anything, recite mentally: 'Let God -arise and his enemies will fall.'"</p> - -<p>He questioned his friends also, in a roundabout way. They answered -evasively, but looked at him suspiciously, as though he merited strong -condemnation.</p> - -<p>"What can it be?" thought the gentleman, feeling downcast.</p> - -<p>He tried to recall his past. Everything seemed to be quite normal. He -had been a socialist, had incited youths to revolt; but later on he had -renounced everything, and for a long time now had strenuously trampled -underfoot the "crops" himself had sown. Generally speaking he had lived -like everybody else, in accordance with the spirit and inspirations of -the times.</p> - -<p>He pondered and pondered and suddenly discovered what it was:</p> - -<p>"O Lord, I haven't got a national face!"</p> - -<p>He rushed to the looking-glass and saw that his face really had an -indistinct expression, like that of a blind man. It suggested a page of -a translation from some foreign language, done carelessly by a more -or less illiterate person who had omitted all punctuation, so that it -was impossible to make out what was on the page. It might be read as -containing either a demand that one's soul should be sacrificed for the -liberty of the people, or that it was necessary to recognise the full -sway of absolutism.</p> - -<p>"H'm, what a mixture, to be sure," thought the gentleman; and he -decided at once: "No, it is not the thing to live with a face like -that."</p> - -<p>So he began to wash it every day with expensive soaps, but this did -not help: the skin shone, but the indistinctness remained. He began to -lick his face with his tongue—his tongue was long and well adjusted, -for at one time the gentleman had been engaged in journalism. But even -his tongue was of no avail. He applied Japanese massage to his face, -and bumps appeared, as they do after a hard fight, but still he could -obtain no definiteness of expression.</p> - -<p>He tried and tried, but without success; all that he achieved was to -lose a pound and a half in weight. Suddenly to his joy he learned that -the head constable of his district, von Judenfresser, was known for -his understanding of national problems. He went to him and said:</p> - -<p>"Matters stand so-and-so, your Honour. Cannot you help me in my -trouble?"</p> - -<p>The head constable of course was flattered: here was an educated man, -not long since suspected of disloyalty to the throne, now asking advice -with confidence on how to change the expression of his face. The -constable chuckled, and in his great joy exclaimed:</p> - -<p>"There is nothing simpler, my dear friend, my American gem. Rub your -face against members of a subject nationality. Your real face will at -once be revealed."</p> - -<p>The gentleman was pleased, the weight of a mountain fell from -his shoulders. He sniggered loyally and said to himself in some -astonishment:</p> - -<p>"Why could I not have guessed it myself? The whole matter is so simple."</p> - -<p>They parted very good friends. The gentleman rushed out into the -street, planted himself at a comer and waited. Presently a Jew came -along; he rushed up to him and began:</p> - -<p>"If you," he said, "are a Jew, you must become a Russian. If you do -not want to, then——"</p> - -<p>The Jew (as is known from all anecdotes) belongs to a nervous and timid -people. But this one was of a capricious character and would not put up -with pogroms. He raised his arm, gave the gentleman a blow on the left -cheek, and went home to his family.</p> - -<p>The gentleman leaned against the wall, rubbing his face, and thinking:</p> - -<p>"Well, well, the formation of one's national face is connected with -sensations not always altogether agreeable, but let it be. Nekrassoff, -although he was a poor poet, said quite truly:</p> - -<p style="margin-left: 10%;"> -"Nothing can be got for naught:<br /> -Fate demands its victims."<br /> -</p> - -<p>Suddenly a native of the Caucasus passed by. As proved by all anecdotes -they are an uncivilised and hot-headed people. He was singing as he -walked along:</p> - -<p style="margin-left: 10%;"> -"Mitskhales sakles mingrule."<a name="FNanchor_1_1" id="FNanchor_1_1"></a><a href="#Footnote_1_1" class="fnanchor">[1]</a><br /> -</p> - -<p>The gentleman pounced upon him:</p> - -<p>"No," he said, "be quiet. If you are a Georgian you must become a -Russian, and you must not love the hut of a Mingrelian, but what you -are ordered to love. You must like prison, even without orders——"</p> - -<p>The Georgian left the gentleman in a horizontal position and went and -drank Kachetin wine. The gentleman lay on the ground and pondered:</p> - -<p>"Well, well, there are also Tartars, Armenians, Bashkirs, Kirghises, -Mordva, Lithuanians. O Lord, what a number! And these are not all. -There are our own people, the Slavs."</p> - -<p>At this juncture a Little Russian came along, and of course he was -singing in a very disloyal manner:</p> - -<p style="margin-left: 10%;"> -"Our ancestors once led<br /> -A happy life in Ukraina...."<br /> -</p> - -<p>"No," said the gentleman, rising to his feet. "Will you be kind enough -in future to use the letter 'y' instead of 'oo'<a name="FNanchor_2_2" id="FNanchor_2_2"></a><a href="#Footnote_2_2" class="fnanchor">[2]</a>; otherwise you -undermine the unity of the empire."</p> - -<p>He argued the point at some length, and the Little Russian listened, -for, as proved most conclusively by all the collections of Little -Russian anecdotes, the Little Russians are a very slow people, and like -to do their work without hurrying. Unfortunately this gentleman was -somewhat insistent.</p> - -<p>Some kind people picked the gentleman up and asked him:</p> - -<p>"Where do you live?"</p> - -<p>"In Great Russia."</p> - -<p>Of course they took him to the police station. As they were driving -along he felt his face, not without pride, though with a certain sense -of pain. It seemed to him that it had grown considerably broader and he -thought to himself:</p> - -<p>"I believe I have acquired ..."</p> - -<p>He was taken before von Judenfresser, and the latter, like the humane -person he was, sent for the police doctor. When the doctor came they -began to whisper to each other in surprise, and kept giggling, which -seemed a strange thing to do in the circumstances.</p> - -<p>"It is the first case in the whole of my practice," whispered the -doctor. "I cannot make it out."</p> - -<p>"What may that mean?" thought the gentleman, and asked:</p> - -<p>"Well, how do I look?"</p> - -<p>"The old face is quite rubbed off," answered von Judenfresser.</p> - -<p>"And generally speaking has my face changed?"</p> - -<p>"Of course it has, only, you know——"</p> - -<p>The doctor said consolingly:</p> - -<p>"Your face is such, dear sir, that you may just as well put your -trousers on it."</p> - -<p>So it remained for the rest of his life. There is no moral here.</p> - - - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_1_1" id="Footnote_1_1"></a><a href="#FNanchor_1_1"><span class="label">[1]</span></a> "Love a Mingrelian hut."—<i>Trans.</i></p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_2_2" id="Footnote_2_2"></a><a href="#FNanchor_2_2"><span class="label">[2]</span></a> The Little Russians speak a dialect of the language in -which the Russian sound for "y" is pronounced "oo."</p></div> - - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<h4><a name="THE_LIBERAL" id="THE_LIBERAL">THE LIBERAL</a></h4> - - -<p>There once lived a nobleman who liked to back up his statements by -quoting history. Whenever he wanted to tell a lie, he went to a likely -man and gave him the order:</p> - -<p>"Egorka,<a name="FNanchor_1_3" id="FNanchor_1_3"></a><a href="#Footnote_1_3" class="fnanchor">[1]</a> go and find me facts from history to prove that -such-and-such a thing does not repeat itself, and vice versa."</p> - -<p>Egorka was a smart fellow, and readily found what was wanted. The -nobleman armed himself with these facts as occasion required and -contrived to prove everything that was necessary. In fact, he was -invincible.</p> - -<p>He was, moreover, a plotter against the Government. At one time -everyone thought it necessary to conspire against the Government. They -were not afraid even to say to one another:</p> - -<p>"The English have habeas corpus, but we have ukases."</p> - -<p>And they made mock at these differences between nations.</p> - -<p>Having done that, they would forget the Government oppression under -which they suffered, and sit down and play whist till the cocks crew -for the third time.</p> - -<p>When the cocks announced the approach of mom the nobleman commanded:</p> - -<p>"Egorka, sing something inspiring, and suitable to the hour."</p> - -<p>Egorka stood up and, lifting his finger, reminded them in a manner full -of meaning:</p> - -<p style="margin-left: 10%;"> -"In Holy Russia the cocks crow,<br /> -It will soon be day in Holy Russia."<br /> -</p> - -<p>"Quite true," said the nobleman; "it will soon be day."</p> - -<p>And they retired to rest.</p> - -<p>So far so good; but suddenly the people began to get agitated. The -nobleman noticed this and asked:</p> - -<p>"Egorka, why are the people restless?"</p> - -<p>The latter looked pleased as he reported:</p> - -<p>"The people want to live like human beings."</p> - -<p>"Well, who taught them that? I did. For fifty years I and my ancestors -have fostered in them the idea that it was time for them to live like -human beings; haven't we?"</p> - -<p>He began to get excited and pressed Egorka eagerly.</p> - -<p>"Find me facts from history about the agrarian movement in Europe. -Texts from the Gospels about equality, and from the history of -civilisation about the origin of property. Be quick about it."</p> - -<p>Egorka was pleased. He perspired freely as he hurried hither and -thither. He tore all the leaves out of the books, so that only the -bindings were left. He carried big bundles of all kinds of convincing -proofs to the nobleman, who still kept urging him on.</p> - -<p>"Stick to it! When we have a constitution I will make you editor of a -large Liberal paper."</p> - -<p>And becoming quite bold at last he began himself to speak to the more -moderate of the peasants.</p> - -<p>"Besides," said he, "there were the brothers Gracchus in Rome; then -in England, in Germany, in France.... And all this is historically -necessary. Egorka, get me facts."</p> - -<p>Thereupon he proved, by facts, that every nation is bound to desire -liberty, even against the wish of the authorities.</p> - -<p>The peasants of course were pleased and cried:</p> - -<p>"We thank you humbly."</p> - -<p>Everything went very well, harmoniously, in Christian love and mutual -confidence, till suddenly the peasants began to ask:</p> - -<p>"When are you going to clear out?"</p> - -<p>"Clear out? Where?"</p> - -<p>"Away."</p> - -<p>"Where from?"</p> - -<p>"Off the land."</p> - -<p>And they laughed, saying:</p> - -<p>"What a funny fellow. He understands everything, but he has ceased to -understand what is simplest of all." They laughed, but the nobleman -became angry.</p> - -<p>"But listen to me," he said. "Why should I go if the land is mine?"</p> - -<p>But the peasants did not heed him.</p> - -<p>"How can it be yours when you have said yourself that it is the Lord's, -and that even before the time of Jesus Christ there were some just men -who knew it?" He did not understand them, and they did not understand -him. So he went again to Egorka.</p> - -<p>"Egorka, look up the ancient histories and find me ..."</p> - -<p>But the latter replied in a perfectly independent spirit:</p> - -<p>"All the histories were pulled to pieces to prove the contrary."</p> - -<p>"You are lying, you plotter."</p> - -<p>He rushed to the library and saw that it was true. Only the empty -covers of the books remained. The surprise was so great that it threw -him into a perspiration, and he began to appeal to his ancestors, -saying sorrowfully:</p> - -<p>"And who taught you to write history in such a one-sided manner? Look -what you have done. Alas! what kind of history is it? To the devil with -it!" But the peasants kept repeating the same thing:</p> - -<p>"You have proved it all to us very clearly," they said. "Get away as -quickly as you can, or else we shall drive you away."</p> - -<p>Egorka had gone completely over to the peasants. When he met the -nobleman he turned up his nose and laughed sneeringly:</p> - -<p>"O you Liberal! Habeas corpus!"</p> - -<p>Things went from bad to worse. The peasants sang songs and were in -such high spirits that they carried off to their homes a stack of the -nobleman's hay.</p> - -<p>Suddenly the nobleman remembered that he had another card to play. In -the entresol sat his great-grandmother, awaiting an inevitable death. -She was so old that she had forgotten all human words; she could only -remember one thing:</p> - -<p>"Don't give ..."</p> - -<p>Since the year 1861<a name="FNanchor_2_4" id="FNanchor_2_4"></a><a href="#Footnote_2_4" class="fnanchor">[2]</a> she had not been able to say anything else.</p> - -<p>He hastened to her, his feelings greatly agitated. He fell at her feet -affectionately and appealed to her:</p> - -<p>"Mother of mothers, you are a living history...."</p> - -<p>But she only mumbled:</p> - -<p>"Don't give..</p> - -<p>"But what is to be done?"</p> - -<p>"Don't give..."</p> - -<p>"But they want to drown me—to plunder me."</p> - -<p>"Don't give..."</p> - -<p>"But should I give full play to my desire not to let the Governor know?"</p> - -<p>"Don't give..."</p> - -<p>He obeyed the voice of this living history, and sent in the name of his -greatgrandmother a telegram containing an irresistible appeal. Then he -went out to the peasants and informed them:</p> - -<p>"You have so frightened the old lady that she has sent for the -soldiers. Be calm, nothing will happen, I shall not let the soldiers -harm you."</p> - -<p>Fierce-looking warriors galloped up on horseback. It was winter-time, -and the horses, which had sweated freely on the way, began to shiver -as the hoar-frost settled on them. The nobleman pitied the horses and -stabled them on his estate, saying to the peasants:</p> - -<p>"You carted away some hay to which you had no right; please send it -back for these horses. They are animals, guilty of nothing; don't you -understand?"</p> - -<p>The soldiers were hungry; they caught and ate all the cocks in the -village, and everything became peaceful in the nobleman's district. -Egorka, of course, went over to the nobleman's side and, as before, the -nobleman used his services in matters of history: he bought new copies -of all the books and ordered all those facts to be erased which are apt -to incline one towards Liberalism; and into those which could not be -erased he ordered new sense to be put.</p> - -<p>As for Egorka, he was equal to anything. To prove his versatility he -turned his hand to pornography. Nevertheless a bright spot remained in -his soul, and while he was busy blotting out historical facts his heart -misgave him, and to appease his conscience he wrote verses and printed -them under the <i>nom de plume</i>, "V. W."—<i>i.e.</i> "Vanquished Warrior."</p> - -<p style="margin-left: 10%;"> -"O chanticler, thou harbinger of morn,<br /> -How comes it that thy proud call has been stilled?<br /> -How comes it that thy place of t'other day<br /> -By yonder gloomy barn-owl now is filled?<br /> -The nobleman he needs no future now,<br /> -And all of us live each day like the last;<br /> -Poor chanticler has long since ceased to crow<br /> -And giv'n his drumsticks to a last repast.<br /> -When shall we waken unto life once more?<br /> -And who will call us when the dawn is nigh?<br /> -If chanticler, poor chanticler, is dead,<br /> -Pray who will wake and turn us out of bed?"<br /> -</p> - -<p>And the peasants of course calmed down; they now live in peace, and, as -they have nothing else to do, spend their time making ribald verse:</p> - -<p style="margin-left: 10%;"> -"O honest Mother!<br /> -The Spring is nigh<br /> -When we shall groan<br /> -And, starving, die!"<br /> -</p> - -<p>The Russians are a happy people.</p> - - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_1_3" id="Footnote_1_3"></a><a href="#FNanchor_1_3"><span class="label">[1]</span></a> By Egorka is meant the ordinary type of the Russian -"intellectual" who has no backbone or principle, and is always at the -beck and call of the landed proprietor, capitalist or the authorities.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_2_4" id="Footnote_2_4"></a><a href="#FNanchor_2_4"><span class="label">[2]</span></a> The year in which the serfs were liberated.</p></div> - - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<h4><a name="THE_JEWS_AND_THEIR_FRIENDS" id="THE_JEWS_AND_THEIR_FRIENDS">THE JEWS AND THEIR FRIENDS</a></h4> - - -<p>Once upon a time, in a certain country, lived some Jews. They were -ordinary Jews, fit for pogroms, for being slandered, or any other state -requirements.</p> - -<p>For example.</p> - -<p>Whenever the native population began to show signs of being -dissatisfied with life, the authorities removed certain clauses from -the state regulations and sounded the following hope-awakening call:</p> - -<p>"Draw near, you people; approach the seat of power."</p> - -<p>The people drew near; and the authorities began to remonstrate with -them:</p> - -<p>"What is the cause of the agitation?"</p> - -<p>"Your Honours, we have nothing to eat."</p> - -<p>"Have you any teeth left?"</p> - -<p>"Yes, a few."</p> - -<p>"You see, you always manage to conceal something from the authorities."</p> - -<p>When the local authorities found that the agitation could be -suppressed by knocking out the remaining teeth, they immediately -resorted to that remedy. But if they saw that harmonious relations -could not be established by this means they began to ask tempting -questions:</p> - -<p>"What do you want?"</p> - -<p>"Some land."</p> - -<p>Some of them who were so deep sunken in ignorance that they were not -able to understand what was in the interest of the state, went further -and kept repeating:</p> - -<p>"We want reforms of some kind in order that our teeth and ribs and -insides, at least, may be regarded as our own property, and not be -touched without cause."</p> - -<p>The authorities reasoned with them:</p> - -<p>"Oh, friends, why should you have these idle dreams? It is said that -man liveth not by bread alone, also that one person that has been -beaten is worth two that have not."</p> - -<p>"And do they agree?"</p> - -<p>"Who?"</p> - -<p>"Those who have not been beaten?"</p> - -<p>"Of course, dear friends. Did not the English ask us not very many -years ago: 'Exile,' they said, 'all your own people to Siberia, and -put us in their place. We,' they said, 'will pay the taxes punctually, -and will drink twelve gallons of vodka per person per year, and, -generally speaking..' 'No,' we said, 'why should we? Our people are all -right, they are humble and obedient, they are not going to give us any -trouble.' So now, you good fellows, instead of getting excited like -this, don't you think you had better go and shake up the Jews a bit? -What do you say to that? What else are they for?"</p> - -<p>The people pondered and pondered; they saw that they could get no -redress, so they decided to act upon the suggestion of the authorities.</p> - -<p>"Well, fellows," they said, "with God's blessing we will smash them."</p> - -<p>They ransacked fifty houses and killed a few Jews. But they soon tired -of their labours, and, their desire for reforms being satisfied, -everything went on as before.</p> - -<p>Besides the authorities, the native population and the Jews, there -lived some kind-hearted people in the state. Their function was to -divert agitation into other channels and to quiet passions. After each -pogrom their whole number came together, eighteen men in all, and sent -forth to the world their written protest, thus:</p> - -<p>"Although we know the Jews are Russian subjects, we are nevertheless -convinced that they ought not to be utterly exterminated, and, -therefore, taking all considerations into account, we hereby express -our condemnation of this extreme persecution of living people. -(<i>Signed</i>) High-Brow, Narrow-Chin, Long-Hair, Biting-Lip, Yea and Nay, -Big Bellows, Joseph Three-Ear, Noisy-One, Know-All, Cyril Just-So, -Flow-of-Words, Look-Wise, Quill-Driver, Lieutenant-Colonel (retired) -Drink-no-Beer, Narym (solicitor), Busybody, On-All-Fours and Grisha -In-the-Future, seven years old, a boy."</p> - -<p>These protests appeared after each pogrom with the only difference that -the age of Grisha kept changing and that Quill-Driver signed on behalf -of Narym,<a name="FNanchor_1_5" id="FNanchor_1_5"></a><a href="#Footnote_1_5" class="fnanchor">[1]</a> who was suddenly exiled to a town bearing the same name.</p> - -<p>Sometimes the provinces responded to these protests:</p> - -<p>"We sympathise and add our signatures," Pull-Apart telegraphed from -Sleepy-Town, and Featherbrain from Daft Town; Samogryzoff "and others" -from Okuroff also joined in. It was clear to everybody that "the -others" were an invention, to make the message look more formidable, -for there were no others in Okuroff.</p> - -<p>The Jews were greatly distressed when they read these protests, and on -one occasion one of them, who was a very shrewd man, made the following -proposal:—</p> - -<p>"Do you know what? You don't? Well, let us hide all the pens and ink -and paper before the next pogrom, and see what these eighteen people, -including Grisha, will do then."</p> - -<p>These Jews knew how to act together. Once decided, they bought up and -hid all the paper and pens and poured all the ink into the Black Sea. -Then they quietly awaited the result.</p> - -<p>They had not long to wait: the necessary permission was received from -the authorities, a pogrom took place, the hospitals were full of -Jews—and the humanitarians were running about St Petersburg looking -for pens and paper. They could find none anywhere except in the offices -of the authorities. And the latter would not give them any.</p> - -<p>"What do you take us for?" they said. "We know what you want it for. -No, you must do without it this time."</p> - -<p>"But how can we?" Mr Busybody entreated them.</p> - -<p>"Well," they answered, "you ought to realise by now that we have given -you plenty of chances to protest."</p> - -<p>Grisha, who was already forty-three years old, cried:</p> - -<p>"I want to protest."</p> - -<p>But there was nothing to protest on. A happy thought struck Know-All:</p> - -<p>"Shall we write something on the fence at least?"</p> - -<p>There were no fences in St Petersburg, only iron railings.</p> - -<p>But they proceeded to the outskirts of the town, where, near the -slaughterhouses, they came upon an old fence. No sooner, however, had -Mr High-Brow made the first letter in chalk than, suddenly, as if -dropping from the skies came a policeman and began to expostulate with -him:</p> - -<p>"What does this mean? When boys do this sort of thing they are whipped, -but you, staid gentlemen, what are you doing?"</p> - -<p>Of course he could not understand them, taking them for writers old -enough to be writing their thousand and first article. They were -nonplussed, and, scattering literally in all directions, went home.</p> - -<p>So that one pogrom was not protested against, and the humanitarians -were deprived of a pleasure.</p> - -<p>People who understand the psychology of races say rightly: "The Jews -are a shrewd people."</p> - - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_1_5" id="Footnote_1_5"></a><a href="#FNanchor_1_5"><span class="label">[1]</span></a> A well-known place of exile in Siberia.</p></div> - - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<h4><a name="HARD_TO_PLEASE" id="HARD_TO_PLEASE">HARD TO PLEASE</a></h4> - - -<p>Tired of their struggle with those who had opinions of their own, the -authorities, wishing at last to rest on their laurels, once issued the -following stringent order:—</p> - -<p>"Hereby you are commanded to drag out into the light of day all those -who have opinions of their own, to drag them out unceremoniously from -their hiding-places, and to exterminate them by any measures that may -seem necessary."</p> - -<p>The execution of this order was entrusted to Oronty Strevenko, who had -volunteered to exterminate living human beings of both sexes and of all -ages. He was an ex-captain in the service of his Highness the King of -the Fuegians, and an important personage in Terra del Fuego. For his -services Oronty was allowed sixteen thousand roubles.</p> - -<p>Oronty obtained the commission not because others could not be found -as base, but because he looked unnaturally fierce, and was covered -with an abundant growth of hair, which enabled him to go naked in all -climates. Besides, he had four rows of teeth, sixty-four in all, a -circumstance that won for him the special confidence of the authorities.</p> - -<p>But in spite of all these advantages even he was confronted by the -thought:</p> - -<p>"How are they to be unearthed? They keep so quiet."</p> - -<p>And in truth the inhabitants of this town were remarkably well -trained. They went in fear of one another, seeing in everyone an -agent-provocateur, and never asserted anything. Even in their talks -with their mothers they spoke in a form agreed upon, and in a foreign -language:</p> - -<p>"N'est ce pas?"</p> - -<p>"Maman, it is time to dine, n'est ce pas?'</p> - -<p>"Maman, we ought to go to the cinema show to-night, n'est ce pas?"</p> - -<p>However, after much thought, Strevenko devised a plan for unearthing -secret plots. He washed his hair with peroxide of hydrogen, shaved -himself where necessary, and became a fairhaired individual of gloomy -appearance. Then he put on a sad-coloured suit so that no one could -recognise him.</p> - -<p>At night he went out into the street, and walked about as if deep in -thought. Noticing a citizen stealing along, he pounced upon him from -the left and whispered in a provocative manner:</p> - -<p>"Comrade, are you really satisfied with your existence?"</p> - -<p>The citizen slackened his pace, as if considering the question; but as -soon as a policeman appeared in the distance he shouted in accordance -with his invariable practice:</p> - -<p>"Policeman, hold him."</p> - -<p>Strevenko sprang over the fence like a tiger, and as he sat in the -stinging nettles thought to himself:</p> - -<p>"You cannot get hold of them like this; they act in a perfectly legal -manner, the devils."</p> - -<p>In the meantime the money allowed him was disappearing. He put on a -less dismal-looking suit, and tried another way of trapping people. -Boldly approaching a citizen he would ask him:</p> - -<p>"Would you like to become an agent-provocateur, sir?"</p> - -<p>And the citizen would reply coolly:</p> - -<p>"What is the salary?"</p> - -<p>Others declined politely:</p> - -<p>"No, thank you, I am already engaged."</p> - -<p>"Well," thought Oronty, "how am I to catch them?"</p> - -<p>In the meantime the money allowed him was gradually melting away.</p> - -<p>In the course of his search he looked in at the headquarters of the -Society for the Many-Sided Use of Empty Egg-Shells, but discovered that -the society enjoys the exalted patronage of three bishops, and of a -general of gendarmerie; that it meets once a year and gets a special -permit each time from St Petersburg. Oronty still failed to catch -plotters and the money allowed him seemed to him to have galloping -consumption.</p> - -<p>Oronty was thoroughly annoyed:</p> - -<p>"I'll soon show them!"</p> - -<p>And he began to act quite openly. He would go up to a citizen and ask -him straight out:</p> - -<p>"Are you satisfied with your existence?"</p> - -<p>"Quite satisfied."</p> - -<p>"Well, but the authorities are dissatisfied. Please come along."</p> - -<p>And if anyone said that he was not satisfied, the result was, of -course, the same:</p> - -<p>"Take him along!" said Strevenko.</p> - -<p>"But, excuse me."</p> - -<p>"What?"</p> - -<p>"But I am dissatisfied because their measures are not sufficiently -rigorous."</p> - -<p>"Indeed? Take him."</p> - -<p>Thus, in the course of three weeks, he had gathered together ten -thousand men and women of one sort and another. At first he imprisoned -them where he could; then he began to hang them; but for the sake of -economy he did it at the expense of the citizens themselves.</p> - -<p>Everything went very well till, one day, a superior official, who -chanced to be out beagling in the outskirts of the town, saw unusual -animation in the fields; a picture of the peaceful activity of citizens -presented itself to him. They were reviling one another, hanging and -burying one another, whilst Strevenko walked amongst them staff in -hand, barking out words of encouragement:</p> - -<p>"Hurry up, you melancholy owl, and be more cheerful about it! And you -reverend-looking old man, there, why do you look so stupefied? The -noose is ready; get into it; don't keep the others waiting. Whoa, lad; -why do you get into the noose before your father? Gentlemen, don't -be in such a hurry; your turn will come right enough. You have been -patient for years, awaiting pacification by the Government; you can -afford to wait a few minutes. You, peasant, where are you going? You -ignoramus!"</p> - -<p>The superior official, mounted on a handsome horse, looked on and -thought:</p> - -<p>"Anyway, he has got hold of a good many. He is a fine fellow! That is -why all the windows in the town are boarded up."</p> - -<p>But suddenly, to his utter astonishment, he saw his own aunt hanging by -the neck, her feet dangling above the ground:</p> - -<p>"Who gave the order?"</p> - -<p>Strevenko was on the spot and said:</p> - -<p>"I, your Excellency."</p> - -<p>"Well, brother, you are a fool. You are simply wasting money belonging -to the Treasury. Let me see your account."</p> - -<p>Strevenko produced his account, wherein it was stated:</p> - -<p>"In execution of the order concerning the extermination of those who -have opinions of their own I have unearthed and imprisoned 10,107 -persons of both sexes. Of this number:</p> - -<p>"729 persons of both sexes have been killed; 541 persons of both sexes -have been hanged; 937 persons of both sexes have been crippled for -life; 317 persons of both sexes have died prematurely; 63 persons of -both sexes have committed suicide; total number exterminated, 1876.</p> - -<p>"Total Cost: Roubles 16,884—<i>i.e.</i> at the rate of 7 roubles per person.</p> - -<p>"Deficit: Roubles 884."</p> - -<p>The superior official, was staggered. He muttered in a fury:</p> - -<p>"A deficit! You Fuegian! The whole of your Terra Del Fuego, together -with the king and you yourself, is not worth eight hundred roubles. -Just think of it! If you are going to steal money like that what am -I to do?—I, who occupy a rank ten times higher? If we have such -appetites Russia won't last us three years. There are many others -besides you who want to live. Can't you understand that? And besides, -you have wrongly included three hundred and eighty persons, for three -hundred and seventeen 'died prematurely' and sixty-three committed -suicide. You swindler, you have included them as well."</p> - -<p>"Your Excellency," Oronty tried to justify himself, "but I drove them -into such a state of mind that they loathed their life."</p> - -<p>"And seven roubles a head for that? Besides, no doubt a lot of those -included were not concerned in the matter at all. The total population -of the town is only twelve thousand. No, my friend, I will bring you -before the court."</p> - -<p>A very strict investigation was accordingly made into the activity of -the Fuegian, and he was found guilty of having misappropriated nine -hundred and sixteen roubles belonging to the Treasury.</p> - -<p>The court that tried Oronty was a just one; he was sentenced to three -months' imprisonment, and his career was spoilt. The Fuegian was out of -sight for three months.</p> - -<p>It is no easy matter to please the authorities.</p> - - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<h4><a name="PASSIVE_RESISTANCE" id="PASSIVE_RESISTANCE">PASSIVE RESISTANCE</a></h4> - - -<p>A kind-hearted man debated what was best to do and finally decided:</p> - -<p>"I will cease to resist evil by violence. I will overcome it by -patience."</p> - -<p>This man was not of a weak character. Having decided, he waited -patiently.</p> - -<p>Igemon's assistants, hearing of this, reported:</p> - -<p>"Amongst the citizens who are under supervision there is one who has -suddenly begun to conduct himself in a strange manner. He does not -move about or say anything: evidently he is trying to deceive the -authorities, pretending not to exist at all."</p> - -<p>Igemon flew into a rage:</p> - -<p>"How, who does not exist? Bring him into my presence."</p> - -<p>The citizen was brought and Igemon commanded: "Search him."</p> - -<p>They searched him, deprived him of everything about him that was of -value, such as his watch and gold wedding ring.</p> - -<p>They scraped the fillings out of his teeth, for they were gold. They -took off his new braces, cut off his buttons and reported:</p> - -<p>"Ready, Igemon."</p> - -<p>"Well, anything found?"</p> - -<p>"Nothing but what was superfluous about him; we have rid him of it all."</p> - -<p>"And in his head?"</p> - -<p>"There seems to be nothing in his head."</p> - -<p>"Let him in."</p> - -<p>The citizen came into Igemon's presence, and from the way he held -up his trousers Igemon saw and understood his complete readiness -for all kinds of contingencies in life. But Igemon desired to make -an impression upon him which would crush his soul, so he roared -ferociously:</p> - -<p>"Oh, citizen, you have come!"</p> - -<p>And the citizen admitted quietly:</p> - -<p>"Yes, I have brought the whole of me."</p> - -<p>"What is it you are doing?"</p> - -<p>"I, Igemon, am doing nothing, I have simply decided to conquer by -patience." Igemon bristled with anger and roared: "Again? To conquer -again?"</p> - -<p>"Yes, to overcome evil."</p> - -<p>"Be silent!"</p> - -<p>"I did not mean you."</p> - -<p>Igemon did not believe him and said:</p> - -<p>"If not me then whom do you mean?"</p> - -<p>"Myself."</p> - -<p>Igemon was surprised.</p> - -<p>"Wait a minute. What evil do you mean?"</p> - -<p>"Resistance."</p> - -<p>"You are lying."</p> - -<p>"Heaven knows I am not."</p> - -<p>Igemon broke into a perspiration.</p> - -<p>"What is the matter with him?" he thought, looking at the man; and, -after pondering for some moments, he asked him:</p> - -<p>"What is it you want?"</p> - -<p>"I don't want anything."</p> - -<p>"Really nothing at all?"</p> - -<p>"Nothing. Merely permit me to teach the people patience by my own -example." Igemon pondered again, biting his moustache. He was possessed -of a soul which took delight in daydreams. He liked to steam himself in -a Turkish bath, giving forth voluptuous sounds of pleasure. Generally -speaking, he was in favour of enjoying the pleasures of life. There -was only one thing he could not stand, and that was rudeness and -opposition, against which he acted in a manner that rendered everything -soft, reducing to a pulp the bones and gristle of the resisters. But -when not busy enjoying life or crushing citizens he liked to indulge in -daydreams about universal peace, and in the salvation of the soul.</p> - -<p>He looked with embarrassment at the citizen and said:</p> - -<p>"Not long since you thought the reverse, and now?"</p> - -<p>Then, overcome by more tender feelings, he asked with a sigh: "How did -it come about?"</p> - -<p>The citizen replied:</p> - -<p>"Evolution."</p> - -<p>"Well, brother, such is our life. First it is one thing, then another. -There is failure in everything. We sway from side to side, but we do -not know on which side to lie down, we cannot choose."</p> - -<p>And Igemon sighed again, for he knew that the man loved the fatherland -which had nurtured him. All kinds of dangerous thoughts were running -through Igemon's head:</p> - -<p>"True, it is pleasant to see a citizen yielding and peaceful. But if -everybody ceased to resist, would it not cut off our daily allowance -and our travelling expenses? We might lose our bonuses too.... No, -it cannot be that there is no resistance left in him. The rogue is -pretending; he must be put to the test. To what use shall I put him? -Make of him an agent-provocateur? The expression of his face is -indefinite, his lack of personality could not be hidden by any mask. -Besides, his powers of oratory are evidently not great. Make him a -hangman? He has not strength enough."</p> - -<p>At last a thought struck him and he said to his subordinates:</p> - -<p>"Put this happy man in the third section of the fire brigade to clean -the stables."</p> - -<p>It was done. The citizen strenuously cleaned the stables without saying -a word, while Igemon looked on, touched by his patience; his confidence -in the man was steadily increasing.</p> - -<p>"But if everybody behaved like that?"</p> - -<p>After a short trial he promoted him into his own office and asked him -to copy a false report which he himself had written about the income -and expenditure of various sums. The citizen copied it and kept silence.</p> - -<p>Igemon was touched to such an extent that he shed tears.</p> - -<p>"No, he is a useful man, although literate."</p> - -<p>He called the citizen to him and said:</p> - -<p>"I believe in you! Go and preach your truth, but keep your eyes open."</p> - -<p>The citizen went to market-places, to fairs, through large towns, -through small towns, saying everywhere:</p> - -<p>"What are you doing?"</p> - -<p>The people saw that he was unusually meek and this, together with his -personality, caused them to confide in him. They confessed to him -all of which they were guilty, and even revealed to him their inmost -thoughts. One of them wanted to steal something and to evade being -punished for it, another wanted to cheat somebody, a third simply -wanted to slander somebody. All of them, like genuine Russians, wanted -to get out of having any duties in life, and to forget all their -obligations.</p> - -<p>He said to them:</p> - -<p>"Oh, give up all this, because it is said: 'All existence is suffering, -but it becomes suffering through desire; hence, in order to destroy -suffering, you must destroy desire.' Let us cease to desire and all -evil will disappear of its own accord; truly it will."</p> - -<p>The people, of course, were glad. It seemed reasonable and was very -simple. Where they happened to stand they lay down. They all felt -relieved.</p> - -<p>After what interval is not recorded, but there came a time when Igemon -noticed that all was peace around him, and he was struck by fear. Still -he tried to put on a brave face:</p> - -<p>"The rogues are pretending."</p> - -<p>Meanwhile, the insects, continuing to fulfil their natural obligations, -were beginning to multiply in an unnatural way, and becoming more and -more arrogant in their actions.</p> - -<p>"What silence," thought Igemon, wriggling and scratching himself all -over.</p> - -<p>He called a willing citizen to him:</p> - -<p>"Come, free me from the superfluous."</p> - -<p>He answered:</p> - -<p>"I cannot."</p> - -<p>"What?"</p> - -<p>"I cannot, because even if they do annoy you, they are living things, -and——"</p> - -<p>"I will make a corpse of you this minute."</p> - -<p>"As you will."</p> - -<p>And so in everything; they all answered him with one voice:</p> - -<p>"As you will."</p> - -<p>But as soon as he asked them to fulfil his will he found it a most -tedious task. Igemon's palace was falling to pieces; it was overrun -with rats, which ate up the deeds, and died of the resultant poisoning. -Igemon himself was sinking deeper and deeper into inaction. He lay on -the sofa daydreaming about the past. How good life was in those days! -The inhabitants tried to resist his orders in all kinds of ways. Some -of them had to be executed, which meant obituary feasts with pancakes -and free drinks. Or a citizen would embark upon some new enterprise; -it was necessary to go and stop him, which meant travelling expenses. -When he reported to the proper quarter that in the district entrusted -to him all the inhabitants had been exterminated he used to receive a -special bonus and a fresh batch was sent into the district.</p> - -<p>Igemon was daydreaming about the past, but his neighbours, the Igemons -of other tribes, lived as they had lived before, on the old basis. -The inhabitants opposed them on every occasion, and as vigorously as -they could. All was noise and disorder. The Igemons rushed hither and -thither, without any special object. They found it profitable and, in a -general way, interesting.</p> - -<p>And the thought struck Igemon:</p> - -<p>"By Jove! the citizen has fooled me."</p> - -<p>He jumped up, rushed through the whole district, shaking people, -pummelling them, and shouting:</p> - -<p>"Get up! Wake up! Arise!"</p> - -<p>It was no good. He seized them by their collars, but the collars were -rotten and broke away.</p> - -<p>"The devils," shouted Igemon, greatly agitated. "What are you doing? -Look at your neighbours—even China——"</p> - -<p>The inhabitants were silent as they clung to the soil.</p> - -<p>"O Lord!" said Igemon in disgust, "what is to be done?"</p> - -<p>And he resorted to deception; he bent over an inhabitant and whispered -into his ear:</p> - -<p>"Oh, citizen, the fatherland is in danger. It is, I swear. By all -that's holy! it is in great danger. Get up; it is necessary to resist. -They say that all kinds of activities will be allowed. Citizen!" But -the dying citizen only murmured: "My fatherland is in God."</p> - -<p>The others were simply silent, like offended corpses.</p> - -<p>"The cursed fatalists!" shouted Igemon in despair. "Get up! All kinds -of resistance is allowed."</p> - -<p>One who had been a jolly fellow, and had distinguished himself by -knocking out people's teeth, raised himself a little, looked round and -said:</p> - -<p>"What shall we resist? There is nothing to resist."</p> - -<p>"But the vermin?"</p> - -<p>"We are used to it."</p> - -<p>Igemon's reason received the last shock. He got up and roared in -awe-inspiring tones:</p> - -<p>"I permit you everything, fellows; save yourselves; do what you like; -everything is permitted—eat each other."</p> - -<p>The calm and quiet were delightful! Igemon saw that all was over.</p> - -<p>He started to cry aloud; hot tears ran down his cheeks; he tore his -hair and roared, calling upon them:</p> - -<p>"Citizens, dear fellows, what am I to do? Must I make a revolution -myself? Bethink yourselves; it is historically necessary; it is -nationally inevitable. You see that it is impossible for me alone to -make a revolution. I have not even police for that, the vermin have -eaten them."</p> - -<p>The citizens only blinked their eyes; even if they had been pierced by -a stake they would not have uttered a sound.</p> - -<p>So they all died in silence, and Igemon, in utter despair, last of all.</p> - -<p>From this it follows that even in patience we must observe a certain -amount of moderation.</p> - - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<h4><a name="MAKING_A_SUPERMAN" id="MAKING_A_SUPERMAN">MAKING A SUPERMAN</a></h4> - - -<p>The wisest of the citizens pondered the following problem:—</p> - -<p>"What does it mean? Wherever one looks everything is at sixes and -sevens."</p> - -<p>And after much thought they concluded:</p> - -<p>"It is because we have no personality. It is necessary for us to create -a central thinking organ which shall be quite free from any sort of -bias, which shall be capable of raising itself above everything, which -shall stand out from everything and everybody—in the same way as a -goat from amongst a flock of sheep." Somebody said:</p> - -<p>"Brothers, have we not already suffered enough from central -personalities?" They did not like this.</p> - -<p>"That seems to savour of politics, and even of civic sorrow."</p> - -<p>Somebody insisted:</p> - -<p>"But how can we ignore politics if politics penetrate everything? The -facts are that the prisons are overcrowded, that in the hard labour -prisons it is impossible to turn round; and to remedy this we must -enlarge the scope of our rights."</p> - -<p>But they answered him sternly:</p> - -<p>"This, sir, is idealism, and it is time you left it alone. A new man is -wanted, and nothing else."</p> - -<p>After this they set to work to create a man according to the methods -referred to in the traditions of the holy fathers: they spat on the -ground, and began to mix the spittle with earth. Then they smeared -themselves up to the ears with the mixture, but the results were -poor. In their eagerness they trampled rare flowers into the ground, -and destroyed useful cereals. They tried hard, they sweated in the -earnestness of their efforts; but there was no result—nothing but a -waste of words and mutual accusations of creative incapacity. They -even put the elements out of patience by their zeal: whirlwinds began -to blow, the heat became intense, it thundered, and the rain poured -down in torrents; the ground became sodden, and the whole atmosphere -saturated with heavy odours, so that it was difficult to breathe.</p> - -<p>However, from time to time this wrestling with the elements seemed to -come to an end, and a new personality came into God's world.</p> - -<p>There was general rejoicing everywhere, but it was short-lived, and -soon turned into oppressive embarrassment. For, if a new personality -arose out of the peasant soil, it became forthwith a polished merchant, -and, starting business at once, began to sell the fatherland piecemeal -to foreigners—first of all at forty-five copecks<a name="FNanchor_1_6" id="FNanchor_1_6"></a><a href="#Footnote_1_6" class="fnanchor">[1]</a> a plot, and -afterwards going to such lengths that it wanted to sell a whole -district, with all its live stock and thinking machines.</p> - -<p>If they stirred up a new man on merchant soil he either was born -a degenerate or at once became a bureaucrat. If they did it on a -nobleman's estate, beings arose, as they had done before, who seemed -intent upon swallowing up the whole revenue of the state. On the -soil of the middle class and petty property-owners all sorts of wild -thistles grew: agents-provocateurs, Nihilists, pacifists, and goodness -knows what.</p> - -<p>"But we already have all these in a sufficient quantity," the wise -citizens confessed to each other.</p> - -<p>And they were sadly puzzled.</p> - -<p>"We have made some kind of mistake in the technique of creation," they -said.</p> - -<p>"But what was the mistake?"</p> - -<p>They sat in the mud and thought very hard.</p> - -<p>Then they began to upbraid one another:</p> - -<p>"You, Selderey Lavrovich, you spit too much, and in all directions."</p> - -<p>"And you, Kornishon Lukich, are too faint-hearted to do likewise."</p> - -<p>The newly born Nihilists, pretending to be Vaska Buslayeffs, looked at -everything with contempt and shouted:</p> - -<p>"Oh, you vegetables, try and think what place is best, and we will help -you to spit on it."</p> - -<p>And they spat and spat.</p> - -<p>They all seemed bored and irritable with one another; and they were -covered with mud.</p> - -<p>Just at that time Mitya Korofyshkin, nicknamed "Steel Claw," who was -playing truant from school, passed by. He was a pupil in the second -class of the Miamlin Gymnasium, and was known as a collector of -foreign stamps. As he passed he saw the people sitting in a puddle and -spitting, deep in thought.</p> - -<p>"Grown-ups, and they bespatter themselves like that!" thought Mitya -contemptuously; which was natural in one of his tender years.</p> - -<p>He peeped to see if there was not a teacher in their midst, and not -noticing one he inquired:</p> - -<p>"What are you doing in the puddle, uncles?"</p> - -<p>One of the citizens, resenting the question, immediately began to argue:</p> - -<p>"Where do you see a puddle? It is simply a reflection of the primordial -chaos."</p> - -<p>"And what are you doing?"</p> - -<p>"We are trying to create a new man. We are sick of people like you."</p> - -<p>Mitya became interested.</p> - -<p>"After whose likeness?"</p> - -<p>"What do you mean? We want to create somebody unlike anyone else. Go -away."</p> - -<p>As Mitya was a child, and not yet versed in the secrets of nature, -he, of course, was glad of the opportunity to be present at such an -important affair, and he asked them simply:</p> - -<p>"Will you make him with three legs?"</p> - -<p>"What are you saying?"</p> - -<p>"How funnily he will run!"</p> - -<p>"Go away, boy."</p> - -<p>"Or with wings! What a fine thing it would be! Make him with wings, by -Jove! and let him kidnap teachers, like the condor did in 'The Children -of Captain Grant.' There, of course, the condor does not kidnap a -teacher, but it would be better if he did kidnap the teacher."</p> - -<p>"Boy, you are talking nonsense, and it is sinful nonsense. Remember -your prayers before and after your lessons."</p> - -<p>But Mitya was a boy with a fertile imagination, and he became very -excited.</p> - -<p>"As the teacher is going to the gymnasium it will grab him by the -collar and carry him away to somewhere in the air, it makes no -difference where. The teacher will simply kick and drop all his -books—I hope the books will never be found."</p> - -<p>"Boy, have reverence for your elders."</p> - -<p>"And the teacher shouts to his wife from above: 'Good-bye, I am going -to heaven like Elijah and Enoch,' And his wife kneels in the middle of -the road and whimpers: 'My school teacher! Oh, my school teacher!'"</p> - -<p>They got quite angry with him.</p> - -<p>"Get away, you are jabbering nonsense. There are many who can do that. -You are beginning too soon."</p> - -<p>They drove him away, but he stopped before he had gone far, thought a -while, and asked:</p> - -<p>"Do you really mean it?"</p> - -<p>"Of course."</p> - -<p>"And it won't work?"</p> - -<p>They sighed sullenly and said:</p> - -<p>"No; leave us alone."</p> - -<p>Then Mitya moved a little farther away, put out his tongue and mocked -them:</p> - -<p>"I know why! I know why!"</p> - -<p>He ran away, but they chased him, and as they were used to changing the -scene of their operations and running from place to place they soon -caught him. Then they began to beat him.</p> - -<p>"Oh, you scamp ... cheeking your elders."</p> - -<p>Mitya cried and implored:</p> - -<p>"Uncles, I will give you a Soudanese stamp—I have a duplicate.... I -will make you a present of my penknife——"</p> - -<p>But they tried to frighten him with the headmaster's name.</p> - -<p>"Uncles, really and truly, I will never tease you again. Now I have -really guessed why a new man cannot be created."</p> - -<p>"Speak!"</p> - -<p>"Don't hold me so tight!"</p> - -<p>They released him all but his hands, and he said to them:</p> - -<p>"Uncles, it is not the proper soil. The soil is no good, on my word of -honour. You may spit as much as you like, nothing will come of it. For, -when God created Adam in his image, the land belonged to nobody. Now it -all belongs to someone or other; therefore man now belongs to somebody. -Spitting makes no difference whatever."</p> - -<p>They were so dumbfounded that they dropped their hands; Mitya rushed -away from them, and making a trumpet of his hands shouted:</p> - -<p>"You red-skinned Comanches! Iroquois!"</p> - -<p>But they all went back to the puddle, and the wisest of them said:</p> - -<p>"Colleagues, let us resume our occupation. Let us forget this boy, for -he is very likely a socialist in disguise."</p> - -<p>Oh, Mitya, Mitya!</p> - - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_1_6" id="Footnote_1_6"></a><a href="#FNanchor_1_6"><span class="label">[1]</span></a> Elevenpence.—<i>Trans.</i></p></div> - - - - - - - - -<pre> - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Tales of Two Countries, by Maxim Gorky - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK TALES OF TWO COUNTRIES *** - -***** This file should be named 55577-h.htm or 55577-h.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/5/5/5/7/55577/ - -Produced by Marc D'Hooghe at Free Literature (online soon -in an extended version,also linking to free sources for -education worldwide ... 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