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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..43311e0 --- /dev/null +++ b/README.md @@ -0,0 +1,2 @@ +Project Gutenberg (https://www.gutenberg.org) public repository for +eBook #55582 (https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/55582) diff --git a/old/55582-8.txt b/old/55582-8.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 142bede..0000000 --- a/old/55582-8.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,6441 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Orloff Couple and Malva, 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: The Orloff Couple and Malva - -Author: Maxim Gorky - -Translator: Emily Jakowleff - Dora B. Montefiore - -Release Date: September 19, 2017 [EBook #55582] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE ORLOFF COUPLE AND MALVA *** - - - - -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) - - - - - -The Orloff Couple - -and - -Malva - -By - -Maxim Gorky - -(Alexei Maximovitch Peshkoff) - - -Authorized Translation from the Russian by - -Emily Jakowleff and Dora B. Montefiore - - -_With a Portrait_ - - -London - -William Heinemann - -1901 - - - - -BIOGRAPHICAL NOTE - - -Alexei Maximovitch Peshkoff was born March 14, 1869, at Nijni Novgorod. -On both his father's and mother's side he belonged to the people; his -father followed the trade of a jobbing upholsterer, and his mother was -the daughter of a dyer. He was left an orphan when quite young, and he -passed then under the care of his grandfather, a cruel and tyrannical -old man, who had already so ill-treated young Alexei's father when a -lad, that he ran away from home. - -Peshkoff attended school for about five months, but having caught -smallpox, his grandfather took him away from school, and sent him at -the age of nine as errand-boy to a shoemaker. Here the child scalded -his hand badly and was sent back to his home. His grandfather next -apprenticed him to a draughtsman, from whom young Peshkoff ran away. -In order to keep himself he went as galley-boy on a Volga steamer, -where he helped the ship's cook. This cook was a reader, and something -of a character; he possessed a small library which he allowed his -galley-boy to read, and it was here that the lad felt the first -awakening of literary instinct, though he had always, from the time -he left school at nine years old, read everything that fell into his -hands. The cook's library contained amongst other authors Nekrassoff; -translations of the works of Ann Radcliff; a volume of Sovrememick, -whose editor was Tchemishewsky, the translator and commentator of John -Stuart Mill; Iscra, and several works in Little Russian; the lives of -the saints, and works by some mystical writers; some odd volumes of -Dumas, and some Freemasons' literature. This curious collection of -miscellaneous writings gave young Peshkoff, now fifteen, a burning -desire to obtain some degree of culture, and awoke in him the wish to -write. He left the steamer, and wandered to Kazan, where he was told -free instruction could be obtained. Here, in order to keep himself, -he had to enter a bakery at three roubles, or six shillings, a month; -and he speaks of this work as being the hardest that he ever did, with -the exception of work in the salt mines, which he describes in one of -his essays. A story written later in life, called 'The Outcasts,' is a -truthful reflection of the people amongst whom he lived and worked at -this period of his life, and-it contains much that is autobiographical. -He lived amongst these outcasts of society, chopping wood and carrying -burdens, earning a living as best he could, and in the intervals of -manual work picking up what instruction fell in his way. On leaving -Kazan he tried his luck at Tzaritzine, where he worked as a signalman -on the railway. - -At the age of twenty he had to return to Nijni Novgorod in order to -perform his years of military service, but he failed to pass the health -test, and was rejected as not strong enough to serve. For some time -after this he sold "kwass" in the streets, until he managed to get -a situation as clerk in a lawyer's office. This lawyer, whose name -was Lanine, eventually took a great interest in the young man, and -influenced him much in his reading and general culture. At this time -also, Peshkoff, being in better circumstances, was able to join a group -of young intellectuals amongst whom was Federoff, who, on seeing some -of Peshkoff's writings, declared the youth showed great literary talent -But a settled and sedentary life did not suit him, and he never really -felt himself at home among these young intellectuals; preferring his -wandering life, supporting himself from day to day by unskilled manual -labour, and sharing the society of tramps, day-labourers and outcasts. -So in 1890 we find him again wandering through Southern Russia, working -one month as a sawyer, the next as a stevedore lighterman, and in 1892 -he was employed at Tiflis in the Caucasus in some railway engineering -shops. It was during this period that his first story, 'Markar -Tchoudra,' appeared in a local paper; but his first real literary -_début_ was made in 1893 when he published 'Tchelkache,' a short story -containing marvellous impressionist effects of water and of night. - -The budding talent displayed in these and other stories being now -recognized, he returned to the Volga, where he had spent so much of -his youth, and began contributing short stories to the Volgeschky -Viesnick.' These were followed by a longer story, 'Emilia Pilai,' which -appeared in an important Moscow paper, the 'Russky Viedomoski'; and a -lucky chance having brought him across Korolenko, Peshkoff, who had -now taken for his _nom de plume_ the title of Gorki (the Russian for -bitter), through the influence of this leading man of letters was able -to place his writings in some of the most important periodicals of the -day, Korolenko did much for him also in the way of advice, and Gorki -wrote later of this period of his life: "If I learnt little, it was not -Korolenko's fault, but my own." - -Broad sympathy with, and understanding of every expression of human -nature, seems to be the prevailing characteristic of Gorki's writings; -whilst his realism has a special quality, in that it is never forced, -never _voulu,_ as is too often the case with writers of another class -who make literary studies of the lives of the people. Gorki, having -lived the life of the tramp, of the out-of-work loafer, of the slum -inhabitant, is saturated with the detail of that life, and possesses -the true artistic faculty necessary for reproducing it. Many of his -so-called "stories" are rather studies and sketches, so slight is -the plot, so impressionist is the form under which he reproduces the -"bits of life" with which he has come in contact He seems to succeed -in the art of "viewing life as a whole, and viewing it sanely"; but -his pictures are of necessity tinged with pessimism, for he is the -mouthpiece of the unprivileged, the sweated, the "lapsed and lost" -This vein of pessimism is, however, relieved by a spirituality, a -sensitiveness to the consolations of music, of light, and cloud, and -water effects, of nature's healing inspiration, which wholly redeem -his work from the reproach of empty, crushing pessimistic teaching. He -is essentially the prophet of revolt,--revolt against the dreariness, -the monotony, the inhumanity of drudgery, which keeps men and women -working at high pressure like machines, in order that they may be able -to earn--just daily bread.... As the shoemaker Grischka says in one of -the stories published in this volume: "And why do we need daily bread? -In order to be able to work I And why do we work, but to obtain daily -bread? What's the sense of that?" - -He has certainly made very real for us a large class of our fellow -human beings whom before we scarcely recognized in any other way than -in their outward form of baker, shoemaker, dock-labourer, or vagrant -Gorki makes them live in his pages, unfolds their psychology, makes -us joy with their joys and sorrow with their sorrows, and introduces -them--as fellow-sufferers from the all-pervading disease of modern -life, _ennui_ and dissatisfaction with existing social conditions--into -the great human brotherhood. - -Gorki acknowledges the four literary influences of his life to have -been those of the cook on the steamer, of Lanine, of Kaligny and of -Korolenko. Of late years he has been forbidden, because of political -writings, to enter St Petersburg or Moscow. Three volumes of his works -have already been published, and his stories have found their way -through translations into many leading French and German Reviews. - -D. B. M. - - - - -THE ORLOFF COUPLE - - - - -CHAPTER I - - -Almost every Saturday, just before supper-time, the dirty old house -of the merchant Petounukoff was the scene of a violent and murderous -attack. From the two cellar windows there rang forth into the narrow -courtyard, surrounded by old tumble-down hovels, and filled with all -sorts of rubbish, the horrible screams of a woman. - -"Let me alone! Let me alone! you devil!" she shrieked in a high treble -voice. - -"Leave go of me then!" answered the tenor voice of a man. - -"I won't let go of you, you wretch! you monster!" - -"Shut up, and leave go of me!" - -"Not if you kill me--I won't let you go!" - -"What, you won't? Then take that, you heretic!" - -"Help! He is killing me! Help!" - -"Will you let go of me then?" - -"You may go on beating me, you dog, till you have killed me!" - -"I can't do that in a hurry--you take more killing than that!" - -At the first words of such a dialogue, the painter Soutchkoff's -apprentice, Senka Tschischik, who from one day's end to the other -was busy in one of the sheds in the yard rubbing and mixing colours, -used to rush out in hot haste, and whilst his little black mouse eyes -flashed, he would shout with all his might, so that his voice rang -right across the court-- - -"There's another row up at Orloff's the cobbler." - -The little Tschischik was an ardent lover of every sort of adventure -and story. As soon as there appeared to be trouble at the Orloffs he -would run quickly to the window of their dwelling, lie down on his -stomach, poke his mischievous shock head of hair and his thin face, -smeared with ochre and vermilion, as far as he could into the gloom -of the cellar, and watch with curiosity all that went on in the dark, -damp hole, from which arose a smell of musty cobbler's wax and of sour -batter. There, on the floor of this hole were to be seen two figures, -rolling over each other on the ground, groaning and cursing. - -"You want to kill me, then?" gasped at this moment, in a warning, -breathless voice, the woman. - -"Don't be afraid!" the man mockingly reassured her in a tone of -suppressed violence. - -Heavy dull blows were then heard, falling on something soft; then sobs -and sighs, and the panting of a man, who seemed to be making efforts to -move a heavy object. - -"Blast it all! Now he has given her a good one!--with the boot-last," -cried Tschischik, watching what was going on in the cellar, whilst -the public who had gathered round--the porter, Lewtschenko, the -accordion-player Kisljakoff, a couple of tailor's apprentices, and -other amateurs of gratuitous amusement,--were all impatient to get -news from Senka, and pulled him, now by his legs and now by his -many-coloured trousers. - -"Well, what's going on now? what's he doing to her this time?" they -would ask. - -"Now he is sitting astride of her, and is banging her nose into the -ground," explained Senka, who with true enjoyment was taking in every -action of the play. - -The public pushed nearer to the windows of the Orloffs' dwelling. They -burned with curiosity to see with their own eyes all the developments -of the struggle, and although they knew well of old every point in the -attack and defence in the war which Grischka Orloff waged against his -wife, they always appeared equally surprised and astonished. - -"No, but what a devil he is! He has beaten her again, has he not, till -she is bleeding?" asked one of them. - -"Her nose is all over blood.... It is running down," Senka informed -them. - -"Ah! good heavens! What a terror, what a wretch he is!" cried some -women, full of sympathy. - -The men regarded the matter from a more abstract and philosophic point -of view. - -"He will certainly end by killing her," they said. - -The accordion-player remarked in a prophetic voice-- - -"He'll stick a knife into her some day; you take my word for it He'll -get tired of always knocking her about, and some day will put an end to -the whole business in a hurry." - -"Now he has let go of her," said Senka in a whisper, springing up -from the ground, and bounding on one side like an india-rubber ball. -Immediately afterwards he took up another post of observation in a -corner of the court, for he knew that Grischka Orloff would now appear -above ground. - -Most of the spectators went off rapidly, for they had no desire to come -face to face with the enraged cobbler. Now that the fight was over -Grischka had lost all interest in their eyes, and besides it was not -without danger to come across him under these circumstances. - -So it happened that when Orloff emerged from his cellar, there was -generally, with the exception of Senka, no living soul to be seen in -the courtyard. Breathing heavily, his shirt torn, his hair tumbled, -with fresh scratches on his still excited and perspiring face, Grischka -Orloff, with bloodshot eyes would glance suspiciously round the court. -With his hands behind his back, he would walk slowly towards an old -sledge which was leaning against the wall of a dilapidated wool-shed. -Sometimes he would whistle and throw threatening glances around, as if -he were challenging all the dwellers in Petounukoff's house to battle. -Then he would sit down on the sledge, and with the sleeve of his shirt -wipe the blood away from his face. He would remain for a long time -motionless, glowering darkly at the wall of the opposite house, where -the plaster was crumbling away, and where a variety of colours had been -smeared on by the house-painter Soutchkoff's apprentices, who had the -habit, when they left off work, of cleaning their brushes on this part -of the wall. - -The cobbler Orloff was about thirty years old. His dark, nervous, -finely-cut face was adorned with a black moustache, under which showed -full red lips. Above a prominent nose thick black eyebrows were drawn -close together; dark restless flashing eyes looked out from under them. -The curly hair that hung forward on his forehead fell behind over his -brown strong neck in thick ringlets. Orloff was of middle height, a -little bent with a slight stoop--the result of his special work,-- -muscular and full-blooded; but now he sat on the sledge as if in a dull -state of stupor, and gazed blankly at the variegated wall, his breath -coming in heavy gasps and throbs. - -The sun had already gone off the courtyard, in which there still -reigned a dull twilight; a mingled smell of oil-paint, of tar, of -sauerkraut and of rotting vegetable matter hung heavy on the sultry -evening air. From the windows of the two-storied dwelling there came -a sound of song and of oaths, which rang through the court, whilst a -drunken man thrust an inquiring head out of a window from behind a -corner, looked across at Orloff, and then disappeared with a mocking -laugh. - -The time came for the painters to leave their work; they passed by -Orloff, throwing mocking glances at him, winking meaningly at one -another, and filled the courtyard with the sounds of their Kostroma -dialect Then they separated--each going his own way, the one to the -bath, the other to the vodka-shop. - -Later on, the tailors came down from the second storey into the -courtyard; half-dressed, bow-legged fellows who were making merry over -the dialect of their painter comrades. The whole court was once more -filled with noise, jovial laughter and jokes. Orloff sat silent in his -corner, taking no notice of any one. No one went near him, no one dared -to joke with him, for all knew that at these moments he was like a -raging animal. - -Completely swayed by his dark desperate mood, which seemed to weigh -on his breast and oppress his breathing, he sat there as if rooted to -the spot. - -From time to time his nostrils swelled and his lips parted, -showing two rows of big yellow teeth. A dark indescribable feeling -of anguish seemed to hold him inexorably; red spots swam before his -eyes. A sense of utter melancholy took possession of him, and to this -was added a burning thirst for vodka. He knew that he would feel more -lighthearted when he had had something to drink, but he was ashamed -while it was still light to show his torn and ragged condition in the -street, where every one knew him personally as Grigori Orloff the -cobbler. He had a feeling of his own dignity, and would not expose -himself as a butt for general mirth. But neither could he go home to -wash and dress himself,--for there, lying bleeding on the ground, was -his wife whom he had greviously ill-used, and whom, at any price, he -must not look on at present. - -There, no doubt, she is lying groaning, and he feels that she is a -martyr, and that he has been a thousand times guilty towards her. All -this he realizes quite clearly and distinctly. He knows well that where -she is concerned he has much to blame himself, and this consideration -increases even more the hatred which he feels towards her. A vague but -dominating feeling of anger gnaws his soul, prevailing over every other -feeling, whilst an inconsolable melancholy overwhelms his inmost being, -and he gives way consciously to the dull heavy misery which has taken -possession of him, but against which he knows no other remedy than--a -pint of vodka.... - -The accordion-player Kisljakoff crosses the yard. He is wearing a -velvet tunic without sleeves; a red silk shirt and wide trousers tucked -into his stockings; on his feet are smartly-polished shoes. Under his -arm he carries in a green bundle his accordion; he has twisted up his -black moustache, his cap is worn jauntily on one side, and his whole -countenance beams with the joy of living. Orloff liked his brisk -liveliness, his cordial ways, and his playing, and he envied him his -bright, happy-go-lucky life, free from all care. - -"I greet thee, Grischka, proud conqueror, returning blood-stained from -the fray!" cried jokingly the accordion-player. - -Orloff did not feel angry with Kisljakoff's joke, though he had heard -it already for the fiftieth time. He knew that the accordion-player -meant no harm, but only wanted to have a little innocent fun with him. - -"Well, brother; so you have been acting Plevna again?" Kisljakoff asked -the cobbler, as he remained for a moment standing before him. - -"Ah! Grischka, you are indeed a melancholy-looking swain!... Come along -with me to the only place which is of any good to such as you and me -... we will go and have a drop together!" - -"It's too early yet," objected Orloff, without moving his head. - -"I shall await thee then with silent longing!..." said Kisljakoff, -turning away. - -After a time Orloff followed him. As soon as he had left, there issues -from the cellar a short, plump woman's form. A handkerchief is bound -tightly round her head, allowing only one eye and a piece of her -cheek to be seen; she walks with tottering steps, leaning for support -against the wall, crosses the courtyard, going straight to the place -where a short time before her husband had sat, and sits down precisely -in the same spot No one is surprised at her appearance, they are all -accustomed to it, and they know she will sit there till Grischka, drunk -and repentant, returns from the dram-shop. She has come up into the -courtyard, because the air is too heavy in the cellar, and because she -will have to guide the drunken steps of Grischka on his return. - -The steps are very steep and half broken away; once before, when -Grischka returned from the dram-shop he fell down, and sprained his -arm, so that he could not work for a fortnight, and she, in order that -they might live, had been obliged to pawn everything they possessed. -From that time Matrona had taken good care of him. Sometimes one of -the inhabitants of the house would come and speak to her; generally -it was Lewtschenko, a retired, bearded non-commissioned officer, a -very sensible worthy "Little Russian," with a smooth shaven head and a -purple nose. - -He would sit down, with a yawn and a stretch, and remark--"Well, have -you been catching it again?" - -"What's that to you?" Matrona would reply in an unfriendly tone. - -"Nothing in the world!" said the "Little Russian," and then they both -remained silent for a while. - -Matrona would gasp; something seemed to be choking her breath. - -"What a pity it is to think that you are always at loggerheads with -one another! Can't you alter things?" the "Little Russian" would begin -again. - -"That's our business," replied Orloff's wife shortly. - -"Of course it is! Of course it's your business..." agreed Lewtschenko, -nodding his head to show that he was entirely at one with her on this -point. - -"What are you driving at?" continued Matrona in an angry voice. - -"La! la! la! What a bad temper you are in! You won't let one say a -word to you! Whenever I see you and Grischka, I say to myself, what -a pair they are! They worry each other like two dogs! You ought both -to be beaten twice a day, morning and evening--then perhaps the desire -for quarrelling would be knocked out of you." And he went away angrily -and Matrona was glad; for several times there had been whisperings -and gossipings in die court, caused by Lewtschenko's attempts to be -friendly; so she was vexed with him, as she was with everybody who -mixed themselves up with her affairs. - -Lewtschenko, in spite of his forty years, walked with a soldierly -stride to a corner of the yard, when suddenly Tschischik, the painter's -apprentice, ran like a ball between his legs. - -"That was a nasty one she gave you, little uncle!" he whispered with a -precocious air to the non-commissioned officer, winking cunningly in -the direction of Matrona. - -"You'll get something nasty from me, if you don't look out! do you -understand!" the "Little Russian" threatened him, though he was really -laughing behind his moustache. He liked the lively little lad, who knew -all the secrets of the court, and he really enjoyed having a gossip -with him. - -"There is nothing to be done with her," continued Senka, without -paying any attention to Lewtschenko's threat, and going on with his -revelations. "Maximka, the painter, has also tried--but what did he -get for his pains?... a box on the ear!... I saw it myself...." - -The, but half grown, lively little lad of twelve absorbed greedily all -the filth and evil with which his life was surrounded, just as a sponge -absorbs the water in which it lies; and the delicate wrinkles on his -forehead showed that Senka Tschischik had already begun to think. - -In the courtyard it grew dark. Overhead was stretched a square patch of -dark blue sky on which twinkled the shimmering glory of the stars. The -courtyard itself with its steep walled sides looked like a deep pit, at -the bottom of which sat, huddled up in a corner, the form of Matrona, -resting after the beating she had received, and awaiting the return of -her drunken husband.... - - - - -CHAPTER II - - -The Orloffs had been married three years. They had had a child, which -died at the age of a year and a half. Neither of them grieved over it -much, for they consoled themselves with the thought that they would -soon get another one. The cellar in which they lived was a great long, -dusty room with a cobwebby ceiling. Close against the door stood, with -its front towards the window, a huge Russian oven; between it and -the wall a narrow passage led into a square room which obtained its -light from two of the windows that looked on to the courtyard. Through -these windows the light fell in two dim streaks into the cellar, which -was damp, clammy, and death-like in its stillness.... Life flowed by -somewhere, far, far away out there and above; here, in this hole only -vague, dull sounds found an entrance, and blending with the dust of -th? court, pressed in on the senses of the Orloffs in formless and -colourless waves. Opposite the stove stood, behind a brown curtain with -a pattern of roses, a great wooden double bedstead; over against the -bed, and near the other wall stood a table, at which the Orloffs drank -their tea and ate their dinner, and between the bed and the opposite -wall, in a sort of frame formed by two rays of light, the couple sat -and worked. - -Blackbeetles wandered about, nibbling the paste with which old -newspapers had been stuck against the walls. Flies hovered over -everything, buzzing in a melancholy drone; and the pictures, which were -decorated with the spots they left, looked against the dirty green -background of the walls like dark blotches. - -The day's work of the Orloffs left nothing to wish for in the way of -monotony. Matrona got up at six o'clock, washed herself, and prepared -the samovar; this utensil had more than once in the heat of strife, -received some hard hits, and was in consequence covered with patches -of solder. While the water was heating in the samovar, she had already -swept out the room and prepared breakfast Then she awoke her husband. -By the time he was up and washed, the samovar was boiling and hissing -on the table. Then they drank their tea and ate their white bread, of -which they consumed a whole pound. Grigori was a skilled worker, and -never therefore without work. Whilst they were drinking their tea he -apportioned out the day's labour; he did the finer parts which required -a master hand, whilst his wife's share lay in twisting the waxed -threads, and in finishing off pieces of work which did not require so -much skill. They also spoke during breakfast of what they should have -for their dinner. In the winter, when the stomach required more, this -was a fairly interesting subject, but in the summer when the stove, -for motives of economy, was only lit on high days and holidays, and -not always then, they lived mostly on cold meats, on kwass, varied -with salt-fish and onions; sometimes they boiled, on some neighbour's -fire in the courtyard, a piece of meat. As soon as their breakfast -was finished they sat down to work, Grigori astride on a log of wood -covered with bits of leather, Matrona on a low stool beside him. At -first they would work in silence, for what had they to talk about? They -might sometimes exchange a few words about their work, and then silence -would once more reign for half-an-hour or more. The blows of the hammer -fell with a dull sound, the thread squeaked as it was drawn through the -tight-stretched leather. Grigori yawned now and then, and after each -yawn would close his mouth with a loud noise. Matrona sighed and was -silent. - -Often Orloff would begin a song; he possessed a powerful metallic -voice, and did not sing badly. The words of the song poured forth -rapidly and plaintively in a ringing recitative from Grischka's -whole chest, or they flowed evenly in loud, strong wailings, whose -melancholy sounds found their way out of the cellar windows into -the courtyard. Matrona in a weak soft alto would sing second to -her husband. Both faces at such times would wear a thoughtful, sad -expression, and Grischka's dark eyes would grow moist His wife, -absorbed in the world of sound, would sit in a half-conscious state, -swaying from side to side; sometimes she would appear completely lost -in the music, suddenly pausing on a note, and then slowly falling -once more into the words of the song her husband was singing. Neither -of them felt at such times the presence of the other; they were each -pouring forth what seemed to be the whole emptiness and dreariness -of their joyless lives, and through the words of the song they were -seeking for an outlet for their own half-conscious feelings and -thoughts. At times Grischka would improvise-- - -"Ah! to think of my life, my cursed Life! And the ache in my soul, that -cursed ache! Ah! this bitter ache! Ah! this ache and sorrow....!" - -But Matrona did not love these improvisings, and she generally asked -him-- - -"Why do you howl then like a dog, when death is about?" - -He immediately answered her angrily-- - -"Thick-headed creature! What do you understand about things--an old -scarecrow like you?" - -"Oh, howl and howl away, and then bark if you like!" - -"Hold your tongue! Am I an apprentice, that you want to begin to teach -me now, eh?... Just mind your own business!" - -Matrona saw that his eyes flashed angrily, and that the veins of his -neck were swelling. She was silent for some time, refusing to answer -the questions of her husband, whose anger had disappeared as quickly -as it had arisen. She turned away her face so as not to meet his eyes, -which were full of love and of self-reproach for the cruel words he had -just spoken. She heeded not his signals of reconciliation, and though -awaiting impatiently his smile, trembled with fear lest he should once -more lose his temper over this game which she was playing out with -him. But it was pleasant to her to sit opposite to him in this defiant -mood, and to watch how he longed to make peace with her; it seemed like -living, it awoke feeling and gave an object to her thoughts. - -They were both young and healthy, they both loved each other and were -proud of each other. Grischka was such a handsome, hearty, strong -fellow, and Matrona was a plump little woman with a clear, fair -complexion, and warm sympathy in her grey eyes; "a fine little woman" -as all the neighbours used to call her. They loved each other, but -their life was so monotonous and tedious, so entirely bereft of all -deep interests and outside influences, which might have given them the -possibility of diverting occasionally their thoughts from each other, -of getting change, which is the natural desire of every human heart, -of, in a word--living. It is in fact a psychological fact that man and -wife, though they may have attained a high degree of culture, without -such an inner life, such an interest, must inevitably grow tired of, -and burdensome to each other. If the Orloffs had had an object in life, -if it had only been in the empty toil of hoarding halfpence in order -to collect capital--life would certainly have appeared easier to them. -But as it was, they were deprived even of this interest, which might -have proved a bond between them. As each had the other always before -his eyes, they had grown to know each other's every movement, every -gesture. One day followed the other, and brought nothing into their -lives either of change or of excitement Sometimes on holidays they went -to see friends, whose lives were as poor and as empty as their own; -occasionally friends came to see them, drank, sang and beat each other. -And then would follow an endless succession of monotonous grey days, -just like the links of an invisible chain, which made dreary the lives -of these people with work, _ennui,_ and groundless irritation against -each other. - -"A regular devil of a life!" Grischka used to say. "Just as if it -were bewitched. Whatever was life given to us for? Work and weariness; -weariness and work...." And after he had been silent for some time he -continued with a blank look on his face, and with downcast eyes--"Well, -it was God's decree that my mother should bear me ... so it's no use -complaining about that! Then I learnt my trade.... Why was that?... -Are there not enough cobblers in the world without me?... So then I -became a cobbler.... And what next?... What good fortune is there for -me in that?... I sit here in a hole and stitch boots.... And by and by -I shall die. There is what they call cholera in the town.... Perhaps -it will find us out.;. Then they will merely say--'There was once a -certain Grigori Orloff, who made boots, and who died of cholera.' ... -What sense is there in that? Why is it necessary that I should live, -make boots and die? Eh?..." - -Matrona was silent? she was always upset when her husband spoke in -that tone; often she begged him not to talk like that, for it was like -speaking against God, who knew best how men's lives should be arranged. -Sometimes, when not too depressed, she would interject a remark full -of common-sense--"You shouldn't drink vodka, then you would live more -happily, and not frighten yourself with such thoughts. Others live and -don't complain; they save money, open a shop, and in time become their -own masters." - -"Stop talking nonsense, you stupid woman!" Grischka would exclaim -angrily. "Just consider a moment how can I possibly live without drink, -when that is my only pleasure? You talk about others ... how many -do you know pray, who have been fortunate enough to make themselves -independent? Was I not before my marriage quite a different sort of -fellow? I will just tell you the truth; it is you who give me so much -trouble, and who embitter my life ... you ugly frog!..." - -Matrona felt herself wronged when she heard these words. He was -certainly right in saying that he was jollier and more amiable when he -was drunk. The "others" however of whom she spoke, were a product of -her imagination. And that before his marriage he was more cheerful, -more entertaining, more good-natured--that also was true.... Now -however he had really grown like a wild beast.... "Am I indeed then -such a burden to him?" thought Matrona to herself. Her heart ached at -this painful thought--she felt pity for him and for herself. She went -up to him looked smilingly into his eyes, and pressed her head tenderly -against his breast. - -"Just look at that now! She finds time for wheedling me, the little -cow!..." grumbled Grischka, pretending to push her away from him. But -she knew very well that he would not do so, and pressed closer against -him. - -Then his eyes would suddenly brighten; he would throw his work on one -side, take her on his knee, and kiss her long and passionately; at the -same time sighing deeply and low, as if he feared that some one might -hear him, whilst he whispered in her ear-- - -"Ah, Motrja! here we are living like cat and dog together ... we tear -each other like wild beasts; why is that so?... It seems to be my -fate.... Every man it seems is born under a certain star, and that star -is his fate." - -But this explanation was but poor comfort, and whilst he clasped his -wife closer to him, he fell into a dull state of despondency. For -a long time they sat thus in the dim twilight, surrounded by the -oppressive atmosphere of their cellar. Matrona only sighed and was -silent Sometimes however at these happy moments, the memory of her -undeserved sufferings and blows came across her and she would begin to -cry and sob softly. Her gentle reproaches moved him, and his caresses -became more and more warm. She however would go on complaining, and -make statements which finally exhausted his patience. - -"Shut up with your whining!" he cried harshly; "I suffer, very likely, -a thousand times more than you do, when I beat you.... Now be quiet, -will you? If one gives in the least bit to a woman, she will take -advantage of you at once. Leave off reproaching me! What is a man to do -whose life is a burden to him?" - -Another time, perhaps, his heart would melt under the torrent of -her tears, and pitiful complaints. Then he would say humbly and -thoughtfully-- - -"What on earth am I to do, with the unfortunate disposition that I -possess? I have hurt you often, that is certain.... I know very well -that you are the only one in the world who cares for me, though I often -seem to forget it But it's like this, Motrja; sometimes it seems as if -I could no longer bear the sight of you ... as if I had had enough of -you for ever. And then, such a rage comes into my soul, as if I could -tear you and myself to pieces; and the more you are in the right, the -stronger the desire grows in me to beat you." - -She did not quite understand what he meant to express; but the -contrite, loving tone in which he spoke, touched her deeply. - -"God grant that we may both improve; that we may grow used to each -other," she said. "Perhaps it would be better if we had a child ... -then we should have something to care for, and to interest us," she -continued with a sigh. - -"Well then, bring one into the world!" - -"How can I bear a child, when you knock me about so?... always -striking me on the body and on the loins.... If only you would give up -kicking me so constantly!..." - -"How can one arrange the exact place where one kicks a person?" - -Grischka tried to excuse himself in a grumbling voice. "At any rate I -am not a brute! I don't do it for my pleasure, but only when that ache -comes over me ... and I can't help myself then...." - -"How is it that that aching feeling comes over you?" asked Matrona -gloomily. - -"You see, that's my fate, Motrja," Grischka philosophized. "My fate -and my disposition. Am I worse than others?... Worse, for instance, -than Lewtschenko, the 'Little Russian'? Certainly he takes life more -easily than I do, and does not know what this ache is. He is alone in -the world, and has no wife, no relations.... But without you I should -certainly die.... Yes, that 'Little Russian' is happy enough; he smokes -his pipe, and laughs, is lively and contented, the devil he is!... But -I can't live like that.... I certainly was born with unrest in my soul, -and have got that sort of disposition. Lewtschenko's nature is just -like a straight stick; mine is like a spring; the least pressure on -it makes it start vibrating.... For instance, I go along the street, -and see beautiful things on every hand--and nothing of it all belongs -to me. That makes me feel injured. The 'Little Russian,' he does not -need any of those things. But it makes me furious to think how that -moustached fellow is so entirely without needs, whilst I ... ah! I -don't even know what I want.... I should like to have everything, yes, -everything! But I sit here in this hole and work from morning till -night, and it all leads to nothing. We sit here together, you and I, -you my wife ... and what is the good of it all? What is there in you -to give me pleasure? You are a woman, like all the rest of women. You -can offer me nothing new; I know you through and through. I even know -how you will sneeze to-morrow. I know it so well, because I have heard -you sneeze a thousand times in the same way before.... What interest -can I find in such a life? That's what is wanting to me--interest in -life. Yes ... and that's why I go to the vodka-shop, because it's more -cheerful there...." - -"Then why on earth did you marry?" asked Matrona. - -"Why?" Grischka asked mockingly. "The devil only knows why! I have -often said I ought not to have done so. I ought instead to have joined -the ranks of the tramps, where I should have suffered hunger, but I -should have been free! Go where you will.... The whole world lies open -before you!" - -"Go then!... Set me free!" cried Matrona, with difficulty suppressing a -sob. - -"Where would you go then?" asked Grischka with angry interest. - -"That's my business!" - -"Where?" he shouted at her, a wild hatred flashing from his eyes. - -"Don't shout so; I'm not afraid of you!" - -"Have you already taken up with some one else?... Out with it!" - -"Just let me go!" - -"Where shall I let you go?" Grischka continued to shout. - -He tore the handkerchief from her head, and in his fury caught her by -the hair. His blows awoke her whole spirit of opposition, and all that -was worst in her; and the feeling of this anger gave her real pleasure, -thrilled every fibre of her soul. Instead of quenching his jealousy -with a few conciliatory words, she fed it all the more, whilst she -smiled in his face with a peculiarly meaning smile. His rage grew more -and more furious, and he beat her unmercifully. - -But in the night, when she, with her bruised and ill-used body, lay -groaning by his side, he would watch her from the corner of his eye, -and sigh heavily. His conscience troubled him, and he felt a painful -feeling of shame, as he realized that there was not the smallest -foundation for his jealousy, and that he had once more unjustly beaten -his wife. - -"Now then, stop sobbing!" he said in a remorseful tone. "Is it my -fault if I have that sort of character?... And it's a great deal your -fault.... Instead of speaking to me quietly, you try and aggravate me. -What is it makes you behave like that?" - -She did not answer, though she was quite conscious why she acted thus. -She knew that she was looking forward to the pitying and passionate -caresses with which he would seal her forgiveness. For the sake of -these caresses she was prepared to allow herself to be beaten every -day till the blood flowed, and she shed precious tears in the sole -expectation of this joy of reconciliation. - -"How do you feel now?... Come now, be quiet, Motrja! Come, my treasure, -forgive me?... do forgive me now!" - -He stroked her hair, kissed her tenderly, whilst he ground his teeth -with the bitterness which was eating into his soul. - -The window of their room stood open, but the sky was hidden by the -thick wall of the neighbouring houses, and in the cellar it was, as -usual, dark, damp, and sticky. - -"Ah! this life; it's a veritable prison!" whispered Grischka, unable to -put into words all the pain that was oppressing his soul, "This hole -that we live in is the cause of it all, Motrja! Whatever do we stay -here for?... It's just as if we were buried alive!" - -"Well, let's go into other lodgings," remarked Motrja through her -tears, taking his words literally. - -"It's not that, dear.... I did not mean that exactly.... For even if -we were to live in a garret we should still be living in a hole, and -all would remain exactly the same I It's not only the lodgings ... our -whole life is like a hole...." - -Matrona began to think over his words, and finally remarked, "God grant -that we may improve ... that we may get used to each other." - -"Yes, that things may improve ... you have often said that already. It -doesn't look much like it, Motrja.... The scandals we create become -more and more frequent." - -Motrja could not deny this. The intervals between her beatings grew -ever shorter and shorter, and Grischka would frequently begin the -trouble quite early on Saturday morning. He would commence by saying-- - -"This evening, as soon as I have finished work, I am off to the -vodka-shop across the way, and I mean to have such a bout!" - -Motrja blinked her eyes, and was silent "Have you nothing to say about -it? Well, well! It's better to be silent.... It's better for you!" he -added threateningly. As the evening hour approached, he grew more -and more excited. He would speak to her over and over again of his -intention to get drunk. He knew only too well how painful it was to -her to hear such words, and he noticed how she went about in obstinate -silence, with a cold glance in her grey eyes, attending to her duties -in the cellar; and this made him feel all the more furious. - -In the evening Senka Tschischik, the herald of misfortune to the -inhabitants of the court, was able to report another battle having been -fought at the Orloffs'. - -When Grischka had beaten his wife black and blue, he disappeared -sometimes for the whole night, not even coming back to the house for -Sunday. Finally he would return, dirty, and with bloodshot eyes, to -his home. Matrona would receive him in silence, wearing a severe -expression, but full of secret pity. She knew that under these -circumstances he would like nothing better than a drop of spirits, and -already had a bottle of vodka prepared for him. - -"Come, pour me out a glass!" he cried in a hoarse voice, and after -swallowing two, he would sit down to work. - -The whole of that day he would be troubled with pricks of conscience, -which often became so severe and painful that he could not bear -himself. He would throw down his work, and uttering wild words of -self-reproach would pace up and down the room, or would throw himself -on the bed. Motrja would give him time to get over this attack of -remorse, and then they would make it up again. - -At first these reconciliations were full of much that was tender -and sweet, but after a time this delight disappeared entirely, and -they simply made it up, because it was impossible to remain a whole -week--that is to say, till the following Saturday--without speaking to -each other. - -"Are you going to destroy yourself, then, altogether with that vodka?" -sighed Motrja. - -"It's possible," replied Grischka, spitting on one side, with the look -of a man to whom it was quite immaterial whether he destroyed himself -or not "And you will end by running away from me?..." he continued -generally, exaggerating the picture of the future, and looking -searchingly into her eyes. - -For some time past she had cast down her eyes whenever he had spoken -in this way; though at first she had never done so. Grischka, when he -noticed this, frowned threateningly, and ground his teeth ominously. As -a matter of fact Matrona was just now doing her very best to win back -his heart She visited the fortune-teller's and wise women, and brought -back with her all sorts of charms and spells in order to gain this -object When none of these had any effect she paid for a mass in honour -of the martyr St Boniface, the patron saint against drunkenness; -during the whole mass she knelt in a dark corner of the church crying -bitterly, whilst her trembling lips moved in wordless prayer. - -But ever more and more often her soul became possessed with a cold -feeling of hatred against Grischka, which awoke within her dark -thoughts. She felt ever less and less pity towards this man, who three -years ago, with his joyful laugh and his loving words, had given to -her whole life such full delight and pleasure.... Thus lived, from one -day's end to another, these two children of men, who at heart were -neither of them evilly disposed; whilst they waited with fatalistic -simplicity for something to happen, which would break into and dispel -their present meaningless, and terrible life. - - - - -CHAPTER III - - -One Monday morning, just as the Orloffs had finished their breakfast, -there appeared on the threshold of their unfriendly-looking dwelling -the imposing form of a police-officer. Grischka Orloff sprang -frightened from his seat, and catching a glimpse of a startled and -reproachful look in his wife's eye, made vain efforts to recall to his -dulled brain the events of the last few days. Matrona watched him with -looks that spoke of anxious reproach. In obstinate silence, though -full of scared expectation, Grischka turned his troubled eyes on the -unexpected guest. - -"This way! Down here!" cried the police-officer to some one who was -coming down behind him. - -"It's as dark as a vault here!... What a devil's hole is this merchant -Petounukoff's house!" The words were spoken in a young, cheerful voice. - -The police-officer moved on one side, and, with a rapid step, a -medical student in a white coat entered the Orloffs' dwelling, holding -his cap in his hand. His head was smooth shaven, his forehead high -and sunburnt; he had cheerful brown eyes, which smiled through his -spectacles. - -"Good-morning!" he exclaimed, in his still youthful ringing alto -voice. "I have the honour to introduce myself to you; I am a member -of the Sanitary Commission. I have come to inquire about the state -in which you live here, and just to report what sort of air you are -breathing.... It's quite abominable air!" - -Orloff breathed more freely, and a look of relief passed across his -face. From the first moment, the medical student, with his boisterous -unaffected ways, pleased him; the healthy young face, covered on -cheeks and chin with fair downy hair, had something so friendly and -good-natured in it The fresh free laughter of the young man brought -into the Orloffs' cellar a ray of light and of brightness. - -"Now, my good people," continued the student, after a pause; "you might -empty the slop-pail a little more often, for it is from that this -horrible smell comes. I should like to advise you, my good woman, to -wash it out more often, and to place chloride of lime in the corners of -the room. That will purify the air, and it's a very good remedy against -the damp. And you, my fine fellow--why do you look so upset?" He turned -towards Orloff, seized his hand suddenly, and felt his pulse. The quick -assured manner of the medical student impressed the Orloffs to such -a degree that they seemed at first to be struck dumb. Matrona smiled -constrainedly and watched him in silence, whilst Grigori seemed as if -refreshed by the sight of the open fair young face. - -"Well, and how are your stomachs feeling?" asked the medical student -"You can speak out openly to me without any fuss--it's a question you -see of life and death.... If anything is not quite right we will treat -you gratis with some simple citrate medicine or something of that sort, -and you will be all right in a few days." - -"We can't complain; we are fairly healthy," said Grigori, smiling. -"And if I don't seem quite up to the mark, it's nothing out of the -common--to tell the truth, I took a drop too much last night...." - -"That I had already guessed, for my nose told me so.... Of course it -was only a _small_ glass too much? Only half a glass or so?..." - -Grischka could not contain himself when listening to the comical way -in which this was said, and watching the sly grimace which accompanied -it; and he burst into a loud good-tempered laugh. Matrona smiled also -behind her apron. The medical student, who, at first had laughed with -them for company, then changed to a more serious expression. As the -lines of his face altered, it appeared even more open and candid than -before. - -"That a man who is working should drink a glass from time to time--that -is all right," said he. "But as I have just said, it must be taken in -moderation, and as times are now it is better to keep away from drink -altogether. Have you already heard about the epidemic that is just now -raging in the town?" - -And with a serious expression on his face, he began to tell the -Orloffs about the cholera, and the means to be taken to counteract it; -trying to express himself as clearly and as simply as possible. Whilst -talking, he was busily examining the room, feeling the walls with his -hands, looking behind the door, stooping down to peep into the stove, -and sniffing about everywhere with his nose. His voice, which had not -yet completely changed, alternated between bass and treble, and the -simple forms of words which he used impressed themselves unconsciously -on the minds of his audience. His brown eyes gleamed, and seemed full -of youthful enthusiasm for the work to which he had dedicated himself -so earnestly and simply. - -Grigori hung eagerly on every one of his words, and followed -with curiosity all his movements. Matrona listened also, without -understanding very much; the police-officer had already gone off. - -"Be careful to use chloride of lime as I have told you. Close by here -is a new building; for a couple of kopecks they will give you a whole -heap of it. And, about the drink, it's better to leave it alone for a -while, my friend. Well, good-day to you I I shall soon be looking you -up again...." - -And he disappeared as quickly as he came, and left as it were as a -recollection of his pleasant visit, a contented, happy smile on the -faces of the couple. - -For a time they were silent, both looking at each other, unable to -put into words the impression which this sudden visit, with all its -revelation of well-directed energy, had made on the monotonous tenor of -their dull automatic life. - -"Just think, now!" began Grigori at last, shaking his head, "what a -sorcerer that fellow is!... And they tell us that those are the men who -poison people! Can a man with a face like that have anything to do with -those sort of goings on?... And that cheerful clear voice, and all the -rest of it!... No, it's all open and above board, it's all straight! -He comes in quite simply--'Here I am, my good people; listen to what I -have to say!' Chloride of lime, that can't hurt And citric acid, that's -just an acid, and nothing more.... The principal thing, however, is -to keep clean, to have everything clean indoors, and to attend to the -slop-bucket Can a man be poisoned by attending to those sort of things? -They must be stupid folk who talk like that!... Poisoners, they call -them? Yes, that's it.... To think that such a dear fellow as that could -be a poisoner! Pfui!... 'He who works may drink a glass,' he said; 'of -course with moderation.' Did you hear, Matrona? Well, pour me out one, -then. Is there one left?" - -Matrona hastened to pour him out a glass of vodka, which she produced -from some hiding-place. - -"He is really a very nice fellow; there is something so friendly about -him," she said, still smiling at the thought of the student. "But who -can say what the others may be like? Perhaps they are indeed hired -to----" - -"What do you mean?... Hired to do what?" roared Grigori. - -"Well, to put folk out of the way.... It seems there is an order that -all the poor people are to be poisoned when there are too many of -them," added Motrja. - -"Who told you that?" - -"Well, everybody says so.... The painter's cook says so also.... And -lots of others say the same thing." - -"A lot of silly fools! What would the Government gain by it? Just think -a moment! First they would have to treat us all with medicine; and -then they would have to pay for the funerals, the coffins, the graves, -and all that sort of thing. That all costs something, and it all has -to come out of the coffers of the State.... That's all idle chatter; -if they really want to get rid of a few of the poor people, they have -only got to send them out to Siberia; there's room for them all there; -or to some uninhabited island, where they can dig the ground, work -and pay taxes! Can't you understand? Don't you see that would be the -right sort of way of thinning out the people, and would be at the same -time advantageous.... For an uninhabited island produces nothing; but -workers, who pay taxes, are the most important matter for the State -coffers. But what sense would there be in poisoning people and burying -them?... There would be no sense in it, don't you see? And then about -the medical students; they are certainly a troublesome lot, but more -especially because they are always in opposition to the authorities, -than because they poison people.... No, you won't catch a medical -student doing that, not for all the money in the world!... One can see -at once that these students are not that sort." - -The whole day they talked of the medical student, and of the advice he -had given them. They spoke of his cheerful laugh, of his expression, -and they remembered that there was a button missing on his coat But -on the question as to whether it was missing on the right side or -the left, they could not agree; and they nearly came to pulling one -another's hair over it. Twice already Grischka had made his wife -angry, but he noticed in time that her bottle still contained a good -drop of vodka; so in the end he gave in to her. They made resolutions -to commence cleaning up their cellar the next day, and then began once -more to talk of the student, whose entry into their home had acted on -them like a refreshing breath of fresh air. - -"By heavens, but he's a regular jolly lad!" said Grigori delighted. "He -comes in as simply as if he had known us for years, gives the necessary -directions, and there's an end of it.... All without noise or fuss, -though he had a right to use authority.... That's the sort of fellow -that takes my fancy! One sees at once that he has a heart for people -like us.... What say you, Motrja? They don't want us to die, that's -all about it I And all this women's chatter about poisoning and that -sort of thing--that's all rubbish. 'How are your stomachs getting on?' -he asked. If he wants to poison me what can it matter to him how my -stomach is? And how cleverly he explained all that.... What the devil -did he call those--those worms that get into our insides?" - -"'Bactery,' or some word like that," answered Motrja, with a sneer. -"But he only told us that to frighten us, so as to make us more careful -about being clean...." - -"Who knows, perhaps it is true! Perhaps there are animals of that -sort--in the damp all kinds of creatures live! Damn it all, what was -the name of those little beasts? Bac--bactery--that was not quite -it.... If I could only pronounce it I.... It's just on the tip of my -tongue, but I can't get it out!..." - -Once again, in the evening when they lay down to sleep, they spoke -about the event of the day with the most naďve excitement, just as -children have the habit of chattering with each other about some strong -impression they may have received. And they fell asleep in the middle -of the conversation. - -In the morning they woke up early. At their bedside stood the painter's -stout cook; her usually healthy, rosy-coloured face was now white and -leaden-looking. - -"How is it you are still in bed?".she began at once in an excited -voice, speaking with trembling lips. "The cholera has started here in -the courtyard! The Lord has visited us...!" and she began suddenly to -sob aloud. - -"What nonsense! It can't be true!" cried Grigori In a scared voice. - -"And I forgot again last night to carry out the slop-bucket!" said -Matrona with contrition. - -"I have come in to say good-bye to you, my dear friends," said the -cook. "I have decided to leave, and go back to my village." - -"Who is in for it?" asked Grigori, jumping out of bed. - -"The accordion-player. He drank last evening some cold water from the -pump, and in the night he was taken with dreadful cramps." - -"The accordion-player?" muttered Grigori. It seemed to him quite -incredible that any sort of illness could hurt that strong fellow. -Yesterday only he crossed the yard as cheerful and as proud as a -peacock. - -"I shall just go and see what is going on," said Grischka, still -smiling incredulously. - -"But it is catching, Grischka!" screamed Matrona, horrified. - -"What do you want to be doing there, man? Stay here!" cried the cook. - -Grigori muttered a few curses, and began to dress himself hastily -without washing, and went out just as he was into the yard. - -Matrona caught hold of him by the shoulders to hold him back; he felt -how her hand trembled, but he shook her off against her will. - -"Get away, or something will happen!" he shouted out, pushing her back, -and he strode out by the door. - -The courtyard seemed empty and quiet.... Whilst Grigori walked towards -the accordion-player's room a feeling of fear took possession of him; -but this was followed by an immediate sense of satisfaction that he -should be the only one in the house who had the courage to visit the -sick man. This feeling increased when he noticed that the tailor's -apprentices were watching him from the windows of the second-floor. -In order to appear quite free from fear he whistled as he went along. -At the door, however, of the accordion-player's room he met with a -slight surprise. He was not the first to visit the sick man; Senka -Tschischik was there before him. Senka was just sticking his nose -through the crack of the door, and observing in his usual fashion, with -intense curiosity, all that was going on in the room. He did not notice -Orloff's approach till the latter took him by the ear. - -"Just look, Uncle Grischka, how the cramps have got hold of him!" he -whispered, lifting his dirty little face, which, under the impression -of what he had just been witnessing, seemed more sharp-set than ever. -"How parched and dried up he looks. By Jove! he looks like a dry cask!" - -Orloff was quite overcome by the pestiferous atmosphere which -was issuing from the room. He stood there silently, listening to -Tschischik, whilst watching with one eye through the narrow crack of -the partly open door. - -"We ought, perhaps, to give him some water to drink, Uncle Grigori," -said Tschischik. - -Orloff glanced at the excited, nervous, trembling face of the child, -and felt within himself the desire to help the sufferer. - -"Be off, quick, and get some water!" he ordered Senka. Then he opened -wide the door of the sick man's room, and stepped boldly across the -threshold. - -Through the mist, which seemed to have arisen before his eyes, Grigori -saw poor Kisljakoff. The accordion-player, dressed in his best clothes, -leant all of a heap against the table, pressing convulsively his body -against the edge, which he held with both his hands. His feet, still -wearing the patent leather boots, dangled helplessly on the damp floor. - -"Who is there?" asked the sick man in a hollow, apathetic, changed -voice. - -Grigori moved a step nearer, treading carefully over the damp boards, -and trying to speak in even cheerful tone of voice. - -"It is!--brother Mitri Pawlow.... What's the matter with you, then? -This is a queer sort of music you are making here! Did you have a drop -too much yesterday?" - -He looked at Kisljakoff with terrified curiosity, for he scarcely -recognized him. The accordion-player's face had taken on it a drawn -angular expression; the cheek-bones stood out sharply. The deep-sunk -eyes, surrounded by black rings, looked unusually fixed and staring. -The skin had turned the colour of a corpse in summer-time. Orloff felt -he was looking into the leaden face of a dying man. Only the slow -movement of the jaws showed that what was before him was still a living -body.... For some time Kisljakoff stared with motionless, glassy eyes -into Grigori's face; and this dying stare frightened Orloff. It seemed -to him as if a damp, cold hand had seized him by the throat, and was -slowly strangling him. And he felt within him the desire to leave as -soon as possible this room, which used to be so pleasant and gay, but -which now seemed unnaturally cold, and filled with such a horrible foul -smell of decay and rottenness. - -"Come now," said he, preparing to leave the room. - -Suddenly a sort of change passed over the grey face of the -accordion-player. The lips, which were tinged with a leaden-coloured -shade, opened, and he said in a low monotonous voice-- - -"I--must--d--die." - -These three words, uttered so apathetically, struck Orloff's head and -heart like three dull strokes. He turned, as if stunned, towards the -door, where he was met by Tschischik, hot and perspiring, who was -returning with a bucket of water. - -"Here's some water from Spridinoff's well!... They did not want to let -me take it, the dogs!" - -He placed the bucket on the ground, disappeared quickly into a corner -of the room, and re-appeared with a glass, which he handed to Orloff. -Then he went on chattering-- - -"They said we had cholera here. Well, I said, what does that matter?... -It will come to you, too--it's going all round the town. Then I got a -box on the ear...." - -Orloff took the glass, filled it from the bucket, and drank it off in -one draught In his ears still rang the words of the sick man-- - -"I--must--die." - -Tschischik wriggled about the room like an eel; he seemed to be quite -in his element. - -"Give me water," moaned the accordion-player, leaning his trembling -body forward on the table. - -Tschischik ran up to him and held a glass of water to his black, -swelled lips. Grigori stood as if spell-bound or in a bad dream, -leaning against the wall near the door. He heard how the sick man -gulped down the water, and how Tschischik asked him if he should -undress him and put him on the bed; and then he heard once more the -voice of the painter's cook. He could see her fat face glancing with -an expression of mingled fear and pity from one of the windows of the -courtyard, as she said in a whining tone--"Mix two tablespoonfuls of -soot with pine-juice and rum, and give it to him." - -Some one whom he could not see, but who stood behind her, recommended -cucumber-pickle and aqua regia. - -Orloff felt suddenly with a clear flash the strong silent voice of his -soul speaking. In order to strengthen the flickering flame, he rubbed -his forehead briskly; then he left the room suddenly, ran across the -yard, and disappeared down the street. - -"Oh, Lord!... The cobbler's taken ill now!... He's run off to the -Infirmary!" cried loudly the cook. - -Matrona stood near her, with wide-open eyes, and trembling in her whole -body. - -"You're a liar!" she said angrily, though her white lips could -scarcely pronounce the words. "My Grischka could not catch this filthy -complaint. He'd never give way to it." - -But the cook was not listening to her; she had already gone off -somewhere else, talking excitedly as she went along. Five minutes later -quite a crowd of neighbours and passers-by had assembled before the -merchant Petounukoff's house. There they stood, whispering together -under their breath, and on each of their faces one could read the -same feeling of terror, nervous excitement and hopeless misery--mixed -with secret rage on the part of some, and of fictitious boldness on -that of others. Tschischik ran backwards and forwards between the -courtyard and the sick man's room, bringing each time to the curious -crowd of onlookers some fresh piece of news about the condition of the -accordion-player. - -The crowd stood tightly pressed together, and filled the dusty, -foul-smelling air of the street with its half-uttered whispers. From -time to time a loud oath from some undistinguishable quarter was heard; -an oath as senseless as it was malicious. - -"Look there; there's Orloff coming!" - -Orloff drove up on an ambulance-van covered over with a white awning, -which stopped at the door of the old house. He was seated by the side -of the driver, a dark-looking man, who was also dressed in white linen. - -"Make way there! Get out of the way!" shouted the driver of the -carriage, in a deep bass voice to the bystanders. - -He drove right into the midst of the crowd, so that they scattered -to right and left, falling over each other. The sight of the -ambulance-van, and the rough voice of the driver, both helped to calm -the excited feelings of the onlookers, and many of them left their -posts of observation. Close behind the driver was to be seen the -medical student, who had the day before visited the Orloffs. His hat -was on the back of his head, big drops of perspiration stood out on his -forehead. He wore a long, dazzlingly white coat, in front of which a -big hole had been burnt out with some strong acid. - -"Now then, Orloff! Where's the sick man?" asked the student in a loud -voice, throwing a critical glance at the bystanders, who were loitering -about in small knots, partially concealed behind the comers of the -gates. - -"Look out! There's the cook coming," cried some one. - -"Take care, or he'll cook you something you don't like!" replied a -second voice in a vicious tone. - -The would-be wit, who is always to be found in a crowd, shouted out, -"Just wait; he'll cook a broth for you that won't agree with your -stomach!" - -The crowd laughed, but it was a mirthless laugh, a mixture of fear and -of distrust. - -"They don't seem to be afraid of the infection themselves.... That's -rather difficult to understand," some one in the crowd remarked, with a -meaning look, but in a voice that betrayed hatred. Under the impression -of this question the faces in the crowd took on once more threatening -expressions, and the conversation fell to low whispers. - -"Look, they are bringing him out now!" - -"Orloff is carrying him! Just look what a bold fellow he is!" - -"It's true, he has plenty of courage." - -"What does it matter for a sot like him? What has he to be afraid of?" - -"Carefully, carefully, Orloff! Lift his legs higher ... that's right -Ate you ready?... Drive on, Peter!" the student ordered. "Tell the -doctor I will follow him directly.... I beg of you, Mr. Orloff, to stay -here for a time and help me to disinfect the place.... You might take -this opportunity of learning what to do in case of necessity some other -time. Is it agreed? Yes?" - -"We can set about it at once," said Orloff with visible pride, glancing -round at the crowd. - -"I will help too!" cried Tschischik. - -He had followed the ambulance-van up to the door of the Infirmary, -and had already returned in time to offer his services to the medical -student The latter looked at him over his spectacles. - -"Who are you, my little chap?" - -"I am the apprentice here at the painter's," replied Tschischik. - -"And you are not afraid of the cholera?" - -"I ... afraid?" replied Senka, astonished. "I am not afraid of anything -in the world." - -"Is that so?... Well, that's all right.... Just listen now, my friends." - -The student sat down on a barrel which stood in the yard, and, whilst -he rocked himself backwards and forwards on it, he began to explain -to Orloff and Tschischik how, before everything else, they must be -scrupulously clean in their own persons. - -A few minutes later Matrona, smiling anxiously, joined the group in -the courtyard. The cook followed her, wiping her tear-stained eyes with -a damp apron. One by one the crowd followed, approaching the group -where sat the student, with furtive steps as a cat might approach a -sparrow. After about a dozen people had collected, the student became -more enthusiastic and interested, for he observed the increasing -attention paid to what he was saying. Standing in their midst, and -gesticulating as he spoke, he gave a sort of lecture, raising by turns -a laugh, or calling forth an expression of distrust. - -"The principal thing, gentlemen, in all cases of illness is cleanliness -in your own persons, and good fresh air," thus he instructed his -listeners. - -"But those who keep clean manage to die all the same!" remarked one of -the audience. - -"Ah! dear Lord!" sighed the painter's cook out loud. "It would be -better to pray to the holy martyr St. Barbara to save us from a sudden -death!" - -Orloff stood near his wife, and though apparently occupied with his own -thoughts, watched the student with a fixed stare. Suddenly he felt some -one pull his sleeve. - -"Little Uncle Grigori!" whispered Tschischik in his ear, standing on -tiptoe, and looking at the cobbler with small round eyes that glowed -like burning coals. "The poor Mitri Pavlovitch is going to die. He has -no relations--what will become of his accordion?" - -"Keep quiet, you little imp!" Orloff replied, and pushed him on one -side. - -Senka looked in at the window of the room from which they had just -carried out the accordion-player, his eyes searching round with a -covetous glance. - -"Well, as a final word of caution, my friends, use plenty of chloride -of lime!" the student's voice was heard once more saying. - - - - -CHAPTER IV - - -Towards the end of this disturbed day, whilst the Orloffs were sitting -at tea, Matrona asked her husband in a tone of curiosity, "Where did -you go just now with the student?" - -Grigori seemed to be looking at her as through a mist, and he poured -his tea from the cup into the saucer without replying. - -Towards mid-day, after they had disinfected the accordion-player's -room, both Grigori and the sanitary officer had gone off together. On -his return, Grigori had remained for nearly three hours in a silent, -thoughtful mood. He had lain down on the bed, and had remained there -till tea-time, his face turned up towards the ceiling, without speaking -a word. In vain had Matrona tried, over and over again, to begin a -conversation with him. He did not once swear, even when she worried -him. This was quite an uncommon occurrence which gave her much cause -for thought With the instinct of the woman whose life is absorbed in -that of her husband, she guessed at once that something new had come -between them. She felt alarmed, and was all the more curious to find -out what had really happened. - -"Come, arn't you feeling very well, Grischka?" she began once more. - -Grigori gulped down the last drop of tea from his saucer, wiped his -moustache with his sleeve, handed the cup to his wife, and said with a -dark frown, "I was with the medical student, up at the Infirmary." - -"What, in the cholera hospital?" exclaimed Matrona, in a scared voice; -and then added, terrified, "Are there many folk there?" - -"Fifty-three people, counting the one they brought from here." - -"You don't say so?--and----" - -"About a dozen are getting better, they can already walk about; but -they are quite yellow and thin." - -"Are they really cholera patients...? Or have they been changed for -others?--so that the doctors might be able to say they had cured them?" - -"You stupid goose!" cried Grigori roughly, throwing an angry look at -her. "What a lot of foolish people you are, all of you! It is ignorance -and stupidity, nothing else! One can stick here all one's days in blind -ignorance--understanding nothing!" - -He pulled the cup of tea, which Matrona had just poured out for him, -violently towards him, and was silent. - -"I should like to know where you get all your great wisdom?" said -Matrona mockingly. - -Orloff did not pay the least attention to her words. He grew as silent -as before, and appeared quite unapproachable. The samovar was nearly -extinguished, only a simmering sound escaping from it. There came into -the windows from across the yard a smell of oil-paints, carbolic, and -dirty slops. This smell, blending with the twilight of evening, and the -monotonous singing of the samovar, awoke in the narrow close cellar a -sensation, which lay with the weight of a nightmare on its occupants. -The black ghastly mouth of the stove seemed to look at them menacingly, -as if about to devour them. For a long time the Orloffs sat there in -silence, nibbling sugar, gulping down mouthfuls of tea, and fidgeting -with the tea-things. Matrona sighed, and Grigori drummed with his -fingers on the tea-table. - -"I never saw such cleanliness as reigns there!--never saw anything like -it!" Grischka broke in suddenly on the silence. - -"Every one of the attendants wears white linen clothes; the sick people -have baths as often as it is necessary--and they get wine to drink at -five and a half roubles a bottle! And the food!... The smell is almost -enough for one; it's so delicious! There is such care--such attention! ---no mother could be kinder to a child. Yes, yes! when one comes to -think of it! Here we live, and not a soul bothers his head about us, -asks us how we are, or how we are getting on;--whether we are happy -or unhappy--whether we have anything to put in our mouths or not But -as soon as it's a case of dying, then they can't do enough for one, -they will go to any expense. These infirmaries, for instance--and the -wine--five and a half roubles the bottle! Don't the fellows reason -then, what all that is going to cost them? They had better have spent -it in helping the living every year a little." - -Matrona did not trouble to try and follow what he was saying. It was -sufficient for her that his thoughts had taken a new direction, and -that now her relations with Grigori would be on a different footing. -She was quite convinced that this would be the result, and foresaw only -too quickly what the consequences of this spiritual change would be to -her. Fear and hope moved her, together with a feeling of enmity against -her husband. - -"They'll know very well what to do without you," she said ironically, -drawing down the corners of her mouth. - -Grigori shrugged his shoulders, glancing askance at her; then continued -to speak in still more meaning tones, this time watching her -attentively. - -"Whether they know it or not that is their business.... But if I have -to die without seeing something of life, then I shall be the first to -whom such a thing happens!... Understand then, this time of torment -must come to an end! I won't sit here any longer, and wait till the -cholera comes to me as it did to the accordion-player, and carries me -off to the grave. No, I won't, I can't! I would rather go boldly and -meet it.... Peter, the student, said to me--'If Fate is against you, -just show that you also can oppose Fate. You can but try which is the -stronger.... It's simply a battle--nothing more.' You ask what is the -matter with me?... I mean to go as an attendant in the Infirmary! do -you understand?... I will crawl right into the jaws that threaten, and -they may swallow me up, but at least I will defend myself with my hands -and my feet!... I shan't be so badly off there; I shall get twenty -roubles a month, besides tips, and my keep. It's just possible that -I shall die there; but that might happen here!... At any rate it's a -change in one's life." - -He struck the table with his fist in wild excitement, so that the -tea-things clattered and danced. - -Matrona had listened to him at first full of curiosity and -disquietude, but towards the end she interrupted angrily. - -"The medical student has been advising you to do this, hasn't he?" she -asked in a meaning voice. - -"Haven't I my own reason to go by? Can't I take a decision for myself?" -answered Grigori, evading a direct answer. - -"Well!--and what am I to do meanwhile?" - -"What are you to do?" asked Grigori, astonished. He had not once -thought about this side of the question. The simplest way, of course, -would be for him to leave his wife in their old lodgings. But wives -are not always trustworthy, and he had not entire confidence in his -Matrona. She required, according to him, a good deal of looking after. -Struck by this thought, Grigori continued sullenly-- - -"The most simple thing would be for you to remain here. I shall always -get my wages, and that will keep you. Hm!--yes," he said, apparently -anxious to hear what she would reply to this. - -"It's all the same to me," she answered quietly. - -And once more he noticed cross her face that woman's smile, which -seemed to him to possess a double meaning, and which had so often -before awoke in him a feeling of jealousy. It aroused his anger now -just in the same way, but he knew how to control himself, and said -abruptly, "It's all nonsense, all that you say!" - -He looked at her irritably, full of expectation of what she would -reply. She however was silent, but continued to annoy him with the same -provoking smile. - -"Well!--what's to be done?" asked Grigori at last in a higher key. - -"Yes, what's to be done?" replied Matrona indifferently, drying the -teacups. - -"You had better not play me any tricks, you serpent!--you had better -not, or you will get one over the head!" raged Orloff. "It may be I am -going to my death!" - -"Well, don't go then--I don't send you," replied Matrona quietly. - -"Anyhow, I know that you are glad I am going," continued Orloff with a -sneer. - -She was for once silent. This silence aggravated his rage, but he -controlled himself so as not to destroy this moment of resolution by a -horrid scene of wife-beating. - -And suddenly there entered his mind a thought, which appeared to him -more diabolical than the aggravating mood of his wife. - -"I feel certain you want me to be underground," he said, "but just wait -a little--we'll see who gets there first!--yes, that we will! I'll do -something that will settle your business, my good woman!" - -He jumped up from the table, took his cap in his hand, and hurried -out. Matrona remained behind alone. She was dissatisfied with the -result of her manoeuvres, and upset by his threats. With a steadily -growing feeling of fear, she thought about the future. She looked out -of the window and whispered softly to herself, "Oh! Lord God! King of -heaven! Holy Mother of God!" - -She sat for a long time at the table, filled with terror-stricken -presentiments, trying in vain to guess what was really the matter with -Grigori. Before her stood the clean tea-things. The setting sun threw -a great streak of light across the massive wall of the neighbour's -house, which stood opposite the window of their room; the whiteness -of the wall reflected this light, causing it to fall straight across -the cellar and sparkle on the glass sugar-basin standing in front of -Matrona. She watched with wrinkled brow this glimmer of light till her -eyes grew tired. Then she rose, put the tea-things away, and lay down -on the bed; she was feeling anxious and heavy-hearted. - -When Grigori returned it was already dark. She could tell by the way he -walked that he was in a good temper. He did not swear at the darkness -of the room, but called Matrona by her name, and then went up to the -bed and sat down on it Matrona raised herself and sat by his side. - -"Guess what's the latest news!" began Orloff, smiling. - -"Well, what is it?" - -"You are going to take a situation also." - -"Where?" she asked with stammering lips. - -"In the same Infirmary as I shall be in," he explained in an impressive -tone of voice. - -She fell on his neck, pressed him closely to her breast, and kissed -his lips. He did not expect this and pushed her away. "She is only -pretending," he said to himself. "The cunning creature, she does not -really want to be with me! She thinks me a fool, the little serpent!" - -"Well, why are you so pleased about it?" he asked in a rough voice that -was hill of distrust He would have liked to have pushed her off the bed. - -"I am only so pleased," she said, smiling happily. - -"Don't try and humbug me; I know you!" - -"My dear brave knight!" - -"Shut up--or I'll give you something!" - -"My dear, dear Grischanja!" - -"Just say straight out what you want from me!" - -Finally, when her endearments had appeased him a little, he asked her -anxiously-- - -"Are you not frightened then at all?" - -"But we shall be together!" she answered at once simply. - -It was pleasant to him to hear her say this, and he replied gratefully-- - -"You are indeed a plucky little wife!" - -Then he pinched her till she screamed. - - - - -CHAPTER V - - -During the first days of their service, the Orloffs found an immense -deal to do. Many sick people were daily brought to the Infirmary, and -the two novices, who were only accustomed to the tedious weariness of -their former life, felt at first very uncomfortable in the midst of -this rapid, pulsating, busy rush into which they were suddenly thrown. -They lost their heads, and failed to understand at once the orders that -were given them; whilst they became confused with all the different -impressions that poured in upon them. And though they had the firm -intention of making themselves useful, running hither and thither full -of zeal, they succeeded nevertheless in doing very little work, and too -often got into the way of other people. Grigori felt more than once -that he had indeed deserved a reproof for his clumsiness, but to his -astonishment no one took it upon them to reprove him. - -One of the doctors, a tall dark man with a black moustache and a hooked -nose, with an enormous wart over his right eyebrow, told Grigori to -help one of the patients into the bath-room; the new attendant, eager -to be useful, seized hold of the patient with such a show of zeal that -he called out and groaned. - -"Take care, my man! Don't break him in two!" said the doctor quite -seriously. "We've got to get him into the bath-room whole.... These -words confused Orloff. The patient, however, a long thin fellow, smiled -constrainedly, and said in a hollow voice--" He doesn't understand yet -... he's a new hand.... - -The head doctor, an old gentleman with a pointed grey beard and great -flashing eyes, had told the Orloffs when they first came into the -Infirmary how they should manage the patients, and what they had to do -under certain circumstances. At the end of his instructions he asked -them if they had taken a bath lately, and then gave them out white -aprons. The voice of this old gentleman had in it something pleasing -and sympathetic, and the Orloffs felt they should like him. But -half-an-hour afterwards they had forgotten all his instructions in the -noisy rush of work in the Infirmary. - -People in white clothes ran up against them; commands which were -carried out with lightning speed by the attendants, sounded in their -ears; the patients groaned, sobbed and sighed; water flowed splashing -and hissing from the taps; and this blending of sounds seemed to fill -the air, which was already saturated with sharp unpleasant smells that -irritated the nose; and it seemed to Orloff that every word of the -doctors, every sigh of the patients, was impregnated with the same -smell. - -At first all this appeared to him like a wild chaos, in which he -could never feel at home, but which worked on him increasingly in a -depressing, bewildering way. But after a few hours he was seized by the -strong current of energy which flowed through everything. He pricked up -his ears, and felt a burning desire to get into the swim, and learn how -to do all these things that others were doing; joined with the feeling -that he would be lighter-hearted and happier if he could be swept away -in this whirlpool. - -"Corrosive sublimate!" shouted one of the doctors. - -"Some more hot water in the bath over there!" a thin little student -with red eyes ordered. - -"Look here! What's your name?" - -"Orloff." - -"All right!... Just rub this patient's feet ... yes, that's right ... -so.... I see you understand at once.... So--o ... not so hard! or you -will rub his skin off!..." - -"Oh! how tired I am!" exclaimed another student, long-haired and -pock-marked, whilst he was giving Orloff the necessary instructions. - -"They have brought in another patient!" some one exclaimed. - -"Orloff, just go and see!... Help them to bring him in." - -Grigori, full of zeal, followed out all the directions. He was covered -with perspiration, there was a ringing in his ears, and a mist swam -before his eyes. At times the consciousness of himself disappeared -entirely under the mass of impressions which crowded in upon him -at every moment. The dark-green rings round the glassy eyes of the -patients, their leaden-coloured faces, their bones, which stood out -from their bodies, their clammy, bad-smelling skins, the horrible -convulsions of the half-dead bodies, all this oppressed his heart -painfully, and produced a nausea which he had never experienced before. - -Once or twice he had caught a hurried glimpse of his wife in the -corridor of the Infirmary; she seemed in these few hours to have grown -thinner, and her white face wore a troubled look. - -"Well, how are you getting on?" he asked during one of these hurried -encounters. She could only answer with a smile, and disappeared -immediately. - -A thought struck Grischka, which he however kept to himself; was it -really so necessary for him to have brought his wife with him into this -hell? She might catch the infection and die.... The second time he met -her he called out to her in a loud voice-- - -"Be sure and keep yourself clean; wash your hands very often, and take -every care!" - -"Why do you say all that? What if I don't take care?" she asked, -showing her little white teeth; and it seemed to him as if she were -defying him. - -Her reply made him angry. - -"There she is," he thought, "joking even in such a place as this! What -a parcel of fools these women-folk are!" - -He found however no further opportunity to give her recommendations. -Matrona, having noticed the angry look on his face, hurried away to the -women's side of the building. - -A minute later Grigori was helping to carry into the mortuary the body -of a policeman who had been well known to him. Only two days before -he had seen the policeman at his post, and had sworn at him as he had -passed by; they had never been on good terms together. And now he saw -this man, such a short time before so strong and healthy, lying dead, -and quite disfigured with convulsions. The corpse swayed backwards and -forwards against the bearers, and stared with wide-open glassy eyes. - -Orloff realized the whole force and cruelty of the contrast. "Why does -one ever come into the world?" he thought to himself, "if such a -horrible complaint as this can knock one over in four-and-twenty hours?" - -He glanced at the bier, and felt a movement of pity for the dead -policeman. What would become now of the three children of the dead man? -Last year he lost his wife, and there had scarcely been time for him -to marry again ... now the poor little creatures would be left orphans -entirely.... - -This thought filled him with a feeling of real pain. Suddenly the left -arm of the corpse began to stretch out and to straighten itself, and -at the same time the mouth of the dead man, which till then had stood -open, and drawn down on the left side, closed itself. - -"Stop a moment," said Orloff to the other bearer; and he rested the -bier on the ground. "He is still alive!" he whispered in a terrified -voice. - -The bearer, who had been helping him to carry the stretcher, turned -round, looked at the corpse attentively, and then said angrily to -Orloff-- - -"What nonsense you are talking! Don't you understand that he is getting -himself ready for his coffin? Don't you see how the cholera has twisted -him up?... He can't lie in the coffin in that position!... Come! Let's -get on again!" - -"But just look; he is still moving!" protested Orloff, trembling with -horror. - -"Hurry up now! Catch hold, you fool!... Don't you understand what I -say, then?... He _has_ to move in order to relax his limbs! Are you -then such an ignorant and stupid chap?... _He_ alive?... How can any -one say that about a corpse? That's mutiny, brother!... All our corpses -here move, but I should advise you to be quiet about it Don't tell a -soul that he has moved! Otherwise one will tell his neighbour, and his -neighbour will add a little bit on to the story, and we shall soon -have a regular row up at the Infirmary, because they will be saying -we bury them alive! The whole mob would come here and pull everything -to pieces.... And you would get your share of the knocks!... Do you -understand? .... We will put him down there to the left." - -The quiet voice of Pronim--that was the name of the other -attendant--and his soft way of speaking, calmed and reassured Grigori. - -"Just keep a level head, brother! You will soon get used to it all. -There is no harm going on here.... The feeding, and the management, and -everything are first-class.... We have all to die some day, every one -recognizes that But till that time comes, keep, as I have said, a level -head!... Will you have a glass of schnapps?" - -"Why not?" replied Orloff. - -"I have got a drop in the corner there, ready for use on these sort -of occasions. What do you say; shall we have a go at it?" They went -off accordingly towards a quiet corner of the Infirmary, and pulled -themselves together with a small glass of spirits. Then Pronim dropped -some essence of peppermint on to a piece of sugar, and handed it to -Orloff. - -"Take it; otherwise they will smell that we have been drinking. They -are very particular here about vodka; they say it is bad for one." - -"And you?... have you got accustomed to the life here?" asked Grigori. - -"I should think so! I was one of the first to come. Hundreds have died -before my eyes. One lives here indeed in a state of uncertainty, but -otherwise, to tell the truth, it's not bad ... it is God's work,--just -like the Red Cross in war. Have you heard of the Red Cross ambulance -work, and of the nurses and sisters? I saw them in the Turkish war.... -And I was also at Ardahan and at Kars. They were indeed a brave lot, -those ambulance people I Full of kind-heartedness and courage. We -soldiers had at least our guns and cannons; but they went about among -the bullets as if they had been walking about in some pleasant garden. -And when they found either one of us or a Turk--they brought them all -to the place where the doctors were dressing the wounds, and stood -near, whilst all around them the bullets were flying ... sch!... -sch!... Tju!... Fit!... Often some poor chap would be hit by a ball -just at the back of the neck,--ping!... and there he would lie...." - -This conversation, added to the drop of vodka which he held drunk, put -Orloff into a more cheerful frame of mind. - -"If I were to tell A, then I should also have to tell B," he consoled -himself with thinking, whilst he rubbed the feet of a patient. "As the -ale is drawn, so it must be drunk." - -Behind him some one was begging in a plaintive voice--"Give me -water!... Give me something to drink ... for the love of...." - -Another one called out, his teeth chattering with cold--"Oh!... Och!... -Hohoho!... hotter still!... It does me good, doctor! Christ will reward -you!... Give me some more hot water...." - -"Just pass the wine over here!" called out Doctor Wasschtschenko. - -Orloff listened, full of interest, whilst he did his own work, to all -that went on around him, and it began to dawn upon him that it was not -all so meaningless and chaotic as it appeared to him at first This -was no chaos reigning here, but powerful, conscious, active strength. -It was only when he thought of the police-officer, that a cold terror -took possession of him, and he threw a scared glance out of the window -towards the mortuary where the dead man lay. He really did believe at -heart that the police-officer was dead, but at times horrid doubts -shot through his mind. Suppose the dead man were to suddenly jump up -and shout! And he remembered how some one had told him once that those -who had died of the cholera broke out of their coffins, and, so it was -said, ran about alter each other. As he went backwards and forwards -at his work, rubbing the limbs of one patient, helping another into a -bath, everything seemed to be seething and turning round in his brain. -He thought of Matrona; what was she perhaps doing at this same moment? -Sometimes he felt a fleeting wish to see her at once, if only for a -minute. But immediately this was succeeded by another thought; "After -all, she's all right here!... It's good for her to have to move about; -the fat little lump.... It won't hurt her to get a bit thinner ... -perhaps then she won't be so stupid...." - -He could not get rid of the thought that Matrona was nourishing hidden -desires in her breast, which were not flattering to his own manly -vanity. He went to the length of acknowledging to himself that she -certainly had every right to be discontented with her past life, and -it was possible she might long for some sort of change. The fact of -his acknowledging this much to himself was the cause of his mistaking -his doubts as to her loyalty for the truth; and as a result of his -jealousy he asked himself the question--"Why did I want to leave my -cellar, and get into this kettle of hot water?" ... But all these, and -other thoughts, stirred and whirled deep down at the bottom of his -soul, they had no influence on his work, and they were driven into the -background by the ceaseless attention which he bestowed on all that -went on in the Infirmary. He had never in his life seen men work as -did these doctors and medical students, and more than once he thought, -as he looked into their drawn faces, that they indeed more than earned -their salaries. - -As soon as Orloff was off duty he went, though he could hardly keep on -his legs, into the courtyard of the Infirmary, and lay down close to -the wall, under the window of the dispensary. His thoughts seemed all -scattered; near his heart he felt a dull, throbbing pain, and his legs -were heavy with fatigue. He seemed to have no more strength left either -for thought or desire, but stretched himself out at once on the turf, -and stared up towards the sky, which was filled with the many-coloured -cloud-glories of the setting sun. He dropped asleep at once, half-dead -with fatigue. - -He dreamt that he and his wife were the guests of Doctor -Wasschtschenko--in a great room, around which stood elegant Viennese -chairs. On these chairs sat all the patients from the Infirmary. In -the middle of the room the doctor began to dance the Russian national -dance with Matrona, whilst Grischka himself played on the accordion and -laughed light-heartedly, for the doctor's long legs were quite stiff at -the joints, and he stepped in a dignified way like a heron on a bog, by -the side of Matrona. And the patients sitting round all laughed also, -and swayed uncertainly on their chairs. - -Suddenly there appeared at the door the police-officer. - -"Aha!" he cried out in a gloomy threatening voice. "You thought I was -dead already, brother Grischka! Here you are playing on the accordion -... but you sent _me_ into the mortuary.... So now then, get up with -you, and come and follow me!" - -Trembling in his whole body, and covered with perspiration, Orloff -awoke, and scrambled up from the ground, whilst Doctor Wasschtschenko -stood watching him reproachfully, and remarked-- - -"Just listen to what I've got to say to you, my friend; if you want -to go to sleep you have your own bunk there in the Infirmary! Haven't -they shown you where it is? What sort of an attendant do you call -yourself, if you go and lie here on the ground with nothing over your -body?... If you get an inward chill, and knock up and die (which God -forbid), what's going to happen then? That's not the way to behave, my -friend.... Why you're shivering now ... come along with me, and I will -give you something for that...." - -"I was so dead tired," muttered Orloff in a low voice, making excuses -for himself. - -"So much the worse! You'll have to take care.... It's a dangerous time -just now, and we need you here very much." - -Orloff followed the doctor quietly through the corridors of the -Infirmary, swallowed in silence a small glass of medicine, which was -handed to him, then drank another; finally made a grimace and spat on -one side. - -"That's right ... and now go and have a good sleep.... Good-day to -you!..." - -The doctor strode with his long thin legs down the corridor, and Orloff -stood watching him. Suddenly a smile lit up the attendant's whole face, -and he ran after the doctor. - -"Thank you so much, doctor." - -"What for?" asked the doctor, standing still. - -"Why, for the work that I have got here! I will do all I can to please -you, for I like being here in all this bustle ... and you said just -now you needed me ... so I thank you specially for that, with all my -heart...." - -The doctor watched with surprise the joyful, excited face of the new -attendant, and smiled in a friendly way. - -"You're a queer sort of fellow! But it's all right ... you take it the -right way.... There is something straightforward in what you say. Come -then ... do your work well But not for my sake; do it for the sick -people.... It's like a field of battle here; we have to save the sick -from the jaws of disease; do you understand? Well then, help us with -all your strength to conquer. Now then, be off and get some sleep!" - -Orloff was soon lying in his bunk, feeling a pleasant sensation of -pride at being on such a confidential footing with a person like -the doctor. He was' only sorry that Matrona had not overheard the -conversation. But he would tell her about it to-morrow. She would -scarcely believe it, the fat little lump that she was.... Busy with -such pleasant thoughts Grigori fell asleep. - - - - -CHAPTER VI - - -"Come and drink your tea, Grischka." With these words Matrona awoke her -husband the next morning. - -He lifted his head and looked at her. She was smiling pleasantly at -him; her hair was brushed, and looked glossy and neat, whilst her white -dress gave her a smart, clean appearance. - -It pleased him to see her thus, but immediately afterwards the thought -glanced through his brain that the other men in the Infirmary might -also find pleasure in looking at her. - -"What's the matter?... Tea's ready?.. I'll have my tea here!... Where -do you want me to go and get it?" he asked, with a frown. - -"Come, we'll drink our tea together," she proposed, looking at him with -her grey smiling eyes. - -Grigori turned away, and replied in a curt voice that he would come -directly. - -As she left the room he stretched himself once more in his bunk and -began to brood. - -"Yes ... she calls me to tea ... and is as pleasant as possible! She -has grown thinner too in these last few days...." - -He felt pity for her, and would have liked to have prepared an -agreeable surprise for her, perhaps to have bought some cakes or -something of that sort to eat with their tea. But whilst he was washing -he put these thoughts away.... "Why should he spoil his wife?... She -could get on very well without it!" - -They drank their tea in a small bright room, the two windows of which -looked out on to the open fields. The gilded rays of the morning sun -lay on the floor. Dew still sparkled on the grass under the window. -Along the distant horizon could be just seen through a light opal -morning mist the trees that bordered the high-road. The sky was -cloudless, and a fresh smell of grass and of damp earth was waited in -at the open windows. - -The table stood just between the two windows, and three people sat -down to it; Grigori, Matrona, and a companion of the latter, a tall, -thin, middle-aged person, with a pock-marked face and good-tempered -grey eyes. She was called Felizata Jegorovna, and she was a spinster -and the daughter of a college superintendent She could not drink the -tea provided by the Infirmary, and so used her own samovar. All this -she told Orloff in an excited cracked voice; she invited him hospitably -to take a seat near the window, and to refresh himself with the -"magnificent air of Heaven," whilst she disappeared somewhere for a -time. - -"Well, were you very tired yesterday?" Orloff asked his wife. - -"I should rather think so," Matrona replied in a lively tone of voice. -"I could scarcely feel my legs under me, and my head was swimming. I -moved about at last as if I were half dead, and could scarcely hold on -till I was released from duty.... I was praying all the time to the -Lord that He would be merciful to us." - -"How is it, then? Don't you feel afraid here?" - -"What, of the sick people?" - -"Of the sick people ... or of anything else...." - -"I am only afraid of the dead.... Do you know," ... she bent down -towards him and whispered in a scared voice--"they still move after -they are dead ... it's true, on my soul!" - -"I know that ... I have seen it myself!" Grigori continued with an -ironical laugh--"The police-officer Nazaroff nearly gave me a box on -the ear as he lay on the stretcher. I was carrying him to the mortuary, -and all of a sudden he let out with his left hand.... I only just -escaped it ... it's true!" - -Grischka was in the best of tempers. Taking his tea in this bright -clean room, from which could be seen endless distances of green fields -and blue sky, pleased him immensely. And there was something else too -which caused him pleasure--something which radiated, as it were, from -his own personality. He felt the desire to show the best side of his -character, and at the same time to appear in Matronal eyes as the hero -of the hour. - -"I shall make this my life work.... Heaven itself shall rejoice at it! -I have my own special reasons for doing so.... The people here, I tell -you, are such as one seldom meets in the world...." - -He told her now of his conversation with the doctor, and whilst he -unconsciously exaggerated a little, he worked himself into a still -pleasanter frame of mind. - -"And then the work itself, too," he continued. "You see, my dear, it's -a holy work ... it's a sort of war. On one side stands the cholera, and -we stand on the opposite side ... who is going to prove the stronger? -We have to sharpen our wits to see that nothing is neglected.... What -is this cholera after all?... We must first understand that clearly, -and then we must use all means possible to fight it.... Doctor -Wasschtschenko said to me, 'We need you, Orloff, in this business. -Don't let yourself be frightened. Continue to rub the feet and the -stomachs of the patients,' he said, and I will rub their insides with -my medicines.... And so we shall thoroughly get the better of the -disease, you will see, and the patient will recover, and will thank -us for restoring him to life.' ... Think of that; you and I together, -Matrona ... you and I!" - -He swelled his chest out with a feeling of pride, and looked at Matrona -with sparkling eyes. She smiled back at him, but did not reply. He -looked so handsome whilst he was speaking, and reminded her so of the -Grischka whom she used to know in their early married life. - -"On the women's side also every one is so zealous and so good!" she -said, after a pause. "There's that lady doctor with the spectacles, and -all the nurses, they are all first-rate people; they talk to one so -simply, so that one understands at once what they want done." - -"Then you are contented also?" asked Grigori, when his enthusiasm had -cooled a little. - -"I should rather think I was contented! Lord! yes!... just reckon -up!... I get twelve roubles, and you get twenty.... That makes -thirty-two roubles a month! And our keep besides.... What a lot we -shall be able to save if the cholera lasts right on into the winter!... -Then we shall be able ... at last ... please God ... to get out of that -hole of a cellar!..." - -"Hm!... Yes, we can think about that,...." said Orloff thoughtfully; -and after a few moments he tapped Matrona on the shoulder, and -continued, with a ring of hope in his voice, "Ah, Matrona, perhaps the -sun of happiness may yet shine upon us!... We won't lose courage, will -we?" - -She also was filled with enthusiasm. - -"Yes, if you would only keep sober," she remarked after a few moments' -pause, in a doubtful tone. - -"Don't talk about that now; that will depend entirely on -circumstances.... Once our lives become different, then my habits will -alter." - -"Please God that may indeed happen!" sighed Matrona from the bottom of -her heart "Well, don't say any more about it!" - -"Dear Grischenka!" - -They separated, experiencing quite new sensations towards each other. -They were full of joyful courage, and firmly resolved to put forth -all their strength, so as to succeed in their new work. Three or four -days passed, and Orloff had already earned several words of praise -for his quickness and zeal. At the same time he remarked, however, -that the other attendants were envious of him, and were trying to make -mischief, so that he had to be constantly on his guard. This awoke in -him a feeling of enmity, whereas, before that, he had been good friends -with Pronim. The secret and open enmity of these fellow-workers was -really a pain to him. "The jealous brutes," he thought to himself, and -ground his teeth together. "But I'll get the chance some day of paying -them back in their own coin!" Unconsciously his thoughts travelled to -Matrona--for he could talk over everything with her. She would not envy -him his success, and would not, like this fellow Pronim, bum his boots -with carbolic acid. - -Each day brought the same busy rush, just as Orloff had experienced at -first But it was now no longer so fatiguing to him, for he got more -accustomed to it every day. He had learnt to distinguish the smells of -the different remedies, and as often as possible he refreshed himself -with the smell of the ether, to which he had taken a great fancy. He -had observed that the smell of ether was as exciting to him as was -a good glass of vodka. He understood quite quickly now the doctors' -orders; it was only necessary for them to show him by signs what had -to be done. He was chatty and pleasant, and knew how to divert the -attention of the patients, and this pleased increasingly the doctors -and students. All the impressions which in his new occupation pressed -in upon him, worked together to elevate his feelings, and to increase -his own self-respect. He felt within himself a lively desire to do -something great, so that the attention of all should be directed to -him, and that every one should be astonished. It seemed almost as if he -had now for the first time become conscious that he was a human being, -and as if he felt the need to prove this to himself and others by some -heroic deed. Filled with this unaccustomed ambition, Orloff undertook -various venturesome deeds, in the hopes of distinguishing himself in -the eyes of onlookers. For instance, he would carry alone, without -waiting for the help of another attendant, some heavy patient from his -bed to the bath-room; he did not shrink from attending to the most -filthy among the cholera patients, seeming to despise the possibility -of infection, and treating the corpses with cynical indifference. - -But even all this did not satisfy him. He still longed to do something -greater, something more out of the common. This unappeased longing -caused him pain, and brought back his former moodiness, and as he had -no one else with whom he could speak, he opened his heart to Matrona. - -One evening when they were off duty, and had had their tea, they went -out into the fields together. The Infirmary stood some way out at the -back of the town, in the midst of a green far-stretching plain, bounded -on one side by the dark edge of the forest, and on the other by the -soft outline of the distant town. Towards the north the field extended -into the far distance, and faded into a dim blue horizon; on the south -it was bordered by the deep ravine-like banks of the river, which ran -through the country roads, shaded on either side by trees planted at -regular intervals The sun was just setting, and the golden crosses -of the church-towers of the town, rising above the dark green of the -gardens, flashed in all their brilliance against the background of the -sky, and reflected golden rays. The windows also of the houses flashed -back the red glow of the sunset. Music could be heard in the distance. -From the dense ravine, sown thickly with the débris of the fir-trees -bordering the river, an aromatic scent arose, whilst the evening -wind brought from the forest in caressing waves a mingling of spicy -perfumes. A soft, sweetly melancholy, yet intense feeling, lay over the -whole wide expanse. - -The Orloffs walked silently through the fields, breathing delightedly -the fresh air, which, in contrast with the atmosphere of the Infirmary, -seemed to them more than ordinarily pleasant. - -"Listen! there's a band!... Is it in the town or up at the barracks?" -Matrona asked in a low voice of her husband, who seemed to be sunk in -thought. - -She did not like him to brood in this sort of way by himself. He -appeared to her at such moments strange and far away. They had seen but -little of each other these last few days, so that the moments now when -they were together, seemed to her all the more precious. - -"A band?" asked Grigori, as if waking out of a dream, "the devil take -such music!... You should just listen to the music which is ringing -through my soul.... That's the right sort of music!..." - -"What sort of music are you talking about?" said Matrona, looking -anxiously into his eyes. - -"I don't know myself what sort.... I can't describe it to you, and if I -could you would not understand. My soul seems in a sort of glow.... I -should like to go forth, far, far away.... I should like to put forth -my whole strength.... Ah! I feel within me such boundless strength!... -If for instance this cholera would change itself into a man, into -a giant, into Ilja Murometz himself, for instance ... then I would -wrestle with him, and we would see who would conquer!... Thou art -strong, and I, Grischka Orloff, am also strong ... we will see which is -the stronger of the two! ... And I would overcome him, even if I myself -lost my life in the struggle.... They would erect a cross to me there -in the green fields, 'To the Memory of Grigori Andrejeff Orloff ... who -freed Russia from the Cholera.' ... That's all I should want!" - -His face flushed, and his eyes flashed whilst he was speaking. - -"My dear brave one!" whispered Matrona, and pressed tenderly against -him. - -"I would throw myself against a hundred sharp knives if I could do -any good.... Do you understand? that?... Not for my own profit, but -to make men's lives happier.... I see there such people as the doctor -Wasschtschenko and the student Chochrjakoff; the work they do is quite -wonderful. One would think they would have died long ago from absolute -fatigue.... Do you think they work for the love of money? No man would -work like that for money only! The head doctor has plenty of his own -... he needs no more ... he is a rich man already.... When he was ill -lately, Doctor Wasschtschenko watched by him for four days and nights; -not once did he go home during the whole time.... Money plays no part -in all this; they do it out of pity ... they are sorry for the people, -and so they sacrifice themselves ... And for whom?... For everybody ... -as much for Mischka Ussoff as for anybody else.... They took as much -pains to get him better as they did about the others, and they were -quite rejoiced when he got better. This Mishka, if he had his deserts, -should be in penal servitude, for every one knows that he is a thief or -something worse!... Yet they were quite rejoiced when he got out of bed -for the first time, and laughed aloud for pure joy!... I should like to -feel such happiness also; I am full of envy when I see how glad they -are, and I grow hot with the desire to do as they do. But how am I to -begin?... Ah!'tis a devil of a business!..." - -He made a hopeless gesture, expressive of his despair, and once more -sank into profound reflection. Matrona was silent, but her heart beat -rapidly. The excited state of mind of her husband made her feel vaguely -anxious. She felt distinctly in his words the burning pain which -oppressed him during his, to her, incomprehensible fits of depression. -She loved her husband; and it was a husband she needed, not a hero.... - -They approached the steep banks of the river, and sat down near each -other on the grass. Above them nodded the feathery tops of the young -birch-trees. Down below, over the water, lay a blue mist, reeking -of rotting leaves, of pine-needles, and of damp earth. Backwards -and forwards a light breath of wind swept over the ravine; the tops -of the young trees moved softly, and the whole forest seemed filled -simultaneously with a shy whispering, as if some beloved person were -asleep under the shelter of its trees, and it feared to wake him. The -stars shone down from above, and the lights flashed from the town, -having the appearance, against the dark background, of gardens of gay -quivering flowers. The Orloffs sat on in silence. Grigori drummed with -his fingers on his knee, whilst Matrona watched him and sighed softly. - -Suddenly she put her arms round his neck, laid her head against his -breast, and whispered-- - -"Grischenka, my dear one, my loved one! How good you have grown -towards me, my dear brave lad!... We are living now just as we did when -we were first married--you never say a bad word to me.... You talk to -me, and open your heart to me.... Not once have you scolded me...." - -"Are you already longing for something of that sort? If so, I will give -you a thorough good beating," he said jokingly, whilst he felt for her -in his heart nothing but sympathy and tenderness. He stroked her hair -softly, and experienced a real pleasure in giving her these fatherly -caresses. Matrona appeared to him at this moment as a child. She sat on -his knees, and nestled soft and warm against his breast. - -"My dear, dear one!" she whispered. - -He breathed deeply, and words poured from his mouth, which were to her, -and to himself, full of new meaning. - -"Ah! my poor little girl!... Little coaxing thing! You see now, you -have no one nearer to you in the world than your husband! And you look -at me always with such a frightened glance out of the corner of your -eye. If I have hurt you now and then, it was because I was suffering -from this ache, Motrja! We lived in our hole ... we saw no sunlight, we -knew no one. Now I have got out of the hole, and am among human beings. -How blind I was to the world and to life!... Now I understand that a -wife should be a man's best friend, the friend of his heart, so to -speak. For men are vicious and cruel.... They are always trying to harm -one another.... There's this Pronim Wasioukoff!... devil take him!... -We won't talk of that, Motrja. We shall be all right in time, and we -won't lose courage! We will live in a human way, and reasonably, won't -we?... What do you say to that, you dear little goose?" - -She was crying. Tears rolled down her cheeks, as she realized the -happiness which he pictured to her; and she only replied with kisses. - -"Ah! my only loved one!" he whispered, returning her caresses. Clinging -tenderly together, they sat there and kissed the salt tears from each -other's cheeks. And for some time Orloff continued to speak in the same -new tone.... - -It had become quite dark. Countless stars lit up the evening sky, which -looked down with triumphant sadness on the earth. The plain all around -them was as peaceful as the heavens above. - - - - -CHAPTER VII - - -They had grown into the habit of taking their early tea together. -The morning after their conversation in the fields, Orloff appeared -in his wife's room with a gloomy, disturbed expression on his face. -Felizata had been ill. Matrona was alone in the room, and received her -husband with a radiant smile. She was surprised, however, on seeing his -expression, and inquired anxiously--"What is the matter then? are you -ill?.. - -"I have nothing the matter with me," he replied dryly, sitting down on -a chair, and drawing towards him the cup of tea which she had poured -out. - -"What has happened then?" ... Matrona waited for an answer. - -"I have not slept at all, I have been thinking all the night We were -really much too silly yesterday, much too weak with one another. I am -ashamed of it now; that sort of thing leads to no good.... Women profit -by such weak moments to get the better of their husbands. But don't you -imagine you will succeed in that way.... You won't get over me.... -That is all I wanted to say to you!" - -He repeated all this with a certain emphasis, but without looking at -her. She, on the contrary, never took her eyes off him. - -"You are sorry then that you were yesterday so good and so kind to me?" -she asked in a low voice, whilst her lips trembled painfully. "You -regret then that you kissed and caressed me? It is terrible for me to -hear this, very terrible.... Your words cut me to the heart What do you -want to do then? Am I already a burden to you?... Don't you care for me -any more?" - -She looked at him searchingly as she spoke these words, and her voice -was bitter and defiant "I did not mean that," said Grigori confusedly. -"I only spoke in a general way.... We lived together in our cellar -... you know yourself what a life it was! Already the recollection of -it even, pains me.... Now we have crept out into the light, and ... I -feel half frightened.... The change all took place so quickly.... I -seem to be a stranger to myself ... and you also seem to be changed.... -What-does it all mean?... What will happen next?" - -"What will happen next? That's as God wills, Grischka!" said Matrona in -a serious tone. "I only beg this of you; don't regret that you were so -kind to me yesterday." - -"All right ... say no more about it!" Grigori interrupted her in the -same gloomy voice. "You see, I have slept over it, and I feel sure -there is no good to be got out of that sort of thing. Our former life -was indeed thorny, but our present one is not full of roses.... Though -I don't drink, nor fight, nor beat you ... still there is...." - -Matrona laughed hysterically. "You have no time for such things now!" - -"I could soon find time if I wanted to go in for that sort of thing," -said Orloff, smiling. "But, somehow, I don't understand why, I don't -want to do so. Besides.... I don't know.... I feel so queer somehow or -other...." - -He shook his head slowly, and stared fixedly before him. - -"God only knows what's the matter with you," said Matrona, sighing -deeply. "You get on very well here, even if you have plenty of work. -The doctors all like you, and you behave so well ... What's the matter -with you then? tell me ... It seems to me you are too restless." - -"That's it ... I am too restless!... For I was thinking the whole night -of what Peter Ivanovitch, the student, said lately. He says that all -men are equals.... Well--am I not a man like any other? ... And yet -this Doctor Wasschtschenko, for example, is better than I am, and Peter -Ivanovitch is better, and many others also. I can see for myself that -I am not their equal.... I can feel that I am not worthy to hand them a -glass of water. They cured Mischka Ussoff, and they rejoiced at doing -so ... and I cannot understand that. I cannot see what reason there -is for rejoicing at a man's recovering from illness!... Life is often -worse than cholera pains, if you look facts straight in the face. They -know that as well as I do, and yet they rejoice.... I should like to be -able to feel the same sort of joy as they do; but I cannot, for, as I -have already said, I can't see any cause for rejoicing...." - -"It is because they feel pity for mankind," Matrona interrupted. "And -such pity!... It's just the same on the women's side of the Infirmary. -If one of the patients gets better ... good heavens, what a fuss is -made about her!... When the time comes for her to leave they help her -with advice, and give her medicine and money.... I am often moved to -tears when I see it.... They are indeed good people, and are filled -with compassion." - -"You talk of shedding tears, but it only makes me wonder ... fills me -with astonishment!..." - -He shrugged his shoulders, and rubbed his forehead, looking all the -time at his wife with a puzzled expression. - -Suddenly she began to talk eagerly and rapidly, striving to prove to -him that mankind indeed deserved to be treated pitifully. Leaning -forward, and looking tenderly into his face, she talked long and -earnestly, about mankind, and the heavy burden of life it was called on -to bear. He, however, only watched her, thinking to himself--"Just see -how they can talk when they like, these women! Where on earth did she -get all these words from?" - -"You, yourself, also have a pitiful heart," she said. "I have heard -you say you would like to destroy the cholera if only you had strength -enough. Why then should you want to destroy it? According to what you -have just said it does more good than harm. As far as you are concerned -it does you no harm--quite the reverse.... Have you not been better off -since we had cholera in the town?" - -Orloff burst out laughing. - -"That's true! that's true! It has certainly been all the better for me -that the cholera came t Devil take it! The people are dying all around -like flies, and I am all the better off because of it!... Ha!... ha!... -ha!... That's the way of the world! It's enough to drive one mad to -think about it!" - -He rose from his chair, and went off to his work; still laughing. As he -went along the corridor the thought crossed his mind again, that it was -certainly a pity no one could hear Matrona's wise talk. - -"How cleverly she said it all!... Though she is only a woman, yet she -speaks quite sensibly!" - -He started work, still under the impression of this pleasant thought; -though the moans and groans of the patients fell on his ears the moment -he entered the ward. - -Every day the world of his sensations enlarged, and at the same time -there grew within him the need of expressing what he thought and felt -It is true he was not yet in a position to formulate all that was -going on within him, and give clear expression to it, for the greater -part of his impressions and thoughts he was not yet able to understand -himself. More especially was he pained by the consciousness that he -was not able, like other people; to rejoice over the good fortune -and well-being of others. There grew within him, however, daily -the desire to do something great, something out of the common, and -thereby attract the attention of the whole world. His position in the -Infirmary seemed to him to be an awkward one; he felt himself to be -between two stools. The doctors and medical students stood above him, -the attendants beneath him; he was not the equal of either. A feeling -of loneliness came over him, and it appeared to him as if fate, in -order to make a sport of him, had tom him away from his own place, -and were whirling him about like a feather in the wind. He felt pity -for himself, and sought out his wife in order that she might console -him. This he did often against his will, for he had an idea that his -candid outspokenness might lower him in the eyes of Matrona. But he -continued to confide in her all the same. He would go to her usually -in a dark, angry or cynical mood, and would leave her feeling consoled -and comforted. Matrona knew just the right words to use. She had no -great command of language, and her words, to some, might have appeared -weak, but they were inspired by conviction, and Grigori observed with -surprise that she obtained more and more influence over his inner life, -that his thoughts turned increasingly towards her, and that he felt -more constantly the need of opening his heart to her. - -Matrona also quickly realized what she had become to him, and tried -constantly to strengthen her growing influence over him. Without -her being conscious of it herself, her busy useful life in the -Infirmary had sensibly increased her own self-respect It was not in -her disposition to reflect over the past or to grumble about things, -but when she thought of her former life in the dark cellar, of its -narrow round of cares, of her husband and of her trade, she, in spite -of herself, could not help contrasting that past with her present -condition; and the dim pictures of her former existence melted into an -ever more and more distant and misty background. The authorities at the -Infirmary valued her because of her quickness and willingness, and -every one behaved kindly to her. Being treated as a human being was -such a new experience to her, that her spirits rose, and her enjoyment -of life was heightened. - -Once, when she was on night duty, the stout lady doctor began to -question her about her former life. Matrona told her everything quite -openly, and without constraint; then she ceased suddenly, and smiled a -curious sort of smile. - -"Why do you smile?" asked the lady doctor. - -"I can't help smiling when I think how bitter my life was.... You will -scarcely believe me, but I had no notion then how sad and bitter it -was.... It is only now that I begin to understand." - -This looking back on her past life roused a new feeling in Matrona's -breast against her husband. She cared for Grigori as much as ever, -and showed him all the tenderness of a loving wife; but it appeared -to her at the same time that Grigori was guilty toward her. Sometimes -when talking to him she would adopt almost a protective tone, for his -constant restlessness made her feel sorry for him. Now and then a doubt -arose in her mind as to whether it would ever be possible to lead a -quiet, peaceful life with him, though she still held steadfastly to the -belief that Grigori would, in the end, settle down, and throw off his -despondency. - -According to the ordinary course of events they ought gradually to -have grown accustomed to each other, and reconciled to their every-day -life in common. They were both young, strong and industrious, and many -in a similar position would have been contented to go on from day to -day, leading the grey, cheerless life of the ordinary worker--the life -of poverty, alternating with starvation--their energies completely -absorbed in the task of providing their daily bread. But this ordinary -existence was rendered impossible by the unrest which Grigori carried -in his heart, and which prevented him from reconciling his inmost soul -with the monotony of a daily task. - - - - -CHAPTER VIII - - -One dreary September morning the ambulance-van drew up in the courtyard -of the Infirmary, and Pronim lifted from it another victim of the -epidemic, a yellow-faced, emaciated, half-dead little lad in motley -clothes, stained with many colours. - -"Another case from Petounukoff's house!" said the driver of the van in -answer to a question as to the quarter from which he had brought the -new patient. - -"Tschischik!" cried Orloff in a tone of pain. "Good heavens! it is -Senka. Little imp, don't you recognize me?" - -"Yes, I do," said Tschischik with an effort, as he lay on the -stretcher, turning up his eyes to catch a glimpse of Orloff, who was -standing behind him. - -"Ah! you merry little bird! How did this happen?" asked Orloff. He was -quite upset at the sight of the lad, who was completely exhausted with -the painful disease. - -"Why could it not spare this Innocent child?" he cried out, shaking -his head slowly, and as if concentrating in this cry all his tense -horror. - -Tschischik was silent, and shivered from head to foot. - -"I am so cold!" he said, as they laid him on the bed and took off his -ragged, paint-stained clothes. - -"We'll soon pop you into a nice hot bath!" Orloff promised him. "We'll -make you well again in a hurry." - -Tschischik shook his head. - -"No, Uncle Grigori.... I shall never be well again," he whispered -in a dead voice.... "Bend down towards me.... I stole the accordion -... it is hidden under some wood in the woodshed.... The day before -yesterday ... I played on it for the first time.... Oh! what a beauty -it is I ... Directly after I had these pains in my stomach.... They -were a punishment for the sin.... Give it back, Uncle Grigori.... The -accordion-player had a sister.... Ah!... A ... ah!" - -His whole body shook and twisted with violent cramps. All they could -do was done for the little lad, but the weakened body was unable to -guard the spark of life. That same evening Orloff carried Tschischik's -body to the mortuary. He felt as if he had himself received a blow or -an injury. He tried to straighten out the little body, but could not -succeed in doing so. He left the place with a stunned feeling, in a -dark, melancholy mood, with the image of the once bright and cheerful, -but now so frightfully disfigured boy, constantly before his eyes. - -He had the oppressive consciousness of his own helplessness when face -to face with death. How much trouble and care he had lavished on poor -little Tschischik, and how anxious the doctors had been to cure the -lad!... But in spite of it all he had to die!... It all seemed so -unjust!... He himself also, Grigori Orloff, would have some day to pack -up his traps in the same way, leaving nothing behind. Then all would -be over. A shudder ran through him, and he immediately experienced a -feeling of loneliness, of being forsaken. He felt the need of talking -to some understanding person about it all. He had often tried to get -a long talk with one of the students, but no one here had time to -philosophize. So there was nothing for it but to talk to his wife. In a -heavy, oppressed mood he sought out Matrona. - -She was just off duty, and was washing herself in a corner of the room. -The samovar stood ready, simmering and steaming on the table. - -Grigori sat down in silence, and looked at Matrona's bared, round -shoulders. The samovar boiled up, and spurted drops of hot steam -around. Matrona also splashed the water about with her washing. In the -corridor outside, the attendants' footsteps could be heard hurrying -backwards and forwards, and Grigori tried to guess, from the sound of -the steps, who was passing. Suddenly it seemed to him as if Matrona's -shoulders were as cold and as damp with perspiration as was the body of -the little Tschischik, as he tossed about on his bed in the agony of -cholera cramps. - -Grigori shuddered, and said in a low voice-- - -"Senka is dead...." - -"Dead!... Senka dead? God rest his soul!" exclaimed Matrona piously, -scarcely pausing in her noisy ablutions, and spluttering the soapsuds -from mouth and nose. - -"I feel sorry for the poor child," said Grigori in a sad voice. - -"But he was a mischievous lad, though," Matrona interjected. - -"Well, leave him in peace now he is dead and gone! It's not our -business what he was when alive.... I am truly sorry he is dead! He was -such a quick, bright boy! The accordion ... hm! He was indeed a sharp -lad! Sometimes the thought used to cross my mind that I should like to -have him to teach,--not exactly as an apprentice. He was an orphan, he -might have got attached to us, and have taken the place of a son.... I -fear we shall never have children!... I don't understand why. Such a -strong, hearty woman as you are, and yet you bear no children.... You -had one, and there was an end of it!... Ah! if we only had a couple -of little squallers, I believe our life would not be so tedious.... As -things are, I work and work, and what is the end of it all? Just to -provide daily bread for you and me!... And why do we need daily bread? -So that we may be able to work.... And so life goes round in a circle -without sense or meaning.... If we only had children they would change -our life entirely ... yes, entirely..." - -All this was said in a fretful, dissatisfied tone of voice, his head -sunk on his breast Matrona stood listening to all he had to say; but -growing gradually paler and paler. - -"I am strong and healthy; so are you," continued Grigori; "and yet we -have no children. What is the reason?... I think and think about it -till I get quite melancholy, and take to drinking in sheer desperation!" - -"What you are saying is not true!" said Matrona in a firm loud voice. -"You are not speaking the truth! Never dare to repeat to me what you -have just said!... If you take to drink, it is only your own dissipated -habits that prevent your keeping away from it My not having children -has nothing to do with it! That idea is false, Grigori!" - -Grigori was stunned by her words. He rose and leaned against the back -of his chair, watching his wife, and scarcely recognizing her. Never -before had he seen her in such a rage; looking at him with so much -pitiless anger in her eyes; never before had she spoke with such fierce -strength. - -"Go on!... Go on!.." said Grigori defiantly, whilst he clutched the -back of the chair. "I should like to hear what else you have got to -say!" - -"You shall soon hear!... I should never have said what I have just -said, if you had not reproached me so unfairly! You tell me I do not -bear you children!... Very well!... Never will I bear you a child.... I -have no wish to bear one to you, after the way you have treated me!" - -Her voice broke with sobs, but she almost screamed the last words. - -"Stop that noise!" said her husband in a severe voice. - -"Would you like me to remind you why I have no children?... Just -remember, Grischka, how you have always ill-treated me, and constantly -kicked me about the body! Just reckon up the blows and knocks you have -given me, the times you have tortured me! How often have you made the -blood flow? My clothes were often soaked with blood. And it's your -cruelty, my dear husband, that has prevented my having children! ... -And now you reproach me with it?... Are you not ashamed to look into -my eyes, you murderer--you?... Yes, you are a murderer, for you have -killed your own children! And now you want to lay the blame upon -me!... upon me, who bore everything, who forgave you everything! But -these words I can never forget or forgive; to my dying hour I shall -remember them! ... Did you imagine then that I did not, like other -women, long for children? Did you think I did not wish to have any?... -Many and many a night, when I lay sleepless, I have prayed the good God -to save the child in my womb from you ... you murderer! When I see some -other woman's child, I could cry with envy and bitterness, because such -happiness is denied me.... Ah! Holy Virgin! How often have I wished -that Senka were my child! How I would have cared for him!... And then, -notwithstanding all this, for you to reproach me with not bearing you a -child!..." - -She had grown breathless, and the words poured incoherently from her -lips. Her face was congested, and showed red patches under the skin; -she trembled and clutched her throat, which was choked with sobs. - -Grigori sat white and troubled, still holding on tightly to his chair; -watching with wide-open eyes this woman, his wife, but who seemed now a -stranger to him. He was afraid of her ... he was afraid she might seize -him and throttle him. She seemed to threaten him with her flashing -angry eyes. At this moment she was immeasurably his superior; he felt -it and feared her accordingly. He could not jump up and strike her, as -he would have done formerly, for he could not help being overawed by -the moral and mental force, which seemed to make of her a new being. - -"You have wounded my soul, Grischka!... Your sin and your guilt towards -me are great.... I bore everything and kept silence.... Why was that? -Because I loved you ... and I still love you, but I will not bear these -reproaches from you ... it's beyond my strength to do so.... Though you -are the husband whom Heaven has given me, I curse you for those words -of yours!" - -"Silence!" roared Grigori, showing his teeth. - -"Halloa! What's all this row about? Have you forgotten where you -are?... We can have no squabbles here!" - -A mist seemed to rise before Grischka's eyes. He did not notice who was -standing in the doorway, speaking in these full bass tones, but pushing -the intruder aside, rushed past him into the open air. Matrona stood -for a moment in the middle of the room, as if struck blind and dumb, -then stumbled with outstretched hands towards her bed and threw herself -down on it, sobbing aloud. - -It was already growing dark. The silvery rays of the moon, piercing -the torn edges of the clouds, fell across the floor, throwing the -rest of the room into blue shadow. By and by a thick drizzling rain -began to beat against the window-panes, and run down the walls of the -Infirmary--sounding like a herald of the approaching autumn with its -damp, reeking, darkening days. The pendulum of the clock, with its -monotonous tick-tick, marked the passing of the minutes. The drops of -rain pattered ceaselessly against the window-panes. Hour after hour -passed, and still the rain continued to fall On her bed the woman lay -motionless, staring with wide-open feverish eyes at the ceiling. Her -face was dark and careworn, her teeth were firmly clenched, and her -cheek-bones seemed to stand out prominently; in her eyes there was -an expression of sadness and of painful expectation. Still the rain -continued to beat against the walls and the windows. It sounded like -some one whispering in a monotonous but persuasive voice, trying to -bring conviction; without possessing the power to do this rapidly and -with telling arguments; and who was therefore attempting to obtain -his object by this painful, tedious droning, entirely wanting in the -enthusiasm of real belief. - -The grey twilight of a rainy dawn tinged the sky with the colour of -steel which has lost its polish. Sleep had not yet visited Matrona's -eyes. Ever through the monotonous drip, drip of the rain she seemed to -hear the ominously repeated question-- - -"What will happen next? What will happen next?" - -This question seemed to press in on her soul with irresistible force, -and resounded like a dull pain through her brain. - -"What will happen next?" - -She feared to answer the question, though now and then the answer -would suggest itself in spite of herself, in the image of her drunken, -brutally cruel husband. It was so hard for her to relinquish the -dream of a peaceful life, filled with love--this dream which she had -cherished for the last few weeks--and she strove with all her might to -repel her ominous forebodings. At the same time it became clearer to -her that if Grigori were to return to his former evil ways, their life -together would be utterly impossible. She had seen him as a different -being; she herself had become different, and she could only look back -upon her past life with abhorrence and with fear. New sensations, -unknown to her before, had awoke within her. But after all she was but -a woman, and after a time she began to reproach herself with her share -in the quarrel that had just taken place. - -"How did it all come about?" - -"Good Lord! I seem to have quite lost my senses!..." - -Another whole sad hour went by in these painful contradictory thoughts. -It had become broad daylight; a thick mist lay over the fields, whilst -the sky was hidden by grey, heavy clouds. - -"Matrona, it is time to go to your work!" Mechanically obeying the -summons, she rose slowly, washed herself, and went with listless, heavy -steps into the ward. Here, her languid appearance, her sad face and -swollen eyes, immediately attracted the attention of those on duty. - -"What is the matter with you then, Matrona? Are you ill?" asked the -lady doctor. - -"No, I am all right." - -"You can speak openly; don't fear to give trouble. You know if there is -anything the matter I can find a substitute for you." - -Matrona was troubled at the thought of this kind-hearted but strange -person perceiving the anguish that was in her soul; so, summoning up -her last remnant of courage, she replied smilingly, but with an aching -heart-- - -"There is really nothing the matter!... I have had a bit of a quarrel -with my husband.... It's all over now.... And it's really nothing new." - -"Poor soul!" sighed the lady doctor, who knew all about Matrona's -former life. - -Matrona felt as if she should like to fall down at the feet of this -woman and break into loud sobs. But she controlled herself and pressed -her lips firmly together, to keep back the tears which it required all -her self-control to restrain. - -As soon as she was off duty she returned at once to her room. Casting -a look out of window she saw the ambulance-van coming along through -the fields, evidently bringing another patient to the Infirmary. Still -the same thick fine rain fell ceaselessly from the clouds--the fields -were empty and deserted. Matrona turned away from the window, and with -a heavy sigh sat down at the table. - -"What was going to happen next?" Still this question sounded through -her brain, and her heart beat time in unison with the words. For a -long time she sat there alone in a sort of heavy stupor, though each -footstep in the corridor made her start and glance anxiously at the -door.... - -When at last it opened, and Grigori himself appeared, she neither -started nor moved, for she felt at that moment as if the heavy -rain-clouds outside had suddenly fallen on her, crushing her with their -weight. - -Grigori remained standing near the door, then, throwing on the floor -his wet cap, he approached Matrona with heavy creaking footsteps. He -was wet through, the water was pouring from him. His face was flushed, -his eyes looked dim, on his lips was a broad, foolish smile. As he -came nearer Matrona could hear the water oozing out of his boots. He -looked a pitiful object, and Matrona even in her worst dreams had never -imagined him thus. - -"What a sight you are," she said quietly. - -"Shall I fall down at your feet and beg your forgiveness?" Grischka -asked with a weak, sheepish movement of his head. - -She was silent - -"No?... Well, just as you like!... I have been walking about the whole -night thinking it out as to whether I am guilty towards you or not. At -last I made up my mind; yes, I am guilty.... And now I come to ask your -pardon; will you grant it?" - -Still she remained dumb; her heart was tom with bitter recollections, -for as he stood before her he reeked of vodka. - -"Just listen!... Don't make too many grimaces about it! Take advantage -of my being sober and friendly," said Grigori, in a louder and more -threatening voice. "Will you forgive me?" - -"You are drunk," said Matrona, sighing. "Go and have your sleep out." - -"It's a lie! I am not drunk, but only tired.... I have been walking -about and thinking ... I have thought of many things, my dear. So take -care what you are about!" - -He shook his finger at her menacingly, and a constrained smile played -round his mouth. - -"Why won't you speak?" - -"I can't speak to you now." - -"And why not pray?" - -His face flushed suddenly, and he raised his voice. "It was _you_ who -made the row yesterday; _you_ who shouted and scolded ... and _I_ come -now, and beg your forgiveness. Do you quite realize that?" - -His manner whilst he spoke was excited, his lips quivered, and -his nostrils dilated. Matrona knew only too well what these signs -foreboded; the cellar, the Saturday night rows, all the dreariness of -their empty life. - -"I realize it only too plainly," she replied in a firm, decided voice. -"You have become once more a wild beast! Ah! that it should be so!" -"Whether I am a wild beast or not, that has nothing to do with the -matter!... I ask you if you will forgive me? What do you imagine -then?... Do you think I can't live without your forgiveness? Oh, I can -get along very well without it ... but all the same I come and ask you -to forgive.... Do you understand?..." - -"Leave me alone, Grigori! do!" exclaimed Matrona wearily, turning away -from him. - -"Leave you alone? So that is what you want?" laughed Grigori in a -malicious voice. "I am to go away, and you are to remain here, alone, -free and untroubled?... No, that shall never be! Just see how you like -this!" - -He seized her by the shoulders, and holding her tightly against him, -flourished a clasp-knife in front of her face. The knife had a short, -thick, rusty blade. - -"Well?... How do you like that?" - -"Oh! I wish you would stab me and make an end of it," said Matrona, -with a heavy sigh. She freed herself from his grasp, and turned away. - -Grischka took a step backwards; the tone of her words had filled him -with astonishment He had often heard similar words from her lips, but -they had never before been uttered in such a desperate tone of voice. -He was completely taken aback at her not showing more fear at sight of -the knife. For a moment or two he had been ready to strike her--but -now he could not, and would not Half dazed by the indifference she -manifested towards his threats, he threw the knife on the table, and -asked her with suppressed anger in his voice-- - -"What is it you want then, you devil?" - -"I want nothing, nothing," cried Matrona, sobbing hysterically. "But -you, what do you want?... You came here with the intention of killing -me!... Well then, kill me, and have done with it!" - -Grigori looked at her, and was silent He did not know what to be at -next; his sensations had become so mixed and complicated. He had come -with the express intention of triumphing over his wife. Last night, -when they were quarrelling, she had proved herself the stronger of the -two--that had been quite clear to him, and the thought of it lowered -him in his own estimation. It was absolutely necessary that she should -now submit to him. He did not try to explain to himself why, but he -felt it was absolutely necessary. Being a man of a passionate, complex -nature, he had suffered keenly, and had reflected on many things during -the last few hours, but his ignorance prevented him from explaining -to himself the chaos of emotions, which his wife's just and outspoken -accusations had awoke in him. He perceived that she was in revolt -against him, and he had brought the knife in order to frighten and -subdue her. He might possibly have killed her, if she had not met his -desire to subdue her with such passive resistance. But there she stood, -defenceless before him, broken down with trouble--yet stronger than he. -This gave him a shock, and produced on him a sobering effect. - -"Listen!" he said; "leave off this nonsense; you know that I could very -soon finish you off with this.... One blow under the ribs, and all -would be over! That would put an end to all worry and trouble.... It's -very simple!" - -He felt whilst he was speaking that he was not expressing what was in -his heart, and he was again silent. Matrona still remained with her -back to him, and motionless. Once more she was feverishly and rapidly -passing in review the period of their life together; whilst at the -same time there pressed in again upon her consciousness the question-- - -"What is going to happen next?" - -"Motrja!" Grigori suddenly began in a soft voice, placing his hand on -the table and bending over his wife. "Is it altogether my fault that -everything has gone wrong--that things are not as they should be ... -between us?... I know I have an unfortunate disposition...." - -He sighed, and shook his head slowly and bitterly. - -"If you only knew what an ache I have in my heart! My life seems to me -so cramped and narrow!... After all, what sort of a life is this? These -sick people, for instance, can they be any comfort to me? Some of them -die ... others recover and go on living ... and I have to continue to -drag out my existence!... but how?... Is the life we are leading any -better than the pains of cholera?... It is a constant struggle, and how -frightful it is!... Ah! I can't express all that is in my soul.... But -I know that I can't go on living like this.... But how to alter it I -don't know.... Look at those, for instance, who are suffering in the -Infirmary; what care is taken of them because they are ill; and I also -am ill ... I have pains and cramps in my soul; but no one takes care -of me; so I am worse off than they are. And you tell me that I am no -better than a brute.... Nothing but a drunken sot!... Ah! you don't -understand me ... you are a heartless...." - -He was speaking in a clear, quiet tone of voice, but she paid but -little attention to his words, for she was occupied with her own -thoughts. - -"You do not answer," he continued, feeling something new and great -unfolding within him. "Why do you not speak? What is it you want?" - -"I want nothing from you!" exclaimed Matrona. "Why do you worry me so? -What do you want me to do?" - -"What do I want you to do?... Well ... you are to ... I want...." - -Orloff felt that he was not in a state to define exactly what he -wanted. He was unable to put it clearly into words, so that he could -himself express, and make her understand, what he wanted to say. But -he realized that some barrier had arisen between them, which no words, -however eloquent, could break down. This thought awoke a feverish rage -in his heart He struck Matrona with his clenched fist on the back of -her head, and roared out-- - -"You damned sorceress! You are trying to provoke me.... I'll kill you, -you witch!" - -The blow was so violent that she fell face forwards on the table. But -she quickly recovered herself, and facing her husband with a look of -hatred and defiance in her eyes, she cried out in a loud voice--Go on -beating me!" - -"Hush! Be quiet!" - -"Why don't you go on beating me, I say!" - -"Oh, you devil!" - -"No, Grigori, I won't stand this sort of thing any longer!" - -"Hush! I say!" - -"I won't be ill-treated by you any more!" - -He ground his teeth, and took a step backwards, perhaps with the -intention of striking her with greater force.... But at this moment the -door opened suddenly, and Doctor Wasschtschenko appeared on the scene. - -"What's going on here? Do you forget where you are? What sort of -business is this?" - -His face wore a severe and surprised expression. Orloff did not seem -in the least taken aback, but, nodding his head at the doctor, he -remarked-- - -"It's nothing! nothing but a little clearing up of the atmosphere -between man and wife." - -And he laughed with a half-nervous, half-sneering smile in the doctor's -face. - -"Why were you absent from duty to-day?" said the doctor angrily, for he -was vexed by Orloff's sneering, impertinent manner. - -Grigori shrugged his shoulders, and replied coolly-- - -"I was otherwise engaged.... I had business of my own to attend to...." - -"Oh!... Was that so? And who was making all that row last night?" - -"We were," Grigori replied. - -"Oh! it was you ... was it?... Very good, very good!... You -make yourselves quite at home here, it seems.... Go out without -permission...." - -"We are not slaves...." - -"Silence!... You would like to turn this place into a vodka-shop, you -scum!... I'll let you know where you are!" - -A wild rush of defiance, a passionate desire to rush out and get free -from all these confused feelings that oppressed him, suddenly took -possession of Grischka. It seemed to him all at once, that by doing -something out of the common, something extraordinary, he could tear -himself free from the bonds that were fettering his soul. He shuddered, -as a pleasant cool feeling seemed to creep round his heart, and going -up to the doctor with quiet cat-like tread he said-- - -"Don't strain your throat, shouting like that! I know very well where I -am ... a place where you kill people!" - -"What are you talking about?... What was that you said?" exclaimed the -doctor in an astonished voice. - -Grigori realized that he had made use of a meaningless and insulting -expression; but he would not retract it; he grew more excited, and -continued-- - -"Oh! it doesn't matter! You'll soon see what I meant!... Matrona, pack -up your traps; we are off!" - -"Not so fast, my friend! You must repeat first what you have just -said," insisted the doctor in a quiet voice that boded no good. "Come -now, speak!... You shall catch it for this, you scoundrel!" - -Grischka stared him full in the face--he had a feeling as if he were -being carried away by a puff of wind, and as if each breath that he -took made him feel lighter. - -"Don't shout or swear, Nadrei Stepanovitch!... You think perhaps that -because it is cholera time you have a right to order me about.... But -you are wrong.... All your cures here are of no use to mankind, they -are not worth a brass farthing! No one wants you and your science -and your cures!.. Well, if I did call your place a deathtrap it was -nonsense perhaps I was talking, ... that I acknowledge ... because I -was in a rage. But to shout at me here like that ... you have no right -to behave so!" - -"You won't get off so easily," said the doctor quietly; "I'll have to -teach you a lesson!... Hi there! Come in, you that are outside!" - -A group of listeners had already assembled in the corridor. Grischka's -eyes flashed, and he set his teeth. - -"I don't call out, and I am not afraid.... But if you are so very -anxious to give me a lesson ... then I shall have something to say -about it." - -"Well, say it then quickly!" - -"I shall go into town, and tell every one, 'My good people, listen! and -I will tell you how they cure the cholera!'" - -"W-what?" said the doctor; opening still wider his eyes. - -"Yes, and we'll all come up here together; and we'll help you to -disinfect with a vengeance ... we'll make a bonfire!" - -The doctor's anger had turned to intense astonishment, as he listened -to this man, whom he had known as a decent hard-working fellow, but who -was now carried away with these mad rebellious fancies. - -"What are you saying, you fool?... How can you be so stupid!" - -The word "stupid" jarred on Grischka's sensibilities. He realized -that he had fully deserved the title, but the consciousness of this -increased his rage. - -"I know very well what I am saying!" he added with glowing eyes. "It's -all the same to me.... To such as I am, it's all the same, at any -time; it's useless for us to try and restrain our impulses. Come, -Matrona, pack up your traps!" - -"I'm not going to leave," said Matrona in a quiet restrained voice. - -The doctor watched them both with astonished eyes, not knowing what to -make of it all. - -"You are either drunk, or mad!" he said to Grischka. "Do you understand -yet what you are doing?" - -Grischka either could not or would not give in; he felt he had gone too -far. So he retorted in a tone of would-be irony-- - -"You ask if I know what I am doing?... But do you know yourself what -you are doing? Disinfecting? Ha! ha!... and curing the sick people; -whilst those who are well are dying from the stress and misery of -life!... Matrona, I'll knock your head off if you don't come with me!" - -"I shall not go with you!" - -She stood there, white and motionless; but the expression in her eyes -was cold and resolute, as she looked her husband in the face. This look -had the effect of damping his heroics, his head sunk on his breast, and -he turned silently away. - -"Devil take him!" said the doctor. "There's no making head or tail of -what he means!... Just listen, my good fellow. Be off with you as -quickly as you can, and thank your lucky stars that I let you off so -easily! I might have given you over to the police, you fool! Now, be -off!" - -Grischka cast a lowering look at the doctor. He would rather have been -beaten, or given into custody; but the doctor was a kind-hearted man, -and could see that Orloff was not at the present moment responsible for -his actions. - -"For the last time; are you coming with me?" Grischka asked his wife, -in a hoarse voice. - -"No, I am not going," she answered, throwing back her head, as if she -expected a blow. - -"Well--go to the devil, all of you!" he cried, with a hopeless gesture. -"What the deuce do I want with any of you?" - -"You poor fool!" exclaimed the doctor almost compassionately. - -"Don't swear!" shouted Grigori; then turning to his wife, "Well, you -damned hussy, you see I am off!... Perhaps we shall never meet again in -this life ... perhaps we shall ... that will be just as I choose. But -if we do meet--it won't go well with you.... That I can promise you!" - -Then he turned towards the door. - -"Farewell, you tragic hero!" cried the doctor in a sarcastic voice, as -Grigori passed him. Orloff stopped, and turning his sad glowing eyes on -the doctor, said in a restrained voice-- - -"You had better leave me alone ... don't wind up the spring any more -... it was lucky it unwound without hurting any one ... don't try it on -again!". - -He picked up his wet cap from the floor, put it on his head, lingered -for a moment, and then went out without once glancing at Matrona. - -The doctor looked at Orloff's wife with a searching glance, as she -stood in front of him with a pale death-like look on her face. - -Then nodding in the direction of Grigori, he asked her, "What is the -matter with him?" - -"I don't know...." - -"H'm--and where is he going now?" - -"He will go and get drunk," Matrona replied in a convinced tone of -voice. - -The doctor frowned and left her. - -Matrona looked out of the window. Through the darkness of the night, -and through the rain and wind, she could discern the figure of a man -leaving the Infirmary, and walking towards the town. He was the only -living thing to be seen in the dreary wet expanse of fields. - -Matrona's face grew still whiter; she went towards a corner of the -room, dropped on her knees, and began to pray fervently, her head -bowed almost to the floor. Deep sighs and ardent words of passionate -prayer escaped from her lips, whilst in her excitement and anguish her -hands clutched feverishly at her throat and breast. - - - - -CHAPTER IX - - -I was inspecting one day the technical school -of the town of N----. One of the founders of the school, a personal -friend of mine, was showing me round. He pointed out all the new and -model arrangements and gave me an account of everything. - -"As you see, we may be proud of our work.... Our school, which we -planted at first like a small seed, has grown into a well-developed -and splendid institution. We have been exceedingly fortunate in the -choice of our teachers. In the shoemaking class, for instance, we have -a woman-teacher, who was formerly the wife of a shoemaker, a charming -bright little creature, simple in her nature, and irreproachable as to -character. And how she works!... She is indeed a wonder!... Her way of -teaching her trade too is quite astonishing; she has such patience and -love for the children. She gets only twelve roubles a month besides -her lodging, and at the price she is a treasure.... Out of her scanty -earnings she herself supports two orphan children!... She's a most -interesting person, I can tell you!..." - -He said so much in praise of the shoemaker's wife that I became quite -curious to see her. It was not long before my wish was fulfilled, and -one day Matrona Ivanovna Orlova told me the sad story of her life. At -first, after her separation from her husband, he gave her no peace--he -would arrive drunk, make a terrible row, watch her whenever she went -out, and if he succeeded in catching her, would beat her pitilessly. -She bore it all. When the Infirmary was closed, the lady doctor -promised to get her a situation in the school, and protect her from -her husband. This she succeeded in doing, and henceforth a peaceful -industrious life began for Matrona. With the help of the assistants, -whom she had known in the Infirmary, she learnt to read and write; -later on she adopted two orphans, a boy and a girl, whom she found in -the Orphanage,--she made a home for herself and grew happier, only -looking back with sadness and horror on her former life. She loved her -pupils, and realized the importance of the work that was entrusted to -her, and to which she devoted absolutely her life. She had gained the -affection and respect of all the managers of the school. But a dry -painful cough troubled her, and a hectic flush on her thin cheeks was -an omen of the disease which was undermining her strength. Her grey -eyes burned with an expression of fathomless grief. Her married life -with the restless Grischka had left these traces behind.... - -Grischka had, however, for the last three years left his wife entirely -alone. He came sometimes to N----, but never showed his face to his -wife. "He had gone on the tramp," that was the expression Matrona used -to describe the kind of life her husband led. - -I had the opportunity later on of making his acquaintance. I came -across him in one of the slum quarters of the town, and after we had -met two or three times we became friends. He told me the story of his -married life--the same story indeed that I had already heard from -Matrona. After telling it he seemed lost for a time in reflection, and -then added-- - -"Yes, Maxime Sawatjeitsch, that's how it all happened ... that's -the way I seem to have been lifted up, and then cruelly dashed down -again. I never managed to do anything heroic after all. But I still -feel the intense desire to do something out of the common, something -extraordinary. I should like to crush everything on earth to dust ... -or gather together a band of boon companions, and destroy every Jew in -the world--every single one! To do something that would raise me to a -higher level than all the rest of mankind ... so that from my heights -I could spit down on all of them. Something that would give me the -right to say to them all, 'You reptiles, you! what are you living for? -And how are you living? You are a set of hypocrites and rogues, and -nothing else!' ... After that I should not mind falling head foremost -from my heights, even if I got smashed to pieces on the ground!... -Hm?.. yes!... Devil take it all!... How dull and flat life is! It has -always seemed to me narrow and cramped! Once I had got the weight of -Matrona off my shoulders I thought to myself, 'Now, Grischka, the -anchor is up, you can sail away freely wherever you like!' But it all -turned out different from what I thought it would; my boat got caught -in the shallows, and here I am aground!... But, never fear, I shall -get off some day, and shall yet make a name for myself ... My wife?... -Oh, she is nothing to me now!... Let her goto the devil!... What does -a man like me want with a wife?... How can I be tied to a wife when I -feel as if I were constantly being attracted towards the four quarters -of the earth?... I was born with the spirit of unrest in my heart ... -and fate marked me out for a tramp, for a wanderer over the face of -the earth.... It's the best life there is after all.... It's free, -though it's not without its discomforts.... I have tramped all over the -place, and never yet have found comfort for my soul.... I drink, you -say.... Well, I sup pose that's true; but what else is there to do?... -Vodka is the only thing that really soothes the soul; and there is an -inextinguishable flame, which is burning up my soul.... Everything -seems in opposition to me; the towns, the villages, people in every -condition of life.... I am sick of it all! Would it not have been -possible to have invented something better than all this?... Half the -world seems to be preying on the other half.... There is nothing for it -but to destroy them all! Ah! life, life, what an invention of the devil -it is!" - -The heavy door of the vodka-shop, where Orloff and I sat talking, swung -backwards and forwards from time to time with a creaking, suggestive -sound. As one glanced at the dark interior it appeared like the huge -jaws of a giant, slowly but surely swallowing up, one after the other, -these poor wretched Russian souls ... both the restless and the quiet -alike.... - - - - -MALVA - - - - -CHAPTER I - - -The sea laughed. - -It thrilled beneath the warm light breath of the wind, and its surface -became covered with faint ripples, reflecting dazzingly the sun; -whilst, with its thousand silvery lips it laughed back to the sky. -The vast space between the sea and the sky seemed filled with the -joyful hum of wave-voices, rippling up, one after the other, over the -flat shore of the sandy cape. This sound blended with the flashes of -sunlight, reflected a thousandfold by the sea, and melted harmoniously -into one ceaseless agitation full of living joy. The sky was happy as -it poured forth light; the sea was happy as it reflected the glory of -the sunlight. - -The wind caressed the smooth powerful bosom of the sea, warmed by the -sun's ardent rays; and the ocean seemed to sigh as if fatigued with -these amorous caresses; it filled the burning air with the salt smell -of its emanations. The greenish waves, lapping the yellow sands, tossed -forwards the white froth of their crests, which melted with gentle -hissing sounds, moistening the foreshore.... - -The long narrow tongue of earth resembled some enormous tower which had -fallen on to its side into the sea. Its slender point was planted in -the vast solitude of the water, laughing up to the sun; whilst its base -seemed lost in the distance, where a warm haze hid the mainland. There -came from thence with the breeze a heavy smell, incomprehensible and -offensive out here, in the midst of the wild pure sea, under the dome -of clear blue sky. - -Fixed in the sand, which seemed in part covered with fish-scales, were -wooden posts. From these fishing-nets hung to dry, casting delicate -shadows, fine and light as spiders-webs. A few large boats and one -smaller one lay in a line on the beach, and the waves as they ran up -towards them seemed to be calling them. - -Oars, coils of rope, and barrels lay about in disorder; whilst amongst -them rose a hut made of willow-branches, of bark and of matting. At the -door of the hut, on the knotted fork of the branch of a tree, hung, -soles upwards, two felt boots; and above this general chaos floated a -strip of red rag at the top of a high mast. - -In the shade of a boat Vassili Legostev was lying down; his duty was -to watch over the interests of the fishing merchant Grebentchikok, -whose fisheries were established on this promontory. Lying flat on his -stomach, his head in his hands, he was watching with a fixed gaze -the sea, and still further away the almost invisible coast-line. Over -there, on the water, a black speck was dancing up and down, and Vassili -watched it with satisfaction as it grew larger, and drew nearer. - -Half closing his eyes, to shut out the strong glare from the waves, his -face beamed with pleasure: it was Malva who was coming. She would come -laughing so joyously that her bosom would rise and fall in tempting -throbs; she would throw her soft strong arms around him, would kiss -him, and in her sonorous voice that frightened away the seagulls she -would give him news of what was going on over there on the shore. -Together they would make some capital fish-soup and they would drink -vodka, whilst they chatted and played about together; then as the -daylight waned they would regale themselves with boiling hot tea and -little rolls, and afterwards go to bed. This was how they spent every -Sunday and feast-day. At dawn he would take her, still heavy with -sleep, back across the sea through the fresh morning air. Malva with -sleepy eyes would sit down near the rudder, and he would row and watch -her. She was so quaint at those times--quaint and charming, like? soft -little cat that has eaten a good meal. Sometimes she would slide down -to the bottom of the boat, and would sleep there, rolled up against him -like a ball. Often she did this. - -To-day even the gulls seemed languid with the heat They stood in rows -on the sand, their beaks open, and their wings hanging; or else they -rocked idly on the waves without uttering their accustomed cries, or -showing their usual fierce animation. - -It seemed to Vassili that Malva was not alone in the boat Could it be -that Sereja had come with her again? Vassili moved uneasily on the -sand, and then sat up shading his eyes with his hand; he seemed trying, -with a vexed expression on his face, to discover who it could be who -was arriving.... Malva was holding the rudder. It was not Sereja rowing -with that strong but clumsy stroke. If it had been Sereja, Malva would -not have troubled herself to steer. - -"Ahoy!" cried Vassili impatiently. - -The seagulls were startled, and became attentive. - -"Ahoy! Ahoy!" replied from the boat the clear voice of Malva. - -"Who have you got with you?" - -The only reply he received was a laugh. - -"The little devil!" swore Vassili under his breath. - -He spat on one side with an offended gesture. - -He was full of curiosity. Whilst rolling a cigarette, he scanned the -neck and the back of the rower who was approaching rapidly. The noise -made by the oars striking the water, rang through the air, and the sand -was ground beneath the bare feet of the keeper who was struggling -against a nervous fit of curiosity. - -"Who is with you?" he cried when he was able to discern the smile, so -familiar to him, on the beautiful round face of Malva. - -"Just wait!... You will recognize him yourself all right!" she answered -laughing. - -The rower turned round, and laughing also, looked full at Vassili, The -keeper frowned; it appeared to him he had seen the lad before. - -"Row faster!" Malva ordered. - -The impetus was so strong that the boat was tossed sideways on to -the shore by a wave, and then righted herself whilst the wave rolled -laughing back into the sea. The rower jumped ashore, and went straight -up to Vassili-- - -"Good-day, father!" - -"Jakoff!" exclaimed Vassili, more astonished than pleased. - -They kissed each other three times on the mouth and on the cheeks; -after which Vassili's astonishment was a mixture of joy and of trouble. - -"I felt sure ... there was something ... my heart told me so.... Ah! -it's you ... How did you manage it?... And I, who was saying to myself, -Is it Sereja?... No; I could see quite well it wasn't Sereja!... And -now I find it's you!" - -Vassili was stroking his beard with one hand, and with the other he -was gesticulating in the air. He would have liked to have looked at -Malva, but the bright eyes of his son were fixed on him and made him -feel awkward. His pride, in having a son so strong and so handsome, was -struggling against the embarrassment he felt in the presence of his -mistress. He moved about restlessly in front of Jakoff, interjecting -questions without waiting for replies. Everything seemed to be mixed up -in his head, and the culminating point of discomfort was reached when -he heard Malva remark in a mocking tone-- - -"Don't jump about like that ... for joy! Take him to the hut and give -him a feed." - -He glanced at her: a mocking smile, which he knew well, hovered in -the corners of her lips, and her whole person, round, soft and fresh -as usual, appeared at the same time strange and new to him. Malva was -glancing with her green eyes from father to son, while she nibbled -carraway seeds with her little white teeth. Jakoff was also smiling, -and for a few seconds, which were painful to Vassili, all three were -silent. - -"I shall be back directly!" cried Vassili suddenly, going towards the -hut. "Don't stay there in the sun. I am going to fetch some water.... -We'll make some soup. I'll give you some fish-soup to taste, Jakoff! -You two look after each other; I shall be with you in a minute,..." - -He caught up an earthenware saucepan which was on the ground near the -hut, and retired behind the nets, whose grey folds completely hid him -from view. - -Malva and the lad followed him. - -"Well, my fine young man, I have brought you to your father!" said -Malva, eyeing Jakoff's robust figure. - -He bent towards her his face, covered with its soft, fair beard, and -said with sparkling eyes-- - -"Yes, here we are!... It's fine to be here.... What a stretch of sea!" - -"Yes, the sea is wide.... And the old man? Has he changed much?" - -"No ... no.... I thought he would be whiter, and he has scarcely any -grey hairs.... And he's so ... strong!" - -"How long is it since you have seen each other?" - -"Five years, perhaps.... When he left the village, I was going on for -seventeen." - -They went into the hut, where the heat and the smell of the fish were -stifling. They sat down--Jakoff on a great log of wood, and Malva on -some sacks. Between them was a cask, sawn in half, the bottom half of -which Vassili used as a table. When they were settled they looked at -each other for some time without speaking. - -"It seems you want to get work here?" asked Malva. - -"Well ... I don't quite know.... If I find a job ... I will work." - -"You'll find one fast enough!" said Malva with assurance, watching him -always with her curious oblique green eyes. - -He was not looking at her; but with the sleeve of his shirt was wiping -away the sweat which covered his face. - -All of a sudden she broke into laughter. - -"Your mother very likely gave you all sorts of messages and greetings -for your father?" - -Jakoff replied with a gesture of impatience-- - -"Of course she did! And what then?..." - -"Nothing!" she said, still laughing. - -Her mocking laughter displeased Jakoff. He moved away from the woman, -and began to think of his mother's words. - -When she had accompanied him to the end of the village, she had leant -against a gate, speaking quickly, and blinking her dry eyes. - -"Tell him, Jakoff, tell him in the name of Christ. 'Father, my mother -is alone over there! She is growing old.... Five years have gone by -and she is still alone!' Tell him, my little Jakoff, for the love of -God! 'My mother will soon be an old woman, alone, always alone, always -at work.' In the name of Christ, tell him this." And she had cried -quietly, hiding her face in her apron. - -Jakoff had not pitied her then, but now he pitied her.... And he -glanced at Malva with a hard expression, as if he were going to address -her in a tone of coarse abuse. - -"Well, here I am!" exclaimed Vassili, appearing with a quivering fish -in one hand and a knife in the other. - -He had conquered his embarrassment, hiding it deep down within himself. -He was able now to look at his guests with serenity and good-humour, -though his movements were more abrupt than usual "I am just going to -make a fire ... and then I'll be back.... We will talk then. Well, -Jakoff! What a fine lad you have grown!" And he disappeared once more. - -Malva continued to nibble the grains. She watched Jakoff with an air of -familiarity; and he tried not to catch her eye although he longed to do -so; and he thought to himself-- - -"Life must be fine out here; one can eat to one's heart's content. -How fat she is, and so is my father!" Then as the silence made him -feel nervous, he remarked out loud--"I forgot to get my bag out of the -boat.... I'll just go and fetch it." - -Jakoff rose slowly and went out. Then Vassili appeared; he bent towards -Malva, and said rapidly in an angry voice-- - -"What did you want to come with him for?... What am I to tell him about -you?... What are you to me?" - -"I have come, and that's all!" answered Malva. - -"You stupid creature! Aren't you ashamed?... What am I to do now? Am -I to tell him straight out that ... But I have a wife at home.... His -mother.... You might have understood!" - -"What does it matter to me? Do you think I'm frightened of him? Or of -you?" she asked, screwing up contemptuously her green eyes. "And how -you carried on when you first saw him!... What fun it was to see you!" - -"You thought it fun, did you?... But what am I going to do?" - -"You ought to have thought of that before." - -"But could I imagine that the sea was going to throw him up here, -without giving me a word of warning?" - -Jakoff's footsteps were heard in the sand, and they were obliged to -interrupt their conversation. Jakoff had brought back a bag, which he -tossed into a corner, glancing angrily towards the woman. She was still -nibbling seeds. Vassili sat on the log of wood, rubbing his knee, and -said with a constrained smile-- - -"Well, here you are!... What made you think of coming here?" - -"It just came into my head.... We had written to you...." - -"When? I didn't get any letter." - -"Is that so?... Well, we wrote to you!" - -"The letter must have been lost," said Vassili regretfully. "Devil take -it!... It's always the important letters that get lost...." - -"Then you don't know anything about us?" asked Jakoff distrustfully. - -"How should I know anything? I have not received any letter." - -Then Jakoff told how their horse had died, how they had eaten all their -com before the beginning of February, and how he himself was no longer -able to earn a living. There was no more hay left, the cow had been -nearly starved to death. They had managed to get along till April, and -then they had decided that after the ploughing Jakoff should go and -find his father, and should get work somewhere away, during the next -three months. This was what they had written. Then they sold three -sheep and bought some flour and some hay, after which Jakoff started -off. - -"Well, I never!" exclaimed Vassili. "How is it possible?... I sent you -money!" - -"It was little enough, your money! We had to repair the house; and -there was the sister's marriage. I bought a plough.... You see, five -years is a long time." - -"Hm!... So it wasn't enough? What a long story!... And my soup which Is -boiling away!" - -He rose and went out. Stooping down over the fire, above which hung -the boiling-pot Vassili reflected whilst he tossed the scum into the -flames. - -Nothing in the story told by his son affected him particularly, but -he felt irritated with his wife, and with Jakoff. What a lot of money -he had sent them during these five years! And they had not managed to -get along with it If Malva had not been there he would have spoken out -straight to his son. Jakoff had managed very well to leave the village -without his father's permission; but with regard to his piece of land -it wasn't used up yet And this land, about which Vassili, during his -easy, pleasant life had scarcely thought, now returned suddenly to his -mind; it appeared to him as a gulf, into which he had been throwing his -money, as something useless and embarrassing. He sighed, as with the -spoon he stirred the soup. - -In the sunlight, the little yellow flame of the fire showed pale and -miserable! Threads of blue transparent smoke stretched from the hearth -towards the sea, as if going to meet the waves. Vassili followed them -with his glance, and thought of his son, of Malva; he was thinking to -himself that from this day forth his life would be less pleasant, less -free. Surely Jakoff had already guessed what Malva was to him. - -She remained in the hut, exciting the lad with her bold, provoking -eyes. - -"Perhaps you have left your sweetheart behind you in the village," she -said suddenly. - -"Perhaps I have!" he replied unwillingly. - -And in his heart he was abusing Malva. - -"Is she pretty?" she asked indifferently. - -Jakoff did not reply. - -"Why don't you answer?... Is she prettier than I am?" - -He looked at her almost against his will. Her cheeks were flushed and -sunburnt, her lips full and tempting, and now that a mischievous smile -lurked about them, they seemed to tremble. She wore a becoming little -blouse of pink cotton, showing the outline of her rounded shoulders, -her full and supple bosom. But he did not like her green, cunning, -mocking eyes. - -"Why do you talk like that?" - -He sighed involuntarily, and spoke in a pleading voice; he would have -liked, if he could have done so, to have spoken to her in a severe tone. - -"How must I speak to you?" she asked, laughing. - -"And now you are laughing ... what about?" - -"I'm laughing at you...." - -"What have I done?" he asked crossly. - -And again he dropped his eyes before her glance. - -She did not reply. - -Jakoff had a very shrewd idea of what her relations with his father -were, and that prevented him from speaking openly. He was not in the -least astonished; he had heard it said, that when people worked far -away from the village they lost their habits of respectability; and -besides it would have been difficult for a strong man like his father -to do without a woman for such a long time. But nevertheless he felt -awkward both on her account, and on that of his father. And then he -remembered once more his mother, harassed and complaining, who was -working over there without rest or help. - -"The soup is ready!" Vassili announced, standing at the door of the -hut. "Give us the spoons, Malva." - -Jakoff looked at his father and thought-- - -"One can see she comes here often, for she knows where everything is." - -When she had found the spoons, she said she must go down to the sea to -wash them, and that in the boat she had some vodka. - -The father and son watched her as she walked away, and, when they found -themselves alone, remained silent. - -"Where did you meet her?" said Vassili at last - -"I asked at the office where you were; she was there. And she said to -me--'Why go on foot along the sand? Let us go in the boat; I also am -going to see him.' And we set off." - -"Yes?... Well, I have often said to myself, 'I wonder how he is now, my -Jakoff?'" - -The son smiled good-naturedly. This gave Vassili back his courage. - -"And ... how are you?" - -"Oh! all right ..." said Jakoff, dropping his eyelids. - -"What the devil could I do?" exclaimed Vassili, waving his arms about -"I kept straight at first ... But I couldn't go on like that It was -habit ... you see I am a married man!... And then she mends my clothes, -and so on.... Besides, one__ can't escape either women or death!" - -This simple maxim seemed to bring his explanation to a close. - -"What does it matter to me?" said Jakoff. "It's your business, I am not -your judge." - -But he thought to himself--"I should like to see her mending his -trousers!" - -"I am forty-five; that's not old yet ... She costs me very little; why -the devil should she?... she is not my wife!..." continued Vassili. - -"Of course not!" admitted Jakoff. - -But he thought--"I bet she makes his money slip through her fingers!" - -Malva had returned with a bottle of vodka and a string of little -rolls; they sat down to dinner. They ate without talking, sucking the -fish-bones noisily, and spitting them on to the sand near the door. -Jakoff devoured his portion, and this seemed to please Malva. She -watched with a tender expression his great sunburnt jaws chewing, his -cheeks distending, and his thick, moist lips moving. Vassili was not -hungry; he attempted to appear absorbed in his meal, so as to be able -to observe at his ease Jakoff and Malva, and to think over the way in -which he should behave towards them. - -The joyful and caressing music of the waves was accompanied by the -ferocious and victorious cries of the seagulls. The heat seemed to be -growing less, and from time to time a breath of fresh air impregnated -with the pure smell of the sea, seemed to reach the hut. - -After having eaten the excellent fish-soup, and drunk several glasses -of vodka, Jakoff became sleepy. He began by smiling stupidly, and -yawning, looking at Malva all the time in such a way that Vassili -thought it better to say to him-- - -"Lie down here, Jakoff, till tea-time ... then we will call you." - -"All right," said Jakoff, throwing himself down on some rugs. "And you -two ... where are you going?... He! he!" - -Vassili, annoyed by this guffaw, went out hastily. Malva closed her -lips tightly, knitted her brows, and replied to Jakoff-- - -"Where we are going is not your affair! What is it to you? I advise you -not to meddle with other people's business. Do you hear that, my lad?" - -And she went off. - -"Oh, very well!" cried Jakoff. "Just wait a bit! Ha! ha! ha! I'll show -you.... All right!... you're a nice sort of young lady!" - -He grumbled on for a few minutes longer, then went off to sleep with a -drunken, satisfied smile on his red face. - -Vassili stuck three posts into the sand, and tied the tops of them -together; over this he threw a mat, and having thus rapidly arranged a -shelter, he lay down in the shade, put his hands behind his head, and -looked at the sky. When Malva approached and threw herself on the sand -at his side, he turned towards her a face full of resentment. - -"Well, old man," she asked, laughing, "aren't you more pleased than -that at seeing your son?" - -"He mocks me ... and why? Because of you ... that's what it -means," replied Vassili, gloomily. - -"Because of me, indeed?..." - -She maliciously feigned astonishment "Why ... of course!" - -"Ah! how you upset me!... What am I to be up to now? I mustn't come -back, I suppose.... Well, I won't come any more...." - -"Get along with you, you baggage!... What a set of creatures you -are!... He mocks me, and now you are doing the same ... and you are -the two who are the nearest to me. And where's the joke, I would like -to know? You're a pair of devils!" - -He ceased speaking and walked away. She remained sitting, holding her -knees and rocking her whole body backwards and forwards with a gentle -movement, watching with her lambent green eyes the joyous sea, and -smiling one of those triumphant smiles which women indulge in who -understand the power of their beauty. - -A sailing-boat was gliding over the water, looking like a huge bird -with grey wings. It was far from the shore, and was moving ever further -and further away, towards the point where the sea and the sky melted -into an infinite blue, drawing everything into the mystery of its -absorbing tranquillity. - -"Why don't you speak?" said Vassili. - -"I am thinking," replied Malva. - -"What about?" - -"Nothing in particular." - -She raised her eyebrows, and after a few minutes' silence added-- - -"That son of yours is a fine lad!" - -"What's that to you?" cried Vassili, with jealousy in his voice. - -"I'm sure I don't know...." - -"Just you look out for yourself!" (He threw her a glance of distrust) -"Don't play the fool. There'll be an end of my patience some time; you -had better not aggravate me!" - -He ground his teeth, clenched his fists, and continued-- - -"As soon as you got here to-day, you were up to some game.... I don't -quite understand what it is, but look here, if you make me understand -it, you will be sorry for it! Yes, you may go on making your grimaces -... and you think perhaps I don't notice them.... I know how to treat -your sort ... if you carry on...." - -"Don't try and frighten me, Vassili!" she said listlessly, and without -looking at him. - -"Very well! Don't you make jokes then!" - -"Don't try to frighten me." - -"I'll make you dance if you begin any of your nonsense!" - -Vassili was becoming every moment more irritable. - -"Would you beat me?" - -She came up to him, and looked curiously into his agitated face. - -"One would think you were a countess!... Yes, I would beat you." - -"I'm not your wife, though!" said Malva in a quiet, didactic voice; and -without waiting for a reply, she continued--"You used to beat your wife -for nothing, and you think now that you can do the same with me. No! I -am free. I only belong to myself, and I am not afraid of any one. But -you, you are afraid of your son; just now you were trying to get over -him! And you, you dare to threaten me?" - -She threw up her head contemptuously, and remained silent Her -disdainful cold words had extinguished Vassili's anger. He had never -seen her looking more beautiful, and he was astonished. - -"Now she's off on her high horse!" he exclaimed admiringly. - -"I have something else to settle with you. You were boasting to Sereja -that I could no more do without you than I could do without bread; -that I couldn't live without you! Well, that's just your mistake.... -Perhaps, after all, it is not you I care for, not for you that I come -here. Suppose, after all, it is because I love this beach?" - -... (She stretched out her arms with a gesture of embrace.) "Perhaps -I love solitude; here, there are only sky and sea, and no vile human -beings. And your being here doesn't count You are the price that I have -to pay for coming here.... If Sereja had been here, it would have been -Sereja that I should have come to see; if it were your son, I should -come also.... It would be best of all if there were no one here.... I -am disgusted with you all!... But if I take it into my head, I can any -day, beautiful as I know I am, choose another man ... who will be worth -more than you." - -"We'll see about that," hissed Vassili furiously; and he seized her by -the throat "So it has come to that, has it?" - -He shook her, and she did not try to get away, although her flushed -face and bloodshot eyes showed that she was choking. But she placed her -two hands on the hand that was pressing her throat. - -"So this was what was in your mind!" (Vassili's voice was hoarse with -rage.) "And all the time you said nothing; you kissed me, and you -caressed me.... I'll teach you a lesson!" - -He pushed her down towards the ground, and struck her with a feeling -of satisfaction on the neck and shoulders; once, twice, with his heavy -muscular fist He felt a pleasant sensation each time that his hand -struck the warm, yielding flesh. - -"Take that!... serpent!..." he said with a triumphant air, pushing her -away. - -Without uttering a complaint, silent and calm, she allowed herself to -fall backwards, flushed, dishevelled, but still beautiful. Her green -eyes watched him under their eyelids, and seemed to bum with the cold -flame of hatred; whilst he, panting with excitement, and pleased with -the outlet he had given to his anger, did not notice this glance; and -when he leant over her full of the contempt bred of victory, she was -smiling softly. - -At first her lips trembled a little, then her eyes lighted up, dimples -showed in her cheeks, and she began to laugh. Vassili watched her with -astonishment, as she laughed loud and gaily, as if she had not just -been beaten. - -"What's the matter now, you little she-devil?" he cried anxiously, -pulling her roughly by the sleeve. - -"Vassia, was it you who beat me?" she murmured. - -"Yes, it was I; who else could it be?" - -He watched her, but failed to understand her mood. Should he beat her -again? But his anger was now dead; he had no wish to begin again. - -"Is it because you love me?" she asked gently. - -And Vassili felt hot all over, as he listened to her whispering voice. - -"That's enough now!... Devil take you!" he replied moodily. "Are you -satisfied?" - -"Vassia! and I, who thought you did not care for me any more. I said -to myself, 'Now that his son is here, he will send me away on his -account.'" - -And she burst out into a strange exaggerated laugh. - -"Fool!" said Vassili, smiling involuntarily. - -He felt himself in the wrong, and pitied her; but recalling the words -she had used at first, and which had roused his anger, he replied -gruffly-- - -"My son has nothing to do in the matter.... And if I have beaten you -it was because you deserved it: why did you nag at me?" - -"I did it on purpose, to try you." - -And with provoking playfulness, she rubbed against his shoulder. He -glanced hastily towards the hut, and then kissed the young girl. - -"To try me indeed!... a fine idea ... now you see what you have got." - -"It doesn't matter," said Malva, half closing her eyes; "I am not -angry: you beat me because you loved me.... I shan't forget that!" - -She looked at him fixedly, gave a little shudder, and lowering her -voice, repeated-- - -"No, I shan't forget that in a hurry." - -Vassili gave to these words a meaning agreeable to himself; they seemed -to cause him pleasant emotion, for he smiled, and said with a stupid -self-satisfied expression-- - -"How do you mean? tell me." - -"You'll see!" replied Malva quietly, but her lips trembled. - -"Ah! my little jewel!" cried Vassili, crushing her in his arms. - -"And, do you know, since I have beaten you I love you twice as much; -you are all the dearer to me.... You seem to belong to me all the -more...." - -The gulls flew round them. The breeze from the sea threw up at their -feet the foam from the waves, and the ceaseless ripple seemed to speak -of peace. - -"Ah! life! life!..." (Vassili dreamily caressed the girl, as she lay -in his arms.) "This is ever the way of the world: what is forbidden -is always pleasant ... Perhaps you don't know; but I sometimes think -about life, and then I am frightened. Especially at night, when I can't -sleep.... In front of me stretches the sea, above me is the sky, and -all around me is terrifying darkness! And I am alone. And then I seem -to grow small, so small, and the ground seems to rock under me, and it -seems as if there were no one on the earth but myself! If I only had -you at those moments ... at least we should be two together." - -Malva, with closed eyes, was lying across Vassili's knees; and she -remained silent The rough open face of the peasant, tanned by the wind -and the sun, was bent towards her, and his beard touched lightly her -neck. The girl did not move, only her bosom rose and fell. Vassili's -eyes wandered over the sea, and from time to time glanced at Malva's -bosom which lay there so near him. And he went on telling her how -lonely he was, living here alone, and how painful were his sleepless -nights, filled with dark thoughts about life. Then he kissed her mouth -slowly, and with the sort of noise that he would have made when eating -a warm thick soup. They remained there perhaps three hours, and when -the sun began to go down into the sea, Vassili said in a tone of -annoyance-- - -"I must go and boil the water for tea ... our guest will soon be awake." - -Malva walked away with the indolent gesture of a languorous kitten, -and Vassili rose regretfully and went towards the hut. Between her -half-closed eyelids the girl watched him as he walked away, and she -sighed, as those sigh who have bent too long under a heavy burden. An -hour went by; the three had met round the fire, and were drinking tea -and chatting. - -The sun was already staining the sea with the deep tones of sunset, -and under the magic touch of its rays the green waves had just clothed -themselves in purple and tender rose-pink. - -Vassili, as he drank his tea from a white china cup, questioned his son -about the country, and exchanged recollections. Malva, without taking -part in the conversation, listened to their slowly-uttered questions -and answers. - -"The peasants are still able then to make a living?" - -"Yes, they get along somehow," answered Jakoff. - -"We don't want much, we peasants. A house, enough bread, and on -feast-days a glass of vodka.... Yes, but we don't even get that ... -Should I have gone away if I could have lived at home? In the village -I am my own master, the equal of any one, but here I am a servant." - -"But on the other hand you are not so often hungry here, and work is -less hard." - -"Don't say that There are days here when ones bones feel as if they -were being crushed.... And then here, one is working for others, whilst -there one works for oneself." - -"But here one earns more," replied quietly Jakoff. In his own mind -Vassili admitted the truth of his son's argument Life was of course -harder in the village than it was here; but he was displeased that -Jakoff should notice it And he added in a severe tone-- - -"What do you know about what is earned here? In the village ..." - -"It's like a narrow dark prison," said Malva sarcastically. "And the -woman's life there especially, is nothing but tears." - -"The woman's life is everywhere the same, and light is everywhere the -same, and so is the sun!" said Vassili coldly. - -"That's what you think!" cried Malva excitedly. "In the village, -whether I wished it or not I should have to marry. And a woman once -married is for ever a slave. She must weave and spin, and look after -the animals, and bring children into the world. What is there left for -her herself? Nothing but blows and abuse from her husband." - -"That's not true, that she gets nothing but blows," replied Vassili. - -"Whilst I, here," she continued, without listening to him, "I belong to -no one. I am as free as a seagull! I fly wherever pleases me. No one -can stop me, and no one can interfere with me." - -"And if any one were to interfere with you?" said Vassili, amused with -the allusion which he understood. - -"Well, they would have to pay for it," she replied softly. - -And she dropped her eyelids over her blazing eyes. - -Vassili laughed an indulgent laugh. - -"Oh! you, you are both bold and weak! You talk like a woman. In the -village woman is a necessity of life, whilst here she is one of its -pleasures." - -And after a few moments' silence he added-- - -"And one of its sins." - -Jakoff, when they had finished their conversation, said with a dreamy -sigh-- - -"The sea looks as if it stretched away for ever and ever." - -All three looked out over the limitless expanse. - -"Ah! if only all that were earth!" exclaimed the lad, stretching out -his arms, "good black earth!... and if only we could plough it!" - -"Ah! that's right!" said his father good-humouredly. - -By his gesture he approved of his son, standing there, flushed with the -burning desire that he had just expressed. It was pleasant to him to -hear these words, to witness this love for the earth; and he thought -that perhaps this same love might recall Jakoff imperiously back to the -village, far from temptations. He himself could then remain with Malva, -and all would go well as it used to do.... - -"Yes, Jakoff", that's the way a peasant ought to speak. "That's the way -a peasant should think. The peasant's only strength is in the land; -as long as he has land he can live; but if he tears himself away from -the land it's all up with him. The peasant without land is like a tree -without roots; one can use it for all sorts of purposes, but it has no -life ... it is rotting. And it no longer possesses the beauty of the -woods; it is hewn and cut about; it has quite a different look. Yes, -Jakoff, you spoke then some true words." - -And the sea, receiving into its bosom the sun, welcomed it with the -musical ripple of waves all tinted with the glory of sunset hues. - -"It seems to me that my soul melts as I watch the sun setting.... -That's the effect it has on me!" said Vassili to Malva. - -She was silent Jakoff's blue eyes were searching the distance, far -out over the sea. For some time the three watched pensively the last -minutes of the day fading away. The embers died down under the iron -pot Already night stretched its shadows across the sky. The yellow -sands grew dark, the gulls had disappeared. All seemed peaceful, dreamy -and charming. Even the indefatigable waves running up over the sand -seemed quieter and less joyful than during the day. - -"Why am I still here?" said Malva. "I must be going." - -Vassili became restless; he watched his son. - -"Why are you in such a hurry?" he asked in a vexed voice. "Wait a few -minutes longer; the moon will soon be up...." - -"What do I want with the moon? I'm not frightened.... It won't be the -first time I have left here at night." - -Jakoff looked at his father, and in order to hide the mockery in his -eyes, he closed them; then he glanced at Malva; she also was watching -him, and it made him feel uncomfortable. - -"All right, be off with you!" said the old man in a cross voice. - -She rose, said good-bye, and walked away slowly along the shore. -The waves running up close to her feet looked as if they wished to -play with her. Above in the heavens those little golden flowers--the -stars--were peeping forth tremblingly. Malva's light-coloured blouse -seemed to fade away in the dusk as she walked further and further away -from Vassili and his son. - - "Come quickly, my well-beloved, - And rest on my bosom!" - -sang Malva in a loud clear voice. - -It seemed to Vassili that she stopped and waited. He spat angrily, and -thought to himself-- - -"She is doing that on purpose to provoke me, the little devil!" - -"Ah! that's all right Now she is singing," said Jakoff. - -She only appeared now as a grey spot in the dusk. - -"My breasts, they are like Two white swans ..." - -Her voice rang out over the sea. - -"Ah!" sighed Jakoff. - -And he bent forward his body to listen to the words of temptation. - -"It would seem you have not been successful on the land?" came the -thick stern voice of Vassili. - -Jakoff, astonished, glanced at him, and then took up his former -attitude. - -Half-drowned in the noise of the waves, the provoking words of the song -were wafted in scattered fragments. - - "Ah! how can I sleep alone, - All alone ... this night?..." - -"How hot it is," said Vassili mournfully, rolling over on the sand. -"The night has come, but it's still hot! Ah! cursed country." - -"It's the sand ... which stores up the heat of the day," said Jakoff, -walking slowly away. - -"What's the matter?... I don't see where the joke is!" said his father -severely. - -"I?" said Jakoff simply. "What should I joke about?" - -"That's just it; there is nothing to joke about." - -They were silent. - -And above the sound of the waves there seemed to float towards them a -blending of sighs and of tender appeals. - - - - -CHAPTER II - - -A fortnight afterwards, and Sunday had come round again, and once more -Vassili Legostev, stretched on the sand near his hut, was watching the -sea and waiting for Malva. And the vast sea smiled and played with -the sun-rays, and tens of thousands of ripples ran quivering over the -sands, leaving there the foam from their crests, and returning to melt -once more into the sea. But Vassili, who formerly used to await the -arrival of his mistress in peaceful security, awaited her now with -impatience.... Last Sunday she did not come; to-day she would surely -not fail him. He had scarcely a doubt on the subject; but he desired to -see her quickly. Jakoff was not here to be in the way; the day before -yesterday, when passing with some other fishermen to fetch a net, he -had said that he was going into the town on Sunday to buy himself some -shirts. He had taken a job at fifteen roubles a month. For several days -now he had been working as a fisherman; he appeared to be bright and -happy. He reeked, as did the other fishermen, of smoked fish, and like -the others he was ragged and dirty. Vassili sighed when he thought of -his son. - -"If he will only keep straight!... If he goes wrong, there'll be no -getting him back to the village ... and I myself will have to go." - -There was nothing to be seen on the sea but the gulls. At the spot -where it was divided from the sky by the narrow sandy streak of the -shore-line, there appeared now and again little black specks which -moved backwards and forwards, and then disappeared. But no boat -was to be seen, although it was already noon; the sun's rays shone -perpendicularly on the sea. - -Two gulls were struggling in the air, and fought so desperately that -their feathers flew out on all sides. Their wild cries disturbed the -joyful song of the waves, which in its constancy, and uniformity with -the triumphant peace of the dazzling sky, seemed to be called forth -by the play of light on the surface of the ocean. The gulls fell into -the sea, where they continued to struggle and scream fiercely in their -fury and pain; then they rose once more into the air in pursuit of -each other ... heir friends--a whole flock of them--untroubled by the -contemplation of this sorry struggle, continued to catch fish, and to -turn somersaults in the transparent green sparkling water ... - -Vassili watched the gulls, and grew sad. "Why were they fighting? Were -there not enough fish in the water for all?... Men also seemed to try -to prevent each other from living. If one of them chose some dainty, -another would want to tear it from his throat Why? There is enough -for everybody in life. Why take from a man what he has already got? -Generally, these sort of quarrels are started about women. Some man has -a woman, whom another man wants to take away, and he tries to attract -her to him. Why steal a woman from a man, when there are so many free -women in the world, who belong to no one? It's all wrong, and leads to -disorder...." - -Still nothing appeared on the surface of the sea. There was no sign of -the little black well-known speck. - -"You are not coming then?" said Vassili out loud. "All right, I don't -want you!... You needn't think I do!..." - -And he spat contemptuously in the direction of the shore. - -The sea laughed. - -Vassili rose and went towards the hut with the intention of cooking -his dinner, though he had no sensation of hunger; he went back to his -former place, and lay down again. - -"If only Sereja would come!" he cried to himself; and he tried to think -only of Sereja.... - -"What a poisonous lad it was though!... He was strong, knew how to -read, had travelled ... but he was a drunkard. There was no being dull -with him ... women were mad about him, and although he had only been -here a short time they were all running after him. Only Malva seemed to -keep clear of him; she doesn't seem to be coming after all.... Devil -take the girl! Perhaps she is angry with me for having beaten her? ... -But it could have been nothing new for her. Others must have knocked -her about ... And it won't be the last beating she gets from me." - -Divided thus between thoughts of his son, of Sereja, and most often of -Malva, Vassili tossed about on the sand, and waited. Vague disquietude -turned into suspicion, but on this he would not allow himself to dwell. -He hid from himself his distrust. He got through his time till the -evening, sometimes rising and walking backwards and forwards on the -sand, sometimes lying down again. He was still watching in the hopes of -seeing the boat, when the surface of the sea began to darken. - -But Malva did not come on that Sunday either. And as he lay down to -sleep, Vassili cursed his work, which prevented his going to the -mainland, and he awoke constantly with a start, thinking he heard in -the distance the sound of oars. Then he would shield his eyes with his -hand and watch the troubled dark sea. Over there, where the fishery -was established, two fires burnt, but no one was coming over the sea. - -"It's all very well, my girl!" said Vassili threateningly. And he went -off into a heavy sleep. - -What had happened at the fishery during that day was this. Jakoff rose -early before the sun was up, and whilst a fresh, life-giving breeze -was blowing from the sea. He walked from the hut towards the water in -order to get a wash, and on the shore he saw Malva. She was seated in -the bows of a big boat which was anchored close in to the shore, whilst -with her bare feet hanging over the sides, she was combing out her wet -hair. - -Jakoff stopped, and watched her with curiosity. - -Her cotton blouse open in front half showed one of her shoulders; and -this shoulder looked so white, so tempting! - -The waves rocked the boat, and Malva rose and fell with its movements, -so that her bare feet almost at times touched the water. - -"I say! Have you been bathing?" called out Jakoff. - -She turned her face towards him, glanced at her feet; then continuing -to comb her hair, she replied-- - -"Yes, I've been bathing.... But why did you get up so early?" - -"Well, you are up early too!" - -"I'm not here to set you an example." - -Jakoff did not reply. - -"If you follow my way of living, you will have to look out for -yourself!" she continued. - -"Oh! how you frighten me!" said Jakoff chaffingly. - -Then stooping down over the water he began to wash himself. With the -palms of his hands held close together, he scooped up the water, threw -it over his face, and then shook himself as he experienced the crisp -fresh sensation of cold. Wiping himself with the edge of his shirt, he -said to Malva--"Why do you always try and frighten me?" - -"And you, why do you try and gobble me up with your eyes?" - -Jakoff could not remember that, he had looked at her more than at other -women at the fishery, but now he said to her suddenly-- - -"It's because you are so ... tempting!" - -"If your father hears of your goings on, he'll give you something to -tempt you!" - -She threw a provoking sly glance at him. Jakoff burst out laughing, -and climbed into the boat He did not know what "goings on" she was -referring to; but as she said so, he must of course have been running -after her. And this thought made him feel suddenly quite lively. - -"What has my father got to do with me?" said he, as he sat down by her -in the boat "Has he bought you for himself? Eh?" - -Seated by her side he contemplated her bare shoulder, her -half-uncovered bosom, her whole strong, fresh figure smelling of the -sea. - -"What a fine white sort of sturgeon, you are!" he exclaimed with -admiration, as the outcome of a minute inspection. - -"Possibly; but not for you!" she said, without moving or changing her -rather indiscreet attitude. - -Jakoff sighed. - -In front of them stretched, beneath the morning rays of the sun, the -boundless sea. Little playful waves, born of the breath of the wind, -washed softly against the boat. Far away, in the distance, the cape -stretched out into the sea. At its extreme end, against the soft blue -of the sky could be seen a slender, tall mast, at the top of which -fluttered a red rag. - -"Yes, my lad," continued Malva, without looking at Jakoff; "I may be -tempting, but not for you.... And let me tell you, no one has bought -me, I am not the property of your father. I live for myself. So it's no -use running after me, because I don't intend to come between you and -Vassili.... I don't want quarrels or wrangling of any sort ... Do you -understand?" - -"But what have I done?" asked Jakoff, surprised. "I don't touch you; -I'm not running after you." - -"You don't dare to touch me!" said Malva. - -She spoke so disdainfully that the man, the human male within him, -seemed in revolt A feeling of almost wicked defiance seized him, and -his eyes flashed. - -"Oh! I don't dare?... don't I?" he cried, going nearer to her. - -"No, you don't dare!" - -"And if I touch you?" - -"Just try it!" - -"What would you do?" - -"I would give you such a good smack over the head, that you would fall -into the water!" - -"We'll see!" - -"Touch me, if you dare!" - -He swept her with a rapid hot glance, and then flung his strong thick -arms round her, crushing her body against his own. - -As he felt her warm, strong flesh pressed against his own, his blood -became fired, his throat contracted as if he were choking. - -"Well! strike me now! What are you waiting for?" - -"Let me go, Jakoff," she said quietly, trying to loosen his throbbing -arms. - -"What about the smack over the head you were going to give me?" - -"Let me go! If not ... look out for yourself!" - -"It's all very well to threaten; but you're a little darling!" - -He drew her closer towards himself, and pressed his thick lips against -her flushed cheek. - -She burst out into defiant laughter, seized Jakoff's arms, and -suddenly, with a strong movement of her whole body, flung herself -forward. They fell, both of them clinging together, forming one heavy -mass, and disappeared in the spurting white foam. Then from the -troubled water emerged Jakoff's wet head, and by his side rose, like a -seagull, Malva. Jakoff was struggling desperately, striking the water, -spluttering and shouting, whilst Malva screamed joyfully, swimming -round him and tossing salt water into his face, then diving to avoid -the vigorous strokes of his swinging arms. - -"The devil!" cried Jakoff, breathing hard. "I shall be drowned! That's -enough now!... I swear I'm drowning.... Ah! I am sinking!" - -But she had left him, and was swimming towards the shore with strong -strokes like those of a man. Once there, she sprang lightly into the -boat, and stood up in the bows watching, laughingly, Jakoff, who was -paddling rapidly towards her. His wet clothes, sticking to his body -showed his supple figure from the shoulder to the knee, and Jakoff, -when he had caught hold of the boat, coveted this dripping, half-naked -girl, who was so gaily making fun of him. - -"Well! you half-drowned seal! Get out of the water!" she cried, between -her fits of laughter. - -And kneeling down she stretched out a hand to him, whilst with the -other she held on to the boat. - -Jakoff caught hold of her hand, and cried exultingly-- - -"Wait a minute! Now I'm going to give you a bath!" - -He pulled her towards him, remaining himself in the water up to his -shoulders. The waves passed over his head, and breaking against the -boat, splashed Malva in the face. She laughed, and suddenly with a -shout she jumped into the water; the shock made Jakoff lose his footing. - -And once more they started playing like two great fish in the green -sea, throwing water over each other, shouting, gasping, spluttering and -diving. - -The sun laughed as it watched them, and the panes of glass in the -fish-curing building laughed also, as they reflected the sun. The -water resounded under the heavy strokes of their strong arms, whilst -the gulls, scared by the plungings and stragglings of these two human -beings, flew with piercing screams over their heads, which from time to -time were lost sight of under the quickly-rolling waves. - -Tired out at last, and drenched with salt water, they scrambled on to -the shore, and sat down in the sun to rest. - -"Ouf!" cried Jakoff, making a face. "That water is horrible! And what a -lot there is of it! - -"There is always plenty of what is bad ... boys, for example ... there -are plenty of them!" - -Malva was laughing and wringing out her hair, from which the water was -dripping; her hair was dark and curly, but not very long. - -"That's why you have chosen an old man!" hinted Jakoff, nudging her -with his elbow. - -"Some of the old fellows are worth more than the young ones." - -"If the father is good, the son ought to be better." - -"Indeed?... Where did you get your conceit from?" - -"The girls in the village always told me that I was not half a -bad-looking fellow...." - -"What do the girls know about it?... You ought to have asked me." - -"And arn't you a girl?" - -She looked at him hard; an insulting smile was on his lips. Then she -became serious, and said to him with anger in her voice-- - -"I was so once, before I had a child." - -"Better said than done!" said Jakoff, bursting out laughing. - -"Fool!" replied Malva curtly. - -She walked away from him. - -Jakoff, who felt nervous, remained silent. - -For half-an-hour or more they did not speak, but moved about in the sun -drying their clothes. - -The workers were beginning to emerge from the long line of dirty -workmen's huts. In the distance they all looked strangely alike, all -in rags and barefoot.... The sound of their hoarse voices was carried -across the beach; one of them was striking on an empty barrel, and the -tones seemed to be repeated; it sounded almost like the rattle of a -drum. Two women were wrangling in piercing tones; dogs barked. - -"They are beginning to move," said Jakoff. "And I wanted to be off -early to the town! I have been losing my time with you...." - -"You'll never do any good while you are after me!" she said in a tone -that was half playful half serious. - -"What a way you have of frightening people," said Jakoff. - -"You'll see, when your father ..." - -This reminder of his father vexed him. - -"What about my father?" he exclaimed roughly. "My father indeed! I'm -not a boy! ... What are you talking about?... We are not in a convent -here.... I'm not blind.... And he's not such a saint, after all; and he -doesn't deny himself anything.... He'd better leave me alone." - -She watched him mockingly, and asked him with curiosity-- - -"Leave you alone?... What are you thinking of doing then?" - -"I?" (He puffed out his cheeks, and distended his chest, as if he were -about to lift a weight). "I have plenty of ideas in my head; I have -shaken the dust of the village off my feet." - -"It hasn't taken long to do that!" cried Malva, still mockingly. - -"I'll get you away from my father!... you'll see if I don't!" - -"Will you indeed?" - -"You think that I daren't?" - -"You don't say so?" - -"Look here!" he began in an excited, furious voice. "Don't dare me to -do it! I ..." - -"What again?" she asked indifferently. - -"Oh! never mind!" - -Then he turned away with the look of a smart, resolute boy. - -"How plucky you are! The inspector has a little black dog, have you -seen it? it's like you. When he is far away, he barks, and threatens to -bite, but when one goes near him, he puts his tail between his legs and -runs away!" - -"All right!" cried Jakoff in a rage. "Just wait a minute, and you'll -see what I'll do!" - -She laughed up into his face. - -There came towards them with a slow, loitering step a young -bronzed-face fellow, with well-strung muscles, and an abundant thatch -of bright red hair. His red shirt, hanging loose, was tom at the back -nearly to the neck, and in order to keep his sleeves in place he had -rolled them up above the elbow. His trousers were a mass of holes, he -was barefooted. His freckled face was lighted up by a pair of blue -eyes, wide open and impertinent; and a big turned-up nose gave to his -whole face a look of cheekiness, not to say arrogance. When he had -joined the couple, he stopped, whilst his whole body, which seemed -apparent everywhere through his elementary costume, shone in the -sunlight, he sneezed loudly, contemplated them a few moments, and then -made a quaint grimace. - -"Yesterday Sereja was drinking, and to-day Sereja's pocket is empty.... -Lend me twenty kopecks! I shall not return them." - -Jakoff gasped as he listened to this rapidly delivered speech; Malva -smiled as she examined the tatterdemalion. - -"Damn it all I give them to me! I will marry you for twenty kopecks, if -you like?" - -"You scarecrow! Are you a pope?" - -"Fool! At Ouglitch I was servant to a pope.... Give me twenty kopecks." - -"I don't want to get married," said Jakoff. "Never mind; give all the -same. I won't tell your father that you are running after his girl," -continued Sereja, licking his dry, cracked lips. - -"Do you think, that he'd believe you?" - -"When I take the trouble to talk, I am generally believed," asserted -Sereja. "And you'd catch it from him!" - -"I'm not afraid!" said Jakoff. - -"Then you'd catch it from me!" Sereja announced, narrowing his eyes as -he spoke. - -Jakoff did not want to give twenty kopecks, but he had been warned that -he must look out where Sereja was concerned, and must put up with some -of his fancies. It was not much he asked for, but if it was refused he -would give you trouble during working-hours, or else he would beat you. -So with a sigh Jakoff put his hand in his pocket. - -"That's right!" said Sereja, in a tone of encouragement ; and he threw -himself on the sand by the side of them. "It's always wiser to obey -me.... And you?" he said to Malva. "When are you going to marry me? I -am not going to wait much longer." - -"You are too ragged. Mend all those holes first, and we'll talk about -it afterwards!" replied Malva. - -Sereja considered the holes critically, and shook his head. - -"Give me one of your petticoats, that will be the best thing." - -"Yes, that would be the thing!" said Malva, laughing. - -"Give me one; you must have an old one?" - -"You really ought to buy yourself some trousers." - -"I would rather drink the money that they would cost." - -"That's the best thing to do!" said Jakoff. - -He was still holding in his hand the twenty kopecks. - -"The pope says that a man should not only think of his skin, but of his -soul. And my soul calls for vodka, and not for a pair of trousers. Give -me the money; I shall get a drink ... and I won't say anything to your -father." - -"Tell him what you like," cried Jakoff. - -And he winked with a self-satisfied look at Malva, and nudged her with -his elbow. - -Sereja, noticing his actions, spat and said in a more positive tone-- - -"I shan't forget to beat you; no fear of that! at the first -opportunity!... And you won't forget it either!" - -"But why?" asked Jakoff, disquieted. - -"That's my business!... Well! and when are you going to marry me, -Malva?" - -"First tell me what we shall do, and how we shall live. Then I will -think about it ..." she replied seriously. - -Sereja watched the sea, screwed up his eyes, and after licking his -lips, said-- - -"We should do nothing but wander about in the world." - -"And how should we manage to live?" - -"Bah!" said Sereja, with a despondent gesture. "You argue just like my -mother. 'How? What?' Women are so tiresome! How do I know? I'm going -off to have a drink...." - -He rose and walked off; Malva watching him with a strange smile on her -lips, and the young man with an angry look on his face. - -"What a boaster!" said Jakoff, when Sereja had gone some distance. "At -home, in the village, he would soon be put in his place. He would have -got a good lesson before now. But here, they seem frightened of him...." - -Malva stared at Jakoff, and said between her teeth-- - -"You don't know the worth of him!" - -"What is there to know?... Ten a penny, that's what he's worth!" - -"That's all you know!" cried Malva, mockingly. "That's what you are -worth!... But he, he has been everywhere, he has wandered all round the -world, and he fears no one." - -"And I, who do I fear?" said Jakoff, blusteringly. She did not answer -him; she followed with her eyes the play of the waves, as they swung -the heavy boat backwards and forwards. The mast inclined sometimes to -the right and sometimes to the left, and the bows rose, and then fell, -striking the water. The noise it made was violent, and seemed almost -angry, as if the boat wished to tear itself away from the shore, and -float out and away into the wide free sea, and was vexed with the cable -which prevented its doing so. - -"Why don't you go?" Malva asked Jakoff. - -"Where should I go?" he replied. - -"You were going to the town." - -"I shan't go." - -"Then go and see your father." - -"And you?" - -"What about me?" - -"Will you come too?" - -"No." - -"Then I shan't go either." - -"Shall you stay tied to my apron-strings all day?" she asked. - -"I don't want you as much as all that," he replied offended. - -And he rose and left her. - -But he made a mistake when he said that he did not need her. He was -bored when she was not near. A strange sentiment seemed to have taken -possession of him since their conversation, an obscure desire to -protest against his hither, a sort of hidden discontent Yesterday he -did not remember having this feeling; nor did he have it to-day before -he had seen Malva. And now it seemed to him that his father was in his -way, although he was far away out there, on a stretch of sand, almost -lost to view.... Then it seemed to him that Malva was afraid of his -father; if she had not been afraid, their conversation would have been -quite different Now he seemed to want her, though this morning he had -not been thinking about her. - -He wandered about on the beach, watching with a melancholy eye the -passers-by, speaking to them sometimes in a listless voice.... Here in -the shade of a boat he finds Sereja seated on a barrel. He is thrumming -the cords of a balalaika, and singing, accompanying his song with -quaint grimaces-- - - "Kind constable, - Be gentle with me. - Take me to the police-station, - For I'm afraid of falling into the mud." - -A dozen workmen, as tattered as he is, surround him, and all like him -smell of salt fish and of saltpetre. Four dirty ugly women, stretched -on the sand not far from the group, are drinking tea, which they -prepare in a great iron saucepan. And a workman, already drunk, though -it is still early in the morning, tries to get on his legs and falls -down again. A woman laughs and cries; some one plays on a broken -accordion; everywhere there is the sparkle of fish-scales. - -At noon Jakoff found a sheltered place between the piles of empty -barrels, lay down there and slept till the evening. When he woke up -he wandered about without any fixed plan, though he seemed vaguely -attracted by something unknown. - -After two hours' walking about, he found Malva some way from the -fishery, under the shade of some young willow trees. She was lying on -her side, and held in her hand a well-thumbed book; with a smile she -watched Jakoff approach. - -"Ah! this is where you have got to," he said, seating himself by her -side. - -"Have you been looking for me a long time?" she asked, with some degree -of assurance. - -"Looking for you? What an idea!..." said Jakoff, perceiving suddenly -that this was exactly the truth. - -Ever since the morning till now, he had, without knowing it, been -looking for her. He shook his head with surprise. - -"Can you read?" he asked her. - -"Yes ... but badly, I have forgotten everything." - -"So have I.... Did you go to school?" - -"Yes, the municipal school." - -"And I taught myself." - -"Did you really?" - -"Yes, I was cook at Astrachan, in a lawyer's house, and his son taught -me to read." - -"Then you didn't learn by yourself!" She continued--"Shouldn't you like -to read books?" - -"No.... What should I want to read for?" - -"Oh! I should like so much to read!... Look here.... I asked the -inspector's wife to lend me this book, and I am reading it." - -"What is it?" - -"The story of the saint Alexis, a man of God." And in a serious voice -she told him how a young lad, the son of rich and noble parents, had -left them, had turned his back on all happiness, and finally had -returned, a beggar and in rags, and lived in the kennel with the dogs, -without telling any one till his last hour who he was. She ended by -asking Jakoff in a low voice-- - -"Why did he act in this way?" - -"Who can tell?" replied Jakoff with indifference. They were surrounded -by little hillocks of sand, collected by the winds and the waves. A -confused dull noise came round from the direction of the fishery. The -setting sun shed on the shore the ruddy reflection of its rays. The -delicate willows thrilled with the sea-breeze through every one of -their pale green leaves. - -Malva sat silent as if listening. - -"Why did you not go over there to-day, to the cape?" asked Jakoff -"What's that to you?" - -Jakoff plucked a leaf and chewed it between his teeth. He watched the -girl furtively, not knowing quite how to speak what he wanted to say. - -"It's like this; when I am all alone, and it's so nice and quiet, I -want either to sing or cry all the time. Only I don't know any good -songs, and I am ashamed to cry." - -Jakoff listened to the melodious, caressing voice; but her words, far -from touching him, only intensified his desire. - -"Listen," he said to her in a thick voice, and moving nearer to her. -"Listen to what I am going to say to you.... I am young ..." - -"And stupid, very stupid!" said Malva, shaking her head. - -"Well grant that," said Jakoff, becoming suddenly animated. "Why should -one be clever?... I am stupid; all right! Now I am going to ask you. -Will you ..." - -"You needn't say any more.... I won't...." - -"Why?" - -"Because." - -"Don't be stupid" (and he took hold of her gently by the shoulders). -"Do you understand?" - -"Get along with you, Jakoff!" she cried out in a severe tone, shaking -herself loose from him. "Get away with you!" - -"If that's all, I don't care! You're not the only woman here.... You -seem to think that you're better than the others." - -"You are just like a silly little dog," she replied. - -And she rose and shook the dust from her skirts. - -And they walked back side by side to the fishery. They walked slowly, -for the sand was heavy. - -Suddenly, when they were near the huts, Jakoff stopped, and seizing -Malva roughly by the arm, said-- - -"It's on purpose then that you excite me?... Why do you do it?" - -"Let me alone, will you?" - -She escaped from him, and ran off, whilst from a corner of the huts -Sereja appeared. He shook his wild unkempt head of hair, and said -threateningly-- - -"You two have been carrying on ... all right!" - -"Go to the devil!" cried Malva. - -Jakoff had planted himself opposite Sereja, and was trying to stare -him out of countenance. They were about ten paces from each other, and -Sereja was staring straight into Jakoff's eyes. They remained thus for -about a minute, like two rams ready to butt one another, then each -walked off without a word in an opposite direction. - -The sea was calm and ruddy with the hues of the setting sun. A -woman was singing in a drunken voice with hysterical cadences some -meaningless words-- - - "Ta-agarga, matargarga, - Matanichka my own, - Drunken and beaten - And wild." - -And these filthy and meaningless words seemed to fill the air all round -the huts, from which arose exhalations of salt and of rotting fish; -they filled the air, and destroyed the delicious music of the waves -which floated all around. - - - - -CHAPTER III - - -In the pure light of dawn the sea slumbered softly, reflecting the -pearly clouds. At the cape, the half-awakened fishermen were moving -about arranging the nets in the boats. - -This every-day work was executed rapidly and in silence. The grey mass -of the nets seemed to crawl from the sand into the boats, where it lay -heaped at the bottom. - -Sereja, as usual bare-headed and scantily clothed, was in the bows, -shouting directions about the work in a hoarse voice, that betrayed -last night's over-indulgence in vodka. The wind played with his ragged -clothing, and his unkempt hair. - -"Vassili, where are the green oars?" cried some one. - -Vassili, as gloomy as a late autumn day, was arranging the net in the -boat, and Sereja was watching him from behind. He was licking his lips, -which meant that he was thirsty, and wanted a drink. - -"Have you got any vodka?" he asked. - -"Yes," muttered Vassili. - -"All right! then I shall stay on dry land." - -"All aboard?" they called out from the cape. - -"Shove her off!" ordered Sereja, as he got out of the boat "Off you -go!... I stay behind. Look out there!... Full ahead into the open, so -as not to tangle the net ... and tell it out carefully. Don't make any -knots.... Go ahead!" - -They pushed off the boat; the fishermen climbed in, and each taking an -oar, raised them in the air, ready for the word of command. - -"One!" - -The oars struck the water together; the boat swept forward into the -vast plane of glistening water. - -"Two!" sang out the steersman. - -And like the legs of an enormous tortoise the oars moved in the -rowlocks. - -"One!...' Two!..." - -On the shore, at the dry end of the nets, there remained five -men--Sereja, Vassili, and three others. One of the three stretched -himself on the sand, and said-- - -"We might perhaps get a nap." - -The two others followed his example, and three ragged bodies threw -themselves down in a heap. - -"Why did you not come Sunday?" Vassili asked Sereja, as he led him -towards the hut. - -"I couldn't come." - -"You were drunk?" - -"No, I was watching your son and his mother-in-law," said Sereja, -unmoved. - -"That's new sort of work for you," said Vassili, with a constrained -smile. "After all, they are not children!" - -"They are worse; one is a fool, and the other is mad." - -"Is it Malva who is the mad one?" asked Vassili. - -And his eyes shone with sad anger. - -"That's it!" - -"Since when?" - -"She has always been mad. She has, brother Vassili, a soul which does -not fit her body. Can you understand that?" - -"It's not difficult to understand!... Her soul is vile." - -Sereja glanced obliquely at him, and replied with an accent of -contempt-- - -"Vile? Oh! you earth-grubbers!... you!... you understand nothing of -life. All you want in a woman is great fat bosoms; her temperament does -not matter to you in the least But it's in the temperament that one -finds all the colour of a human being. A woman without temperament is -like bread without salt Can you get any pleasure out of a balalaika -without strings? You dog!" - -"It's yesterday's wine that makes you talk so well!" Interjected -Vassili. - -He longed to know where and how Sereja had seen Malva and Jakoff the -day before, but a feeling of shame prevented him from asking. In the -hut he poured out a full glass of vodka for Sereja, in the hope that -the fellow might get drunk and would himself tell him all, without -waiting to be questioned. But Sereja drank, coughed, and, as if -refreshed, sat down at the open door, stretching himself and yawning. - -"Drinking is like swallowing fire," he said. - -"At all events, you know how to drink!" replied Vassili, astonished -with the rapidity with which Sereja had swallowed the vodka. - -"Ah! yes," said the other, shaking his tawny head; he wiped his -moustache with the back of his hand, and began talking in a confident, -didactic tone--"I know how to drink, brother! I do everything short and -quick, that's all about it!... Make no mistake, I go straight ahead!... -It doesn't matter what happens!... If you start from the ground, you -can only fall on the ground...." - -"I thought you were going into the Caucasus?" questioned Vassili, who -was trying carefully to work round towards his object. - -"Yes, I shall go when I want to. When I have quite made up my mind.... -Then I go straight ahead: one, two! and it's done.... Either I -succeed, or else I come a cropper.... It's all as plain as a pikestaff." - -"Yes, very plain; you might as well have no brain." Sereja continued in -a mocking tone-- - -"And you, who are so intelligent!... How many times have you been -beaten with birch-rods in the village?" - -Vassili glanced at him and remained silent "Very often I should -think.... And it's a capital idea of your village authorities to drive -wisdom upwards, from down below.... And you, what can you do with -your brain? Where would you go? What would you invent? Say! Whereas -I, without bothering myself about anything, I go straight ahead, and -there's an end of it. And I believe I shall go further than you." - -"It's possible," Vassili agreed. "Perhaps you will even go as far as -Siberia...." - -"Ah! no fear!" - -And Sereja burst into a frank laugh. - -In spite of Vassili's hope, Sereja did not lose his head; and that -vexed the elder man, who would not offer him a second glass; but Sereja -himself solved the difficulty. - -"Why don't you ask me news of Malva?" - -"What can it matter to me?" said Vassili indifferently, although he -felt a secret presentiment. "As she did not come here on Sunday, you -ought to inquire what she was up to. I know you are jealous, you old -devil!" - -"There are plenty like her," said Vassili carelessly. - -"Many indeed!" said Sereja, imitating him. "Ah! you brutal peasants! -Whether you get honey or tar it's all the same to you!" - -"What do you want to praise her up for? Have you come to offer her to -me in marriage? But I married her long ago on my own account!" said -Vassili. - -Sereja looked at him, was silent a moment, and then placing his hand on -Vassili's shoulder began speaking to him seriously. - -"I know that ... I know very well what she is with you. I did not get -in your way.... I neither tried to get her nor wanted her. But now -this Jakoff, your son, is hanging round her all day; beat him till -you make the blood come; do you hear me? If not, it's I who will do -the beating.... You are a strong fellow, although you are a regular -fool.... But just remember this, I never got in your way." - -"That's what's the matter then! It's you now who are in love with her?" -Vassili questioned, in a thick voice. - -"Get along with you; if I were sure of myself I would have kicked you -all out of the way long ago! But what could I want with her?" - -"Then why are you meddling?" - -Sereja opened his eyes wide and laughed. - -"Why am I meddling?... The devil only knows.... She's a woman, and a -spicy one. She pleases me. Or, perhaps, I pity her...." - -Vassili felt uncomfortable. He realized by the frank laughter of Sereja -that the lad was sincere, and that he was not himself running after -Malva. But he said-- - -"If she were a virtuous girl one might pity her. But as it is ... it -seems rather queer, doesn't it?" The other man did not answer; he -watched the boat making a circle, and turning its bows towards land. -Sereja's ruddy face wore an open, good, and simple expression. - -As he watched him, Vassili's feelings grew softer. - -"You are right, she is a good woman ... she is only light-hearted; I -shall have something to say to Jakoff, the young dog!" - -"I can't stand him.... He smells of the village, and that's a smell I -can't put up with!" Sereja declared. - -"Is he running after her?" Vassili asked between his teeth, whilst he -stroked his beard. - -"I should rather think so! You'll see, he'll put himself between you -two like a wall." - -"I would not advise him to try!" - -Far out over the sea the rosy rays of the morning sun opened out -fan-shaped, as the sun rose from the gilded water. Over the noise of -the waves a faint cry came from the boat "Heave!... Ahoy!.. - -"Up with you, lads! Give way with the rope!" cried Sereja, jumping -to his feet And soon all the five were hauling at their end of the -net There stretched from the water to the shore a long rope, supple -and vibrating, at which the fishermen, holding on to the extreme end, -pulled and shouted. - -The other end of the net was being drawn ashore by the boat which -glided through the waves, whilst the mast as it swung from side to -side seemed to cut the air to right and left The sun, brilliant and -dazzling, shed its beams across the sea. - -"When you see Jakoff, tell him to come and see me to-morrow," said -Vassili to Sereja. - -"All right!" - -The boat ran up on the beach, and the fishermen, jumping on to the -sand, pulled up their end of the net The two groups were gradually -merged one in the other, whilst the cork floats, bobbing about on the -waves, showed a regular outline in the water. - - - - -CHAPTER IV - - -Very late, the evening of the same day, when the work-people at the -fisheries had finished their supper, Malva, tired and dreamy, had -seated herself on a broken, upturned boat, and was watching the -sea, over which twilight was gradually falling. Out yonder a fire -was burning, and Malva knew that it was Vassili who had lit it Half -hidden and solitary in the sombre distance, the flame flashed up every -now and then, and then died down as if crushed. And Malva felt sad -as she watched this red spot, abandoned in the waste of waters, and -palpitating feebly amidst the ceaseless and incomprehensible murmur of -the waves. - -"Why do you stay there?" said Sereja's voice behind her. - -"What's that to you?" she replied dryly, without moving. - -"I am curious." - -He watched her silently, and took out a cigarette, lit it, and sat -astride the boat Then as he realized that Malva was not inclined to -talk to him, he added in a friendly voice-- - -"What a queer sort of woman you are! At one moment you run away from -everybody, and the next moment you throw yourself at every one's head." - -"At yours, perhaps?" said Malva carelessly. "Not at mine, but at -Jakoff's." - -"Are you jealous?" - -"Hm! Shall we talk to each other straight?" She was seated sideways to -him; he could not see her face, as she interjected in a curt tone-- -"Talk away!" - -"Have you quarrelled with Vassili? tell me?" - -"I am sure I don't know...." she replied, after a moment's silence. -"Why do you want to know?" - -"Just out of curiosity." - -"I am angry with him." - -"Why?" - -"He beat me." - -"Is it possible?... He?... And you allowed him to do it?... Well!... -Well!..." - -Sereja could not get over it He tried to catch sight of Malva's face, -and made a mocking grimace. - -"If I had liked I could have prevented him! she replied angrily. - -"How's that?" - -"I wouldn't defend myself!" - -"You care for him then as much as that; that old grey cat?" said -Sereja, puffing out a mouthful of smoke. "Here's a nice business! And -I, who thought you were worth more than that!" - -"I don't care for any of you!" she replied in a voice that had -recovered its indifference, and brushing the smoke away with her hand. - -"You are lying, I bet anything." - -"Why should I lie?" she asked. - -And by the ring in her voice Sereja recognized that she had no reason -to lie. - -"But if you don't care for him, why did you allow him to beat you?" - -"How do I know?... Leave me alone!" - -"It's a queer go!" said Sereja, shaking his head. And they were both -silent Night came on. The slow-moving clouds threw dark shadows over -the sea. The waves moaned. - -Vassili's fire at the end of the cape had died down, but Malva -continued to look out in that direction. Sereja watched the girl -attentively. - -"Listen!" he said, "do you know what you want?" - -"If only I could know!" she replied in a low voice, with a deep-drawn -sigh. - -"You don't know?... That's a bad job," said Sereja positively. "I, I -always know!" - -And with a shade of sadness, he added-- - -"Only it's so rarely that I want anything...." "And I, I am always -wanting something," said Malva. "I want ... what ... I don't know.... -Sometimes I would like to jump into a boat, and go out to sea, far, -far out. And at other times I should like to turn all you men into -tops, who would spin and spin in front of me. I should watch them, and -I should laugh. Sometimes I pity everybody, and especially myself; -sometimes I want to kill everybody, and then do for myself some -horrible death. And then I am bored, and then I want to laugh, and men -are all a lot of sticks." - -"They are rotten wood," Sereja agreed softly. "I was right when I said -to myself--'you are neither cat, nor fish, nor bird ... but you have -something of all of them in you. You are not like other women." - -"Thank God!" sighed Malva. - -To their left, behind a chain of sandy hills, the moon rose, flooding -them with its silvery light. Large and soft it rose slowly in the blue -sky, and the sparkling light of the stars paled, and was lost in its -mellow, dreamy light. - -"You think too much.... That's what's the matter!" said Sereja in a -convinced tone of voice, tossing away his cigarette. "And when one -thinks, one becomes disgusted with life.... One must be always moving, -always in the midst of people ... who must be made to feel that one is -really alive. One must knock life about, or it will become mouldy. -Move about in life, here and there, as long as you are able, and then -you won't be bored." Malva grew gay. - -"It's perhaps true what you say. Sometimes I think that if one set -fire one night to one of the huts ... that might make things lively!" -"That's a capital idea!" cried the other one, tapping her on the -shoulder. "Do you know what I would advise you ... we might have some -fun together if you would like?" - -"What is it?" asked Malva, interested. - -"Have you warmed up Jakoff well?" - -"He bums like a clear fire," she said delighted. - -"Is it possible? Set him on to his father. Wouldn't it be a queer -sight?... They would go for each other like two bears ... Warm the old -fellow up a little, and this other one still more ... and then we will -set them on each other." Malva looked hard into his freckled face, as -he smiled gaily. Lighted up by the moon it seemed less ugly than by -daylight It expressed neither hatred nor anything but good humour and -vivacity, in the expectation of a reply. - -"Why do you hate them?" Malva asked suspiciously. - -"I? Vassili is a good sort of fellow for a peasant. But Jakoff is not -worth anything. Generally speaking, you see, I don't like peasants; -they are all knaves. They know how to pretend to be unfortunate, -get bread and everything given to them. And all the time they have a -municipality which looks after them. They have land and cattle. I was -coachman to a municipal doctor--and I saw something of those peasants -then! Then for a long time I was a tramp. When I got to a village and -asked for bread--'Oh! Oh! Who are you? what are you doing? show your -passport!...' I was beaten more than once; sometimes they took me for -a horse-thief; sometimes without any reason they put me in prison.... -They groan and pretend that they can't live, although they have land of -their own. And I, what could I do against them?" - -"Are you not a peasant?" - -"I am citizen," replied Sereja with pride. "A citizen of the town of -Ouglitch." - -"And I of Pavlitcha," said Malva dreamily. - -"I have no one to protect me. But those devils of peasants, they can -live well. They have a municipality and everything." - -"What is a municipality?" asked Malva. - -"A municipality? Devil take me if I know!... It's something made for -peasants; it's their council.... Don't let's talk any more of that. -Let's talk of our own business. Will you arrange this matter, tell -me? No harm will come of it. They will just knock each other about a -little.... I will help you.... Vassili beat you, did he?... Then let -his son give you back the blows that you have received." - -"Why not?" said Malva, smiling. "It wouldn't be a bad thing." - -"Just think a little, isn't it amusing to see how people knock each -other about because of you? You just wag your tongue once or twice, and -it's done." - -Sereja for some time went on exposing to her in a flattering light, -and with much enthusiasm the charms of the part which he proposed she -should play. He was both joking and serious, and was himself carried -away. - -"Ah! if only I were a beautiful woman! How I would turn the world -topsy-turvy!" he cried at the end of their talk. - -Then he took his head into his hands, pressed it, closed his eyes and -was silent. - -The moon was high when they separated After they had left, the beauty -of the night intensified. There remained but the boundless, marvellous -sea, flecked by the silver of the moon; and the star-sown sky. The -little sand-hills, the bushy willows, and the two long rows of huts -like two enormous coffins, appeared quite insignificant in the face of -the sea, and of the stars, which twinkled coldly as they contemplated -it. - - - - -CHAPTER V - - -The father and son were seated in the hut opposite each other, and were -drinking vodka, which the son had brought to conciliate the elder man, -and to prevent them being bored in each other's company. - -Sereja had told Jakoff that his father was angry with him because of -Malva, and that he had threatened to beat Malva till she was half dead. -The young woman had been told of this threat, and that was why she had -not yielded to Jakoff. Sereja had mischievously misled him. - -"He'll punish you for your larks. He'll pull your ears till they are -half-a-yard long. You had better not get in his way!" - -This red-headed, disagreeable fellow's chaff provoked in Jakoff a -sharp feeling of resentment against his father ... and against Malva, -with whom he could not get a bit further. Sometimes her eyes seemed to -lead him on, sometimes they looked sad, and then the desire within him -pained him to an extent that became exasperation. - -Jakoff went to see his father. He looked upon him as an obstacle in his -path, which it was impossible to get over, or to push on one side. But -feeling himself as strong as his adversary, Jakoff met his eyes with a -look which seemed to say--"Touch me if you dare!" - -They had each already taken two glasses, without having exchanged a -word, excepting some ordinary remarks about the life at the fisheries. -Alone, in the midst of the sea, they were accumulating within -themselves hatred, and both of them knew that very soon this hatred -would burst out and flame forth. - -The matting of the hut swayed in the wind, the bark of which it was -built creaked, the red rag at the top of the mast was murmuring -something. All these sounds were like a timid, endless, and uncertain -lisping of a prayer. But the waves murmured--free and unmoved. - -"And Sereja, does he still get drunk?" asked Vassili in a harsh voice. - -"He is drunk every evening," replied Jakoff, pouring out some more -vodka for his father. - -"He'll come to no good! This is what a free and easy life leads to.... -And you also, you will become like him." - -Jakoff did not like Sereja, and he replied there-fore-- - -"I shall never become like him." - -"No?" said Vassili, frowning. "I know what I am talking about ... How -long have you been here? Already two months! You must soon be thinking -of going back. And how much money have you saved?" - -He swallowed with a look of discontent the vodka which his son had -poured out for him, and taking his beard in his hand he tugged at it so -hard that his head shook. - -"I have not been able to save money in such a short time!" Jakoff -argued with reason. - -"If that's the case, you had better not stay here; go back to the -village!" - -Jakoff smiled. - -"Why these grimaces?" cried Vassili in a threatening voice, vexed with -the calmness shown by his son. "Your father is talking to you, and you -laugh. You are in too much of a hurry to think yourself free! You will -have to get back into harness." - -Jakoff poured himself out some vodka, and drank it These coarse -remarks of his father offended him; but he kept his temper, hiding his -thought and not wishing to drive his father to fury. He began to feel -frightened before this harsh, severe presence. - -And Vassili, noticing that his son had drunk alone without filling his -father's glass, grew angrier still, though he retained an appearance of -calmness. - -"Your father tells you to go home, and you laugh in his face! All -right!... I'll speak to you in a different tone.... Ask for your money -on Saturday and ... be off ... back to the village! Do you hear?" - -"I shall not go," said Jakoff firmly. - -"What?" howled Vassili; and leaning his two hands on the barrel, he got -up. "Am I talking to you, or not? Dog that you are I howling against -your father!... You have forgotten that I can do what I like with you; -you have forgotten that? Eh?" - -His lips trembled, his face was convulsed; two great veins swelled out -on his temples. "I have forgotten nothing," said Jakoff in a low voice, -without looking at his father. "And you, have you forgotten nothing?" - -"It's not your place to preach morality to me; I will break you in -pieces!..." - -Jakoff dodged his father's threatening hand, and feeling a savage -hatred rising within him, he said with clinched teeth-- - -"Don't touch me! We are not in the village...." - -"Silence! I am your father, wherever you are...." - -"Here you can't have me beaten with birch-rods. Here it is different!" -Jakoff spoke sneeringly, his face close to his father's. - -And he rose slowly. - -They stood there opposite each other. Vassili with bloodshot eyes, -his head stretched forward, his hands clinched, breathed heavily into -his son's face his vodka-laden breath; and Jakoff crouched back, was -watching his father's movements, ready to parry his blows, apparently -calm, but inwardly raging and sweating. Between them was the barrel -which served as table. - -"You think I won't strike you?" cried Vassili in a hoarse voice, -arching his back like a cat prepared to spring. - -"Here we are all equals; you are a workman, and so am I." - -"That's all you know." - -"Yes, that's what I know. Why do you attack me? You think that I don't -understand?... It's you who began...." - -Vassili shouted and raised his arm so rapidly that Jakoff had not time -to fall back. The blow fell on his head; he staggered, ground his teeth -in the furious face of his father, who was again threatening him. - -"Wait a moment!" he cried, clinching his fists. - -"Wait yourself!" - -"Leave me alone, I tell you." - -"Ah! that's the way you speak to your father? ... your father?... your -father?..." - -They were close together, and their legs were entangled in the empty -bags, the log, and the overturned barrel Protecting himself as best he -could against his father's blows, Jakoff, pale and sweating, his face -darkened, his teeth set firm, his eyes flashing like a wolfs, retired -slowly, whilst his father pressed forward towards him, gesticulating -ferociously, blind with rage, wildly distorted; in his anger his hair -stood up like that of a wild boar. - -"Stop now ... That's enough ... leave off," cried Jakoff, cold and -terrible, as he emerged from the hut. - -His father yelled and came on again, but his blows only met Jakoff's -fists. - -"Take that, and that!" - -Jakoff, who knew himself now to be the stronger and the more agile, led -his father on. - -"Just wait a moment!" - -But Jakoff jumped on one side and ran towards the sea. - -Vassili rushed after him with head down, and arms stretched out, but he -stumbled over some obstacle, and fell, with his chest on the ground. -He rose rapidly to his knees, and then sat down, resting his hands on -the sand. He was completely exhausted by the struggle, and he howled -piteously with unappeased rage, and with the bitter consciousness of -his feebleness. - -"Curse you!" he cried, stretching his neck out in Jakoff's direction, -and shaking the froth from his trembling lips. - -Jakoff was leaning against a boat, and watching him narrowly. With one -hand he was rubbing his injured head. One of his shirt-sleeves hung -by a thread, his collar also was in rags, and his white moist chest -shone in the sun as if he had been rubbed with oil. He was feeling -contempt for his father; he had thought him so strong, and now he saw -him overcome and in a deplorable state, seated on the sand, shaking his -fists, and Jakoff smiled condescendingly with the wounding smile of the -strong over the weak. - -"May the lightning strike you!... Curse you again and again!" Vassili -shouted his curses so loud that Jakoff turned involuntarily towards the -fisheries, as if he thought that the desperate shouting could be heard -there. But over there was nothing but waves and sunlight He spat, and -remarked-- - -"Call, call louder! Who are you going to frighten?... And if there has -been something between us I'll tell you at once and make an end of -it...." - -"Hold your tongue! Don't let me see you any more! Go away!" cried -Vassili. - -"I shall not go to the village.... I shall spend the winter here," said -Jakoff, without paying any attention to his father's shouts, though he -watched his every movement "One is better here.... I quite understand -that.... I am not a fool. Work is less hard here, and there is more -liberty.... There you would be always ordering me about but here, -just try it on!" - -He put his thumb to his nose, and laughed a quiet laugh, but in such a -way that Vassili once more seized with fury bounded to his feet, and -seizing hold of an oar shouted-- - -"That's the way you treat your father?... Ah! I will kill you!" But -when, mad with rage, he reached the boat, Jakoff was already far away. -He ran on, and the tom sleeve of his shirt floated in the breeze behind -him. - -Vassili threw the oar after his son, but did not succeed in hitting -him. Having exhausted his strength he let himself fall at the side of -the boat, and tore the wood with his nails, whilst his son called out -to him in the distance-- - -"What, arn't you ashamed of yourself? You are getting old, and you put -yourself into this state for a woman!... I'm not going back to the -village.... I've had enough of it ... Go back yourself! ... You've -nothing to do here!" - -"Jakoff, hold your tongue!" shouted Vassili; and his voice rose above -that of Jakoff's. "I shall kill you.... Get away with you!" - -But Jakoff was walking away now, and laughing. Vassili watched him with -furious eyes. Now he was getting smaller; his legs seemed to be hidden -in the sand ... half his body had disappeared ... now his shoulders ... -and now his head.... He was no longer to be seen. But some minutes -afterwards, at a few paces from the spot where he had disappeared, his -head showed once more, then his shoulders, then all his body.... He -looked quite small. He was turning round and saying some-thing-- - -"Curse you!... Curse you!" cried Vassili. - -The son made a gesture with his hand, and continued to walk away till -he was hidden by a sandhill. - -Vassili looked out in that same direction for a long time, till his -back hurt him from sitting in such an uncomfortable attitude--half -crouched down against the boat, the palms of his hands resting on the -sand. Cramped and aching all over, he rose and staggered, for his limbs -pained him. His belt had got pushed up under his arms, he unfastened it -with his stiff fingers, looked at it and threw it on the sand. Then he -went towards his hut, but stopped as he reached a hollow in the ground, -remembering that it was there that he had fallen, and that if it had -not been for that he might have caught his son. - -In the hut everything was in disorder. Vassili looked round for the -bottle of vodka, and finding it among the sacks, he picked it up, with -difficulty withdrew the cork, and placing the neck of the bottle in his -mouth he tried to drink.... But the bottle knocked against his teeth, -and the liquid ran out over his beard and his chest The alcohol tasted -as flat as water. Everything seemed to turn round in Vassili's head; -his heart felt heavy, his back hurt him. - -"I am old.... That's what's the matter!" he said out loud. And he -threw himself on the sand at the door of the hut. Before him lay the -vast sea, sighing idly, full of strength and of beauty. The waves -were laughing as they always did noisily and light-heartedly. Vassili -contemplated the water for a long time, and recalled the covetous words -of his son-- - -"If only that were all land, rich black land that could be ploughed!" -An acute feeling of weariness invaded the peasant's soul. He rubbed his -chest hard, and sighed deeply. His head fell forward, and his back bent -as if an immense weight were crushing him. A spasm seemed to seize his -throat He coughed and made the sign of the cross, looking up to the -sky. Some terrible thought seemed to overwhelm him. - -Because for a lost girl he had abandoned his wife with whom he had -lived honestly for more than fifteen years, the Lord had punished him -through the revolt of his son. Yes, Lord!... - -His son had mocked him, and had tom his heart Killing was too good for -him after what he had done against the soul of his father.... And all -that for a light woman! And he, old already, had become entangled with -her! In his sin he had forgotten his wife and his son.... - -And now the Lord in His just anger reminded him of his sin, making -use of his son to strike the father's heart with a well-deserved -punishment. Yes, Lord!... - -Vassili remained seated, making the sign of the cross, and blinking his -eyes to get rid of the tears which blinded him. - -And the sun sank Into the sea, and the red twilight faded out of the -sky. A cool wind came to caress the peasant's face, which was bathed -In tears. Plunged in thoughts of repentance, he remained there till he -fell asleep a short time before dawn. - - - - -CHAPTER VI - - -The day after the quarrel Jakoff went off with a party of workmen in a -boat, which was taken out by a tug. They were going out to a distance -of about thirty versts to fish for sturgeon in a bay. - -He returned to the fishery at the end of five days, alone and in a -sailing-boat; he had been sent ashore to fetch provisions. It was noon -when Jakoff arrived; the workmen were resting after their dinner. It -was intolerably hot, the sand burnt the feet, the fish-bones and scales -pricked them. Jakoff walked carefully towards the huts, wishing all -the time he had put his shoes on. He hesitated about returning to the -boat, he wanted to eat his dinner quickly and to find Malva. During -the tedious hours at sea he had often thought of her. He would have -liked to have known if his father and she had seen each other, and what -had passed between them.... Perhaps the old man had beaten her? That -wouldn't have mattered; it would have made her more gentle. - -Otherwise she was too provoking, too bold. The deserted fishery -slumbered: the long wooden huts with all the windows standing open, -seemed exhausted with the heat. In the inspector's office a child was -crying.... Behind a heap of barrels the whisper of voices was heard. - -Jakoff went in that direction; he thought he distinguished Malva's -voice. But when he reached the barrels he stopped and paused. In the -shade, lying on his back, his arms under his head, was the red-headed -Sereja. Near him, on one side, was Vassili, and on the other side Malva. - -Jakoff thought, "What is my father doing here? Has he left his -employment so as to be near Malva, and to watch her? The old devil!... -If only my mother knew what he was up to?" Should he speak to them or -not? - -"That's it," Sereja was saying. "Therefore you must say good-bye to -each other. And then be off, and go and scratch your land ..." - -Jakoff started, and his face grew joyful. - -"I am going," said Vassili. - -Then Jakoff stepped forward boldly. - -"Good-morning, all of you!" - -His father threw a rapid glance at him, and then turned away. Malva did -not move. Sereja kicked out his leg, and said in a forced voice-- - -"Here is our well-beloved son Jakoff, who is returning from a far -country." - -Then he added in his ordinary voice-- - -"Let us skin him alive, and mate drums out of his skin." - -Malva laughed softly. - -"It's hot," said Jakoff, sitting down by them. - -Vassili glanced at him once more, as if unwillingly. - -"I have been expecting you here all the morning, Jakoff. The inspector -told, me that you were to come." His voice seemed to the young man to -be weaker than usual, and his face seemed altered. - -"I have come to fetch some provisions," said Jakoff. - -And he asked Sereja for a cigarette. - -"I have no tobacco for a fool like you!" replied the latter without -moving. - -"I'm going home, Jakoff!" said Vassili gravely, digging at the sand -with his finger. - -"Why?" asked his son innocently. - -"Never mind.... Shall you remain here?" - -"Yes, I shall remain.... What could both of us do at home?" - -"Very well. I have nothing to say. Do as you choose I You are no longer -a child. Only remember that I shan't live very much longer. I shall -keep alive perhaps, but I don't know how I shall manage to work.... I -have lost the habit of working on the land.... Don't forget therefore -that you have your mother there." - -It was evidently painful to him to speak. The words seemed to stick -between his teeth. Whilst he twisted his beard, his hand trembled. - -Malva watched him. Sereja had half closed one eye, and with the other -which was wide open he watched Jakoff. The boy was glad, but fearing to -betray his feelings, he was silent, and hung his head. - -"Don't forget your mother therefore, Jakoff. Remember that you are all -that is left to her!" said Vassilli. - -"I know!" said Jakoff, shrugging his shoulders. - -"That's all right if you know it," added his lather, with a distrustful -glance. "I only warn you not to forget it." - -"All right!" - -Vassili sighed deeply. They were all silent for some minutes. - -Then Malva said-- - -"They will soon be ringing the bell for work." - -"I am going," said Vassili, rising. - -And they all rose with him. - -"Good-bye, Sereja. If you ever come to the Volga, perhaps you will -remember to come and see me?... The District of Simbirsk, the village -of Malso, near Nikolo-Livolvsk." - -"All right," said Sereja. - -He shook Vassili's hand, holding it for a long time in his big, -thick-veined paw, covered with red hairs. He smiled into the sad, -serious face of Vassili. - -"Nikolo-Livolvsk is a big town, _every one_ knows it, and we are only -four versts from there," the peasant explained. - -"All right, I will come and see you if I am that way." - -"Good-bye." - -"Good-bye, my dear fellow." - -"Good-bye, Malva!" whispered Vassili, without raising his eyes to her. - -She wiped her lips leisurely with, her sleeve, threw her two white arms -round his neck, and kissed him three times, on his lips and on his -cheeks. - -He was overcome, and muttered some indistinct words. Jakoff dropped his -head to hide a smile; but Sereja was unmoved, and even yawned slightly -as he looked up at the sky. - -"It will be hot walking," he said. - -"Nevermind!... Good-bye to you also, Jakoff." - -"Good-bye." - -They were face to face with one another, without knowing what to do. -The sad word "good-bye," which had just been repeated so many times, -awoke in the soul of Jakoff a feeling of tenderness for his father, -but he did not know how to express it Should he embrace his father as -Malva had done, or shake hands with him like Sereja?... And Vassili was -wounded by this hesitation which was visible in the attitude of his -son, and at the same time he felt something like shame. He remembered -what had taken place at the cape, and he thought of Malva's kisses. - -"Well, think of your mother!" said Vassili at last. - -"Oh! yes!" replied Jakoff cordially. "Don't be anxious ... I know." - -And he shook his head. - -"That's all Be happy! May God protect you.... Don't think ill of -me.... The boiler, Sereja, is buried in the sand, near the bows of the -green boat." - -"What does he want with the boiler?" asked Jakoff suddenly. - -"He has taken my place over there at the cape," explained Vassili. - -Jakoff glance at Sereja enviously, then at Malva, and hung his head to -hide the flash of joy in his eye. - -"Good-bye, brothers, I am going." - -Vassili nodded to them. Malva followed him. - -"I am going to walk with you a little bit of the way." - -Sereja flung himself on the ground and seized Jakoff's leg as this -latter was about to follow Malva. - -"Stop! where are you going to?" - -"Leave me alone!" said Jakoff, moving a step forward. But Sereja had -seized his other leg. - -"Sit down beside me." - -"Why!... What new nonsense are you up to?" - -"It's not nonsense I Sit down." - -Jakoff set his teeth, and obeyed. - -"What do you want?" - -"Wait Hold your tongue ... whilst I think; and then I'll talk to you." - -He looked the lad up and down, and Jakoff submitted. - -Malva and Vassili walked on for a few moments in silence. Malva's eyes -had a strange sparkle in them. And Vassili was gloomy and preoccupied. -Their feet sank into the sand, and they walked with difficulty. - -"Vassia!" - -"Well?" - -He looked at her, and turned away immediately. - -"It was I who made you quarrel on purpose with Jakoff.... You might -have both lived here without quarrelling," she said, in a voice that -was even and unmoved. - -There was not a shade of regret in her words. - -"Why did you do that?" Vassili asked, after a moment's silence. - -"I don't know ... for no reason." - -She shrugged her shoulders and smiled. - -"That's a nice thing you have done," he said irritably. - -She was silent. - -"You will make me lose my boy, lose him altogether; you sorceress! Have -you no fear of God? Are you not ashamed?... What are you going to do?" - -"What ought I to do?" she said. - -A mixture of agony and of despair sounded in her voice. - -"What ought you to do?" cried Vassili, flashing out suddenly into rage. - -He felt a passionate desire to strike her, to throw her down and bury -her in the sand, to kick her in the face and on the bosom.... - -He clinched his fists and cast a look behind him. - -Over there near the barrels he saw Sereja and Jakoff, and their faces -were turned in his direction. - -"Get along with you; or I shall do for you!..." - -He stopped and breathed curses into her face. His eyes were bloodshot, -his beard trembled, and his hands were stretched involuntarily towards -Malva's hair, which appeared above her shawl. - -Her green eyes were fixed on him. - -"You deserve to be killed!... But wait a bit. Some one will break your -head one of these days!" - -She smiled, but remained silent. Then sighing deeply, she said-- - -"That's enough now. Good-bye!" - -And turning quickly on her heels, she walked back. - -Vassili yelled after her and ground his teeth. Malva, as she walked -tried to put her feet into the footmarks which Vassili had made, -and when she succeeded she carefully destroyed all traces of his -footprints. Finally she reached the barrels, when Sereja received her -with the question--"Well, you walked a bit of the way with him?" - -She made an affirmative sign with her head, and sat down by him. - -And Jakoff watching her, smiled softly, moving his lips as if he were -saying things to her that no one else heard. - -"And when you left him did you cry?" asked Sereja. - -"When are you going over there to the cape?" she asked him, indicating -the sea with a movement of her head. - -"This evening." - -"I shall go with you." - -"Bravo!... I like that." - -"And I also, I shall go!" said Jakoff. - -"Who invites you?" said Sereja, screwing up his eyes. - -The harsh tinkle of a cracked bell was heard; it was the call to work. -The sounds rang out through the air, one following rapidly the other, -as if they feared to be late, or to be drowned in the sound of the -waves. - -"She will invite me," said Jakoff. - -He glanced at Malva defiantly. - -"I?... What should I want with you?" she replied, with surprise in her -voice. - -"Let's speak plainly, Jakoff," said Sereja. "If you bother her I'll -beat you into a jelly. And if you touch her with a finger, I'll crush -you like a fly. I'll give you one over the head that will just finish -you altogether. I'm very straightforward in my ways." His face, his -whole figure and his knotted arms threatened Jakoff's throat, and -seemed to prove eloquently, that in reality, to kill a man was to -Sereja a very simple matter. - -Jakoff stepped back and said in a stifled voice-- - -"Wait a minute! It's she who..." - -"Hold your tongue, and there's an end of it! What does all this mean? -It's not you, you dog, who are going to eat the lamb. If you get the -bones thrown to you, you may say thank you. We've had enough of this." - -Jakoff looked at Malva. Her green eyes were laughing in a way that -wounded him, and she rubbed up against Sereja in such a coaxing way -that Jakoff felt the perspiration break out all over him. - -They walked off side by side, and then both of them burst out laughing. -Jakoff crushed his right foot hard into the sand, and remained standing -thus, his body stretched forward, his face red, his heart beating. - -Far away over the dead ripples of the sand, the outline of a small dark -human figure was moving; on his right shone the sun and the mighty -sea, and on his left, as far as the horizon, there was sand, nothing -but sand, smooth, vast and silent. Jakoff watched the solitary man and -blinked his eyes, which were full of tears--tears of humiliation and -of painful uncertainty--and he rubbed his chest roughly with both his -hands. - -At the fishery, work was going on briskly. Jakoff heard the deep, -melodious voice of Malva, saying angrily-- - -"Who has taken my knife?" - -The waves rippled, the sun shone, the sea laughed. - -THE END - - - - - -End of Project Gutenberg's The Orloff Couple and Malva, by Maxim Gorky - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE ORLOFF COUPLE AND MALVA *** - -***** This file should be named 55582-8.txt or 55582-8.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/5/5/5/8/55582/ - -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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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: The Orloff Couple and Malva - -Author: Maxim Gorky - -Translator: Emily Jakowleff - Dora B. Montefiore - -Release Date: September 19, 2017 [EBook #55582] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE ORLOFF COUPLE AND MALVA *** - - - - -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.png" width="500" alt="" /> -</div> -<h1>The Orloff Couple</h1> - -<h3>and</h3> - -<h1>Malva</h1> - -<h3>By</h3> - -<h2>Maxim Gorky</h2> - -<h3>(Alexei Maximovitch Peshkoff)</h3> - - -<h4>Authorized Translation from the Russian by</h4> - -<h4>Emily Jakowleff and Dora B. Montefiore</h4> - - -<h4><i>With a Portrait</i></h4> - - -<h5>London</h5> - -<h5>William Heinemann</h5> - -<h5>1901</h5> - -<hr class="full" /> -<p style="font-size: 0.8em; margin-left: 20%;"> -CONTENTS<br /> -<a href="#BIOGRAPHICAL_NOTE">BIOGRAPHICAL NOTE</a><br /> -<a href="#THE_ORLOFF_COUPLE">THE ORLOFF COUPLE</a><br /> -<a href="#CHAPTER_I">CHAPTER I</a><br /> -<a href="#CHAPTER_II">CHAPTER II</a><br /> -<a href="#CHAPTER_III">CHAPTER III</a><br /> -<a href="#CHAPTER_IV">CHAPTER IV</a><br /> -<a href="#CHAPTER_V">CHAPTER V</a><br /> -<a href="#CHAPTER_VI">CHAPTER VI</a><br /> -<a href="#CHAPTER_VII">CHAPTER VII</a><br /> -<a href="#CHAPTER_VIII">CHAPTER VIII</a><br /> -<a href="#CHAPTER_IX">CHAPTER IX</a><br /> -<a href="#MALVA">MALVA</a><br /> -<a href="#CHAPTER_Ib">CHAPTER I</a><br /> -<a href="#CHAPTER_IIb">CHAPTER II</a><br /> -<a href="#CHAPTER_IIIb">CHAPTER III</a><br /> -<a href="#CHAPTER_IVb">CHAPTER IV</a><br /> -<a href="#CHAPTER_Vb">CHAPTER V</a><br /> -<a href="#CHAPTER_VIb">CHAPTER VI</a><br /> -</p> -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 379px;"> -<img src="images/gorky.jpg" width="379" alt="" title="400" /> -</div> - -<h4><a name="BIOGRAPHICAL_NOTE" id="BIOGRAPHICAL_NOTE">BIOGRAPHICAL NOTE</a></h4> - - -<p>Alexei Maximovitch Peshkoff was born March 14, 1869, at Nijni Novgorod. -On both his father's and mother's side he belonged to the people; his -father followed the trade of a jobbing upholsterer, and his mother was -the daughter of a dyer. He was left an orphan when quite young, and he -passed then under the care of his grandfather, a cruel and tyrannical -old man, who had already so ill-treated young Alexei's father when a -lad, that he ran away from home.</p> - -<p>Peshkoff attended school for about five months, but having caught -smallpox, his grandfather took him away from school, and sent him at -the age of nine as errand-boy to a shoemaker. Here the child scalded -his hand badly and was sent back to his home. His grandfather next -apprenticed him to a draughtsman, from whom young Peshkoff ran away. -In order to keep himself he went as galley-boy on a Volga steamer, -where he helped the ship's cook. This cook was a reader, and something -of a character; he possessed a small library which he allowed his -galley-boy to read, and it was here that the lad felt the first -awakening of literary instinct, though he had always, from the time -he left school at nine years old, read everything that fell into his -hands. The cook's library contained amongst other authors Nekrassoff; -translations of the works of Ann Radcliff; a volume of Sovrememick, -whose editor was Tchemishewsky, the translator and commentator of John -Stuart Mill; Iscra, and several works in Little Russian; the lives of -the saints, and works by some mystical writers; some odd volumes of -Dumas, and some Freemasons' literature. This curious collection of -miscellaneous writings gave young Peshkoff, now fifteen, a burning -desire to obtain some degree of culture, and awoke in him the wish to -write. He left the steamer, and wandered to Kazan, where he was told -free instruction could be obtained. Here, in order to keep himself, -he had to enter a bakery at three roubles, or six shillings, a month; -and he speaks of this work as being the hardest that he ever did, with -the exception of work in the salt mines, which he describes in one of -his essays. A story written later in life, called 'The Outcasts,' is a -truthful reflection of the people amongst whom he lived and worked at -this period of his life, and-it contains much that is autobiographical. -He lived amongst these outcasts of society, chopping wood and carrying -burdens, earning a living as best he could, and in the intervals of -manual work picking up what instruction fell in his way. On leaving -Kazan he tried his luck at Tzaritzine, where he worked as a signalman -on the railway.</p> - -<p>At the age of twenty he had to return to Nijni Novgorod in order to -perform his years of military service, but he failed to pass the health -test, and was rejected as not strong enough to serve. For some time -after this he sold "kwass" in the streets, until he managed to get -a situation as clerk in a lawyer's office. This lawyer, whose name -was Lanine, eventually took a great interest in the young man, and -influenced him much in his reading and general culture. At this time -also, Peshkoff, being in better circumstances, was able to join a group -of young intellectuals amongst whom was Federoff, who, on seeing some -of Peshkoff's writings, declared the youth showed great literary talent -But a settled and sedentary life did not suit him, and he never really -felt himself at home among these young intellectuals; preferring his -wandering life, supporting himself from day to day by unskilled manual -labour, and sharing the society of tramps, day-labourers and outcasts. -So in 1890 we find him again wandering through Southern Russia, working -one month as a sawyer, the next as a stevedore lighterman, and in 1892 -he was employed at Tiflis in the Caucasus in some railway engineering -shops. It was during this period that his first story, 'Markar -Tchoudra,' appeared in a local paper; but his first real literary -<i>début</i> was made in 1893 when he published 'Tchelkache,' a short story -containing marvellous impressionist effects of water and of night.</p> - -<p>The budding talent displayed in these and other stories being now -recognized, he returned to the Volga, where he had spent so much of -his youth, and began contributing short stories to the Volgeschky -Viesnick.' These were followed by a longer story, 'Emilia Pilai,' which -appeared in an important Moscow paper, the 'Russky Viedomoski'; and a -lucky chance having brought him across Korolenko, Peshkoff, who had -now taken for his <i>nom de plume</i> the title of Gorki (the Russian for -bitter), through the influence of this leading man of letters was able -to place his writings in some of the most important periodicals of the -day, Korolenko did much for him also in the way of advice, and Gorki -wrote later of this period of his life: "If I learnt little, it was not -Korolenko's fault, but my own."</p> - -<p>Broad sympathy with, and understanding of every expression of human -nature, seems to be the prevailing characteristic of Gorki's writings; -whilst his realism has a special quality, in that it is never forced, -never <i>voulu,</i> as is too often the case with writers of another class -who make literary studies of the lives of the people. Gorki, having -lived the life of the tramp, of the out-of-work loafer, of the slum -inhabitant, is saturated with the detail of that life, and possesses -the true artistic faculty necessary for reproducing it. Many of his -so-called "stories" are rather studies and sketches, so slight is -the plot, so impressionist is the form under which he reproduces the -"bits of life" with which he has come in contact He seems to succeed -in the art of "viewing life as a whole, and viewing it sanely"; but -his pictures are of necessity tinged with pessimism, for he is the -mouthpiece of the unprivileged, the sweated, the "lapsed and lost" -This vein of pessimism is, however, relieved by a spirituality, a -sensitiveness to the consolations of music, of light, and cloud, and -water effects, of nature's healing inspiration, which wholly redeem -his work from the reproach of empty, crushing pessimistic teaching. He -is essentially the prophet of revolt,—revolt against the dreariness, -the monotony, the inhumanity of drudgery, which keeps men and women -working at high pressure like machines, in order that they may be able -to earn—just daily bread.... As the shoemaker Grischka says in one of -the stories published in this volume: "And why do we need daily bread? -In order to be able to work I And why do we work, but to obtain daily -bread? What's the sense of that?"</p> - -<p>He has certainly made very real for us a large class of our fellow -human beings whom before we scarcely recognized in any other way than -in their outward form of baker, shoemaker, dock-labourer, or vagrant -Gorki makes them live in his pages, unfolds their psychology, makes -us joy with their joys and sorrow with their sorrows, and introduces -them—as fellow-sufferers from the all-pervading disease of modern -life, <i>ennui</i> and dissatisfaction with existing social conditions—into -the great human brotherhood.</p> - -<p>Gorki acknowledges the four literary influences of his life to have -been those of the cook on the steamer, of Lanine, of Kaligny and of -Korolenko. Of late years he has been forbidden, because of political -writings, to enter St Petersburg or Moscow. Three volumes of his works -have already been published, and his stories have found their way -through translations into many leading French and German Reviews.</p> - -<p>D. B. M.</p> - - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<h3><a name="THE_ORLOFF_COUPLE" id="THE_ORLOFF_COUPLE">THE ORLOFF COUPLE</a></h3> - - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<h4><a name="CHAPTER_I" id="CHAPTER_I">CHAPTER I</a></h4> - - -<p>Almost every Saturday, just before supper-time, the dirty old house -of the merchant Petounukoff was the scene of a violent and murderous -attack. From the two cellar windows there rang forth into the narrow -courtyard, surrounded by old tumble-down hovels, and filled with all -sorts of rubbish, the horrible screams of a woman.</p> - -<p>"Let me alone! Let me alone! you devil!" she shrieked in a high treble -voice.</p> - -<p>"Leave go of me then!" answered the tenor voice of a man.</p> - -<p>"I won't let go of you, you wretch! you monster!"</p> - -<p>"Shut up, and leave go of me!"</p> - -<p>"Not if you kill me—I won't let you go!"</p> - -<p>"What, you won't? Then take that, you heretic!"</p> - -<p>"Help! He is killing me! Help!"</p> - -<p>"Will you let go of me then?"</p> - -<p>"You may go on beating me, you dog, till you have killed me!"</p> - -<p>"I can't do that in a hurry—you take more killing than that!"</p> - -<p>At the first words of such a dialogue, the painter Soutchkoff's -apprentice, Senka Tschischik, who from one day's end to the other -was busy in one of the sheds in the yard rubbing and mixing colours, -used to rush out in hot haste, and whilst his little black mouse eyes -flashed, he would shout with all his might, so that his voice rang -right across the court—</p> - -<p>"There's another row up at Orloff's the cobbler."</p> - -<p>The little Tschischik was an ardent lover of every sort of adventure -and story. As soon as there appeared to be trouble at the Orloffs he -would run quickly to the window of their dwelling, lie down on his -stomach, poke his mischievous shock head of hair and his thin face, -smeared with ochre and vermilion, as far as he could into the gloom -of the cellar, and watch with curiosity all that went on in the dark, -damp hole, from which arose a smell of musty cobbler's wax and of sour -batter. There, on the floor of this hole were to be seen two figures, -rolling over each other on the ground, groaning and cursing.</p> - -<p>"You want to kill me, then?" gasped at this moment, in a warning, -breathless voice, the woman.</p> - -<p>"Don't be afraid!" the man mockingly reassured her in a tone of -suppressed violence.</p> - -<p>Heavy dull blows were then heard, falling on something soft; then sobs -and sighs, and the panting of a man, who seemed to be making efforts to -move a heavy object.</p> - -<p>"Blast it all! Now he has given her a good one!—with the boot-last," -cried Tschischik, watching what was going on in the cellar, whilst -the public who had gathered round—the porter, Lewtschenko, the -accordion-player Kisljakoff, a couple of tailor's apprentices, and -other amateurs of gratuitous amusement,—were all impatient to get -news from Senka, and pulled him, now by his legs and now by his -many-coloured trousers.</p> - -<p>"Well, what's going on now? what's he doing to her this time?" they -would ask.</p> - -<p>"Now he is sitting astride of her, and is banging her nose into the -ground," explained Senka, who with true enjoyment was taking in every -action of the play.</p> - -<p>The public pushed nearer to the windows of the Orloffs' dwelling. They -burned with curiosity to see with their own eyes all the developments -of the struggle, and although they knew well of old every point in the -attack and defence in the war which Grischka Orloff waged against his -wife, they always appeared equally surprised and astonished.</p> - -<p>"No, but what a devil he is! He has beaten her again, has he not, till -she is bleeding?" asked one of them.</p> - -<p>"Her nose is all over blood.... It is running down," Senka informed -them.</p> - -<p>"Ah! good heavens! What a terror, what a wretch he is!" cried some -women, full of sympathy.</p> - -<p>The men regarded the matter from a more abstract and philosophic point -of view.</p> - -<p>"He will certainly end by killing her," they said.</p> - -<p>The accordion-player remarked in a prophetic voice—</p> - -<p>"He'll stick a knife into her some day; you take my word for it He'll -get tired of always knocking her about, and some day will put an end to -the whole business in a hurry."</p> - -<p>"Now he has let go of her," said Senka in a whisper, springing up -from the ground, and bounding on one side like an india-rubber ball. -Immediately afterwards he took up another post of observation in a -corner of the court, for he knew that Grischka Orloff would now appear -above ground.</p> - -<p>Most of the spectators went off rapidly, for they had no desire to come -face to face with the enraged cobbler. Now that the fight was over -Grischka had lost all interest in their eyes, and besides it was not -without danger to come across him under these circumstances.</p> - -<p>So it happened that when Orloff emerged from his cellar, there was -generally, with the exception of Senka, no living soul to be seen in -the courtyard. Breathing heavily, his shirt torn, his hair tumbled, -with fresh scratches on his still excited and perspiring face, Grischka -Orloff, with bloodshot eyes would glance suspiciously round the court. -With his hands behind his back, he would walk slowly towards an old -sledge which was leaning against the wall of a dilapidated wool-shed. -Sometimes he would whistle and throw threatening glances around, as if -he were challenging all the dwellers in Petounukoff's house to battle. -Then he would sit down on the sledge, and with the sleeve of his shirt -wipe the blood away from his face. He would remain for a long time -motionless, glowering darkly at the wall of the opposite house, where -the plaster was crumbling away, and where a variety of colours had been -smeared on by the house-painter Soutchkoff's apprentices, who had the -habit, when they left off work, of cleaning their brushes on this part -of the wall.</p> - -<p>The cobbler Orloff was about thirty years old. His dark, nervous, -finely-cut face was adorned with a black moustache, under which showed -full red lips. Above a prominent nose thick black eyebrows were drawn -close together; dark restless flashing eyes looked out from under them. -The curly hair that hung forward on his forehead fell behind over his -brown strong neck in thick ringlets. Orloff was of middle height, a -little bent with a slight stoop—the result of his special work,— -muscular and full-blooded; but now he sat on the sledge as if in a dull -state of stupor, and gazed blankly at the variegated wall, his breath -coming in heavy gasps and throbs.</p> - -<p>The sun had already gone off the courtyard, in which there still -reigned a dull twilight; a mingled smell of oil-paint, of tar, of -sauerkraut and of rotting vegetable matter hung heavy on the sultry -evening air. From the windows of the two-storied dwelling there came -a sound of song and of oaths, which rang through the court, whilst a -drunken man thrust an inquiring head out of a window from behind a -corner, looked across at Orloff, and then disappeared with a mocking -laugh.</p> - -<p>The time came for the painters to leave their work; they passed by -Orloff, throwing mocking glances at him, winking meaningly at one -another, and filled the courtyard with the sounds of their Kostroma -dialect Then they separated—each going his own way, the one to the -bath, the other to the vodka-shop.</p> - -<p>Later on, the tailors came down from the second storey into the -courtyard; half-dressed, bow-legged fellows who were making merry over -the dialect of their painter comrades. The whole court was once more -filled with noise, jovial laughter and jokes. Orloff sat silent in his -corner, taking no notice of any one. No one went near him, no one dared -to joke with him, for all knew that at these moments he was like a -raging animal.</p> - -<p>Completely swayed by his dark desperate mood, which seemed to weigh -on his breast and oppress his breathing, he sat there as if rooted to -the spot.</p> - -<p>From time to time his nostrils swelled and his lips parted, -showing two rows of big yellow teeth. A dark indescribable feeling -of anguish seemed to hold him inexorably; red spots swam before his -eyes. A sense of utter melancholy took possession of him, and to this -was added a burning thirst for vodka. He knew that he would feel more -lighthearted when he had had something to drink, but he was ashamed -while it was still light to show his torn and ragged condition in the -street, where every one knew him personally as Grigori Orloff the -cobbler. He had a feeling of his own dignity, and would not expose -himself as a butt for general mirth. But neither could he go home to -wash and dress himself,—for there, lying bleeding on the ground, was -his wife whom he had greviously ill-used, and whom, at any price, he -must not look on at present.</p> - -<p>There, no doubt, she is lying groaning, and he feels that she is a -martyr, and that he has been a thousand times guilty towards her. All -this he realizes quite clearly and distinctly. He knows well that where -she is concerned he has much to blame himself, and this consideration -increases even more the hatred which he feels towards her. A vague but -dominating feeling of anger gnaws his soul, prevailing over every other -feeling, whilst an inconsolable melancholy overwhelms his inmost being, -and he gives way consciously to the dull heavy misery which has taken -possession of him, but against which he knows no other remedy than—a -pint of vodka....</p> - -<p>The accordion-player Kisljakoff crosses the yard. He is wearing a -velvet tunic without sleeves; a red silk shirt and wide trousers tucked -into his stockings; on his feet are smartly-polished shoes. Under his -arm he carries in a green bundle his accordion; he has twisted up his -black moustache, his cap is worn jauntily on one side, and his whole -countenance beams with the joy of living. Orloff liked his brisk -liveliness, his cordial ways, and his playing, and he envied him his -bright, happy-go-lucky life, free from all care.</p> - -<p>"I greet thee, Grischka, proud conqueror, returning blood-stained from -the fray!" cried jokingly the accordion-player.</p> - -<p>Orloff did not feel angry with Kisljakoff's joke, though he had heard -it already for the fiftieth time. He knew that the accordion-player -meant no harm, but only wanted to have a little innocent fun with him.</p> - -<p>"Well, brother; so you have been acting Plevna again?" Kisljakoff asked -the cobbler, as he remained for a moment standing before him.</p> - -<p>"Ah! Grischka, you are indeed a melancholy-looking swain!... Come along -with me to the only place which is of any good to such as you and me -... we will go and have a drop together!"</p> - -<p>"It's too early yet," objected Orloff, without moving his head.</p> - -<p>"I shall await thee then with silent longing!..." said Kisljakoff, -turning away.</p> - -<p>After a time Orloff followed him. As soon as he had left, there issues -from the cellar a short, plump woman's form. A handkerchief is bound -tightly round her head, allowing only one eye and a piece of her -cheek to be seen; she walks with tottering steps, leaning for support -against the wall, crosses the courtyard, going straight to the place -where a short time before her husband had sat, and sits down precisely -in the same spot No one is surprised at her appearance, they are all -accustomed to it, and they know she will sit there till Grischka, drunk -and repentant, returns from the dram-shop. She has come up into the -courtyard, because the air is too heavy in the cellar, and because she -will have to guide the drunken steps of Grischka on his return.</p> - -<p>The steps are very steep and half broken away; once before, when -Grischka returned from the dram-shop he fell down, and sprained his -arm, so that he could not work for a fortnight, and she, in order that -they might live, had been obliged to pawn everything they possessed. -From that time Matrona had taken good care of him. Sometimes one of -the inhabitants of the house would come and speak to her; generally -it was Lewtschenko, a retired, bearded non-commissioned officer, a -very sensible worthy "Little Russian," with a smooth shaven head and a -purple nose.</p> - -<p>He would sit down, with a yawn and a stretch, and remark—"Well, have -you been catching it again?"</p> - -<p>"What's that to you?" Matrona would reply in an unfriendly tone.</p> - -<p>"Nothing in the world!" said the "Little Russian," and then they both -remained silent for a while.</p> - -<p>Matrona would gasp; something seemed to be choking her breath.</p> - -<p>"What a pity it is to think that you are always at loggerheads with -one another! Can't you alter things?" the "Little Russian" would begin -again.</p> - -<p>"That's our business," replied Orloff's wife shortly.</p> - -<p>"Of course it is! Of course it's your business..." agreed Lewtschenko, -nodding his head to show that he was entirely at one with her on this -point.</p> - -<p>"What are you driving at?" continued Matrona in an angry voice.</p> - -<p>"La! la! la! What a bad temper you are in! You won't let one say a -word to you! Whenever I see you and Grischka, I say to myself, what -a pair they are! They worry each other like two dogs! You ought both -to be beaten twice a day, morning and evening—then perhaps the desire -for quarrelling would be knocked out of you." And he went away angrily -and Matrona was glad; for several times there had been whisperings -and gossipings in die court, caused by Lewtschenko's attempts to be -friendly; so she was vexed with him, as she was with everybody who -mixed themselves up with her affairs.</p> - -<p>Lewtschenko, in spite of his forty years, walked with a soldierly -stride to a corner of the yard, when suddenly Tschischik, the painter's -apprentice, ran like a ball between his legs.</p> - -<p>"That was a nasty one she gave you, little uncle!" he whispered with a -precocious air to the non-commissioned officer, winking cunningly in -the direction of Matrona.</p> - -<p>"You'll get something nasty from me, if you don't look out! do you -understand!" the "Little Russian" threatened him, though he was really -laughing behind his moustache. He liked the lively little lad, who knew -all the secrets of the court, and he really enjoyed having a gossip -with him.</p> - -<p>"There is nothing to be done with her," continued Senka, without -paying any attention to Lewtschenko's threat, and going on with his -revelations. "Maximka, the painter, has also tried—but what did he -get for his pains?... a box on the ear!... I saw it myself...."</p> - -<p>The, but half grown, lively little lad of twelve absorbed greedily all -the filth and evil with which his life was surrounded, just as a sponge -absorbs the water in which it lies; and the delicate wrinkles on his -forehead showed that Senka Tschischik had already begun to think.</p> - -<p>In the courtyard it grew dark. Overhead was stretched a square patch of -dark blue sky on which twinkled the shimmering glory of the stars. The -courtyard itself with its steep walled sides looked like a deep pit, at -the bottom of which sat, huddled up in a corner, the form of Matrona, -resting after the beating she had received, and awaiting the return of -her drunken husband....</p> - - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<h4><a name="CHAPTER_II" id="CHAPTER_II">CHAPTER II</a></h4> - - -<p>The Orloffs had been married three years. They had had a child, which -died at the age of a year and a half. Neither of them grieved over it -much, for they consoled themselves with the thought that they would -soon get another one. The cellar in which they lived was a great long, -dusty room with a cobwebby ceiling. Close against the door stood, with -its front towards the window, a huge Russian oven; between it and -the wall a narrow passage led into a square room which obtained its -light from two of the windows that looked on to the courtyard. Through -these windows the light fell in two dim streaks into the cellar, which -was damp, clammy, and death-like in its stillness.... Life flowed by -somewhere, far, far away out there and above; here, in this hole only -vague, dull sounds found an entrance, and blending with the dust of -th? court, pressed in on the senses of the Orloffs in formless and -colourless waves. Opposite the stove stood, behind a brown curtain with -a pattern of roses, a great wooden double bedstead; over against the -bed, and near the other wall stood a table, at which the Orloffs drank -their tea and ate their dinner, and between the bed and the opposite -wall, in a sort of frame formed by two rays of light, the couple sat -and worked.</p> - -<p>Blackbeetles wandered about, nibbling the paste with which old -newspapers had been stuck against the walls. Flies hovered over -everything, buzzing in a melancholy drone; and the pictures, which were -decorated with the spots they left, looked against the dirty green -background of the walls like dark blotches.</p> - -<p>The day's work of the Orloffs left nothing to wish for in the way of -monotony. Matrona got up at six o'clock, washed herself, and prepared -the samovar; this utensil had more than once in the heat of strife, -received some hard hits, and was in consequence covered with patches -of solder. While the water was heating in the samovar, she had already -swept out the room and prepared breakfast Then she awoke her husband. -By the time he was up and washed, the samovar was boiling and hissing -on the table. Then they drank their tea and ate their white bread, of -which they consumed a whole pound. Grigori was a skilled worker, and -never therefore without work. Whilst they were drinking their tea he -apportioned out the day's labour; he did the finer parts which required -a master hand, whilst his wife's share lay in twisting the waxed -threads, and in finishing off pieces of work which did not require so -much skill. They also spoke during breakfast of what they should have -for their dinner. In the winter, when the stomach required more, this -was a fairly interesting subject, but in the summer when the stove, -for motives of economy, was only lit on high days and holidays, and -not always then, they lived mostly on cold meats, on kwass, varied -with salt-fish and onions; sometimes they boiled, on some neighbour's -fire in the courtyard, a piece of meat. As soon as their breakfast -was finished they sat down to work, Grigori astride on a log of wood -covered with bits of leather, Matrona on a low stool beside him. At -first they would work in silence, for what had they to talk about? They -might sometimes exchange a few words about their work, and then silence -would once more reign for half-an-hour or more. The blows of the hammer -fell with a dull sound, the thread squeaked as it was drawn through the -tight-stretched leather. Grigori yawned now and then, and after each -yawn would close his mouth with a loud noise. Matrona sighed and was -silent.</p> - -<p>Often Orloff would begin a song; he possessed a powerful metallic -voice, and did not sing badly. The words of the song poured forth -rapidly and plaintively in a ringing recitative from Grischka's -whole chest, or they flowed evenly in loud, strong wailings, whose -melancholy sounds found their way out of the cellar windows into -the courtyard. Matrona in a weak soft alto would sing second to -her husband. Both faces at such times would wear a thoughtful, sad -expression, and Grischka's dark eyes would grow moist His wife, -absorbed in the world of sound, would sit in a half-conscious state, -swaying from side to side; sometimes she would appear completely lost -in the music, suddenly pausing on a note, and then slowly falling -once more into the words of the song her husband was singing. Neither -of them felt at such times the presence of the other; they were each -pouring forth what seemed to be the whole emptiness and dreariness -of their joyless lives, and through the words of the song they were -seeking for an outlet for their own half-conscious feelings and -thoughts. At times Grischka would improvise—</p> - -<p>"Ah! to think of my life, my cursed Life! And the ache in my soul, that -cursed ache! Ah! this bitter ache! Ah! this ache and sorrow....!"</p> - -<p>But Matrona did not love these improvisings, and she generally asked -him—</p> - -<p>"Why do you howl then like a dog, when death is about?"</p> - -<p>He immediately answered her angrily—</p> - -<p>"Thick-headed creature! What do you understand about things—an old -scarecrow like you?"</p> - -<p>"Oh, howl and howl away, and then bark if you like!"</p> - -<p>"Hold your tongue! Am I an apprentice, that you want to begin to teach -me now, eh?... Just mind your own business!"</p> - -<p>Matrona saw that his eyes flashed angrily, and that the veins of his -neck were swelling. She was silent for some time, refusing to answer -the questions of her husband, whose anger had disappeared as quickly -as it had arisen. She turned away her face so as not to meet his eyes, -which were full of love and of self-reproach for the cruel words he had -just spoken. She heeded not his signals of reconciliation, and though -awaiting impatiently his smile, trembled with fear lest he should once -more lose his temper over this game which she was playing out with -him. But it was pleasant to her to sit opposite to him in this defiant -mood, and to watch how he longed to make peace with her; it seemed like -living, it awoke feeling and gave an object to her thoughts.</p> - -<p>They were both young and healthy, they both loved each other and were -proud of each other. Grischka was such a handsome, hearty, strong -fellow, and Matrona was a plump little woman with a clear, fair -complexion, and warm sympathy in her grey eyes; "a fine little woman" -as all the neighbours used to call her. They loved each other, but -their life was so monotonous and tedious, so entirely bereft of all -deep interests and outside influences, which might have given them the -possibility of diverting occasionally their thoughts from each other, -of getting change, which is the natural desire of every human heart, -of, in a word—living. It is in fact a psychological fact that man and -wife, though they may have attained a high degree of culture, without -such an inner life, such an interest, must inevitably grow tired of, -and burdensome to each other. If the Orloffs had had an object in life, -if it had only been in the empty toil of hoarding halfpence in order -to collect capital—life would certainly have appeared easier to them. -But as it was, they were deprived even of this interest, which might -have proved a bond between them. As each had the other always before -his eyes, they had grown to know each other's every movement, every -gesture. One day followed the other, and brought nothing into their -lives either of change or of excitement Sometimes on holidays they went -to see friends, whose lives were as poor and as empty as their own; -occasionally friends came to see them, drank, sang and beat each other. -And then would follow an endless succession of monotonous grey days, -just like the links of an invisible chain, which made dreary the lives -of these people with work, <i>ennui,</i> and groundless irritation against -each other.</p> - -<p>"A regular devil of a life!" Grischka used to say. "Just as if it -were bewitched. Whatever was life given to us for? Work and weariness; -weariness and work...." And after he had been silent for some time he -continued with a blank look on his face, and with downcast eyes—"Well, -it was God's decree that my mother should bear me ... so it's no use -complaining about that! Then I learnt my trade.... Why was that?... -Are there not enough cobblers in the world without me?... So then I -became a cobbler.... And what next?... What good fortune is there for -me in that?... I sit here in a hole and stitch boots.... And by and by -I shall die. There is what they call cholera in the town.... Perhaps -it will find us out.;. Then they will merely say—'There was once a -certain Grigori Orloff, who made boots, and who died of cholera.' ... -What sense is there in that? Why is it necessary that I should live, -make boots and die? Eh?..."</p> - -<p>Matrona was silent? she was always upset when her husband spoke in -that tone; often she begged him not to talk like that, for it was like -speaking against God, who knew best how men's lives should be arranged. -Sometimes, when not too depressed, she would interject a remark full -of common-sense—"You shouldn't drink vodka, then you would live more -happily, and not frighten yourself with such thoughts. Others live and -don't complain; they save money, open a shop, and in time become their -own masters."</p> - -<p>"Stop talking nonsense, you stupid woman!" Grischka would exclaim -angrily. "Just consider a moment how can I possibly live without drink, -when that is my only pleasure? You talk about others ... how many -do you know pray, who have been fortunate enough to make themselves -independent? Was I not before my marriage quite a different sort of -fellow? I will just tell you the truth; it is you who give me so much -trouble, and who embitter my life ... you ugly frog!..."</p> - -<p>Matrona felt herself wronged when she heard these words. He was -certainly right in saying that he was jollier and more amiable when he -was drunk. The "others" however of whom she spoke, were a product of -her imagination. And that before his marriage he was more cheerful, -more entertaining, more good-natured—that also was true.... Now -however he had really grown like a wild beast.... "Am I indeed then -such a burden to him?" thought Matrona to herself. Her heart ached at -this painful thought—she felt pity for him and for herself. She went -up to him looked smilingly into his eyes, and pressed her head tenderly -against his breast.</p> - -<p>"Just look at that now! She finds time for wheedling me, the little -cow!..." grumbled Grischka, pretending to push her away from him. But -she knew very well that he would not do so, and pressed closer against -him.</p> - -<p>Then his eyes would suddenly brighten; he would throw his work on one -side, take her on his knee, and kiss her long and passionately; at the -same time sighing deeply and low, as if he feared that some one might -hear him, whilst he whispered in her ear—</p> - -<p>"Ah, Motrja! here we are living like cat and dog together ... we tear -each other like wild beasts; why is that so?... It seems to be my -fate.... Every man it seems is born under a certain star, and that star -is his fate."</p> - -<p>But this explanation was but poor comfort, and whilst he clasped his -wife closer to him, he fell into a dull state of despondency. For -a long time they sat thus in the dim twilight, surrounded by the -oppressive atmosphere of their cellar. Matrona only sighed and was -silent Sometimes however at these happy moments, the memory of her -undeserved sufferings and blows came across her and she would begin to -cry and sob softly. Her gentle reproaches moved him, and his caresses -became more and more warm. She however would go on complaining, and -make statements which finally exhausted his patience.</p> - -<p>"Shut up with your whining!" he cried harshly; "I suffer, very likely, -a thousand times more than you do, when I beat you.... Now be quiet, -will you? If one gives in the least bit to a woman, she will take -advantage of you at once. Leave off reproaching me! What is a man to do -whose life is a burden to him?"</p> - -<p>Another time, perhaps, his heart would melt under the torrent of -her tears, and pitiful complaints. Then he would say humbly and -thoughtfully—</p> - -<p>"What on earth am I to do, with the unfortunate disposition that I -possess? I have hurt you often, that is certain.... I know very well -that you are the only one in the world who cares for me, though I often -seem to forget it But it's like this, Motrja; sometimes it seems as if -I could no longer bear the sight of you ... as if I had had enough of -you for ever. And then, such a rage comes into my soul, as if I could -tear you and myself to pieces; and the more you are in the right, the -stronger the desire grows in me to beat you."</p> - -<p>She did not quite understand what he meant to express; but the -contrite, loving tone in which he spoke, touched her deeply.</p> - -<p>"God grant that we may both improve; that we may grow used to each -other," she said. "Perhaps it would be better if we had a child ... -then we should have something to care for, and to interest us," she -continued with a sigh.</p> - -<p>"Well then, bring one into the world!"</p> - -<p>"How can I bear a child, when you knock me about so?... always -striking me on the body and on the loins.... If only you would give up -kicking me so constantly!..."</p> - -<p>"How can one arrange the exact place where one kicks a person?"</p> - -<p>Grischka tried to excuse himself in a grumbling voice. "At any rate I -am not a brute! I don't do it for my pleasure, but only when that ache -comes over me ... and I can't help myself then...."</p> - -<p>"How is it that that aching feeling comes over you?" asked Matrona -gloomily.</p> - -<p>"You see, that's my fate, Motrja," Grischka philosophized. "My fate -and my disposition. Am I worse than others?... Worse, for instance, -than Lewtschenko, the 'Little Russian'? Certainly he takes life more -easily than I do, and does not know what this ache is. He is alone in -the world, and has no wife, no relations.... But without you I should -certainly die.... Yes, that 'Little Russian' is happy enough; he smokes -his pipe, and laughs, is lively and contented, the devil he is!... But -I can't live like that.... I certainly was born with unrest in my soul, -and have got that sort of disposition. Lewtschenko's nature is just -like a straight stick; mine is like a spring; the least pressure on -it makes it start vibrating.... For instance, I go along the street, -and see beautiful things on every hand—and nothing of it all belongs -to me. That makes me feel injured. The 'Little Russian,' he does not -need any of those things. But it makes me furious to think how that -moustached fellow is so entirely without needs, whilst I ... ah! I -don't even know what I want.... I should like to have everything, yes, -everything! But I sit here in this hole and work from morning till -night, and it all leads to nothing. We sit here together, you and I, -you my wife ... and what is the good of it all? What is there in you -to give me pleasure? You are a woman, like all the rest of women. You -can offer me nothing new; I know you through and through. I even know -how you will sneeze to-morrow. I know it so well, because I have heard -you sneeze a thousand times in the same way before.... What interest -can I find in such a life? That's what is wanting to me—interest in -life. Yes ... and that's why I go to the vodka-shop, because it's more -cheerful there...."</p> - -<p>"Then why on earth did you marry?" asked Matrona.</p> - -<p>"Why?" Grischka asked mockingly. "The devil only knows why! I have -often said I ought not to have done so. I ought instead to have joined -the ranks of the tramps, where I should have suffered hunger, but I -should have been free! Go where you will.... The whole world lies open -before you!"</p> - -<p>"Go then!... Set me free!" cried Matrona, with difficulty suppressing a -sob.</p> - -<p>"Where would you go then?" asked Grischka with angry interest.</p> - -<p>"That's my business!"</p> - -<p>"Where?" he shouted at her, a wild hatred flashing from his eyes.</p> - -<p>"Don't shout so; I'm not afraid of you!"</p> - -<p>"Have you already taken up with some one else?... Out with it!"</p> - -<p>"Just let me go!"</p> - -<p>"Where shall I let you go?" Grischka continued to shout.</p> - -<p>He tore the handkerchief from her head, and in his fury caught her by -the hair. His blows awoke her whole spirit of opposition, and all that -was worst in her; and the feeling of this anger gave her real pleasure, -thrilled every fibre of her soul. Instead of quenching his jealousy -with a few conciliatory words, she fed it all the more, whilst she -smiled in his face with a peculiarly meaning smile. His rage grew more -and more furious, and he beat her unmercifully.</p> - -<p>But in the night, when she, with her bruised and ill-used body, lay -groaning by his side, he would watch her from the corner of his eye, -and sigh heavily. His conscience troubled him, and he felt a painful -feeling of shame, as he realized that there was not the smallest -foundation for his jealousy, and that he had once more unjustly beaten -his wife.</p> - -<p>"Now then, stop sobbing!" he said in a remorseful tone. "Is it my -fault if I have that sort of character?... And it's a great deal your -fault.... Instead of speaking to me quietly, you try and aggravate me. -What is it makes you behave like that?"</p> - -<p>She did not answer, though she was quite conscious why she acted thus. -She knew that she was looking forward to the pitying and passionate -caresses with which he would seal her forgiveness. For the sake of -these caresses she was prepared to allow herself to be beaten every -day till the blood flowed, and she shed precious tears in the sole -expectation of this joy of reconciliation.</p> - -<p>"How do you feel now?... Come now, be quiet, Motrja! Come, my treasure, -forgive me?... do forgive me now!"</p> - -<p>He stroked her hair, kissed her tenderly, whilst he ground his teeth -with the bitterness which was eating into his soul.</p> - -<p>The window of their room stood open, but the sky was hidden by the -thick wall of the neighbouring houses, and in the cellar it was, as -usual, dark, damp, and sticky.</p> - -<p>"Ah! this life; it's a veritable prison!" whispered Grischka, unable to -put into words all the pain that was oppressing his soul, "This hole -that we live in is the cause of it all, Motrja! Whatever do we stay -here for?... It's just as if we were buried alive!"</p> - -<p>"Well, let's go into other lodgings," remarked Motrja through her -tears, taking his words literally.</p> - -<p>"It's not that, dear.... I did not mean that exactly.... For even if -we were to live in a garret we should still be living in a hole, and -all would remain exactly the same I It's not only the lodgings ... our -whole life is like a hole...."</p> - -<p>Matrona began to think over his words, and finally remarked, "God grant -that we may improve ... that we may get used to each other."</p> - -<p>"Yes, that things may improve ... you have often said that already. It -doesn't look much like it, Motrja.... The scandals we create become -more and more frequent."</p> - -<p>Motrja could not deny this. The intervals between her beatings grew -ever shorter and shorter, and Grischka would frequently begin the -trouble quite early on Saturday morning. He would commence by saying—</p> - -<p>"This evening, as soon as I have finished work, I am off to the -vodka-shop across the way, and I mean to have such a bout!"</p> - -<p>Motrja blinked her eyes, and was silent "Have you nothing to say about -it? Well, well! It's better to be silent.... It's better for you!" he -added threateningly. As the evening hour approached, he grew more -and more excited. He would speak to her over and over again of his -intention to get drunk. He knew only too well how painful it was to -her to hear such words, and he noticed how she went about in obstinate -silence, with a cold glance in her grey eyes, attending to her duties -in the cellar; and this made him feel all the more furious.</p> - -<p>In the evening Senka Tschischik, the herald of misfortune to the -inhabitants of the court, was able to report another battle having been -fought at the Orloffs'.</p> - -<p>When Grischka had beaten his wife black and blue, he disappeared -sometimes for the whole night, not even coming back to the house for -Sunday. Finally he would return, dirty, and with bloodshot eyes, to -his home. Matrona would receive him in silence, wearing a severe -expression, but full of secret pity. She knew that under these -circumstances he would like nothing better than a drop of spirits, and -already had a bottle of vodka prepared for him.</p> - -<p>"Come, pour me out a glass!" he cried in a hoarse voice, and after -swallowing two, he would sit down to work.</p> - -<p>The whole of that day he would be troubled with pricks of conscience, -which often became so severe and painful that he could not bear -himself. He would throw down his work, and uttering wild words of -self-reproach would pace up and down the room, or would throw himself -on the bed. Motrja would give him time to get over this attack of -remorse, and then they would make it up again.</p> - -<p>At first these reconciliations were full of much that was tender -and sweet, but after a time this delight disappeared entirely, and -they simply made it up, because it was impossible to remain a whole -week—that is to say, till the following Saturday—without speaking to -each other.</p> - -<p>"Are you going to destroy yourself, then, altogether with that vodka?" -sighed Motrja.</p> - -<p>"It's possible," replied Grischka, spitting on one side, with the look -of a man to whom it was quite immaterial whether he destroyed himself -or not "And you will end by running away from me?..." he continued -generally, exaggerating the picture of the future, and looking -searchingly into her eyes.</p> - -<p>For some time past she had cast down her eyes whenever he had spoken -in this way; though at first she had never done so. Grischka, when he -noticed this, frowned threateningly, and ground his teeth ominously. As -a matter of fact Matrona was just now doing her very best to win back -his heart She visited the fortune-teller's and wise women, and brought -back with her all sorts of charms and spells in order to gain this -object When none of these had any effect she paid for a mass in honour -of the martyr St Boniface, the patron saint against drunkenness; -during the whole mass she knelt in a dark corner of the church crying -bitterly, whilst her trembling lips moved in wordless prayer.</p> - -<p>But ever more and more often her soul became possessed with a cold -feeling of hatred against Grischka, which awoke within her dark -thoughts. She felt ever less and less pity towards this man, who three -years ago, with his joyful laugh and his loving words, had given to -her whole life such full delight and pleasure.... Thus lived, from one -day's end to another, these two children of men, who at heart were -neither of them evilly disposed; whilst they waited with fatalistic -simplicity for something to happen, which would break into and dispel -their present meaningless, and terrible life.</p> - - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<h4><a name="CHAPTER_III" id="CHAPTER_III">CHAPTER III</a></h4> - -<p>One Monday morning, just as the Orloffs had finished their breakfast, -there appeared on the threshold of their unfriendly-looking dwelling -the imposing form of a police-officer. Grischka Orloff sprang -frightened from his seat, and catching a glimpse of a startled and -reproachful look in his wife's eye, made vain efforts to recall to his -dulled brain the events of the last few days. Matrona watched him with -looks that spoke of anxious reproach. In obstinate silence, though -full of scared expectation, Grischka turned his troubled eyes on the -unexpected guest.</p> - -<p>"This way! Down here!" cried the police-officer to some one who was -coming down behind him.</p> - -<p>"It's as dark as a vault here!... What a devil's hole is this merchant -Petounukoff's house!" The words were spoken in a young, cheerful voice.</p> - -<p>The police-officer moved on one side, and, with a rapid step, a -medical student in a white coat entered the Orloffs' dwelling, holding -his cap in his hand. His head was smooth shaven, his forehead high -and sunburnt; he had cheerful brown eyes, which smiled through his -spectacles.</p> - -<p>"Good-morning!" he exclaimed, in his still youthful ringing alto -voice. "I have the honour to introduce myself to you; I am a member -of the Sanitary Commission. I have come to inquire about the state -in which you live here, and just to report what sort of air you are -breathing.... It's quite abominable air!"</p> - -<p>Orloff breathed more freely, and a look of relief passed across his -face. From the first moment, the medical student, with his boisterous -unaffected ways, pleased him; the healthy young face, covered on -cheeks and chin with fair downy hair, had something so friendly and -good-natured in it The fresh free laughter of the young man brought -into the Orloffs' cellar a ray of light and of brightness.</p> - -<p>"Now, my good people," continued the student, after a pause; "you might -empty the slop-pail a little more often, for it is from that this -horrible smell comes. I should like to advise you, my good woman, to -wash it out more often, and to place chloride of lime in the corners of -the room. That will purify the air, and it's a very good remedy against -the damp. And you, my fine fellow—why do you look so upset?" He turned -towards Orloff, seized his hand suddenly, and felt his pulse. The quick -assured manner of the medical student impressed the Orloffs to such -a degree that they seemed at first to be struck dumb. Matrona smiled -constrainedly and watched him in silence, whilst Grigori seemed as if -refreshed by the sight of the open fair young face.</p> - -<p>"Well, and how are your stomachs feeling?" asked the medical student -"You can speak out openly to me without any fuss—it's a question you -see of life and death.... If anything is not quite right we will treat -you gratis with some simple citrate medicine or something of that sort, -and you will be all right in a few days."</p> - -<p>"We can't complain; we are fairly healthy," said Grigori, smiling. -"And if I don't seem quite up to the mark, it's nothing out of the -common—to tell the truth, I took a drop too much last night...."</p> - -<p>"That I had already guessed, for my nose told me so.... Of course it -was only a <i>small</i> glass too much? Only half a glass or so?..."</p> - -<p>Grischka could not contain himself when listening to the comical way -in which this was said, and watching the sly grimace which accompanied -it; and he burst into a loud good-tempered laugh. Matrona smiled also -behind her apron. The medical student, who, at first had laughed with -them for company, then changed to a more serious expression. As the -lines of his face altered, it appeared even more open and candid than -before.</p> - -<p>"That a man who is working should drink a glass from time to time—that -is all right," said he. "But as I have just said, it must be taken in -moderation, and as times are now it is better to keep away from drink -altogether. Have you already heard about the epidemic that is just now -raging in the town?"</p> - -<p>And with a serious expression on his face, he began to tell the -Orloffs about the cholera, and the means to be taken to counteract it; -trying to express himself as clearly and as simply as possible. Whilst -talking, he was busily examining the room, feeling the walls with his -hands, looking behind the door, stooping down to peep into the stove, -and sniffing about everywhere with his nose. His voice, which had not -yet completely changed, alternated between bass and treble, and the -simple forms of words which he used impressed themselves unconsciously -on the minds of his audience. His brown eyes gleamed, and seemed full -of youthful enthusiasm for the work to which he had dedicated himself -so earnestly and simply.</p> - -<p>Grigori hung eagerly on every one of his words, and followed -with curiosity all his movements. Matrona listened also, without -understanding very much; the police-officer had already gone off.</p> - -<p>"Be careful to use chloride of lime as I have told you. Close by here -is a new building; for a couple of kopecks they will give you a whole -heap of it. And, about the drink, it's better to leave it alone for a -while, my friend. Well, good-day to you I I shall soon be looking you -up again...."</p> - -<p>And he disappeared as quickly as he came, and left as it were as a -recollection of his pleasant visit, a contented, happy smile on the -faces of the couple.</p> - -<p>For a time they were silent, both looking at each other, unable to -put into words the impression which this sudden visit, with all its -revelation of well-directed energy, had made on the monotonous tenor of -their dull automatic life.</p> - -<p>"Just think, now!" began Grigori at last, shaking his head, "what a -sorcerer that fellow is!... And they tell us that those are the men who -poison people! Can a man with a face like that have anything to do with -those sort of goings on?... And that cheerful clear voice, and all the -rest of it!... No, it's all open and above board, it's all straight! -He comes in quite simply—'Here I am, my good people; listen to what I -have to say!' Chloride of lime, that can't hurt And citric acid, that's -just an acid, and nothing more.... The principal thing, however, is -to keep clean, to have everything clean indoors, and to attend to the -slop-bucket Can a man be poisoned by attending to those sort of things? -They must be stupid folk who talk like that!... Poisoners, they call -them? Yes, that's it.... To think that such a dear fellow as that could -be a poisoner! Pfui!... 'He who works may drink a glass,' he said; 'of -course with moderation.' Did you hear, Matrona? Well, pour me out one, -then. Is there one left?"</p> - -<p>Matrona hastened to pour him out a glass of vodka, which she produced -from some hiding-place.</p> - -<p>"He is really a very nice fellow; there is something so friendly about -him," she said, still smiling at the thought of the student. "But who -can say what the others may be like? Perhaps they are indeed hired -to——"</p> - -<p>"What do you mean?... Hired to do what?" roared Grigori.</p> - -<p>"Well, to put folk out of the way.... It seems there is an order that -all the poor people are to be poisoned when there are too many of -them," added Motrja.</p> - -<p>"Who told you that?"</p> - -<p>"Well, everybody says so.... The painter's cook says so also.... And -lots of others say the same thing."</p> - -<p>"A lot of silly fools! What would the Government gain by it? Just think -a moment! First they would have to treat us all with medicine; and -then they would have to pay for the funerals, the coffins, the graves, -and all that sort of thing. That all costs something, and it all has -to come out of the coffers of the State.... That's all idle chatter; -if they really want to get rid of a few of the poor people, they have -only got to send them out to Siberia; there's room for them all there; -or to some uninhabited island, where they can dig the ground, work -and pay taxes! Can't you understand? Don't you see that would be the -right sort of way of thinning out the people, and would be at the same -time advantageous.... For an uninhabited island produces nothing; but -workers, who pay taxes, are the most important matter for the State -coffers. But what sense would there be in poisoning people and burying -them?... There would be no sense in it, don't you see? And then about -the medical students; they are certainly a troublesome lot, but more -especially because they are always in opposition to the authorities, -than because they poison people.... No, you won't catch a medical -student doing that, not for all the money in the world!... One can see -at once that these students are not that sort."</p> - -<p>The whole day they talked of the medical student, and of the advice he -had given them. They spoke of his cheerful laugh, of his expression, -and they remembered that there was a button missing on his coat But -on the question as to whether it was missing on the right side or -the left, they could not agree; and they nearly came to pulling one -another's hair over it. Twice already Grischka had made his wife -angry, but he noticed in time that her bottle still contained a good -drop of vodka; so in the end he gave in to her. They made resolutions -to commence cleaning up their cellar the next day, and then began once -more to talk of the student, whose entry into their home had acted on -them like a refreshing breath of fresh air.</p> - -<p>"By heavens, but he's a regular jolly lad!" said Grigori delighted. "He -comes in as simply as if he had known us for years, gives the necessary -directions, and there's an end of it.... All without noise or fuss, -though he had a right to use authority.... That's the sort of fellow -that takes my fancy! One sees at once that he has a heart for people -like us.... What say you, Motrja? They don't want us to die, that's -all about it I And all this women's chatter about poisoning and that -sort of thing—that's all rubbish. 'How are your stomachs getting on?' -he asked. If he wants to poison me what can it matter to him how my -stomach is? And how cleverly he explained all that.... What the devil -did he call those—those worms that get into our insides?"</p> - -<p>"'Bactery,' or some word like that," answered Motrja, with a sneer. -"But he only told us that to frighten us, so as to make us more careful -about being clean...."</p> - -<p>"Who knows, perhaps it is true! Perhaps there are animals of that -sort—in the damp all kinds of creatures live! Damn it all, what was -the name of those little beasts? Bac—bactery—that was not quite -it.... If I could only pronounce it I.... It's just on the tip of my -tongue, but I can't get it out!..."</p> - -<p>Once again, in the evening when they lay down to sleep, they spoke -about the event of the day with the most naďve excitement, just as -children have the habit of chattering with each other about some strong -impression they may have received. And they fell asleep in the middle -of the conversation.</p> - -<p>In the morning they woke up early. At their bedside stood the painter's -stout cook; her usually healthy, rosy-coloured face was now white and -leaden-looking.</p> - -<p>"How is it you are still in bed?".she began at once in an excited -voice, speaking with trembling lips. "The cholera has started here in -the courtyard! The Lord has visited us...!" and she began suddenly to -sob aloud.</p> - -<p>"What nonsense! It can't be true!" cried Grigori In a scared voice.</p> - -<p>"And I forgot again last night to carry out the slop-bucket!" said -Matrona with contrition.</p> - -<p>"I have come in to say good-bye to you, my dear friends," said the -cook. "I have decided to leave, and go back to my village."</p> - -<p>"Who is in for it?" asked Grigori, jumping out of bed.</p> - -<p>"The accordion-player. He drank last evening some cold water from the -pump, and in the night he was taken with dreadful cramps."</p> - -<p>"The accordion-player?" muttered Grigori. It seemed to him quite -incredible that any sort of illness could hurt that strong fellow. -Yesterday only he crossed the yard as cheerful and as proud as a -peacock.</p> - -<p>"I shall just go and see what is going on," said Grischka, still -smiling incredulously.</p> - -<p>"But it is catching, Grischka!" screamed Matrona, horrified.</p> - -<p>"What do you want to be doing there, man? Stay here!" cried the cook.</p> - -<p>Grigori muttered a few curses, and began to dress himself hastily -without washing, and went out just as he was into the yard.</p> - -<p>Matrona caught hold of him by the shoulders to hold him back; he felt -how her hand trembled, but he shook her off against her will.</p> - -<p>"Get away, or something will happen!" he shouted out, pushing her back, -and he strode out by the door.</p> - -<p>The courtyard seemed empty and quiet.... Whilst Grigori walked towards -the accordion-player's room a feeling of fear took possession of him; -but this was followed by an immediate sense of satisfaction that he -should be the only one in the house who had the courage to visit the -sick man. This feeling increased when he noticed that the tailor's -apprentices were watching him from the windows of the second-floor. -In order to appear quite free from fear he whistled as he went along. -At the door, however, of the accordion-player's room he met with a -slight surprise. He was not the first to visit the sick man; Senka -Tschischik was there before him. Senka was just sticking his nose -through the crack of the door, and observing in his usual fashion, with -intense curiosity, all that was going on in the room. He did not notice -Orloff's approach till the latter took him by the ear.</p> - -<p>"Just look, Uncle Grischka, how the cramps have got hold of him!" he -whispered, lifting his dirty little face, which, under the impression -of what he had just been witnessing, seemed more sharp-set than ever. -"How parched and dried up he looks. By Jove! he looks like a dry cask!"</p> - -<p>Orloff was quite overcome by the pestiferous atmosphere which -was issuing from the room. He stood there silently, listening to -Tschischik, whilst watching with one eye through the narrow crack of -the partly open door.</p> - -<p>"We ought, perhaps, to give him some water to drink, Uncle Grigori," -said Tschischik.</p> - -<p>Orloff glanced at the excited, nervous, trembling face of the child, -and felt within himself the desire to help the sufferer.</p> - -<p>"Be off, quick, and get some water!" he ordered Senka. Then he opened -wide the door of the sick man's room, and stepped boldly across the -threshold.</p> - -<p>Through the mist, which seemed to have arisen before his eyes, Grigori -saw poor Kisljakoff. The accordion-player, dressed in his best clothes, -leant all of a heap against the table, pressing convulsively his body -against the edge, which he held with both his hands. His feet, still -wearing the patent leather boots, dangled helplessly on the damp floor.</p> - -<p>"Who is there?" asked the sick man in a hollow, apathetic, changed -voice.</p> - -<p>Grigori moved a step nearer, treading carefully over the damp boards, -and trying to speak in even cheerful tone of voice.</p> - -<p>"It is!—brother Mitri Pawlow.... What's the matter with you, then? -This is a queer sort of music you are making here! Did you have a drop -too much yesterday?"</p> - -<p>He looked at Kisljakoff with terrified curiosity, for he scarcely -recognized him. The accordion-player's face had taken on it a drawn -angular expression; the cheek-bones stood out sharply. The deep-sunk -eyes, surrounded by black rings, looked unusually fixed and staring. -The skin had turned the colour of a corpse in summer-time. Orloff felt -he was looking into the leaden face of a dying man. Only the slow -movement of the jaws showed that what was before him was still a living -body.... For some time Kisljakoff stared with motionless, glassy eyes -into Grigori's face; and this dying stare frightened Orloff. It seemed -to him as if a damp, cold hand had seized him by the throat, and was -slowly strangling him. And he felt within him the desire to leave as -soon as possible this room, which used to be so pleasant and gay, but -which now seemed unnaturally cold, and filled with such a horrible foul -smell of decay and rottenness.</p> - -<p>"Come now," said he, preparing to leave the room.</p> - -<p>Suddenly a sort of change passed over the grey face of the -accordion-player. The lips, which were tinged with a leaden-coloured -shade, opened, and he said in a low monotonous voice—</p> - -<p>"I—must—d—die."</p> - -<p>These three words, uttered so apathetically, struck Orloff's head and -heart like three dull strokes. He turned, as if stunned, towards the -door, where he was met by Tschischik, hot and perspiring, who was -returning with a bucket of water.</p> - -<p>"Here's some water from Spridinoff's well!... They did not want to let -me take it, the dogs!"</p> - -<p>He placed the bucket on the ground, disappeared quickly into a corner -of the room, and re-appeared with a glass, which he handed to Orloff. -Then he went on chattering—</p> - -<p>"They said we had cholera here. Well, I said, what does that matter?... -It will come to you, too—it's going all round the town. Then I got a -box on the ear...."</p> - -<p>Orloff took the glass, filled it from the bucket, and drank it off in -one draught In his ears still rang the words of the sick man—</p> - -<p>"I—must—die."</p> - -<p>Tschischik wriggled about the room like an eel; he seemed to be quite -in his element.</p> - -<p>"Give me water," moaned the accordion-player, leaning his trembling -body forward on the table.</p> - -<p>Tschischik ran up to him and held a glass of water to his black, -swelled lips. Grigori stood as if spell-bound or in a bad dream, -leaning against the wall near the door. He heard how the sick man -gulped down the water, and how Tschischik asked him if he should -undress him and put him on the bed; and then he heard once more the -voice of the painter's cook. He could see her fat face glancing with -an expression of mingled fear and pity from one of the windows of the -courtyard, as she said in a whining tone—"Mix two tablespoonfuls of -soot with pine-juice and rum, and give it to him."</p> - -<p>Some one whom he could not see, but who stood behind her, recommended -cucumber-pickle and aqua regia.</p> - -<p>Orloff felt suddenly with a clear flash the strong silent voice of his -soul speaking. In order to strengthen the flickering flame, he rubbed -his forehead briskly; then he left the room suddenly, ran across the -yard, and disappeared down the street.</p> - -<p>"Oh, Lord!... The cobbler's taken ill now!... He's run off to the -Infirmary!" cried loudly the cook.</p> - -<p>Matrona stood near her, with wide-open eyes, and trembling in her whole -body.</p> - -<p>"You're a liar!" she said angrily, though her white lips could -scarcely pronounce the words. "My Grischka could not catch this filthy -complaint. He'd never give way to it."</p> - -<p>But the cook was not listening to her; she had already gone off -somewhere else, talking excitedly as she went along. Five minutes later -quite a crowd of neighbours and passers-by had assembled before the -merchant Petounukoff's house. There they stood, whispering together -under their breath, and on each of their faces one could read the -same feeling of terror, nervous excitement and hopeless misery—mixed -with secret rage on the part of some, and of fictitious boldness on -that of others. Tschischik ran backwards and forwards between the -courtyard and the sick man's room, bringing each time to the curious -crowd of onlookers some fresh piece of news about the condition of the -accordion-player.</p> - -<p>The crowd stood tightly pressed together, and filled the dusty, -foul-smelling air of the street with its half-uttered whispers. From -time to time a loud oath from some undistinguishable quarter was heard; -an oath as senseless as it was malicious.</p> - -<p>"Look there; there's Orloff coming!"</p> - -<p>Orloff drove up on an ambulance-van covered over with a white awning, -which stopped at the door of the old house. He was seated by the side -of the driver, a dark-looking man, who was also dressed in white linen.</p> - -<p>"Make way there! Get out of the way!" shouted the driver of the -carriage, in a deep bass voice to the bystanders.</p> - -<p>He drove right into the midst of the crowd, so that they scattered -to right and left, falling over each other. The sight of the -ambulance-van, and the rough voice of the driver, both helped to calm -the excited feelings of the onlookers, and many of them left their -posts of observation. Close behind the driver was to be seen the -medical student, who had the day before visited the Orloffs. His hat -was on the back of his head, big drops of perspiration stood out on his -forehead. He wore a long, dazzlingly white coat, in front of which a -big hole had been burnt out with some strong acid.</p> - -<p>"Now then, Orloff! Where's the sick man?" asked the student in a loud -voice, throwing a critical glance at the bystanders, who were loitering -about in small knots, partially concealed behind the comers of the -gates.</p> - -<p>"Look out! There's the cook coming," cried some one.</p> - -<p>"Take care, or he'll cook you something you don't like!" replied a -second voice in a vicious tone.</p> - -<p>The would-be wit, who is always to be found in a crowd, shouted out, -"Just wait; he'll cook a broth for you that won't agree with your -stomach!"</p> - -<p>The crowd laughed, but it was a mirthless laugh, a mixture of fear and -of distrust.</p> - -<p>"They don't seem to be afraid of the infection themselves.... That's -rather difficult to understand," some one in the crowd remarked, with a -meaning look, but in a voice that betrayed hatred. Under the impression -of this question the faces in the crowd took on once more threatening -expressions, and the conversation fell to low whispers.</p> - -<p>"Look, they are bringing him out now!"</p> - -<p>"Orloff is carrying him! Just look what a bold fellow he is!"</p> - -<p>"It's true, he has plenty of courage."</p> - -<p>"What does it matter for a sot like him? What has he to be afraid of?"</p> - -<p>"Carefully, carefully, Orloff! Lift his legs higher ... that's right -Ate you ready?... Drive on, Peter!" the student ordered. "Tell the -doctor I will follow him directly.... I beg of you, Mr. Orloff, to stay -here for a time and help me to disinfect the place.... You might take -this opportunity of learning what to do in case of necessity some other -time. Is it agreed? Yes?"</p> - -<p>"We can set about it at once," said Orloff with visible pride, glancing -round at the crowd.</p> - -<p>"I will help too!" cried Tschischik.</p> - -<p>He had followed the ambulance-van up to the door of the Infirmary, -and had already returned in time to offer his services to the medical -student The latter looked at him over his spectacles.</p> - -<p>"Who are you, my little chap?"</p> - -<p>"I am the apprentice here at the painter's," replied Tschischik.</p> - -<p>"And you are not afraid of the cholera?"</p> - -<p>"I ... afraid?" replied Senka, astonished. "I am not afraid of anything -in the world."</p> - -<p>"Is that so?... Well, that's all right.... Just listen now, my friends."</p> - -<p>The student sat down on a barrel which stood in the yard, and, whilst -he rocked himself backwards and forwards on it, he began to explain -to Orloff and Tschischik how, before everything else, they must be -scrupulously clean in their own persons.</p> - -<p>A few minutes later Matrona, smiling anxiously, joined the group in -the courtyard. The cook followed her, wiping her tear-stained eyes with -a damp apron. One by one the crowd followed, approaching the group -where sat the student, with furtive steps as a cat might approach a -sparrow. After about a dozen people had collected, the student became -more enthusiastic and interested, for he observed the increasing -attention paid to what he was saying. Standing in their midst, and -gesticulating as he spoke, he gave a sort of lecture, raising by turns -a laugh, or calling forth an expression of distrust.</p> - -<p>"The principal thing, gentlemen, in all cases of illness is cleanliness -in your own persons, and good fresh air," thus he instructed his -listeners.</p> - -<p>"But those who keep clean manage to die all the same!" remarked one of -the audience.</p> - -<p>"Ah! dear Lord!" sighed the painter's cook out loud. "It would be -better to pray to the holy martyr St. Barbara to save us from a sudden -death!"</p> - -<p>Orloff stood near his wife, and though apparently occupied with his own -thoughts, watched the student with a fixed stare. Suddenly he felt some -one pull his sleeve.</p> - -<p>"Little Uncle Grigori!" whispered Tschischik in his ear, standing on -tiptoe, and looking at the cobbler with small round eyes that glowed -like burning coals. "The poor Mitri Pavlovitch is going to die. He has -no relations—what will become of his accordion?"</p> - -<p>"Keep quiet, you little imp!" Orloff replied, and pushed him on one -side.</p> - -<p>Senka looked in at the window of the room from which they had just -carried out the accordion-player, his eyes searching round with a -covetous glance.</p> - -<p>"Well, as a final word of caution, my friends, use plenty of chloride -of lime!" the student's voice was heard once more saying.</p> - - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<h4><a name="CHAPTER_IV" id="CHAPTER_IV">CHAPTER IV</a></h4> - - -<p>Towards the end of this disturbed day, whilst the Orloffs were sitting -at tea, Matrona asked her husband in a tone of curiosity, "Where did -you go just now with the student?"</p> - -<p>Grigori seemed to be looking at her as through a mist, and he poured -his tea from the cup into the saucer without replying.</p> - -<p>Towards mid-day, after they had disinfected the accordion-player's -room, both Grigori and the sanitary officer had gone off together. On -his return, Grigori had remained for nearly three hours in a silent, -thoughtful mood. He had lain down on the bed, and had remained there -till tea-time, his face turned up towards the ceiling, without speaking -a word. In vain had Matrona tried, over and over again, to begin a -conversation with him. He did not once swear, even when she worried -him. This was quite an uncommon occurrence which gave her much cause -for thought With the instinct of the woman whose life is absorbed in -that of her husband, she guessed at once that something new had come -between them. She felt alarmed, and was all the more curious to find -out what had really happened.</p> - -<p>"Come, arn't you feeling very well, Grischka?" she began once more.</p> - -<p>Grigori gulped down the last drop of tea from his saucer, wiped his -moustache with his sleeve, handed the cup to his wife, and said with a -dark frown, "I was with the medical student, up at the Infirmary."</p> - -<p>"What, in the cholera hospital?" exclaimed Matrona, in a scared voice; -and then added, terrified, "Are there many folk there?"</p> - -<p>"Fifty-three people, counting the one they brought from here."</p> - -<p>"You don't say so?—and——"</p> - -<p>"About a dozen are getting better, they can already walk about; but -they are quite yellow and thin."</p> - -<p>"Are they really cholera patients...? Or have they been changed for -others?—so that the doctors might be able to say they had cured them?"</p> - -<p>"You stupid goose!" cried Grigori roughly, throwing an angry look at -her. "What a lot of foolish people you are, all of you! It is ignorance -and stupidity, nothing else! One can stick here all one's days in blind -ignorance—understanding nothing!"</p> - -<p>He pulled the cup of tea, which Matrona had just poured out for him, -violently towards him, and was silent.</p> - -<p>"I should like to know where you get all your great wisdom?" said -Matrona mockingly.</p> - -<p>Orloff did not pay the least attention to her words. He grew as silent -as before, and appeared quite unapproachable. The samovar was nearly -extinguished, only a simmering sound escaping from it. There came into -the windows from across the yard a smell of oil-paints, carbolic, and -dirty slops. This smell, blending with the twilight of evening, and the -monotonous singing of the samovar, awoke in the narrow close cellar a -sensation, which lay with the weight of a nightmare on its occupants. -The black ghastly mouth of the stove seemed to look at them menacingly, -as if about to devour them. For a long time the Orloffs sat there in -silence, nibbling sugar, gulping down mouthfuls of tea, and fidgeting -with the tea-things. Matrona sighed, and Grigori drummed with his -fingers on the tea-table.</p> - -<p>"I never saw such cleanliness as reigns there!—never saw anything like -it!" Grischka broke in suddenly on the silence.</p> - -<p>"Every one of the attendants wears white linen clothes; the sick people -have baths as often as it is necessary—and they get wine to drink at -five and a half roubles a bottle! And the food!... The smell is almost -enough for one; it's so delicious! There is such care—such attention! -—no mother could be kinder to a child. Yes, yes! when one comes to -think of it! Here we live, and not a soul bothers his head about us, -asks us how we are, or how we are getting on;—whether we are happy -or unhappy—whether we have anything to put in our mouths or not But -as soon as it's a case of dying, then they can't do enough for one, -they will go to any expense. These infirmaries, for instance—and the -wine—five and a half roubles the bottle! Don't the fellows reason -then, what all that is going to cost them? They had better have spent -it in helping the living every year a little."</p> - -<p>Matrona did not trouble to try and follow what he was saying. It was -sufficient for her that his thoughts had taken a new direction, and -that now her relations with Grigori would be on a different footing. -She was quite convinced that this would be the result, and foresaw only -too quickly what the consequences of this spiritual change would be to -her. Fear and hope moved her, together with a feeling of enmity against -her husband.</p> - -<p>"They'll know very well what to do without you," she said ironically, -drawing down the corners of her mouth.</p> - -<p>Grigori shrugged his shoulders, glancing askance at her; then continued -to speak in still more meaning tones, this time watching her -attentively.</p> - -<p>"Whether they know it or not that is their business.... But if I have -to die without seeing something of life, then I shall be the first to -whom such a thing happens!... Understand then, this time of torment -must come to an end! I won't sit here any longer, and wait till the -cholera comes to me as it did to the accordion-player, and carries me -off to the grave. No, I won't, I can't! I would rather go boldly and -meet it.... Peter, the student, said to me—'If Fate is against you, -just show that you also can oppose Fate. You can but try which is the -stronger.... It's simply a battle—nothing more.' You ask what is the -matter with me?... I mean to go as an attendant in the Infirmary! do -you understand?... I will crawl right into the jaws that threaten, and -they may swallow me up, but at least I will defend myself with my hands -and my feet!... I shan't be so badly off there; I shall get twenty -roubles a month, besides tips, and my keep. It's just possible that -I shall die there; but that might happen here!... At any rate it's a -change in one's life."</p> - -<p>He struck the table with his fist in wild excitement, so that the -tea-things clattered and danced.</p> - -<p>Matrona had listened to him at first full of curiosity and -disquietude, but towards the end she interrupted angrily.</p> - -<p>"The medical student has been advising you to do this, hasn't he?" she -asked in a meaning voice.</p> - -<p>"Haven't I my own reason to go by? Can't I take a decision for myself?" -answered Grigori, evading a direct answer.</p> - -<p>"Well!—and what am I to do meanwhile?"</p> - -<p>"What are you to do?" asked Grigori, astonished. He had not once -thought about this side of the question. The simplest way, of course, -would be for him to leave his wife in their old lodgings. But wives -are not always trustworthy, and he had not entire confidence in his -Matrona. She required, according to him, a good deal of looking after. -Struck by this thought, Grigori continued sullenly—</p> - -<p>"The most simple thing would be for you to remain here. I shall always -get my wages, and that will keep you. Hm!—yes," he said, apparently -anxious to hear what she would reply to this.</p> - -<p>"It's all the same to me," she answered quietly.</p> - -<p>And once more he noticed cross her face that woman's smile, which -seemed to him to possess a double meaning, and which had so often -before awoke in him a feeling of jealousy. It aroused his anger now -just in the same way, but he knew how to control himself, and said -abruptly, "It's all nonsense, all that you say!"</p> - -<p>He looked at her irritably, full of expectation of what she would -reply. She however was silent, but continued to annoy him with the same -provoking smile.</p> - -<p>"Well!—what's to be done?" asked Grigori at last in a higher key.</p> - -<p>"Yes, what's to be done?" replied Matrona indifferently, drying the -teacups.</p> - -<p>"You had better not play me any tricks, you serpent!—you had better -not, or you will get one over the head!" raged Orloff. "It may be I am -going to my death!"</p> - -<p>"Well, don't go then—I don't send you," replied Matrona quietly.</p> - -<p>"Anyhow, I know that you are glad I am going," continued Orloff with a -sneer.</p> - -<p>She was for once silent. This silence aggravated his rage, but he -controlled himself so as not to destroy this moment of resolution by a -horrid scene of wife-beating.</p> - -<p>And suddenly there entered his mind a thought, which appeared to him -more diabolical than the aggravating mood of his wife.</p> - -<p>"I feel certain you want me to be underground," he said, "but just wait -a little—we'll see who gets there first!—yes, that we will! I'll do -something that will settle your business, my good woman!"</p> - -<p>He jumped up from the table, took his cap in his hand, and hurried -out. Matrona remained behind alone. She was dissatisfied with the -result of her manoeuvres, and upset by his threats. With a steadily -growing feeling of fear, she thought about the future. She looked out -of the window and whispered softly to herself, "Oh! Lord God! King of -heaven! Holy Mother of God!"</p> - -<p>She sat for a long time at the table, filled with terror-stricken -presentiments, trying in vain to guess what was really the matter with -Grigori. Before her stood the clean tea-things. The setting sun threw -a great streak of light across the massive wall of the neighbour's -house, which stood opposite the window of their room; the whiteness -of the wall reflected this light, causing it to fall straight across -the cellar and sparkle on the glass sugar-basin standing in front of -Matrona. She watched with wrinkled brow this glimmer of light till her -eyes grew tired. Then she rose, put the tea-things away, and lay down -on the bed; she was feeling anxious and heavy-hearted.</p> - -<p>When Grigori returned it was already dark. She could tell by the way he -walked that he was in a good temper. He did not swear at the darkness -of the room, but called Matrona by her name, and then went up to the -bed and sat down on it Matrona raised herself and sat by his side.</p> - -<p>"Guess what's the latest news!" began Orloff, smiling.</p> - -<p>"Well, what is it?"</p> - -<p>"You are going to take a situation also."</p> - -<p>"Where?" she asked with stammering lips.</p> - -<p>"In the same Infirmary as I shall be in," he explained in an impressive -tone of voice.</p> - -<p>She fell on his neck, pressed him closely to her breast, and kissed -his lips. He did not expect this and pushed her away. "She is only -pretending," he said to himself. "The cunning creature, she does not -really want to be with me! She thinks me a fool, the little serpent!"</p> - -<p>"Well, why are you so pleased about it?" he asked in a rough voice that -was hill of distrust He would have liked to have pushed her off the bed.</p> - -<p>"I am only so pleased," she said, smiling happily.</p> - -<p>"Don't try and humbug me; I know you!"</p> - -<p>"My dear brave knight!"</p> - -<p>"Shut up—or I'll give you something!"</p> - -<p>"My dear, dear Grischanja!"</p> - -<p>"Just say straight out what you want from me!"</p> - -<p>Finally, when her endearments had appeased him a little, he asked her -anxiously—</p> - -<p>"Are you not frightened then at all?"</p> - -<p>"But we shall be together!" she answered at once simply.</p> - -<p>It was pleasant to him to hear her say this, and he replied gratefully—</p> - -<p>"You are indeed a plucky little wife!"</p> - -<p>Then he pinched her till she screamed.</p> - - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<h4><a name="CHAPTER_V" id="CHAPTER_V">CHAPTER V</a></h4> - - -<p>During the first days of their service, the Orloffs found an immense -deal to do. Many sick people were daily brought to the Infirmary, and -the two novices, who were only accustomed to the tedious weariness of -their former life, felt at first very uncomfortable in the midst of -this rapid, pulsating, busy rush into which they were suddenly thrown. -They lost their heads, and failed to understand at once the orders that -were given them; whilst they became confused with all the different -impressions that poured in upon them. And though they had the firm -intention of making themselves useful, running hither and thither full -of zeal, they succeeded nevertheless in doing very little work, and too -often got into the way of other people. Grigori felt more than once -that he had indeed deserved a reproof for his clumsiness, but to his -astonishment no one took it upon them to reprove him.</p> - -<p>One of the doctors, a tall dark man with a black moustache and a hooked -nose, with an enormous wart over his right eyebrow, told Grigori to -help one of the patients into the bath-room; the new attendant, eager -to be useful, seized hold of the patient with such a show of zeal that -he called out and groaned.</p> - -<p>"Take care, my man! Don't break him in two!" said the doctor quite -seriously. "We've got to get him into the bath-room whole.... These -words confused Orloff. The patient, however, a long thin fellow, smiled -constrainedly, and said in a hollow voice—" He doesn't understand yet -... he's a new hand....</p> - -<p>The head doctor, an old gentleman with a pointed grey beard and great -flashing eyes, had told the Orloffs when they first came into the -Infirmary how they should manage the patients, and what they had to do -under certain circumstances. At the end of his instructions he asked -them if they had taken a bath lately, and then gave them out white -aprons. The voice of this old gentleman had in it something pleasing -and sympathetic, and the Orloffs felt they should like him. But -half-an-hour afterwards they had forgotten all his instructions in the -noisy rush of work in the Infirmary.</p> - -<p>People in white clothes ran up against them; commands which were -carried out with lightning speed by the attendants, sounded in their -ears; the patients groaned, sobbed and sighed; water flowed splashing -and hissing from the taps; and this blending of sounds seemed to fill -the air, which was already saturated with sharp unpleasant smells that -irritated the nose; and it seemed to Orloff that every word of the -doctors, every sigh of the patients, was impregnated with the same -smell.</p> - -<p>At first all this appeared to him like a wild chaos, in which he -could never feel at home, but which worked on him increasingly in a -depressing, bewildering way. But after a few hours he was seized by the -strong current of energy which flowed through everything. He pricked up -his ears, and felt a burning desire to get into the swim, and learn how -to do all these things that others were doing; joined with the feeling -that he would be lighter-hearted and happier if he could be swept away -in this whirlpool.</p> - -<p>"Corrosive sublimate!" shouted one of the doctors.</p> - -<p>"Some more hot water in the bath over there!" a thin little student -with red eyes ordered.</p> - -<p>"Look here! What's your name?"</p> - -<p>"Orloff."</p> - -<p>"All right!... Just rub this patient's feet ... yes, that's right ... -so.... I see you understand at once.... So—o ... not so hard! or you -will rub his skin off!..."</p> - -<p>"Oh! how tired I am!" exclaimed another student, long-haired and -pock-marked, whilst he was giving Orloff the necessary instructions.</p> - -<p>"They have brought in another patient!" some one exclaimed.</p> - -<p>"Orloff, just go and see!... Help them to bring him in."</p> - -<p>Grigori, full of zeal, followed out all the directions. He was covered -with perspiration, there was a ringing in his ears, and a mist swam -before his eyes. At times the consciousness of himself disappeared -entirely under the mass of impressions which crowded in upon him -at every moment. The dark-green rings round the glassy eyes of the -patients, their leaden-coloured faces, their bones, which stood out -from their bodies, their clammy, bad-smelling skins, the horrible -convulsions of the half-dead bodies, all this oppressed his heart -painfully, and produced a nausea which he had never experienced before.</p> - -<p>Once or twice he had caught a hurried glimpse of his wife in the -corridor of the Infirmary; she seemed in these few hours to have grown -thinner, and her white face wore a troubled look.</p> - -<p>"Well, how are you getting on?" he asked during one of these hurried -encounters. She could only answer with a smile, and disappeared -immediately.</p> - -<p>A thought struck Grischka, which he however kept to himself; was it -really so necessary for him to have brought his wife with him into this -hell? She might catch the infection and die.... The second time he met -her he called out to her in a loud voice—</p> - -<p>"Be sure and keep yourself clean; wash your hands very often, and take -every care!"</p> - -<p>"Why do you say all that? What if I don't take care?" she asked, -showing her little white teeth; and it seemed to him as if she were -defying him.</p> - -<p>Her reply made him angry.</p> - -<p>"There she is," he thought, "joking even in such a place as this! What -a parcel of fools these women-folk are!"</p> - -<p>He found however no further opportunity to give her recommendations. -Matrona, having noticed the angry look on his face, hurried away to the -women's side of the building.</p> - -<p>A minute later Grigori was helping to carry into the mortuary the body -of a policeman who had been well known to him. Only two days before -he had seen the policeman at his post, and had sworn at him as he had -passed by; they had never been on good terms together. And now he saw -this man, such a short time before so strong and healthy, lying dead, -and quite disfigured with convulsions. The corpse swayed backwards and -forwards against the bearers, and stared with wide-open glassy eyes.</p> - -<p>Orloff realized the whole force and cruelty of the contrast. "Why does -one ever come into the world?" he thought to himself, "if such a -horrible complaint as this can knock one over in four-and-twenty hours?"</p> - -<p>He glanced at the bier, and felt a movement of pity for the dead -policeman. What would become now of the three children of the dead man? -Last year he lost his wife, and there had scarcely been time for him -to marry again ... now the poor little creatures would be left orphans -entirely....</p> - -<p>This thought filled him with a feeling of real pain. Suddenly the left -arm of the corpse began to stretch out and to straighten itself, and -at the same time the mouth of the dead man, which till then had stood -open, and drawn down on the left side, closed itself.</p> - -<p>"Stop a moment," said Orloff to the other bearer; and he rested the -bier on the ground. "He is still alive!" he whispered in a terrified -voice.</p> - -<p>The bearer, who had been helping him to carry the stretcher, turned -round, looked at the corpse attentively, and then said angrily to -Orloff—</p> - -<p>"What nonsense you are talking! Don't you understand that he is getting -himself ready for his coffin? Don't you see how the cholera has twisted -him up?... He can't lie in the coffin in that position!... Come! Let's -get on again!"</p> - -<p>"But just look; he is still moving!" protested Orloff, trembling with -horror.</p> - -<p>"Hurry up now! Catch hold, you fool!... Don't you understand what I -say, then?... He <i>has</i> to move in order to relax his limbs! Are you -then such an ignorant and stupid chap?... <i>He</i> alive?... How can any -one say that about a corpse? That's mutiny, brother!... All our corpses -here move, but I should advise you to be quiet about it Don't tell a -soul that he has moved! Otherwise one will tell his neighbour, and his -neighbour will add a little bit on to the story, and we shall soon -have a regular row up at the Infirmary, because they will be saying -we bury them alive! The whole mob would come here and pull everything -to pieces.... And you would get your share of the knocks!... Do you -understand? .... We will put him down there to the left."</p> - -<p>The quiet voice of Pronim—that was the name of the other -attendant—and his soft way of speaking, calmed and reassured Grigori.</p> - -<p>"Just keep a level head, brother! You will soon get used to it all. -There is no harm going on here.... The feeding, and the management, and -everything are first-class.... We have all to die some day, every one -recognizes that But till that time comes, keep, as I have said, a level -head!... Will you have a glass of schnapps?"</p> - -<p>"Why not?" replied Orloff.</p> - -<p>"I have got a drop in the corner there, ready for use on these sort -of occasions. What do you say; shall we have a go at it?" They went -off accordingly towards a quiet corner of the Infirmary, and pulled -themselves together with a small glass of spirits. Then Pronim dropped -some essence of peppermint on to a piece of sugar, and handed it to -Orloff.</p> - -<p>"Take it; otherwise they will smell that we have been drinking. They -are very particular here about vodka; they say it is bad for one."</p> - -<p>"And you?... have you got accustomed to the life here?" asked Grigori.</p> - -<p>"I should think so! I was one of the first to come. Hundreds have died -before my eyes. One lives here indeed in a state of uncertainty, but -otherwise, to tell the truth, it's not bad ... it is God's work,—just -like the Red Cross in war. Have you heard of the Red Cross ambulance -work, and of the nurses and sisters? I saw them in the Turkish war.... -And I was also at Ardahan and at Kars. They were indeed a brave lot, -those ambulance people I Full of kind-heartedness and courage. We -soldiers had at least our guns and cannons; but they went about among -the bullets as if they had been walking about in some pleasant garden. -And when they found either one of us or a Turk—they brought them all -to the place where the doctors were dressing the wounds, and stood -near, whilst all around them the bullets were flying ... sch!... -sch!... Tju!... Fit!... Often some poor chap would be hit by a ball -just at the back of the neck,—ping!... and there he would lie...."</p> - -<p>This conversation, added to the drop of vodka which he held drunk, put -Orloff into a more cheerful frame of mind.</p> - -<p>"If I were to tell A, then I should also have to tell B," he consoled -himself with thinking, whilst he rubbed the feet of a patient. "As the -ale is drawn, so it must be drunk."</p> - -<p>Behind him some one was begging in a plaintive voice—"Give me -water!... Give me something to drink ... for the love of...."</p> - -<p>Another one called out, his teeth chattering with cold—"Oh!... Och!... -Hohoho!... hotter still!... It does me good, doctor! Christ will reward -you!... Give me some more hot water...."</p> - -<p>"Just pass the wine over here!" called out Doctor Wasschtschenko.</p> - -<p>Orloff listened, full of interest, whilst he did his own work, to all -that went on around him, and it began to dawn upon him that it was not -all so meaningless and chaotic as it appeared to him at first This -was no chaos reigning here, but powerful, conscious, active strength. -It was only when he thought of the police-officer, that a cold terror -took possession of him, and he threw a scared glance out of the window -towards the mortuary where the dead man lay. He really did believe at -heart that the police-officer was dead, but at times horrid doubts -shot through his mind. Suppose the dead man were to suddenly jump up -and shout! And he remembered how some one had told him once that those -who had died of the cholera broke out of their coffins, and, so it was -said, ran about alter each other. As he went backwards and forwards -at his work, rubbing the limbs of one patient, helping another into a -bath, everything seemed to be seething and turning round in his brain. -He thought of Matrona; what was she perhaps doing at this same moment? -Sometimes he felt a fleeting wish to see her at once, if only for a -minute. But immediately this was succeeded by another thought; "After -all, she's all right here!... It's good for her to have to move about; -the fat little lump.... It won't hurt her to get a bit thinner ... -perhaps then she won't be so stupid...."</p> - -<p>He could not get rid of the thought that Matrona was nourishing hidden -desires in her breast, which were not flattering to his own manly -vanity. He went to the length of acknowledging to himself that she -certainly had every right to be discontented with her past life, and -it was possible she might long for some sort of change. The fact of -his acknowledging this much to himself was the cause of his mistaking -his doubts as to her loyalty for the truth; and as a result of his -jealousy he asked himself the question—"Why did I want to leave my -cellar, and get into this kettle of hot water?" ... But all these, and -other thoughts, stirred and whirled deep down at the bottom of his -soul, they had no influence on his work, and they were driven into the -background by the ceaseless attention which he bestowed on all that -went on in the Infirmary. He had never in his life seen men work as -did these doctors and medical students, and more than once he thought, -as he looked into their drawn faces, that they indeed more than earned -their salaries.</p> - -<p>As soon as Orloff was off duty he went, though he could hardly keep on -his legs, into the courtyard of the Infirmary, and lay down close to -the wall, under the window of the dispensary. His thoughts seemed all -scattered; near his heart he felt a dull, throbbing pain, and his legs -were heavy with fatigue. He seemed to have no more strength left either -for thought or desire, but stretched himself out at once on the turf, -and stared up towards the sky, which was filled with the many-coloured -cloud-glories of the setting sun. He dropped asleep at once, half-dead -with fatigue.</p> - -<p>He dreamt that he and his wife were the guests of Doctor -Wasschtschenko—in a great room, around which stood elegant Viennese -chairs. On these chairs sat all the patients from the Infirmary. In -the middle of the room the doctor began to dance the Russian national -dance with Matrona, whilst Grischka himself played on the accordion and -laughed light-heartedly, for the doctor's long legs were quite stiff at -the joints, and he stepped in a dignified way like a heron on a bog, by -the side of Matrona. And the patients sitting round all laughed also, -and swayed uncertainly on their chairs.</p> - -<p>Suddenly there appeared at the door the police-officer.</p> - -<p>"Aha!" he cried out in a gloomy threatening voice. "You thought I was -dead already, brother Grischka! Here you are playing on the accordion -... but you sent <i>me</i> into the mortuary.... So now then, get up with -you, and come and follow me!"</p> - -<p>Trembling in his whole body, and covered with perspiration, Orloff -awoke, and scrambled up from the ground, whilst Doctor Wasschtschenko -stood watching him reproachfully, and remarked—</p> - -<p>"Just listen to what I've got to say to you, my friend; if you want -to go to sleep you have your own bunk there in the Infirmary! Haven't -they shown you where it is? What sort of an attendant do you call -yourself, if you go and lie here on the ground with nothing over your -body?... If you get an inward chill, and knock up and die (which God -forbid), what's going to happen then? That's not the way to behave, my -friend.... Why you're shivering now ... come along with me, and I will -give you something for that...."</p> - -<p>"I was so dead tired," muttered Orloff in a low voice, making excuses -for himself.</p> - -<p>"So much the worse! You'll have to take care.... It's a dangerous time -just now, and we need you here very much."</p> - -<p>Orloff followed the doctor quietly through the corridors of the -Infirmary, swallowed in silence a small glass of medicine, which was -handed to him, then drank another; finally made a grimace and spat on -one side.</p> - -<p>"That's right ... and now go and have a good sleep.... Good-day to -you!..."</p> - -<p>The doctor strode with his long thin legs down the corridor, and Orloff -stood watching him. Suddenly a smile lit up the attendant's whole face, -and he ran after the doctor.</p> - -<p>"Thank you so much, doctor."</p> - -<p>"What for?" asked the doctor, standing still.</p> - -<p>"Why, for the work that I have got here! I will do all I can to please -you, for I like being here in all this bustle ... and you said just -now you needed me ... so I thank you specially for that, with all my -heart...."</p> - -<p>The doctor watched with surprise the joyful, excited face of the new -attendant, and smiled in a friendly way.</p> - -<p>"You're a queer sort of fellow! But it's all right ... you take it the -right way.... There is something straightforward in what you say. Come -then ... do your work well But not for my sake; do it for the sick -people.... It's like a field of battle here; we have to save the sick -from the jaws of disease; do you understand? Well then, help us with -all your strength to conquer. Now then, be off and get some sleep!"</p> - -<p>Orloff was soon lying in his bunk, feeling a pleasant sensation of -pride at being on such a confidential footing with a person like -the doctor. He was' only sorry that Matrona had not overheard the -conversation. But he would tell her about it to-morrow. She would -scarcely believe it, the fat little lump that she was.... Busy with -such pleasant thoughts Grigori fell asleep.</p> - - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<h4><a name="CHAPTER_VI" id="CHAPTER_VI">CHAPTER VI</a></h4> - - -<p>"Come and drink your tea, Grischka." With these words Matrona awoke her -husband the next morning.</p> - -<p>He lifted his head and looked at her. She was smiling pleasantly at -him; her hair was brushed, and looked glossy and neat, whilst her white -dress gave her a smart, clean appearance.</p> - -<p>It pleased him to see her thus, but immediately afterwards the thought -glanced through his brain that the other men in the Infirmary might -also find pleasure in looking at her.</p> - -<p>"What's the matter?... Tea's ready?.. I'll have my tea here!... Where -do you want me to go and get it?" he asked, with a frown.</p> - -<p>"Come, we'll drink our tea together," she proposed, looking at him with -her grey smiling eyes.</p> - -<p>Grigori turned away, and replied in a curt voice that he would come -directly.</p> - -<p>As she left the room he stretched himself once more in his bunk and -began to brood.</p> - -<p>"Yes ... she calls me to tea ... and is as pleasant as possible! She -has grown thinner too in these last few days...."</p> - -<p>He felt pity for her, and would have liked to have prepared an -agreeable surprise for her, perhaps to have bought some cakes or -something of that sort to eat with their tea. But whilst he was washing -he put these thoughts away.... "Why should he spoil his wife?... She -could get on very well without it!"</p> - -<p>They drank their tea in a small bright room, the two windows of which -looked out on to the open fields. The gilded rays of the morning sun -lay on the floor. Dew still sparkled on the grass under the window. -Along the distant horizon could be just seen through a light opal -morning mist the trees that bordered the high-road. The sky was -cloudless, and a fresh smell of grass and of damp earth was waited in -at the open windows.</p> - -<p>The table stood just between the two windows, and three people sat -down to it; Grigori, Matrona, and a companion of the latter, a tall, -thin, middle-aged person, with a pock-marked face and good-tempered -grey eyes. She was called Felizata Jegorovna, and she was a spinster -and the daughter of a college superintendent She could not drink the -tea provided by the Infirmary, and so used her own samovar. All this -she told Orloff in an excited cracked voice; she invited him hospitably -to take a seat near the window, and to refresh himself with the -"magnificent air of Heaven," whilst she disappeared somewhere for a -time.</p> - -<p>"Well, were you very tired yesterday?" Orloff asked his wife.</p> - -<p>"I should rather think so," Matrona replied in a lively tone of voice. -"I could scarcely feel my legs under me, and my head was swimming. I -moved about at last as if I were half dead, and could scarcely hold on -till I was released from duty.... I was praying all the time to the -Lord that He would be merciful to us."</p> - -<p>"How is it, then? Don't you feel afraid here?"</p> - -<p>"What, of the sick people?"</p> - -<p>"Of the sick people ... or of anything else...."</p> - -<p>"I am only afraid of the dead.... Do you know," ... she bent down -towards him and whispered in a scared voice—"they still move after -they are dead ... it's true, on my soul!"</p> - -<p>"I know that ... I have seen it myself!" Grigori continued with an -ironical laugh—"The police-officer Nazaroff nearly gave me a box on -the ear as he lay on the stretcher. I was carrying him to the mortuary, -and all of a sudden he let out with his left hand.... I only just -escaped it ... it's true!"</p> - -<p>Grischka was in the best of tempers. Taking his tea in this bright -clean room, from which could be seen endless distances of green fields -and blue sky, pleased him immensely. And there was something else too -which caused him pleasure—something which radiated, as it were, from -his own personality. He felt the desire to show the best side of his -character, and at the same time to appear in Matronal eyes as the hero -of the hour.</p> - -<p>"I shall make this my life work.... Heaven itself shall rejoice at it! -I have my own special reasons for doing so.... The people here, I tell -you, are such as one seldom meets in the world...."</p> - -<p>He told her now of his conversation with the doctor, and whilst he -unconsciously exaggerated a little, he worked himself into a still -pleasanter frame of mind.</p> - -<p>"And then the work itself, too," he continued. "You see, my dear, it's -a holy work ... it's a sort of war. On one side stands the cholera, and -we stand on the opposite side ... who is going to prove the stronger? -We have to sharpen our wits to see that nothing is neglected.... What -is this cholera after all?... We must first understand that clearly, -and then we must use all means possible to fight it.... Doctor -Wasschtschenko said to me, 'We need you, Orloff, in this business. -Don't let yourself be frightened. Continue to rub the feet and the -stomachs of the patients,' he said, and I will rub their insides with -my medicines.... And so we shall thoroughly get the better of the -disease, you will see, and the patient will recover, and will thank -us for restoring him to life.' ... Think of that; you and I together, -Matrona ... you and I!"</p> - -<p>He swelled his chest out with a feeling of pride, and looked at Matrona -with sparkling eyes. She smiled back at him, but did not reply. He -looked so handsome whilst he was speaking, and reminded her so of the -Grischka whom she used to know in their early married life.</p> - -<p>"On the women's side also every one is so zealous and so good!" she -said, after a pause. "There's that lady doctor with the spectacles, and -all the nurses, they are all first-rate people; they talk to one so -simply, so that one understands at once what they want done."</p> - -<p>"Then you are contented also?" asked Grigori, when his enthusiasm had -cooled a little.</p> - -<p>"I should rather think I was contented! Lord! yes!... just reckon -up!... I get twelve roubles, and you get twenty.... That makes -thirty-two roubles a month! And our keep besides.... What a lot we -shall be able to save if the cholera lasts right on into the winter!... -Then we shall be able ... at last ... please God ... to get out of that -hole of a cellar!..."</p> - -<p>"Hm!... Yes, we can think about that,...." said Orloff thoughtfully; -and after a few moments he tapped Matrona on the shoulder, and -continued, with a ring of hope in his voice, "Ah, Matrona, perhaps the -sun of happiness may yet shine upon us!... We won't lose courage, will -we?"</p> - -<p>She also was filled with enthusiasm.</p> - -<p>"Yes, if you would only keep sober," she remarked after a few moments' -pause, in a doubtful tone.</p> - -<p>"Don't talk about that now; that will depend entirely on -circumstances.... Once our lives become different, then my habits will -alter."</p> - -<p>"Please God that may indeed happen!" sighed Matrona from the bottom of -her heart "Well, don't say any more about it!"</p> - -<p>"Dear Grischenka!"</p> - -<p>They separated, experiencing quite new sensations towards each other. -They were full of joyful courage, and firmly resolved to put forth -all their strength, so as to succeed in their new work. Three or four -days passed, and Orloff had already earned several words of praise -for his quickness and zeal. At the same time he remarked, however, -that the other attendants were envious of him, and were trying to make -mischief, so that he had to be constantly on his guard. This awoke in -him a feeling of enmity, whereas, before that, he had been good friends -with Pronim. The secret and open enmity of these fellow-workers was -really a pain to him. "The jealous brutes," he thought to himself, and -ground his teeth together. "But I'll get the chance some day of paying -them back in their own coin!" Unconsciously his thoughts travelled to -Matrona—for he could talk over everything with her. She would not envy -him his success, and would not, like this fellow Pronim, bum his boots -with carbolic acid.</p> - -<p>Each day brought the same busy rush, just as Orloff had experienced at -first But it was now no longer so fatiguing to him, for he got more -accustomed to it every day. He had learnt to distinguish the smells of -the different remedies, and as often as possible he refreshed himself -with the smell of the ether, to which he had taken a great fancy. He -had observed that the smell of ether was as exciting to him as was -a good glass of vodka. He understood quite quickly now the doctors' -orders; it was only necessary for them to show him by signs what had -to be done. He was chatty and pleasant, and knew how to divert the -attention of the patients, and this pleased increasingly the doctors -and students. All the impressions which in his new occupation pressed -in upon him, worked together to elevate his feelings, and to increase -his own self-respect. He felt within himself a lively desire to do -something great, so that the attention of all should be directed to -him, and that every one should be astonished. It seemed almost as if he -had now for the first time become conscious that he was a human being, -and as if he felt the need to prove this to himself and others by some -heroic deed. Filled with this unaccustomed ambition, Orloff undertook -various venturesome deeds, in the hopes of distinguishing himself in -the eyes of onlookers. For instance, he would carry alone, without -waiting for the help of another attendant, some heavy patient from his -bed to the bath-room; he did not shrink from attending to the most -filthy among the cholera patients, seeming to despise the possibility -of infection, and treating the corpses with cynical indifference.</p> - -<p>But even all this did not satisfy him. He still longed to do something -greater, something more out of the common. This unappeased longing -caused him pain, and brought back his former moodiness, and as he had -no one else with whom he could speak, he opened his heart to Matrona.</p> - -<p>One evening when they were off duty, and had had their tea, they went -out into the fields together. The Infirmary stood some way out at the -back of the town, in the midst of a green far-stretching plain, bounded -on one side by the dark edge of the forest, and on the other by the -soft outline of the distant town. Towards the north the field extended -into the far distance, and faded into a dim blue horizon; on the south -it was bordered by the deep ravine-like banks of the river, which ran -through the country roads, shaded on either side by trees planted at -regular intervals The sun was just setting, and the golden crosses -of the church-towers of the town, rising above the dark green of the -gardens, flashed in all their brilliance against the background of the -sky, and reflected golden rays. The windows also of the houses flashed -back the red glow of the sunset. Music could be heard in the distance. -From the dense ravine, sown thickly with the débris of the fir-trees -bordering the river, an aromatic scent arose, whilst the evening -wind brought from the forest in caressing waves a mingling of spicy -perfumes. A soft, sweetly melancholy, yet intense feeling, lay over the -whole wide expanse.</p> - -<p>The Orloffs walked silently through the fields, breathing delightedly -the fresh air, which, in contrast with the atmosphere of the Infirmary, -seemed to them more than ordinarily pleasant.</p> - -<p>"Listen! there's a band!... Is it in the town or up at the barracks?" -Matrona asked in a low voice of her husband, who seemed to be sunk in -thought.</p> - -<p>She did not like him to brood in this sort of way by himself. He -appeared to her at such moments strange and far away. They had seen but -little of each other these last few days, so that the moments now when -they were together, seemed to her all the more precious.</p> - -<p>"A band?" asked Grigori, as if waking out of a dream, "the devil take -such music!... You should just listen to the music which is ringing -through my soul.... That's the right sort of music!..."</p> - -<p>"What sort of music are you talking about?" said Matrona, looking -anxiously into his eyes.</p> - -<p>"I don't know myself what sort.... I can't describe it to you, and if I -could you would not understand. My soul seems in a sort of glow.... I -should like to go forth, far, far away.... I should like to put forth -my whole strength.... Ah! I feel within me such boundless strength!... -If for instance this cholera would change itself into a man, into -a giant, into Ilja Murometz himself, for instance ... then I would -wrestle with him, and we would see who would conquer!... Thou art -strong, and I, Grischka Orloff, am also strong ... we will see which is -the stronger of the two! ... And I would overcome him, even if I myself -lost my life in the struggle.... They would erect a cross to me there -in the green fields, 'To the Memory of Grigori Andrejeff Orloff ... who -freed Russia from the Cholera.' ... That's all I should want!"</p> - -<p>His face flushed, and his eyes flashed whilst he was speaking.</p> - -<p>"My dear brave one!" whispered Matrona, and pressed tenderly against -him.</p> - -<p>"I would throw myself against a hundred sharp knives if I could do -any good.... Do you understand? that?... Not for my own profit, but -to make men's lives happier.... I see there such people as the doctor -Wasschtschenko and the student Chochrjakoff; the work they do is quite -wonderful. One would think they would have died long ago from absolute -fatigue.... Do you think they work for the love of money? No man would -work like that for money only! The head doctor has plenty of his own -... he needs no more ... he is a rich man already.... When he was ill -lately, Doctor Wasschtschenko watched by him for four days and nights; -not once did he go home during the whole time.... Money plays no part -in all this; they do it out of pity ... they are sorry for the people, -and so they sacrifice themselves ... And for whom?... For everybody ... -as much for Mischka Ussoff as for anybody else.... They took as much -pains to get him better as they did about the others, and they were -quite rejoiced when he got better. This Mishka, if he had his deserts, -should be in penal servitude, for every one knows that he is a thief or -something worse!... Yet they were quite rejoiced when he got out of bed -for the first time, and laughed aloud for pure joy!... I should like to -feel such happiness also; I am full of envy when I see how glad they -are, and I grow hot with the desire to do as they do. But how am I to -begin?... Ah!'tis a devil of a business!..."</p> - -<p>He made a hopeless gesture, expressive of his despair, and once more -sank into profound reflection. Matrona was silent, but her heart beat -rapidly. The excited state of mind of her husband made her feel vaguely -anxious. She felt distinctly in his words the burning pain which -oppressed him during his, to her, incomprehensible fits of depression. -She loved her husband; and it was a husband she needed, not a hero....</p> - -<p>They approached the steep banks of the river, and sat down near each -other on the grass. Above them nodded the feathery tops of the young -birch-trees. Down below, over the water, lay a blue mist, reeking -of rotting leaves, of pine-needles, and of damp earth. Backwards -and forwards a light breath of wind swept over the ravine; the tops -of the young trees moved softly, and the whole forest seemed filled -simultaneously with a shy whispering, as if some beloved person were -asleep under the shelter of its trees, and it feared to wake him. The -stars shone down from above, and the lights flashed from the town, -having the appearance, against the dark background, of gardens of gay -quivering flowers. The Orloffs sat on in silence. Grigori drummed with -his fingers on his knee, whilst Matrona watched him and sighed softly.</p> - -<p>Suddenly she put her arms round his neck, laid her head against his -breast, and whispered—</p> - -<p>"Grischenka, my dear one, my loved one! How good you have grown -towards me, my dear brave lad!... We are living now just as we did when -we were first married—you never say a bad word to me.... You talk to -me, and open your heart to me.... Not once have you scolded me...."</p> - -<p>"Are you already longing for something of that sort? If so, I will give -you a thorough good beating," he said jokingly, whilst he felt for her -in his heart nothing but sympathy and tenderness. He stroked her hair -softly, and experienced a real pleasure in giving her these fatherly -caresses. Matrona appeared to him at this moment as a child. She sat on -his knees, and nestled soft and warm against his breast.</p> - -<p>"My dear, dear one!" she whispered.</p> - -<p>He breathed deeply, and words poured from his mouth, which were to her, -and to himself, full of new meaning.</p> - -<p>"Ah! my poor little girl!... Little coaxing thing! You see now, you -have no one nearer to you in the world than your husband! And you look -at me always with such a frightened glance out of the corner of your -eye. If I have hurt you now and then, it was because I was suffering -from this ache, Motrja! We lived in our hole ... we saw no sunlight, we -knew no one. Now I have got out of the hole, and am among human beings. -How blind I was to the world and to life!... Now I understand that a -wife should be a man's best friend, the friend of his heart, so to -speak. For men are vicious and cruel.... They are always trying to harm -one another.... There's this Pronim Wasioukoff!... devil take him!... -We won't talk of that, Motrja. We shall be all right in time, and we -won't lose courage! We will live in a human way, and reasonably, won't -we?... What do you say to that, you dear little goose?"</p> - -<p>She was crying. Tears rolled down her cheeks, as she realized the -happiness which he pictured to her; and she only replied with kisses.</p> - -<p>"Ah! my only loved one!" he whispered, returning her caresses. Clinging -tenderly together, they sat there and kissed the salt tears from each -other's cheeks. And for some time Orloff continued to speak in the same -new tone....</p> - -<p>It had become quite dark. Countless stars lit up the evening sky, which -looked down with triumphant sadness on the earth. The plain all around -them was as peaceful as the heavens above.</p> - - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<h4><a name="CHAPTER_VII" id="CHAPTER_VII">CHAPTER VII</a></h4> - - -<p>They had grown into the habit of taking their early tea together. -The morning after their conversation in the fields, Orloff appeared -in his wife's room with a gloomy, disturbed expression on his face. -Felizata had been ill. Matrona was alone in the room, and received her -husband with a radiant smile. She was surprised, however, on seeing his -expression, and inquired anxiously—"What is the matter then? are you -ill?..</p> - -<p>"I have nothing the matter with me," he replied dryly, sitting down on -a chair, and drawing towards him the cup of tea which she had poured -out.</p> - -<p>"What has happened then?" ... Matrona waited for an answer.</p> - -<p>"I have not slept at all, I have been thinking all the night We were -really much too silly yesterday, much too weak with one another. I am -ashamed of it now; that sort of thing leads to no good.... Women profit -by such weak moments to get the better of their husbands. But don't you -imagine you will succeed in that way.... You won't get over me.... -That is all I wanted to say to you!"</p> - -<p>He repeated all this with a certain emphasis, but without looking at -her. She, on the contrary, never took her eyes off him.</p> - -<p>"You are sorry then that you were yesterday so good and so kind to me?" -she asked in a low voice, whilst her lips trembled painfully. "You -regret then that you kissed and caressed me? It is terrible for me to -hear this, very terrible.... Your words cut me to the heart What do you -want to do then? Am I already a burden to you?... Don't you care for me -any more?"</p> - -<p>She looked at him searchingly as she spoke these words, and her voice -was bitter and defiant "I did not mean that," said Grigori confusedly. -"I only spoke in a general way.... We lived together in our cellar -... you know yourself what a life it was! Already the recollection of -it even, pains me.... Now we have crept out into the light, and ... I -feel half frightened.... The change all took place so quickly.... I -seem to be a stranger to myself ... and you also seem to be changed.... -What-does it all mean?... What will happen next?"</p> - -<p>"What will happen next? That's as God wills, Grischka!" said Matrona in -a serious tone. "I only beg this of you; don't regret that you were so -kind to me yesterday."</p> - -<p>"All right ... say no more about it!" Grigori interrupted her in the -same gloomy voice. "You see, I have slept over it, and I feel sure -there is no good to be got out of that sort of thing. Our former life -was indeed thorny, but our present one is not full of roses.... Though -I don't drink, nor fight, nor beat you ... still there is...."</p> - -<p>Matrona laughed hysterically. "You have no time for such things now!"</p> - -<p>"I could soon find time if I wanted to go in for that sort of thing," -said Orloff, smiling. "But, somehow, I don't understand why, I don't -want to do so. Besides.... I don't know.... I feel so queer somehow or -other...."</p> - -<p>He shook his head slowly, and stared fixedly before him.</p> - -<p>"God only knows what's the matter with you," said Matrona, sighing -deeply. "You get on very well here, even if you have plenty of work. -The doctors all like you, and you behave so well ... What's the matter -with you then? tell me ... It seems to me you are too restless."</p> - -<p>"That's it ... I am too restless!... For I was thinking the whole night -of what Peter Ivanovitch, the student, said lately. He says that all -men are equals.... Well—am I not a man like any other? ... And yet -this Doctor Wasschtschenko, for example, is better than I am, and Peter -Ivanovitch is better, and many others also. I can see for myself that -I am not their equal.... I can feel that I am not worthy to hand them a -glass of water. They cured Mischka Ussoff, and they rejoiced at doing -so ... and I cannot understand that. I cannot see what reason there -is for rejoicing at a man's recovering from illness!... Life is often -worse than cholera pains, if you look facts straight in the face. They -know that as well as I do, and yet they rejoice.... I should like to be -able to feel the same sort of joy as they do; but I cannot, for, as I -have already said, I can't see any cause for rejoicing...."</p> - -<p>"It is because they feel pity for mankind," Matrona interrupted. "And -such pity!... It's just the same on the women's side of the Infirmary. -If one of the patients gets better ... good heavens, what a fuss is -made about her!... When the time comes for her to leave they help her -with advice, and give her medicine and money.... I am often moved to -tears when I see it.... They are indeed good people, and are filled -with compassion."</p> - -<p>"You talk of shedding tears, but it only makes me wonder ... fills me -with astonishment!..."</p> - -<p>He shrugged his shoulders, and rubbed his forehead, looking all the -time at his wife with a puzzled expression.</p> - -<p>Suddenly she began to talk eagerly and rapidly, striving to prove to -him that mankind indeed deserved to be treated pitifully. Leaning -forward, and looking tenderly into his face, she talked long and -earnestly, about mankind, and the heavy burden of life it was called on -to bear. He, however, only watched her, thinking to himself—"Just see -how they can talk when they like, these women! Where on earth did she -get all these words from?"</p> - -<p>"You, yourself, also have a pitiful heart," she said. "I have heard -you say you would like to destroy the cholera if only you had strength -enough. Why then should you want to destroy it? According to what you -have just said it does more good than harm. As far as you are concerned -it does you no harm—quite the reverse.... Have you not been better off -since we had cholera in the town?"</p> - -<p>Orloff burst out laughing.</p> - -<p>"That's true! that's true! It has certainly been all the better for me -that the cholera came t Devil take it! The people are dying all around -like flies, and I am all the better off because of it!... Ha!... ha!... -ha!... That's the way of the world! It's enough to drive one mad to -think about it!"</p> - -<p>He rose from his chair, and went off to his work; still laughing. As he -went along the corridor the thought crossed his mind again, that it was -certainly a pity no one could hear Matrona's wise talk.</p> - -<p>"How cleverly she said it all!... Though she is only a woman, yet she -speaks quite sensibly!"</p> - -<p>He started work, still under the impression of this pleasant thought; -though the moans and groans of the patients fell on his ears the moment -he entered the ward.</p> - -<p>Every day the world of his sensations enlarged, and at the same time -there grew within him the need of expressing what he thought and felt -It is true he was not yet in a position to formulate all that was -going on within him, and give clear expression to it, for the greater -part of his impressions and thoughts he was not yet able to understand -himself. More especially was he pained by the consciousness that he -was not able, like other people; to rejoice over the good fortune -and well-being of others. There grew within him, however, daily -the desire to do something great, something out of the common, and -thereby attract the attention of the whole world. His position in the -Infirmary seemed to him to be an awkward one; he felt himself to be -between two stools. The doctors and medical students stood above him, -the attendants beneath him; he was not the equal of either. A feeling -of loneliness came over him, and it appeared to him as if fate, in -order to make a sport of him, had tom him away from his own place, -and were whirling him about like a feather in the wind. He felt pity -for himself, and sought out his wife in order that she might console -him. This he did often against his will, for he had an idea that his -candid outspokenness might lower him in the eyes of Matrona. But he -continued to confide in her all the same. He would go to her usually -in a dark, angry or cynical mood, and would leave her feeling consoled -and comforted. Matrona knew just the right words to use. She had no -great command of language, and her words, to some, might have appeared -weak, but they were inspired by conviction, and Grigori observed with -surprise that she obtained more and more influence over his inner life, -that his thoughts turned increasingly towards her, and that he felt -more constantly the need of opening his heart to her.</p> - -<p>Matrona also quickly realized what she had become to him, and tried -constantly to strengthen her growing influence over him. Without -her being conscious of it herself, her busy useful life in the -Infirmary had sensibly increased her own self-respect It was not in -her disposition to reflect over the past or to grumble about things, -but when she thought of her former life in the dark cellar, of its -narrow round of cares, of her husband and of her trade, she, in spite -of herself, could not help contrasting that past with her present -condition; and the dim pictures of her former existence melted into an -ever more and more distant and misty background. The authorities at the -Infirmary valued her because of her quickness and willingness, and -every one behaved kindly to her. Being treated as a human being was -such a new experience to her, that her spirits rose, and her enjoyment -of life was heightened.</p> - -<p>Once, when she was on night duty, the stout lady doctor began to -question her about her former life. Matrona told her everything quite -openly, and without constraint; then she ceased suddenly, and smiled a -curious sort of smile.</p> - -<p>"Why do you smile?" asked the lady doctor.</p> - -<p>"I can't help smiling when I think how bitter my life was.... You will -scarcely believe me, but I had no notion then how sad and bitter it -was.... It is only now that I begin to understand."</p> - -<p>This looking back on her past life roused a new feeling in Matrona's -breast against her husband. She cared for Grigori as much as ever, -and showed him all the tenderness of a loving wife; but it appeared -to her at the same time that Grigori was guilty toward her. Sometimes -when talking to him she would adopt almost a protective tone, for his -constant restlessness made her feel sorry for him. Now and then a doubt -arose in her mind as to whether it would ever be possible to lead a -quiet, peaceful life with him, though she still held steadfastly to the -belief that Grigori would, in the end, settle down, and throw off his -despondency.</p> - -<p>According to the ordinary course of events they ought gradually to -have grown accustomed to each other, and reconciled to their every-day -life in common. They were both young, strong and industrious, and many -in a similar position would have been contented to go on from day to -day, leading the grey, cheerless life of the ordinary worker—the life -of poverty, alternating with starvation—their energies completely -absorbed in the task of providing their daily bread. But this ordinary -existence was rendered impossible by the unrest which Grigori carried -in his heart, and which prevented him from reconciling his inmost soul -with the monotony of a daily task.</p> - - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<h4><a name="CHAPTER_VIII" id="CHAPTER_VIII">CHAPTER VIII</a></h4> - - -<p>One dreary September morning the ambulance-van drew up in the courtyard -of the Infirmary, and Pronim lifted from it another victim of the -epidemic, a yellow-faced, emaciated, half-dead little lad in motley -clothes, stained with many colours.</p> - -<p>"Another case from Petounukoff's house!" said the driver of the van in -answer to a question as to the quarter from which he had brought the -new patient.</p> - -<p>"Tschischik!" cried Orloff in a tone of pain. "Good heavens! it is -Senka. Little imp, don't you recognize me?"</p> - -<p>"Yes, I do," said Tschischik with an effort, as he lay on the -stretcher, turning up his eyes to catch a glimpse of Orloff, who was -standing behind him.</p> - -<p>"Ah! you merry little bird! How did this happen?" asked Orloff. He was -quite upset at the sight of the lad, who was completely exhausted with -the painful disease.</p> - -<p>"Why could it not spare this Innocent child?" he cried out, shaking -his head slowly, and as if concentrating in this cry all his tense -horror.</p> - -<p>Tschischik was silent, and shivered from head to foot.</p> - -<p>"I am so cold!" he said, as they laid him on the bed and took off his -ragged, paint-stained clothes.</p> - -<p>"We'll soon pop you into a nice hot bath!" Orloff promised him. "We'll -make you well again in a hurry."</p> - -<p>Tschischik shook his head.</p> - -<p>"No, Uncle Grigori.... I shall never be well again," he whispered -in a dead voice.... "Bend down towards me.... I stole the accordion -... it is hidden under some wood in the woodshed.... The day before -yesterday ... I played on it for the first time.... Oh! what a beauty -it is I ... Directly after I had these pains in my stomach.... They -were a punishment for the sin.... Give it back, Uncle Grigori.... The -accordion-player had a sister.... Ah!... A ... ah!"</p> - -<p>His whole body shook and twisted with violent cramps. All they could -do was done for the little lad, but the weakened body was unable to -guard the spark of life. That same evening Orloff carried Tschischik's -body to the mortuary. He felt as if he had himself received a blow or -an injury. He tried to straighten out the little body, but could not -succeed in doing so. He left the place with a stunned feeling, in a -dark, melancholy mood, with the image of the once bright and cheerful, -but now so frightfully disfigured boy, constantly before his eyes.</p> - -<p>He had the oppressive consciousness of his own helplessness when face -to face with death. How much trouble and care he had lavished on poor -little Tschischik, and how anxious the doctors had been to cure the -lad!... But in spite of it all he had to die!... It all seemed so -unjust!... He himself also, Grigori Orloff, would have some day to pack -up his traps in the same way, leaving nothing behind. Then all would -be over. A shudder ran through him, and he immediately experienced a -feeling of loneliness, of being forsaken. He felt the need of talking -to some understanding person about it all. He had often tried to get -a long talk with one of the students, but no one here had time to -philosophize. So there was nothing for it but to talk to his wife. In a -heavy, oppressed mood he sought out Matrona.</p> - -<p>She was just off duty, and was washing herself in a corner of the room. -The samovar stood ready, simmering and steaming on the table.</p> - -<p>Grigori sat down in silence, and looked at Matrona's bared, round -shoulders. The samovar boiled up, and spurted drops of hot steam -around. Matrona also splashed the water about with her washing. In the -corridor outside, the attendants' footsteps could be heard hurrying -backwards and forwards, and Grigori tried to guess, from the sound of -the steps, who was passing. Suddenly it seemed to him as if Matrona's -shoulders were as cold and as damp with perspiration as was the body of -the little Tschischik, as he tossed about on his bed in the agony of -cholera cramps.</p> - -<p>Grigori shuddered, and said in a low voice—</p> - -<p>"Senka is dead...."</p> - -<p>"Dead!... Senka dead? God rest his soul!" exclaimed Matrona piously, -scarcely pausing in her noisy ablutions, and spluttering the soapsuds -from mouth and nose.</p> - -<p>"I feel sorry for the poor child," said Grigori in a sad voice.</p> - -<p>"But he was a mischievous lad, though," Matrona interjected.</p> - -<p>"Well, leave him in peace now he is dead and gone! It's not our -business what he was when alive.... I am truly sorry he is dead! He was -such a quick, bright boy! The accordion ... hm! He was indeed a sharp -lad! Sometimes the thought used to cross my mind that I should like to -have him to teach,—not exactly as an apprentice. He was an orphan, he -might have got attached to us, and have taken the place of a son.... I -fear we shall never have children!... I don't understand why. Such a -strong, hearty woman as you are, and yet you bear no children.... You -had one, and there was an end of it!... Ah! if we only had a couple -of little squallers, I believe our life would not be so tedious.... As -things are, I work and work, and what is the end of it all? Just to -provide daily bread for you and me!... And why do we need daily bread? -So that we may be able to work.... And so life goes round in a circle -without sense or meaning. . If we only had children they would change -our life entirely ... yes, entirely..."</p> - -<p>All this was said in a fretful, dissatisfied tone of voice, his head -sunk on his breast Matrona stood listening to all he had to say; but -growing gradually paler and paler.</p> - -<p>"I am strong and healthy; so are you," continued Grigori; "and yet we -have no children. What is the reason?... I think and think about it -till I get quite melancholy, and take to drinking in sheer desperation!"</p> - -<p>"What you are saying is not true!" said Matrona in a firm loud voice. -"You are not speaking the truth! Never dare to repeat to me what you -have just said!... If you take to drink, it is only your own dissipated -habits that prevent your keeping away from it My not having children -has nothing to do with it! That idea is false, Grigori!"</p> - -<p>Grigori was stunned by her words. He rose and leaned against the back -of his chair, watching his wife, and scarcely recognizing her. Never -before had he seen her in such a rage; looking at him with so much -pitiless anger in her eyes; never before had she spoke with such fierce -strength.</p> - -<p>"Go on!... Go on!.." said Grigori defiantly, whilst he clutched the -back of the chair. "I should like to hear what else you have got to -say!"</p> - -<p>"You shall soon hear!... I should never have said what I have just -said, if you had not reproached me so unfairly! You tell me I do not -bear you children!... Very well!... Never will I bear you a child.... I -have no wish to bear one to you, after the way you have treated me!"</p> - -<p>Her voice broke with sobs, but she almost screamed the last words.</p> - -<p>"Stop that noise!" said her husband in a severe voice.</p> - -<p>"Would you like me to remind you why I have no children?... Just -remember, Grischka, how you have always ill-treated me, and constantly -kicked me about the body! Just reckon up the blows and knocks you have -given me, the times you have tortured me! How often have you made the -blood flow? My clothes were often soaked with blood. And it's your -cruelty, my dear husband, that has prevented my having children! ... -And now you reproach me with it?... Are you not ashamed to look into -my eyes, you murderer—you?... Yes, you are a murderer, for you have -killed your own children! And now you want to lay the blame upon -me!... upon me, who bore everything, who forgave you everything! But -these words I can never forget or forgive; to my dying hour I shall -remember them! ... Did you imagine then that I did not, like other -women, long for children? Did you think I did not wish to have any?... -Many and many a night, when I lay sleepless, I have prayed the good God -to save the child in my womb from you ... you murderer! When I see some -other woman's child, I could cry with envy and bitterness, because such -happiness is denied me.... Ah! Holy Virgin! How often have I wished -that Senka were my child! How I would have cared for him!... And then, -notwithstanding all this, for you to reproach me with not bearing you a -child!..."</p> - -<p>She had grown breathless, and the words poured incoherently from her -lips. Her face was congested, and showed red patches under the skin; -she trembled and clutched her throat, which was choked with sobs.</p> - -<p>Grigori sat white and troubled, still holding on tightly to his chair; -watching with wide-open eyes this woman, his wife, but who seemed now a -stranger to him. He was afraid of her ... he was afraid she might seize -him and throttle him. She seemed to threaten him with her flashing -angry eyes. At this moment she was immeasurably his superior; he felt -it and feared her accordingly. He could not jump up and strike her, as -he would have done formerly, for he could not help being overawed by -the moral and mental force, which seemed to make of her a new being.</p> - -<p>"You have wounded my soul, Grischka!... Your sin and your guilt towards -me are great.... I bore everything and kept silence.... Why was that? -Because I loved you ... and I still love you, but I will not bear these -reproaches from you ... it's beyond my strength to do so.... Though you -are the husband whom Heaven has given me, I curse you for those words -of yours!"</p> - -<p>"Silence!" roared Grigori, showing his teeth.</p> - -<p>"Halloa! What's all this row about? Have you forgotten where you -are?... We can have no squabbles here!"</p> - -<p>A mist seemed to rise before Grischka's eyes. He did not notice who was -standing in the doorway, speaking in these full bass tones, but pushing -the intruder aside, rushed past him into the open air. Matrona stood -for a moment in the middle of the room, as if struck blind and dumb, -then stumbled with outstretched hands towards her bed and threw herself -down on it, sobbing aloud.</p> - -<p>It was already growing dark. The silvery rays of the moon, piercing -the torn edges of the clouds, fell across the floor, throwing the -rest of the room into blue shadow. By and by a thick drizzling rain -began to beat against the window-panes, and run down the walls of the -Infirmary—sounding like a herald of the approaching autumn with its -damp, reeking, darkening days. The pendulum of the clock, with its -monotonous tick-tick, marked the passing of the minutes. The drops of -rain pattered ceaselessly against the window-panes. Hour after hour -passed, and still the rain continued to fall On her bed the woman lay -motionless, staring with wide-open feverish eyes at the ceiling. Her -face was dark and careworn, her teeth were firmly clenched, and her -cheek-bones seemed to stand out prominently; in her eyes there was -an expression of sadness and of painful expectation. Still the rain -continued to beat against the walls and the windows. It sounded like -some one whispering in a monotonous but persuasive voice, trying to -bring conviction; without possessing the power to do this rapidly and -with telling arguments; and who was therefore attempting to obtain -his object by this painful, tedious droning, entirely wanting in the -enthusiasm of real belief.</p> - -<p>The grey twilight of a rainy dawn tinged the sky with the colour of -steel which has lost its polish. Sleep had not yet visited Matrona's -eyes. Ever through the monotonous drip, drip of the rain she seemed to -hear the ominously repeated question—</p> - -<p>"What will happen next? What will happen next?"</p> - -<p>This question seemed to press in on her soul with irresistible force, -and resounded like a dull pain through her brain.</p> - -<p>"What will happen next?"</p> - -<p>She feared to answer the question, though now and then the answer -would suggest itself in spite of herself, in the image of her drunken, -brutally cruel husband. It was so hard for her to relinquish the -dream of a peaceful life, filled with love—this dream which she had -cherished for the last few weeks—and she strove with all her might to -repel her ominous forebodings. At the same time it became clearer to -her that if Grigori were to return to his former evil ways, their life -together would be utterly impossible. She had seen him as a different -being; she herself had become different, and she could only look back -upon her past life with abhorrence and with fear. New sensations, -unknown to her before, had awoke within her. But after all she was but -a woman, and after a time she began to reproach herself with her share -in the quarrel that had just taken place.</p> - -<p>"How did it all come about?"</p> - -<p>"Good Lord! I seem to have quite lost my senses!..."</p> - -<p>Another whole sad hour went by in these painful contradictory thoughts. -It had become broad daylight; a thick mist lay over the fields, whilst -the sky was hidden by grey, heavy clouds.</p> - -<p>"Matrona, it is time to go to your work!" Mechanically obeying the -summons, she rose slowly, washed herself, and went with listless, heavy -steps into the ward. Here, her languid appearance, her sad face and -swollen eyes, immediately attracted the attention of those on duty.</p> - -<p>"What is the matter with you then, Matrona? Are you ill?" asked the -lady doctor.</p> - -<p>"No, I am all right."</p> - -<p>"You can speak openly; don't fear to give trouble. You know if there is -anything the matter I can find a substitute for you."</p> - -<p>Matrona was troubled at the thought of this kind-hearted but strange -person perceiving the anguish that was in her soul; so, summoning up -her last remnant of courage, she replied smilingly, but with an aching -heart—</p> - -<p>"There is really nothing the matter!... I have had a bit of a quarrel -with my husband.... It's all over now.... And it's really nothing new."</p> - -<p>"Poor soul!" sighed the lady doctor, who knew all about Matrona's -former life.</p> - -<p>Matrona felt as if she should like to fall down at the feet of this -woman and break into loud sobs. But she controlled herself and pressed -her lips firmly together, to keep back the tears which it required all -her self-control to restrain.</p> - -<p>As soon as she was off duty she returned at once to her room. Casting -a look out of window she saw the ambulance-van coming along through -the fields, evidently bringing another patient to the Infirmary. Still -the same thick fine rain fell ceaselessly from the clouds—the fields -were empty and deserted. Matrona turned away from the window, and with -a heavy sigh sat down at the table.</p> - -<p>"What was going to happen next?" Still this question sounded through -her brain, and her heart beat time in unison with the words. For a -long time she sat there alone in a sort of heavy stupor, though each -footstep in the corridor made her start and glance anxiously at the -door....</p> - -<p>When at last it opened, and Grigori himself appeared, she neither -started nor moved, for she felt at that moment as if the heavy -rain-clouds outside had suddenly fallen on her, crushing her with their -weight.</p> - -<p>Grigori remained standing near the door, then, throwing on the floor -his wet cap, he approached Matrona with heavy creaking footsteps. He -was wet through, the water was pouring from him. His face was flushed, -his eyes looked dim, on his lips was a broad, foolish smile. As he -came nearer Matrona could hear the water oozing out of his boots. He -looked a pitiful object, and Matrona even in her worst dreams had never -imagined him thus.</p> - -<p>"What a sight you are," she said quietly.</p> - -<p>"Shall I fall down at your feet and beg your forgiveness?" Grischka -asked with a weak, sheepish movement of his head.</p> - -<p>She was silent</p> - -<p>"No?... Well, just as you like!... I have been walking about the whole -night thinking it out as to whether I am guilty towards you or not. At -last I made up my mind; yes, I am guilty.... And now I come to ask your -pardon; will you grant it?"</p> - -<p>Still she remained dumb; her heart was tom with bitter recollections, -for as he stood before her he reeked of vodka.</p> - -<p>"Just listen!... Don't make too many grimaces about it! Take advantage -of my being sober and friendly," said Grigori, in a louder and more -threatening voice. "Will you forgive me?"</p> - -<p>"You are drunk," said Matrona, sighing. "Go and have your sleep out."</p> - -<p>"It's a lie! I am not drunk, but only tired.... I have been walking -about and thinking ... I have thought of many things, my dear. So take -care what you are about!"</p> - -<p>He shook his finger at her menacingly, and a constrained smile played -round his mouth.</p> - -<p>"Why won't you speak?"</p> - -<p>"I can't speak to you now."</p> - -<p>"And why not pray?"</p> - -<p>His face flushed suddenly, and he raised his voice. "It was <i>you</i> who -made the row yesterday; <i>you</i> who shouted and scolded ... and <i>I</i> come -now, and beg your forgiveness. Do you quite realize that?"</p> - -<p>His manner whilst he spoke was excited, his lips quivered, and -his nostrils dilated. Matrona knew only too well what these signs -foreboded; the cellar, the Saturday night rows, all the dreariness of -their empty life.</p> - -<p>"I realize it only too plainly," she replied in a firm, decided voice. -"You have become once more a wild beast! Ah! that it should be so!" -"Whether I am a wild beast or not, that has nothing to do with the -matter!... I ask you if you will forgive me? What do you imagine -then?... Do you think I can't live without your forgiveness? Oh, I can -get along very well without it ... but all the same I come and ask you -to forgive.... Do you understand?..."</p> - -<p>"Leave me alone, Grigori! do!" exclaimed Matrona wearily, turning away -from him.</p> - -<p>"Leave you alone? So that is what you want?" laughed Grigori in a -malicious voice. "I am to go away, and you are to remain here, alone, -free and untroubled?... No, that shall never be! Just see how you like -this!"</p> - -<p>He seized her by the shoulders, and holding her tightly against him, -flourished a clasp-knife in front of her face. The knife had a short, -thick, rusty blade.</p> - -<p>"Well?... How do you like that?"</p> - -<p>"Oh! I wish you would stab me and make an end of it," said Matrona, -with a heavy sigh. She freed herself from his grasp, and turned away.</p> - -<p>Grischka took a step backwards; the tone of her words had filled him -with astonishment He had often heard similar words from her lips, but -they had never before been uttered in such a desperate tone of voice. -He was completely taken aback at her not showing more fear at sight of -the knife. For a moment or two he had been ready to strike her—but -now he could not, and would not Half dazed by the indifference she -manifested towards his threats, he threw the knife on the table, and -asked her with suppressed anger in his voice—</p> - -<p>"What is it you want then, you devil?"</p> - -<p>"I want nothing, nothing," cried Matrona, sobbing hysterically. "But -you, what do you want?... You came here with the intention of killing -me!... Well then, kill me, and have done with it!"</p> - -<p>Grigori looked at her, and was silent He did not know what to be at -next; his sensations had become so mixed and complicated. He had come -with the express intention of triumphing over his wife. Last night, -when they were quarrelling, she had proved herself the stronger of the -two—that had been quite clear to him, and the thought of it lowered -him in his own estimation. It was absolutely necessary that she should -now submit to him. He did not try to explain to himself why, but he -felt it was absolutely necessary. Being a man of a passionate, complex -nature, he had suffered keenly, and had reflected on many things during -the last few hours, but his ignorance prevented him from explaining -to himself the chaos of emotions, which his wife's just and outspoken -accusations had awoke in him. He perceived that she was in revolt -against him, and he had brought the knife in order to frighten and -subdue her. He might possibly have killed her, if she had not met his -desire to subdue her with such passive resistance. But there she stood, -defenceless before him, broken down with trouble—yet stronger than he. -This gave him a shock, and produced on him a sobering effect.</p> - -<p>"Listen!" he said; "leave off this nonsense; you know that I could very -soon finish you off with this.... One blow under the ribs, and all -would be over! That would put an end to all worry and trouble.... It's -very simple!"</p> - -<p>He felt whilst he was speaking that he was not expressing what was in -his heart, and he was again silent. Matrona still remained with her -back to him, and motionless. Once more she was feverishly and rapidly -passing in review the period of their life together; whilst at the -same time there pressed in again upon her consciousness the question—</p> - -<p>"What is going to happen next?"</p> - -<p>"Motrja!" Grigori suddenly began in a soft voice, placing his hand on -the table and bending over his wife. "Is it altogether my fault that -everything has gone wrong—that things are not as they should be ... -between us?... I know I have an unfortunate disposition...."</p> - -<p>He sighed, and shook his head slowly and bitterly.</p> - -<p>"If you only knew what an ache I have in my heart! My life seems to me -so cramped and narrow!... After all, what sort of a life is this? These -sick people, for instance, can they be any comfort to me? Some of them -die ... others recover and go on living ... and I have to continue to -drag out my existence!... but how?... Is the life we are leading any -better than the pains of cholera?... It is a constant struggle, and how -frightful it is!... Ah! I can't express all that is in my soul.... But -I know that I can't go on living like this.... But how to alter it I -don't know.... Look at those, for instance, who are suffering in the -Infirmary; what care is taken of them because they are ill; and I also -am ill ... I have pains and cramps in my soul; but no one takes care -of me; so I am worse off than they are. And you tell me that I am no -better than a brute.... Nothing but a drunken sot!... Ah! you don't -understand me ... you are a heartless...."</p> - -<p>He was speaking in a clear, quiet tone of voice, but she paid but -little attention to his words, for she was occupied with her own -thoughts.</p> - -<p>"You do not answer," he continued, feeling something new and great -unfolding within him. "Why do you not speak? What is it you want?"</p> - -<p>"I want nothing from you!" exclaimed Matrona. "Why do you worry me so? -What do you want me to do?"</p> - -<p>"What do I want you to do?... Well ... you are to ... I want...."</p> - -<p>Orloff felt that he was not in a state to define exactly what he -wanted. He was unable to put it clearly into words, so that he could -himself express, and make her understand, what he wanted to say. But -he realized that some barrier had arisen between them, which no words, -however eloquent, could break down. This thought awoke a feverish rage -in his heart He struck Matrona with his clenched fist on the back of -her head, and roared out—</p> - -<p>"You damned sorceress! You are trying to provoke me.... I'll kill you, -you witch!"</p> - -<p>The blow was so violent that she fell face forwards on the table. But -she quickly recovered herself, and facing her husband with a look of -hatred and defiance in her eyes, she cried out in a loud voice—Go on -beating me!"</p> - -<p>"Hush! Be quiet!"</p> - -<p>"Why don't you go on beating me, I say!"</p> - -<p>"Oh, you devil!"</p> - -<p>"No, Grigori, I won't stand this sort of thing any longer!"</p> - -<p>"Hush! I say!"</p> - -<p>"I won't be ill-treated by you any more!"</p> - -<p>He ground his teeth, and took a step backwards, perhaps with the -intention of striking her with greater force.... But at this moment the -door opened suddenly, and Doctor Wasschtschenko appeared on the scene.</p> - -<p>"What's going on here? Do you forget where you are? What sort of -business is this?"</p> - -<p>His face wore a severe and surprised expression. Orloff did not seem -in the least taken aback, but, nodding his head at the doctor, he -remarked—</p> - -<p>"It's nothing! nothing but a little clearing up of the atmosphere -between man and wife."</p> - -<p>And he laughed with a half-nervous, half-sneering smile in the doctor's -face.</p> - -<p>"Why were you absent from duty to-day?" said the doctor angrily, for he -was vexed by Orloff's sneering, impertinent manner.</p> - -<p>Grigori shrugged his shoulders, and replied coolly—</p> - -<p>"I was otherwise engaged.... I had business of my own to attend to...."</p> - -<p>"Oh!... Was that so? And who was making all that row last night?"</p> - -<p>"We were," Grigori replied.</p> - -<p>"Oh! it was you ... was it?... Very good, very good!... You -make yourselves quite at home here, it seems.... Go out without -permission...."</p> - -<p>"We are not slaves...."</p> - -<p>"Silence!... You would like to turn this place into a vodka-shop, you -scum!... I'll let you know where you are!"</p> - -<p>A wild rush of defiance, a passionate desire to rush out and get free -from all these confused feelings that oppressed him, suddenly took -possession of Grischka. It seemed to him all at once, that by doing -something out of the common, something extraordinary, he could tear -himself free from the bonds that were fettering his soul. He shuddered, -as a pleasant cool feeling seemed to creep round his heart, and going -up to the doctor with quiet cat-like tread he said—</p> - -<p>"Don't strain your throat, shouting like that! I know very well where I -am ... a place where you kill people!"</p> - -<p>"What are you talking about?... What was that you said?" exclaimed the -doctor in an astonished voice.</p> - -<p>Grigori realized that he had made use of a meaningless and insulting -expression; but he would not retract it; he grew more excited, and -continued—</p> - -<p>"Oh! it doesn't matter! You'll soon see what I meant!... Matrona, pack -up your traps; we are off!"</p> - -<p>"Not so fast, my friend! You must repeat first what you have just -said," insisted the doctor in a quiet voice that boded no good. "Come -now, speak!... You shall catch it for this, you scoundrel!"</p> - -<p>Grischka stared him full in the face—he had a feeling as if he were -being carried away by a puff of wind, and as if each breath that he -took made him feel lighter.</p> - -<p>"Don't shout or swear, Nadrei Stepanovitch!... You think perhaps that -because it is cholera time you have a right to order me about.... But -you are wrong.... All your cures here are of no use to mankind, they -are not worth a brass farthing! No one wants you and your science -and your cures!.. Well, if I did call your place a deathtrap it was -nonsense perhaps I was talking, ... that I acknowledge ... because I -was in a rage. But to shout at me here like that ... you have no right -to behave so!"</p> - -<p>"You won't get off so easily," said the doctor quietly; "I'll have to -teach you a lesson!... Hi there! Come in, you that are outside!"</p> - -<p>A group of listeners had already assembled in the corridor. Grischka's -eyes flashed, and he set his teeth.</p> - -<p>"I don't call out, and I am not afraid.... But if you are so very -anxious to give me a lesson ... then I shall have something to say -about it."</p> - -<p>"Well, say it then quickly!"</p> - -<p>"I shall go into town, and tell every one, 'My good people, listen! and -I will tell you how they cure the cholera!'"</p> - -<p>"W-what?" said the doctor; opening still wider his eyes.</p> - -<p>"Yes, and we'll all come up here together; and we'll help you to -disinfect with a vengeance ... we'll make a bonfire!"</p> - -<p>The doctor's anger had turned to intense astonishment, as he listened -to this man, whom he had known as a decent hard-working fellow, but who -was now carried away with these mad rebellious fancies.</p> - -<p>"What are you saying, you fool?... How can you be so stupid!"</p> - -<p>The word "stupid" jarred on Grischka's sensibilities. He realized -that he had fully deserved the title, but the consciousness of this -increased his rage.</p> - -<p>"I know very well what I am saying!" he added with glowing eyes. "It's -all the same to me.... To such as I am, it's all the same, at any -time; it's useless for us to try and restrain our impulses. Come, -Matrona, pack up your traps!"</p> - -<p>"I'm not going to leave," said Matrona in a quiet restrained voice.</p> - -<p>The doctor watched them both with astonished eyes, not knowing what to -make of it all.</p> - -<p>"You are either drunk, or mad!" he said to Grischka. "Do you understand -yet what you are doing?"</p> - -<p>Grischka either could not or would not give in; he felt he had gone too -far. So he retorted in a tone of would-be irony—</p> - -<p>"You ask if I know what I am doing?... But do you know yourself what -you are doing? Disinfecting? Ha! ha!... and curing the sick people; -whilst those who are well are dying from the stress and misery of -life!... Matrona, I'll knock your head off if you don't come with me!"</p> - -<p>"I shall not go with you!"</p> - -<p>She stood there, white and motionless; but the expression in her eyes -was cold and resolute, as she looked her husband in the face. This look -had the effect of damping his heroics, his head sunk on his breast, and -he turned silently away.</p> - -<p>"Devil take him!" said the doctor. "There's no making head or tail of -what he means!... Just listen, my good fellow. Be off with you as -quickly as you can, and thank your lucky stars that I let you off so -easily! I might have given you over to the police, you fool! Now, be -off!"</p> - -<p>Grischka cast a lowering look at the doctor. He would rather have been -beaten, or given into custody; but the doctor was a kind-hearted man, -and could see that Orloff was not at the present moment responsible for -his actions.</p> - -<p>"For the last time; are you coming with me?" Grischka asked his wife, -in a hoarse voice.</p> - -<p>"No, I am not going," she answered, throwing back her head, as if she -expected a blow.</p> - -<p>"Well—go to the devil, all of you!" he cried, with a hopeless gesture. -"What the deuce do I want with any of you?"</p> - -<p>"You poor fool!" exclaimed the doctor almost compassionately.</p> - -<p>"Don't swear!" shouted Grigori; then turning to his wife, "Well, you -damned hussy, you see I am off!... Perhaps we shall never meet again in -this life ... perhaps we shall ... that will be just as I choose. But -if we do meet—it won't go well with you.... That I can promise you!"</p> - -<p>Then he turned towards the door.</p> - -<p>"Farewell, you tragic hero!" cried the doctor in a sarcastic voice, as -Grigori passed him. Orloff stopped, and turning his sad glowing eyes on -the doctor, said in a restrained voice—</p> - -<p>"You had better leave me alone ... don't wind up the spring any more -... it was lucky it unwound without hurting any one ... don't try it on -again!".</p> - -<p>He picked up his wet cap from the floor, put it on his head, lingered -for a moment, and then went out without once glancing at Matrona.</p> - -<p>The doctor looked at Orloff's wife with a searching glance, as she -stood in front of him with a pale death-like look on her face.</p> - -<p>Then nodding in the direction of Grigori, he asked her, "What is the -matter with him?"</p> - -<p>"I don't know...."</p> - -<p>"H'm—and where is he going now?"</p> - -<p>"He will go and get drunk," Matrona replied in a convinced tone of -voice.</p> - -<p>The doctor frowned and left her.</p> - -<p>Matrona looked out of the window. Through the darkness of the night, -and through the rain and wind, she could discern the figure of a man -leaving the Infirmary, and walking towards the town. He was the only -living thing to be seen in the dreary wet expanse of fields.</p> - -<p>Matrona's face grew still whiter; she went towards a corner of the -room, dropped on her knees, and began to pray fervently, her head -bowed almost to the floor. Deep sighs and ardent words of passionate -prayer escaped from her lips, whilst in her excitement and anguish her -hands clutched feverishly at her throat and breast.</p> - - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<h4><a name="CHAPTER_IX" id="CHAPTER_IX">CHAPTER IX</a></h4> - - -<p>I was inspecting one day the technical school -of the town of N——. One of the founders of the school, a personal -friend of mine, was showing me round. He pointed out all the new and -model arrangements and gave me an account of everything.</p> - -<p>"As you see, we may be proud of our work.... Our school, which we -planted at first like a small seed, has grown into a well-developed -and splendid institution. We have been exceedingly fortunate in the -choice of our teachers. In the shoemaking class, for instance, we have -a woman-teacher, who was formerly the wife of a shoemaker, a charming -bright little creature, simple in her nature, and irreproachable as to -character. And how she works!... She is indeed a wonder!... Her way of -teaching her trade too is quite astonishing; she has such patience and -love for the children. She gets only twelve roubles a month besides -her lodging, and at the price she is a treasure.... Out of her scanty -earnings she herself supports two orphan children!... She's a most -interesting person, I can tell you!..."</p> - -<p>He said so much in praise of the shoemaker's wife that I became quite -curious to see her. It was not long before my wish was fulfilled, and -one day Matrona Ivanovna Orlova told me the sad story of her life. At -first, after her separation from her husband, he gave her no peace—he -would arrive drunk, make a terrible row, watch her whenever she went -out, and if he succeeded in catching her, would beat her pitilessly. -She bore it all. When the Infirmary was closed, the lady doctor -promised to get her a situation in the school, and protect her from -her husband. This she succeeded in doing, and henceforth a peaceful -industrious life began for Matrona. With the help of the assistants, -whom she had known in the Infirmary, she learnt to read and write; -later on she adopted two orphans, a boy and a girl, whom she found in -the Orphanage,—she made a home for herself and grew happier, only -looking back with sadness and horror on her former life. She loved her -pupils, and realized the importance of the work that was entrusted to -her, and to which she devoted absolutely her life. She had gained the -affection and respect of all the managers of the school. But a dry -painful cough troubled her, and a hectic flush on her thin cheeks was -an omen of the disease which was undermining her strength. Her grey -eyes burned with an expression of fathomless grief. Her married life -with the restless Grischka had left these traces behind....</p> - -<p>Grischka had, however, for the last three years left his wife entirely -alone. He came sometimes to N——, but never showed his face to his -wife. "He had gone on the tramp," that was the expression Matrona used -to describe the kind of life her husband led.</p> - -<p>I had the opportunity later on of making his acquaintance. I came -across him in one of the slum quarters of the town, and after we had -met two or three times we became friends. He told me the story of his -married life—the same story indeed that I had already heard from -Matrona. After telling it he seemed lost for a time in reflection, and -then added—</p> - -<p>"Yes, Maxime Sawatjeitsch, that's how it all happened ... that's -the way I seem to have been lifted up, and then cruelly dashed down -again. I never managed to do anything heroic after all. But I still -feel the intense desire to do something out of the common, something -extraordinary. I should like to crush everything on earth to dust ... -or gather together a band of boon companions, and destroy every Jew in -the world—every single one! To do something that would raise me to a -higher level than all the rest of mankind ... so that from my heights -I could spit down on all of them. Something that would give me the -right to say to them all, 'You reptiles, you! what are you living for? -And how are you living? You are a set of hypocrites and rogues, and -nothing else!' ... After that I should not mind falling head foremost -from my heights, even if I got smashed to pieces on the ground!... -Hm?.. yes!... Devil take it all!... How dull and flat life is! It has -always seemed to me narrow and cramped! Once I had got the weight of -Matrona off my shoulders I thought to myself, 'Now, Grischka, the -anchor is up, you can sail away freely wherever you like!' But it all -turned out different from what I thought it would; my boat got caught -in the shallows, and here I am aground!... But, never fear, I shall -get off some day, and shall yet make a name for myself ... My wife?... -Oh, she is nothing to me now!... Let her goto the devil!... What does -a man like me want with a wife?... How can I be tied to a wife when I -feel as if I were constantly being attracted towards the four quarters -of the earth?... I was born with the spirit of unrest in my heart ... -and fate marked me out for a tramp, for a wanderer over the face of -the earth.... It's the best life there is after all.... It's free, -though it's not without its discomforts.... I have tramped all over the -place, and never yet have found comfort for my soul.... I drink, you -say.... Well, I sup pose that's true; but what else is there to do?... -Vodka is the only thing that really soothes the soul; and there is an -inextinguishable flame, which is burning up my soul.... Everything -seems in opposition to me; the towns, the villages, people in every -condition of life.... I am sick of it all! Would it not have been -possible to have invented something better than all this?... Half the -world seems to be preying on the other half.... There is nothing for it -but to destroy them all! Ah! life, life, what an invention of the devil -it is!"</p> - -<p>The heavy door of the vodka-shop, where Orloff and I sat talking, swung -backwards and forwards from time to time with a creaking, suggestive -sound. As one glanced at the dark interior it appeared like the huge -jaws of a giant, slowly but surely swallowing up, one after the other, -these poor wretched Russian souls ... both the restless and the quiet -alike....</p> - - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<h3><a name="MALVA" id="MALVA">MALVA</a></h3> - - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<h4><a name="CHAPTER_Ib" id="CHAPTER_Ib">CHAPTER I</a></h4> - -<p>The sea laughed.</p> - -<p>It thrilled beneath the warm light breath of the wind, and its surface -became covered with faint ripples, reflecting dazzingly the sun; -whilst, with its thousand silvery lips it laughed back to the sky. -The vast space between the sea and the sky seemed filled with the -joyful hum of wave-voices, rippling up, one after the other, over the -flat shore of the sandy cape. This sound blended with the flashes of -sunlight, reflected a thousandfold by the sea, and melted harmoniously -into one ceaseless agitation full of living joy. The sky was happy as -it poured forth light; the sea was happy as it reflected the glory of -the sunlight.</p> - -<p>The wind caressed the smooth powerful bosom of the sea, warmed by the -sun's ardent rays; and the ocean seemed to sigh as if fatigued with -these amorous caresses; it filled the burning air with the salt smell -of its emanations. The greenish waves, lapping the yellow sands, tossed -forwards the white froth of their crests, which melted with gentle -hissing sounds, moistening the foreshore....</p> - -<p>The long narrow tongue of earth resembled some enormous tower which had -fallen on to its side into the sea. Its slender point was planted in -the vast solitude of the water, laughing up to the sun; whilst its base -seemed lost in the distance, where a warm haze hid the mainland. There -came from thence with the breeze a heavy smell, incomprehensible and -offensive out here, in the midst of the wild pure sea, under the dome -of clear blue sky.</p> - -<p>Fixed in the sand, which seemed in part covered with fish-scales, were -wooden posts. From these fishing-nets hung to dry, casting delicate -shadows, fine and light as spiders-webs. A few large boats and one -smaller one lay in a line on the beach, and the waves as they ran up -towards them seemed to be calling them.</p> - -<p>Oars, coils of rope, and barrels lay about in disorder; whilst amongst -them rose a hut made of willow-branches, of bark and of matting. At the -door of the hut, on the knotted fork of the branch of a tree, hung, -soles upwards, two felt boots; and above this general chaos floated a -strip of red rag at the top of a high mast.</p> - -<p>In the shade of a boat Vassili Legostev was lying down; his duty was -to watch over the interests of the fishing merchant Grebentchikok, -whose fisheries were established on this promontory. Lying flat on his -stomach, his head in his hands, he was watching with a fixed gaze -the sea, and still further away the almost invisible coast-line. Over -there, on the water, a black speck was dancing up and down, and Vassili -watched it with satisfaction as it grew larger, and drew nearer.</p> - -<p>Half closing his eyes, to shut out the strong glare from the waves, his -face beamed with pleasure: it was Malva who was coming. She would come -laughing so joyously that her bosom would rise and fall in tempting -throbs; she would throw her soft strong arms around him, would kiss -him, and in her sonorous voice that frightened away the seagulls she -would give him news of what was going on over there on the shore. -Together they would make some capital fish-soup and they would drink -vodka, whilst they chatted and played about together; then as the -daylight waned they would regale themselves with boiling hot tea and -little rolls, and afterwards go to bed. This was how they spent every -Sunday and feast-day. At dawn he would take her, still heavy with -sleep, back across the sea through the fresh morning air. Malva with -sleepy eyes would sit down near the rudder, and he would row and watch -her. She was so quaint at those times—quaint and charming, like? soft -little cat that has eaten a good meal. Sometimes she would slide down -to the bottom of the boat, and would sleep there, rolled up against him -like a ball. Often she did this.</p> - -<p>To-day even the gulls seemed languid with the heat They stood in rows -on the sand, their beaks open, and their wings hanging; or else they -rocked idly on the waves without uttering their accustomed cries, or -showing their usual fierce animation.</p> - -<p>It seemed to Vassili that Malva was not alone in the boat Could it be -that Sereja had come with her again? Vassili moved uneasily on the -sand, and then sat up shading his eyes with his hand; he seemed trying, -with a vexed expression on his face, to discover who it could be who -was arriving.... Malva was holding the rudder. It was not Sereja rowing -with that strong but clumsy stroke. If it had been Sereja, Malva would -not have troubled herself to steer.</p> - -<p>"Ahoy!" cried Vassili impatiently.</p> - -<p>The seagulls were startled, and became attentive.</p> - -<p>"Ahoy! Ahoy!" replied from the boat the clear voice of Malva.</p> - -<p>"Who have you got with you?"</p> - -<p>The only reply he received was a laugh.</p> - -<p>"The little devil!" swore Vassili under his breath.</p> - -<p>He spat on one side with an offended gesture.</p> - -<p>He was full of curiosity. Whilst rolling a cigarette, he scanned the -neck and the back of the rower who was approaching rapidly. The noise -made by the oars striking the water, rang through the air, and the sand -was ground beneath the bare feet of the keeper who was struggling -against a nervous fit of curiosity.</p> - -<p>"Who is with you?" he cried when he was able to discern the smile, so -familiar to him, on the beautiful round face of Malva.</p> - -<p>"Just wait!... You will recognize him yourself all right!" she answered -laughing.</p> - -<p>The rower turned round, and laughing also, looked full at Vassili, The -keeper frowned; it appeared to him he had seen the lad before.</p> - -<p>"Row faster!" Malva ordered.</p> - -<p>The impetus was so strong that the boat was tossed sideways on to -the shore by a wave, and then righted herself whilst the wave rolled -laughing back into the sea. The rower jumped ashore, and went straight -up to Vassili—</p> - -<p>"Good-day, father!"</p> - -<p>"Jakoff!" exclaimed Vassili, more astonished than pleased.</p> - -<p>They kissed each other three times on the mouth and on the cheeks; -after which Vassili's astonishment was a mixture of joy and of trouble.</p> - -<p>"I felt sure ... there was something ... my heart told me so.... Ah! -it's you ... How did you manage it?... And I, who was saying to myself, -Is it Sereja?... No; I could see quite well it wasn't Sereja!... And -now I find it's you!"</p> - -<p>Vassili was stroking his beard with one hand, and with the other he -was gesticulating in the air. He would have liked to have looked at -Malva, but the bright eyes of his son were fixed on him and made him -feel awkward. His pride, in having a son so strong and so handsome, was -struggling against the embarrassment he felt in the presence of his -mistress. He moved about restlessly in front of Jakoff, interjecting -questions without waiting for replies. Everything seemed to be mixed up -in his head, and the culminating point of discomfort was reached when -he heard Malva remark in a mocking tone—</p> - -<p>"Don't jump about like that ... for joy! Take him to the hut and give -him a feed."</p> - -<p>He glanced at her: a mocking smile, which he knew well, hovered in -the corners of her lips, and her whole person, round, soft and fresh -as usual, appeared at the same time strange and new to him. Malva was -glancing with her green eyes from father to son, while she nibbled -carraway seeds with her little white teeth. Jakoff was also smiling, -and for a few seconds, which were painful to Vassili, all three were -silent.</p> - -<p>"I shall be back directly!" cried Vassili suddenly, going towards the -hut. "Don't stay there in the sun. I am going to fetch some water.... -We'll make some soup. I'll give you some fish-soup to taste, Jakoff! -You two look after each other; I shall be with you in a minute,..."</p> - -<p>He caught up an earthenware saucepan which was on the ground near the -hut, and retired behind the nets, whose grey folds completely hid him -from view.</p> - -<p>Malva and the lad followed him.</p> - -<p>"Well, my fine young man, I have brought you to your father!" said -Malva, eyeing Jakoff's robust figure.</p> - -<p>He bent towards her his face, covered with its soft, fair beard, and -said with sparkling eyes—</p> - -<p>"Yes, here we are!... It's fine to be here.... What a stretch of sea!"</p> - -<p>"Yes, the sea is wide.... And the old man? Has he changed much?"</p> - -<p>"No ... no.... I thought he would be whiter, and he has scarcely any -grey hairs.... And he's so ... strong!"</p> - -<p>"How long is it since you have seen each other?"</p> - -<p>"Five years, perhaps.... When he left the village, I was going on for -seventeen."</p> - -<p>They went into the hut, where the heat and the smell of the fish were -stifling. They sat down—Jakoff on a great log of wood, and Malva on -some sacks. Between them was a cask, sawn in half, the bottom half of -which Vassili used as a table. When they were settled they looked at -each other for some time without speaking.</p> - -<p>"It seems you want to get work here?" asked Malva.</p> - -<p>"Well ... I don't quite know.... If I find a job ... I will work."</p> - -<p>"You'll find one fast enough!" said Malva with assurance, watching him -always with her curious oblique green eyes.</p> - -<p>He was not looking at her; but with the sleeve of his shirt was wiping -away the sweat which covered his face.</p> - -<p>All of a sudden she broke into laughter.</p> - -<p>"Your mother very likely gave you all sorts of messages and greetings -for your father?"</p> - -<p>Jakoff replied with a gesture of impatience—</p> - -<p>"Of course she did! And what then?..."</p> - -<p>"Nothing!" she said, still laughing.</p> - -<p>Her mocking laughter displeased Jakoff. He moved away from the woman, -and began to think of his mother's words.</p> - -<p>When she had accompanied him to the end of the village, she had leant -against a gate, speaking quickly, and blinking her dry eyes.</p> - -<p>"Tell him, Jakoff, tell him in the name of Christ. 'Father, my mother -is alone over there! She is growing old.... Five years have gone by -and she is still alone!' Tell him, my little Jakoff, for the love of -God! 'My mother will soon be an old woman, alone, always alone, always -at work.' In the name of Christ, tell him this." And she had cried -quietly, hiding her face in her apron.</p> - -<p>Jakoff had not pitied her then, but now he pitied her.... And he -glanced at Malva with a hard expression, as if he were going to address -her in a tone of coarse abuse.</p> - -<p>"Well, here I am!" exclaimed Vassili, appearing with a quivering fish -in one hand and a knife in the other.</p> - -<p>He had conquered his embarrassment, hiding it deep down within himself. -He was able now to look at his guests with serenity and good-humour, -though his movements were more abrupt than usual "I am just going to -make a fire ... and then I'll be back.... We will talk then. Well, -Jakoff! What a fine lad you have grown!" And he disappeared once more.</p> - -<p>Malva continued to nibble the grains. She watched Jakoff with an air of -familiarity; and he tried not to catch her eye although he longed to do -so; and he thought to himself—</p> - -<p>"Life must be fine out here; one can eat to one's heart's content. -How fat she is, and so is my father!" Then as the silence made him -feel nervous, he remarked out loud—"I forgot to get my bag out of the -boat.... I'll just go and fetch it."</p> - -<p>Jakoff rose slowly and went out. Then Vassili appeared; he bent towards -Malva, and said rapidly in an angry voice—</p> - -<p>"What did you want to come with him for?... What am I to tell him about -you?... What are you to me?"</p> - -<p>"I have come, and that's all!" answered Malva.</p> - -<p>"You stupid creature! Aren't you ashamed?... What am I to do now? Am -I to tell him straight out that ... But I have a wife at home.... His -mother.... You might have understood!"</p> - -<p>"What does it matter to me? Do you think I'm frightened of him? Or of -you?" she asked, screwing up contemptuously her green eyes. "And how -you carried on when you first saw him!... What fun it was to see you!"</p> - -<p>"You thought it fun, did you?... But what am I going to do?"</p> - -<p>"You ought to have thought of that before."</p> - -<p>"But could I imagine that the sea was going to throw him up here, -without giving me a word of warning?"</p> - -<p>Jakoff's footsteps were heard in the sand, and they were obliged to -interrupt their conversation. Jakoff had brought back a bag, which he -tossed into a corner, glancing angrily towards the woman. She was still -nibbling seeds. Vassili sat on the log of wood, rubbing his knee, and -said with a constrained smile—</p> - -<p>"Well, here you are!... What made you think of coming here?"</p> - -<p>"It just came into my head.... We had written to you...."</p> - -<p>"When? I didn't get any letter."</p> - -<p>"Is that so?... Well, we wrote to you!"</p> - -<p>"The letter must have been lost," said Vassili regretfully. "Devil take -it!... It's always the important letters that get lost...."</p> - -<p>"Then you don't know anything about us?" asked Jakoff distrustfully.</p> - -<p>"How should I know anything? I have not received any letter."</p> - -<p>Then Jakoff told how their horse had died, how they had eaten all their -com before the beginning of February, and how he himself was no longer -able to earn a living. There was no more hay left, the cow had been -nearly starved to death. They had managed to get along till April, and -then they had decided that after the ploughing Jakoff should go and -find his father, and should get work somewhere away, during the next -three months. This was what they had written. Then they sold three -sheep and bought some flour and some hay, after which Jakoff started -off.</p> - -<p>"Well, I never!" exclaimed Vassili. "How is it possible?... I sent you -money!"</p> - -<p>"It was little enough, your money! We had to repair the house; and -there was the sister's marriage. I bought a plough.... You see, five -years is a long time."</p> - -<p>"Hm!... So it wasn't enough? What a long story!... And my soup which Is -boiling away!"</p> - -<p>He rose and went out. Stooping down over the fire, above which hung -the boiling-pot Vassili reflected whilst he tossed the scum into the -flames.</p> - -<p>Nothing in the story told by his son affected him particularly, but -he felt irritated with his wife, and with Jakoff. What a lot of money -he had sent them during these five years! And they had not managed to -get along with it If Malva had not been there he would have spoken out -straight to his son. Jakoff had managed very well to leave the village -without his father's permission; but with regard to his piece of land -it wasn't used up yet And this land, about which Vassili, during his -easy, pleasant life had scarcely thought, now returned suddenly to his -mind; it appeared to him as a gulf, into which he had been throwing his -money, as something useless and embarrassing. He sighed, as with the -spoon he stirred the soup.</p> - -<p>In the sunlight, the little yellow flame of the fire showed pale and -miserable! Threads of blue transparent smoke stretched from the hearth -towards the sea, as if going to meet the waves. Vassili followed them -with his glance, and thought of his son, of Malva; he was thinking to -himself that from this day forth his life would be less pleasant, less -free. Surely Jakoff had already guessed what Malva was to him.</p> - -<p>She remained in the hut, exciting the lad with her bold, provoking -eyes.</p> - -<p>"Perhaps you have left your sweetheart behind you in the village," she -said suddenly.</p> - -<p>"Perhaps I have!" he replied unwillingly.</p> - -<p>And in his heart he was abusing Malva.</p> - -<p>"Is she pretty?" she asked indifferently.</p> - -<p>Jakoff did not reply.</p> - -<p>"Why don't you answer?... Is she prettier than I am?"</p> - -<p>He looked at her almost against his will. Her cheeks were flushed and -sunburnt, her lips full and tempting, and now that a mischievous smile -lurked about them, they seemed to tremble. She wore a becoming little -blouse of pink cotton, showing the outline of her rounded shoulders, -her full and supple bosom. But he did not like her green, cunning, -mocking eyes.</p> - -<p>"Why do you talk like that?"</p> - -<p>He sighed involuntarily, and spoke in a pleading voice; he would have -liked, if he could have done so, to have spoken to her in a severe tone.</p> - -<p>"How must I speak to you?" she asked, laughing.</p> - -<p>"And now you are laughing ... what about?"</p> - -<p>"I'm laughing at you...."</p> - -<p>"What have I done?" he asked crossly.</p> - -<p>And again he dropped his eyes before her glance.</p> - -<p>She did not reply.</p> - -<p>Jakoff had a very shrewd idea of what her relations with his father -were, and that prevented him from speaking openly. He was not in the -least astonished; he had heard it said, that when people worked far -away from the village they lost their habits of respectability; and -besides it would have been difficult for a strong man like his father -to do without a woman for such a long time. But nevertheless he felt -awkward both on her account, and on that of his father. And then he -remembered once more his mother, harassed and complaining, who was -working over there without rest or help.</p> - -<p>"The soup is ready!" Vassili announced, standing at the door of the -hut. "Give us the spoons, Malva."</p> - -<p>Jakoff looked at his father and thought—</p> - -<p>"One can see she comes here often, for she knows where everything is."</p> - -<p>When she had found the spoons, she said she must go down to the sea to -wash them, and that in the boat she had some vodka.</p> - -<p>The father and son watched her as she walked away, and, when they found -themselves alone, remained silent.</p> - -<p>"Where did you meet her?" said Vassili at last</p> - -<p>"I asked at the office where you were; she was there. And she said to -me—'Why go on foot along the sand? Let us go in the boat; I also am -going to see him.' And we set off."</p> - -<p>"Yes?... Well, I have often said to myself, 'I wonder how he is now, my -Jakoff?'"</p> - -<p>The son smiled good-naturedly. This gave Vassili back his courage.</p> - -<p>"And ... how are you?"</p> - -<p>"Oh! all right ..." said Jakoff, dropping his eyelids.</p> - -<p>"What the devil could I do?" exclaimed Vassili, waving his arms about -"I kept straight at first ... But I couldn't go on like that It was -habit ... you see I am a married man!... And then she mends my clothes, -and so on.... Besides, one can't escape either women or death!"</p> - -<p>This simple maxim seemed to bring his explanation to a close.</p> - -<p>"What does it matter to me?" said Jakoff. "It's your business, I am not -your judge."</p> - -<p>But he thought to himself—"I should like to see her mending his -trousers!"</p> - -<p>"I am forty-five; that's not old yet ... She costs me very little; why -the devil should she?... she is not my wife!..." continued Vassili.</p> - -<p>"Of course not!" admitted Jakoff.</p> - -<p>But he thought—"I bet she makes his money slip through her fingers!"</p> - -<p>Malva had returned with a bottle of vodka and a string of little -rolls; they sat down to dinner. They ate without talking, sucking the -fish-bones noisily, and spitting them on to the sand near the door. -Jakoff devoured his portion, and this seemed to please Malva. She -watched with a tender expression his great sunburnt jaws chewing, his -cheeks distending, and his thick, moist lips moving. Vassili was not -hungry; he attempted to appear absorbed in his meal, so as to be able -to observe at his ease Jakoff and Malva, and to think over the way in -which he should behave towards them.</p> - -<p>The joyful and caressing music of the waves was accompanied by the -ferocious and victorious cries of the seagulls. The heat seemed to be -growing less, and from time to time a breath of fresh air impregnated -with the pure smell of the sea, seemed to reach the hut.</p> - -<p>After having eaten the excellent fish-soup, and drunk several glasses -of vodka, Jakoff became sleepy. He began by smiling stupidly, and -yawning, looking at Malva all the time in such a way that Vassili -thought it better to say to him—</p> - -<p>"Lie down here, Jakoff, till tea-time ... then we will call you."</p> - -<p>"All right," said Jakoff, throwing himself down on some rugs. "And you -two ... where are you going?... He! he!"</p> - -<p>Vassili, annoyed by this guffaw, went out hastily. Malva closed her -lips tightly, knitted her brows, and replied to Jakoff—</p> - -<p>"Where we are going is not your affair! What is it to you? I advise you -not to meddle with other people's business. Do you hear that, my lad?"</p> - -<p>And she went off.</p> - -<p>"Oh, very well!" cried Jakoff. "Just wait a bit! Ha! ha! ha! I'll show -you.... All right!... you're a nice sort of young lady!"</p> - -<p>He grumbled on for a few minutes longer, then went off to sleep with a -drunken, satisfied smile on his red face.</p> - -<p>Vassili stuck three posts into the sand, and tied the tops of them -together; over this he threw a mat, and having thus rapidly arranged a -shelter, he lay down in the shade, put his hands behind his head, and -looked at the sky. When Malva approached and threw herself on the sand -at his side, he turned towards her a face full of resentment.</p> - -<p>"Well, old man," she asked, laughing, "aren't you more pleased than -that at seeing your son?"</p> - -<p>"He mocks me ... and why? Because of you ... that's what it -means," replied Vassili, gloomily.</p> - -<p>"Because of me, indeed?..."</p> - -<p>She maliciously feigned astonishment "Why ... of course!"</p> - -<p>"Ah! how you upset me!... What am I to be up to now? I mustn't come -back, I suppose.... Well, I won't come any more...."</p> - -<p>"Get along with you, you baggage!... What a set of creatures you -are!... He mocks me, and now you are doing the same ... and you are -the two who are the nearest to me. And where's the joke, I would like -to know? You're a pair of devils!"</p> - -<p>He ceased speaking and walked away. She remained sitting, holding her -knees and rocking her whole body backwards and forwards with a gentle -movement, watching with her lambent green eyes the joyous sea, and -smiling one of those triumphant smiles which women indulge in who -understand the power of their beauty.</p> - -<p>A sailing-boat was gliding over the water, looking like a huge bird -with grey wings. It was far from the shore, and was moving ever further -and further away, towards the point where the sea and the sky melted -into an infinite blue, drawing everything into the mystery of its -absorbing tranquillity.</p> - -<p>"Why don't you speak?" said Vassili.</p> - -<p>"I am thinking," replied Malva.</p> - -<p>"What about?"</p> - -<p>"Nothing in particular."</p> - -<p>She raised her eyebrows, and after a few minutes' silence added—</p> - -<p>"That son of yours is a fine lad!"</p> - -<p>"What's that to you?" cried Vassili, with jealousy in his voice.</p> - -<p>"I'm sure I don't know...."</p> - -<p>"Just you look out for yourself!" (He threw her a glance of distrust) -"Don't play the fool. There'll be an end of my patience some time; you -had better not aggravate me!"</p> - -<p>He ground his teeth, clenched his fists, and continued—</p> - -<p>"As soon as you got here to-day, you were up to some game.... I don't -quite understand what it is, but look here, if you make me understand -it, you will be sorry for it! Yes, you may go on making your grimaces -... and you think perhaps I don't notice them.... I know how to treat -your sort ... if you carry on...."</p> - -<p>"Don't try and frighten me, Vassili!" she said listlessly, and without -looking at him.</p> - -<p>"Very well! Don't you make jokes then!"</p> - -<p>"Don't try to frighten me."</p> - -<p>"I'll make you dance if you begin any of your nonsense!"</p> - -<p>Vassili was becoming every moment more irritable.</p> - -<p>"Would you beat me?"</p> - -<p>She came up to him, and looked curiously into his agitated face.</p> - -<p>"One would think you were a countess!... Yes, I would beat you."</p> - -<p>"I'm not your wife, though!" said Malva in a quiet, didactic voice; and -without waiting for a reply, she continued—"You used to beat your wife -for nothing, and you think now that you can do the same with me. No! I -am free. I only belong to myself, and I am not afraid of any one. But -you, you are afraid of your son; just now you were trying to get over -him! And you, you dare to threaten me?"</p> - -<p>She threw up her head contemptuously, and remained silent Her -disdainful cold words had extinguished Vassili's anger. He had never -seen her looking more beautiful, and he was astonished.</p> - -<p>"Now she's off on her high horse!" he exclaimed admiringly.</p> - -<p>"I have something else to settle with you. You were boasting to Sereja -that I could no more do without you than I could do without bread; -that I couldn't live without you! Well, that's just your mistake.... -Perhaps, after all, it is not you I care for, not for you that I come -here. Suppose, after all, it is because I love this beach?"</p> - -<p>... (She stretched out her arms with a gesture of embrace.) "Perhaps -I love solitude; here, there are only sky and sea, and no vile human -beings. And your being here doesn't count You are the price that I have -to pay for coming here.... If Sereja had been here, it would have been -Sereja that I should have come to see; if it were your son, I should -come also.... It would be best of all if there were no one here.... I -am disgusted with you all!... But if I take it into my head, I can any -day, beautiful as I know I am, choose another man ... who will be worth -more than you."</p> - -<p>"We'll see about that," hissed Vassili furiously; and he seized her by -the throat "So it has come to that, has it?"</p> - -<p>He shook her, and she did not try to get away, although her flushed -face and bloodshot eyes showed that she was choking. But she placed her -two hands on the hand that was pressing her throat.</p> - -<p>"So this was what was in your mind!" (Vassili's voice was hoarse with -rage.) "And all the time you said nothing; you kissed me, and you -caressed me.... I'll teach you a lesson!"</p> - -<p>He pushed her down towards the ground, and struck her with a feeling -of satisfaction on the neck and shoulders; once, twice, with his heavy -muscular fist He felt a pleasant sensation each time that his hand -struck the warm, yielding flesh.</p> - -<p>"Take that!... serpent!..." he said with a triumphant air, pushing her -away.</p> - -<p>Without uttering a complaint, silent and calm, she allowed herself to -fall backwards, flushed, dishevelled, but still beautiful. Her green -eyes watched him under their eyelids, and seemed to bum with the cold -flame of hatred; whilst he, panting with excitement, and pleased with -the outlet he had given to his anger, did not notice this glance; and -when he leant over her full of the contempt bred of victory, she was -smiling softly.</p> - -<p>At first her lips trembled a little, then her eyes lighted up, dimples -showed in her cheeks, and she began to laugh. Vassili watched her with -astonishment, as she laughed loud and gaily, as if she had not just -been beaten.</p> - -<p>"What's the matter now, you little she-devil?" he cried anxiously, -pulling her roughly by the sleeve.</p> - -<p>"Vassia, was it you who beat me?" she murmured.</p> - -<p>"Yes, it was I; who else could it be?"</p> - -<p>He watched her, but failed to understand her mood. Should he beat her -again? But his anger was now dead; he had no wish to begin again.</p> - -<p>"Is it because you love me?" she asked gently.</p> - -<p>And Vassili felt hot all over, as he listened to her whispering voice.</p> - -<p>"That's enough now!... Devil take you!" he replied moodily. "Are you -satisfied?"</p> - -<p>"Vassia! and I, who thought you did not care for me any more. I said -to myself, 'Now that his son is here, he will send me away on his -account.'"</p> - -<p>And she burst out into a strange exaggerated laugh.</p> - -<p>"Fool!" said Vassili, smiling involuntarily.</p> - -<p>He felt himself in the wrong, and pitied her; but recalling the words -she had used at first, and which had roused his anger, he replied -gruffly—</p> - -<p>"My son has nothing to do in the matter.... And if I have beaten you -it was because you deserved it: why did you nag at me?"</p> - -<p>"I did it on purpose, to try you."</p> - -<p>And with provoking playfulness, she rubbed against his shoulder. He -glanced hastily towards the hut, and then kissed the young girl.</p> - -<p>"To try me indeed!... a fine idea ... now you see what you have got."</p> - -<p>"It doesn't matter," said Malva, half closing her eyes; "I am not -angry: you beat me because you loved me.... I shan't forget that!"</p> - -<p>She looked at him fixedly, gave a little shudder, and lowering her -voice, repeated—</p> - -<p>"No, I shan't forget that in a hurry."</p> - -<p>Vassili gave to these words a meaning agreeable to himself; they seemed -to cause him pleasant emotion, for he smiled, and said with a stupid -self-satisfied expression—</p> - -<p>"How do you mean? tell me."</p> - -<p>"You'll see!" replied Malva quietly, but her lips trembled.</p> - -<p>"Ah! my little jewel!" cried Vassili, crushing her in his arms.</p> - -<p>"And, do you know, since I have beaten you I love you twice as much; -you are all the dearer to me.... You seem to belong to me all the -more...."</p> - -<p>The gulls flew round them. The breeze from the sea threw up at their -feet the foam from the waves, and the ceaseless ripple seemed to speak -of peace.</p> - -<p>"Ah! life! life!..." (Vassili dreamily caressed the girl, as she lay -in his arms.) "This is ever the way of the world: what is forbidden -is always pleasant ... Perhaps you don't know; but I sometimes think -about life, and then I am frightened. Especially at night, when I can't -sleep.... In front of me stretches the sea, above me is the sky, and -all around me is terrifying darkness! And I am alone. And then I seem -to grow small, so small, and the ground seems to rock under me, and it -seems as if there were no one on the earth but myself! If I only had -you at those moments ... at least we should be two together."</p> - -<p>Malva, with closed eyes, was lying across Vassili's knees; and she -remained silent The rough open face of the peasant, tanned by the wind -and the sun, was bent towards her, and his beard touched lightly her -neck. The girl did not move, only her bosom rose and fell. Vassili's -eyes wandered over the sea, and from time to time glanced at Malva's -bosom which lay there so near him. And he went on telling her how -lonely he was, living here alone, and how painful were his sleepless -nights, filled with dark thoughts about life. Then he kissed her mouth -slowly, and with the sort of noise that he would have made when eating -a warm thick soup. They remained there perhaps three hours, and when -the sun began to go down into the sea, Vassili said in a tone of -annoyance—</p> - -<p>"I must go and boil the water for tea ... our guest will soon be awake."</p> - -<p>Malva walked away with the indolent gesture of a languorous kitten, -and Vassili rose regretfully and went towards the hut. Between her -half-closed eyelids the girl watched him as he walked away, and she -sighed, as those sigh who have bent too long under a heavy burden. An -hour went by; the three had met round the fire, and were drinking tea -and chatting.</p> - -<p>The sun was already staining the sea with the deep tones of sunset, -and under the magic touch of its rays the green waves had just clothed -themselves in purple and tender rose-pink.</p> - -<p>Vassili, as he drank his tea from a white china cup, questioned his son -about the country, and exchanged recollections. Malva, without taking -part in the conversation, listened to their slowly-uttered questions -and answers.</p> - -<p>"The peasants are still able then to make a living?"</p> - -<p>"Yes, they get along somehow," answered Jakoff.</p> - -<p>"We don't want much, we peasants. A house, enough bread, and on -feast-days a glass of vodka.... Yes, but we don't even get that ... -Should I have gone away if I could have lived at home? In the village -I am my own master, the equal of any one, but here I am a servant."</p> - -<p>"But on the other hand you are not so often hungry here, and work is -less hard."</p> - -<p>"Don't say that There are days here when ones bones feel as if they -were being crushed.... And then here, one is working for others, whilst -there one works for oneself."</p> - -<p>"But here one earns more," replied quietly Jakoff. In his own mind -Vassili admitted the truth of his son's argument Life was of course -harder in the village than it was here; but he was displeased that -Jakoff should notice it And he added in a severe tone—</p> - -<p>"What do you know about what is earned here? In the village ..."</p> - -<p>"It's like a narrow dark prison," said Malva sarcastically. "And the -woman's life there especially, is nothing but tears."</p> - -<p>"The woman's life is everywhere the same, and light is everywhere the -same, and so is the sun!" said Vassili coldly.</p> - -<p>"That's what you think!" cried Malva excitedly. "In the village, -whether I wished it or not I should have to marry. And a woman once -married is for ever a slave. She must weave and spin, and look after -the animals, and bring children into the world. What is there left for -her herself? Nothing but blows and abuse from her husband."</p> - -<p>"That's not true, that she gets nothing but blows," replied Vassili.</p> - -<p>"Whilst I, here," she continued, without listening to him, "I belong to -no one. I am as free as a seagull! I fly wherever pleases me. No one -can stop me, and no one can interfere with me."</p> - -<p>"And if any one were to interfere with you?" said Vassili, amused with -the allusion which he understood.</p> - -<p>"Well, they would have to pay for it," she replied softly.</p> - -<p>And she dropped her eyelids over her blazing eyes.</p> - -<p>Vassili laughed an indulgent laugh.</p> - -<p>"Oh! you, you are both bold and weak! You talk like a woman. In the -village woman is a necessity of life, whilst here she is one of its -pleasures."</p> - -<p>And after a few moments' silence he added—</p> - -<p>"And one of its sins."</p> - -<p>Jakoff, when they had finished their conversation, said with a dreamy -sigh—</p> - -<p>"The sea looks as if it stretched away for ever and ever."</p> - -<p>All three looked out over the limitless expanse.</p> - -<p>"Ah! if only all that were earth!" exclaimed the lad, stretching out -his arms, "good black earth!... and if only we could plough it!"</p> - -<p>"Ah! that's right!" said his father good-humouredly.</p> - -<p>By his gesture he approved of his son, standing there, flushed with the -burning desire that he had just expressed. It was pleasant to him to -hear these words, to witness this love for the earth; and he thought -that perhaps this same love might recall Jakoff imperiously back to the -village, far from temptations. He himself could then remain with Malva, -and all would go well as it used to do....</p> - -<p>"Yes, Jakoff", that's the way a peasant ought to speak. "That's the way -a peasant should think. The peasant's only strength is in the land; -as long as he has land he can live; but if he tears himself away from -the land it's all up with him. The peasant without land is like a tree -without roots; one can use it for all sorts of purposes, but it has no -life ... it is rotting. And it no longer possesses the beauty of the -woods; it is hewn and cut about; it has quite a different look. Yes, -Jakoff, you spoke then some true words."</p> - -<p>And the sea, receiving into its bosom the sun, welcomed it with the -musical ripple of waves all tinted with the glory of sunset hues.</p> - -<p>"It seems to me that my soul melts as I watch the sun setting.... -That's the effect it has on me!" said Vassili to Malva.</p> - -<p>She was silent Jakoff's blue eyes were searching the distance, far -out over the sea. For some time the three watched pensively the last -minutes of the day fading away. The embers died down under the iron -pot Already night stretched its shadows across the sky. The yellow -sands grew dark, the gulls had disappeared. All seemed peaceful, dreamy -and charming. Even the indefatigable waves running up over the sand -seemed quieter and less joyful than during the day.</p> - -<p>"Why am I still here?" said Malva. "I must be going."</p> - -<p>Vassili became restless; he watched his son.</p> - -<p>"Why are you in such a hurry?" he asked in a vexed voice. "Wait a few -minutes longer; the moon will soon be up...."</p> - -<p>"What do I want with the moon? I'm not frightened.... It won't be the -first time I have left here at night."</p> - -<p>Jakoff looked at his father, and in order to hide the mockery in his -eyes, he closed them; then he glanced at Malva; she also was watching -him, and it made him feel uncomfortable.</p> - -<p>"All right, be off with you!" said the old man in a cross voice.</p> - -<p>She rose, said good-bye, and walked away slowly along the shore. -The waves running up close to her feet looked as if they wished to -play with her. Above in the heavens those little golden flowers—the -stars—were peeping forth tremblingly. Malva's light-coloured blouse -seemed to fade away in the dusk as she walked further and further away -from Vassili and his son.</p> - -<p style="margin-left: 10%;"> -"Come quickly, my well-beloved,<br /> -And rest on my bosom!"<br /> -</p> - -<p>sang Malva in a loud clear voice.</p> - -<p>It seemed to Vassili that she stopped and waited. He spat angrily, and -thought to himself—</p> - -<p>"She is doing that on purpose to provoke me, the little devil!"</p> - -<p>"Ah! that's all right Now she is singing," said Jakoff.</p> - -<p>She only appeared now as a grey spot in the dusk.</p> - -<p>"My breasts, they are like Two white swans ..."</p> - -<p>Her voice rang out over the sea.</p> - -<p>"Ah!" sighed Jakoff.</p> - -<p>And he bent forward his body to listen to the words of temptation.</p> - -<p>"It would seem you have not been successful on the land?" came the -thick stern voice of Vassili.</p> - -<p>Jakoff, astonished, glanced at him, and then took up his former -attitude.</p> - -<p>Half-drowned in the noise of the waves, the provoking words of the song -were wafted in scattered fragments.</p> - -<p style="margin-left: 10%;"> -"Ah! how can I sleep alone,<br /> -All alone ... this night?..."<br /> -</p> - -<p>"How hot it is," said Vassili mournfully, rolling over on the sand. -"The night has come, but it's still hot! Ah! cursed country."</p> - -<p>"It's the sand ... which stores up the heat of the day," said Jakoff, -walking slowly away.</p> - -<p>"What's the matter?... I don't see where the joke is!" said his father -severely.</p> - -<p>"I?" said Jakoff simply. "What should I joke about?"</p> - -<p>"That's just it; there is nothing to joke about."</p> - -<p>They were silent.</p> - -<p>And above the sound of the waves there seemed to float towards them a -blending of sighs and of tender appeals.</p> - - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<h4><a name="CHAPTER_IIb" id="CHAPTER_IIb">CHAPTER II</a></h4> - - -<p>A fortnight afterwards, and Sunday had come round again, and once more -Vassili Legostev, stretched on the sand near his hut, was watching the -sea and waiting for Malva. And the vast sea smiled and played with -the sun-rays, and tens of thousands of ripples ran quivering over the -sands, leaving there the foam from their crests, and returning to melt -once more into the sea. But Vassili, who formerly used to await the -arrival of his mistress in peaceful security, awaited her now with -impatience.... Last Sunday she did not come; to-day she would surely -not fail him. He had scarcely a doubt on the subject; but he desired to -see her quickly. Jakoff was not here to be in the way; the day before -yesterday, when passing with some other fishermen to fetch a net, he -had said that he was going into the town on Sunday to buy himself some -shirts. He had taken a job at fifteen roubles a month. For several days -now he had been working as a fisherman; he appeared to be bright and -happy. He reeked, as did the other fishermen, of smoked fish, and like -the others he was ragged and dirty. Vassili sighed when he thought of -his son.</p> - -<p>"If he will only keep straight!... If he goes wrong, there'll be no -getting him back to the village ... and I myself will have to go."</p> - -<p>There was nothing to be seen on the sea but the gulls. At the spot -where it was divided from the sky by the narrow sandy streak of the -shore-line, there appeared now and again little black specks which -moved backwards and forwards, and then disappeared. But no boat -was to be seen, although it was already noon; the sun's rays shone -perpendicularly on the sea.</p> - -<p>Two gulls were struggling in the air, and fought so desperately that -their feathers flew out on all sides. Their wild cries disturbed the -joyful song of the waves, which in its constancy, and uniformity with -the triumphant peace of the dazzling sky, seemed to be called forth -by the play of light on the surface of the ocean. The gulls fell into -the sea, where they continued to struggle and scream fiercely in their -fury and pain; then they rose once more into the air in pursuit of -each other ... heir friends—a whole flock of them—untroubled by the -contemplation of this sorry struggle, continued to catch fish, and to -turn somersaults in the transparent green sparkling water ...</p> - -<p>Vassili watched the gulls, and grew sad. "Why were they fighting? Were -there not enough fish in the water for all?... Men also seemed to try -to prevent each other from living. If one of them chose some dainty, -another would want to tear it from his throat Why? There is enough -for everybody in life. Why take from a man what he has already got? -Generally, these sort of quarrels are started about women. Some man has -a woman, whom another man wants to take away, and he tries to attract -her to him. Why steal a woman from a man, when there are so many free -women in the world, who belong to no one? It's all wrong, and leads to -disorder...."</p> - -<p>Still nothing appeared on the surface of the sea. There was no sign of -the little black well-known speck.</p> - -<p>"You are not coming then?" said Vassili out loud. "All right, I don't -want you!... You needn't think I do!..."</p> - -<p>And he spat contemptuously in the direction of the shore.</p> - -<p>The sea laughed.</p> - -<p>Vassili rose and went towards the hut with the intention of cooking -his dinner, though he had no sensation of hunger; he went back to his -former place, and lay down again.</p> - -<p>"If only Sereja would come!" he cried to himself; and he tried to think -only of Sereja....</p> - -<p>"What a poisonous lad it was though!... He was strong, knew how to -read, had travelled ... but he was a drunkard. There was no being dull -with him ... women were mad about him, and although he had only been -here a short time they were all running after him. Only Malva seemed to -keep clear of him; she doesn't seem to be coming after all.... Devil -take the girl! Perhaps she is angry with me for having beaten her? ... -But it could have been nothing new for her. Others must have knocked -her about ... And it won't be the last beating she gets from me."</p> - -<p>Divided thus between thoughts of his son, of Sereja, and most often of -Malva, Vassili tossed about on the sand, and waited. Vague disquietude -turned into suspicion, but on this he would not allow himself to dwell. -He hid from himself his distrust. He got through his time till the -evening, sometimes rising and walking backwards and forwards on the -sand, sometimes lying down again. He was still watching in the hopes of -seeing the boat, when the surface of the sea began to darken.</p> - -<p>But Malva did not come on that Sunday either. And as he lay down to -sleep, Vassili cursed his work, which prevented his going to the -mainland, and he awoke constantly with a start, thinking he heard in -the distance the sound of oars. Then he would shield his eyes with his -hand and watch the troubled dark sea. Over there, where the fishery -was established, two fires burnt, but no one was coming over the sea.</p> - -<p>"It's all very well, my girl!" said Vassili threateningly. And he went -off into a heavy sleep.</p> - -<p>What had happened at the fishery during that day was this. Jakoff rose -early before the sun was up, and whilst a fresh, life-giving breeze -was blowing from the sea. He walked from the hut towards the water in -order to get a wash, and on the shore he saw Malva. She was seated in -the bows of a big boat which was anchored close in to the shore, whilst -with her bare feet hanging over the sides, she was combing out her wet -hair.</p> - -<p>Jakoff stopped, and watched her with curiosity.</p> - -<p>Her cotton blouse open in front half showed one of her shoulders; and -this shoulder looked so white, so tempting!</p> - -<p>The waves rocked the boat, and Malva rose and fell with its movements, -so that her bare feet almost at times touched the water.</p> - -<p>"I say! Have you been bathing?" called out Jakoff.</p> - -<p>She turned her face towards him, glanced at her feet; then continuing -to comb her hair, she replied—</p> - -<p>"Yes, I've been bathing.... But why did you get up so early?"</p> - -<p>"Well, you are up early too!"</p> - -<p>"I'm not here to set you an example."</p> - -<p>Jakoff did not reply.</p> - -<p>"If you follow my way of living, you will have to look out for -yourself!" she continued.</p> - -<p>"Oh! how you frighten me!" said Jakoff chaffingly.</p> - -<p>Then stooping down over the water he began to wash himself. With the -palms of his hands held close together, he scooped up the water, threw -it over his face, and then shook himself as he experienced the crisp -fresh sensation of cold. Wiping himself with the edge of his shirt, he -said to Malva—"Why do you always try and frighten me?"</p> - -<p>"And you, why do you try and gobble me up with your eyes?"</p> - -<p>Jakoff could not remember that, he had looked at her more than at other -women at the fishery, but now he said to her suddenly—</p> - -<p>"It's because you are so ... tempting!"</p> - -<p>"If your father hears of your goings on, he'll give you something to -tempt you!"</p> - -<p>She threw a provoking sly glance at him. Jakoff burst out laughing, -and climbed into the boat He did not know what "goings on" she was -referring to; but as she said so, he must of course have been running -after her. And this thought made him feel suddenly quite lively.</p> - -<p>"What has my father got to do with me?" said he, as he sat down by her -in the boat "Has he bought you for himself? Eh?"</p> - -<p>Seated by her side he contemplated her bare shoulder, her -half-uncovered bosom, her whole strong, fresh figure smelling of the -sea.</p> - -<p>"What a fine white sort of sturgeon, you are!" he exclaimed with -admiration, as the outcome of a minute inspection.</p> - -<p>"Possibly; but not for you!" she said, without moving or changing her -rather indiscreet attitude.</p> - -<p>Jakoff sighed.</p> - -<p>In front of them stretched, beneath the morning rays of the sun, the -boundless sea. Little playful waves, born of the breath of the wind, -washed softly against the boat. Far away, in the distance, the cape -stretched out into the sea. At its extreme end, against the soft blue -of the sky could be seen a slender, tall mast, at the top of which -fluttered a red rag.</p> - -<p>"Yes, my lad," continued Malva, without looking at Jakoff; "I may be -tempting, but not for you.... And let me tell you, no one has bought -me, I am not the property of your father. I live for myself. So it's no -use running after me, because I don't intend to come between you and -Vassili.... I don't want quarrels or wrangling of any sort ... Do you -understand?"</p> - -<p>"But what have I done?" asked Jakoff, surprised. "I don't touch you; -I'm not running after you."</p> - -<p>"You don't dare to touch me!" said Malva.</p> - -<p>She spoke so disdainfully that the man, the human male within him, -seemed in revolt A feeling of almost wicked defiance seized him, and -his eyes flashed.</p> - -<p>"Oh! I don't dare?... don't I?" he cried, going nearer to her.</p> - -<p>"No, you don't dare!"</p> - -<p>"And if I touch you?"</p> - -<p>"Just try it!"</p> - -<p>"What would you do?"</p> - -<p>"I would give you such a good smack over the head, that you would fall -into the water!"</p> - -<p>"We'll see!"</p> - -<p>"Touch me, if you dare!"</p> - -<p>He swept her with a rapid hot glance, and then flung his strong thick -arms round her, crushing her body against his own.</p> - -<p>As he felt her warm, strong flesh pressed against his own, his blood -became fired, his throat contracted as if he were choking.</p> - -<p>"Well! strike me now! What are you waiting for?"</p> - -<p>"Let me go, Jakoff," she said quietly, trying to loosen his throbbing -arms.</p> - -<p>"What about the smack over the head you were going to give me?"</p> - -<p>"Let me go! If not ... look out for yourself!"</p> - -<p>"It's all very well to threaten; but you're a little darling!"</p> - -<p>He drew her closer towards himself, and pressed his thick lips against -her flushed cheek.</p> - -<p>She burst out into defiant laughter, seized Jakoff's arms, and -suddenly, with a strong movement of her whole body, flung herself -forward. They fell, both of them clinging together, forming one heavy -mass, and disappeared in the spurting white foam. Then from the -troubled water emerged Jakoff's wet head, and by his side rose, like a -seagull, Malva. Jakoff was struggling desperately, striking the water, -spluttering and shouting, whilst Malva screamed joyfully, swimming -round him and tossing salt water into his face, then diving to avoid -the vigorous strokes of his swinging arms.</p> - -<p>"The devil!" cried Jakoff, breathing hard. "I shall be drowned! That's -enough now!... I swear I'm drowning.... Ah! I am sinking!"</p> - -<p>But she had left him, and was swimming towards the shore with strong -strokes like those of a man. Once there, she sprang lightly into the -boat, and stood up in the bows watching, laughingly, Jakoff, who was -paddling rapidly towards her. His wet clothes, sticking to his body -showed his supple figure from the shoulder to the knee, and Jakoff, -when he had caught hold of the boat, coveted this dripping, half-naked -girl, who was so gaily making fun of him.</p> - -<p>"Well! you half-drowned seal! Get out of the water!" she cried, between -her fits of laughter.</p> - -<p>And kneeling down she stretched out a hand to him, whilst with the -other she held on to the boat.</p> - -<p>Jakoff caught hold of her hand, and cried exultingly—</p> - -<p>"Wait a minute! Now I'm going to give you a bath!"</p> - -<p>He pulled her towards him, remaining himself in the water up to his -shoulders. The waves passed over his head, and breaking against the -boat, splashed Malva in the face. She laughed, and suddenly with a -shout she jumped into the water; the shock made Jakoff lose his footing.</p> - -<p>And once more they started playing like two great fish in the green -sea, throwing water over each other, shouting, gasping, spluttering and -diving.</p> - -<p>The sun laughed as it watched them, and the panes of glass in the -fish-curing building laughed also, as they reflected the sun. The -water resounded under the heavy strokes of their strong arms, whilst -the gulls, scared by the plungings and stragglings of these two human -beings, flew with piercing screams over their heads, which from time to -time were lost sight of under the quickly-rolling waves.</p> - -<p>Tired out at last, and drenched with salt water, they scrambled on to -the shore, and sat down in the sun to rest.</p> - -<p>"Ouf!" cried Jakoff, making a face. "That water is horrible! And what a -lot there is of it!</p> - -<p>"There is always plenty of what is bad ... boys, for example ... there -are plenty of them!"</p> - -<p>Malva was laughing and wringing out her hair, from which the water was -dripping; her hair was dark and curly, but not very long.</p> - -<p>"That's why you have chosen an old man!" hinted Jakoff, nudging her -with his elbow.</p> - -<p>"Some of the old fellows are worth more than the young ones."</p> - -<p>"If the father is good, the son ought to be better."</p> - -<p>"Indeed?... Where did you get your conceit from?"</p> - -<p>"The girls in the village always told me that I was not half a -bad-looking fellow...."</p> - -<p>"What do the girls know about it?... You ought to have asked me."</p> - -<p>"And arn't you a girl?"</p> - -<p>She looked at him hard; an insulting smile was on his lips. Then she -became serious, and said to him with anger in her voice—</p> - -<p>"I was so once, before I had a child."</p> - -<p>"Better said than done!" said Jakoff, bursting out laughing.</p> - -<p>"Fool!" replied Malva curtly.</p> - -<p>She walked away from him.</p> - -<p>Jakoff, who felt nervous, remained silent.</p> - -<p>For half-an-hour or more they did not speak, but moved about in the sun -drying their clothes.</p> - -<p>The workers were beginning to emerge from the long line of dirty -workmen's huts. In the distance they all looked strangely alike, all -in rags and barefoot.... The sound of their hoarse voices was carried -across the beach; one of them was striking on an empty barrel, and the -tones seemed to be repeated; it sounded almost like the rattle of a -drum. Two women were wrangling in piercing tones; dogs barked.</p> - -<p>"They are beginning to move," said Jakoff. "And I wanted to be off -early to the town! I have been losing my time with you...."</p> - -<p>"You'll never do any good while you are after me!" she said in a tone -that was half playful half serious.</p> - -<p>"What a way you have of frightening people," said Jakoff.</p> - -<p>"You'll see, when your father ..."</p> - -<p>This reminder of his father vexed him.</p> - -<p>"What about my father?" he exclaimed roughly. "My father indeed! I'm -not a boy! ... What are you talking about?... We are not in a convent -here.... I'm not blind.... And he's not such a saint, after all; and he -doesn't deny himself anything.... He'd better leave me alone."</p> - -<p>She watched him mockingly, and asked him with curiosity—</p> - -<p>"Leave you alone?... What are you thinking of doing then?"</p> - -<p>"I?" (He puffed out his cheeks, and distended his chest, as if he were -about to lift a weight). "I have plenty of ideas in my head; I have -shaken the dust of the village off my feet."</p> - -<p>"It hasn't taken long to do that!" cried Malva, still mockingly.</p> - -<p>"I'll get you away from my father!... you'll see if I don't!"</p> - -<p>"Will you indeed?"</p> - -<p>"You think that I daren't?"</p> - -<p>"You don't say so?"</p> - -<p>"Look here!" he began in an excited, furious voice. "Don't dare me to -do it! I ..."</p> - -<p>"What again?" she asked indifferently.</p> - -<p>"Oh! never mind!"</p> - -<p>Then he turned away with the look of a smart, resolute boy.</p> - -<p>"How plucky you are! The inspector has a little black dog, have you -seen it? it's like you. When he is far away, he barks, and threatens to -bite, but when one goes near him, he puts his tail between his legs and -runs away!"</p> - -<p>"All right!" cried Jakoff in a rage. "Just wait a minute, and you'll -see what I'll do!"</p> - -<p>She laughed up into his face.</p> - -<p>There came towards them with a slow, loitering step a young -bronzed-face fellow, with well-strung muscles, and an abundant thatch -of bright red hair. His red shirt, hanging loose, was tom at the back -nearly to the neck, and in order to keep his sleeves in place he had -rolled them up above the elbow. His trousers were a mass of holes, he -was barefooted. His freckled face was lighted up by a pair of blue -eyes, wide open and impertinent; and a big turned-up nose gave to his -whole face a look of cheekiness, not to say arrogance. When he had -joined the couple, he stopped, whilst his whole body, which seemed -apparent everywhere through his elementary costume, shone in the -sunlight, he sneezed loudly, contemplated them a few moments, and then -made a quaint grimace.</p> - -<p>"Yesterday Sereja was drinking, and to-day Sereja's pocket is empty.... -Lend me twenty kopecks! I shall not return them."</p> - -<p>Jakoff gasped as he listened to this rapidly delivered speech; Malva -smiled as she examined the tatterdemalion.</p> - -<p>"Damn it all I give them to me! I will marry you for twenty kopecks, if -you like?"</p> - -<p>"You scarecrow! Are you a pope?"</p> - -<p>"Fool! At Ouglitch I was servant to a pope.... Give me twenty kopecks."</p> - -<p>"I don't want to get married," said Jakoff. "Never mind; give all the -same. I won't tell your father that you are running after his girl," -continued Sereja, licking his dry, cracked lips.</p> - -<p>"Do you think, that he'd believe you?"</p> - -<p>"When I take the trouble to talk, I am generally believed," asserted -Sereja. "And you'd catch it from him!"</p> - -<p>"I'm not afraid!" said Jakoff.</p> - -<p>"Then you'd catch it from me!" Sereja announced, narrowing his eyes as -he spoke.</p> - -<p>Jakoff did not want to give twenty kopecks, but he had been warned that -he must look out where Sereja was concerned, and must put up with some -of his fancies. It was not much he asked for, but if it was refused he -would give you trouble during working-hours, or else he would beat you. -So with a sigh Jakoff put his hand in his pocket.</p> - -<p>"That's right!" said Sereja, in a tone of encouragement ; and he threw -himself on the sand by the side of them. "It's always wiser to obey -me.... And you?" he said to Malva. "When are you going to marry me? I -am not going to wait much longer."</p> - -<p>"You are too ragged. Mend all those holes first, and we'll talk about -it afterwards!" replied Malva.</p> - -<p>Sereja considered the holes critically, and shook his head.</p> - -<p>"Give me one of your petticoats, that will be the best thing."</p> - -<p>"Yes, that would be the thing!" said Malva, laughing.</p> - -<p>"Give me one; you must have an old one?"</p> - -<p>"You really ought to buy yourself some trousers."</p> - -<p>"I would rather drink the money that they would cost."</p> - -<p>"That's the best thing to do!" said Jakoff.</p> - -<p>He was still holding in his hand the twenty kopecks.</p> - -<p>"The pope says that a man should not only think of his skin, but of his -soul. And my soul calls for vodka, and not for a pair of trousers. Give -me the money; I shall get a drink ... and I won't say anything to your -father."</p> - -<p>"Tell him what you like," cried Jakoff.</p> - -<p>And he winked with a self-satisfied look at Malva, and nudged her with -his elbow.</p> - -<p>Sereja, noticing his actions, spat and said in a more positive tone—</p> - -<p>"I shan't forget to beat you; no fear of that! at the first -opportunity!... And you won't forget it either!"</p> - -<p>"But why?" asked Jakoff, disquieted.</p> - -<p>"That's my business!... Well! and when are you going to marry me, -Malva?"</p> - -<p>"First tell me what we shall do, and how we shall live. Then I will -think about it ..." she replied seriously.</p> - -<p>Sereja watched the sea, screwed up his eyes, and after licking his -lips, said—</p> - -<p>"We should do nothing but wander about in the world."</p> - -<p>"And how should we manage to live?"</p> - -<p>"Bah!" said Sereja, with a despondent gesture. "You argue just like my -mother. 'How? What?' Women are so tiresome! How do I know? I'm going -off to have a drink...."</p> - -<p>He rose and walked off; Malva watching him with a strange smile on her -lips, and the young man with an angry look on his face.</p> - -<p>"What a boaster!" said Jakoff, when Sereja had gone some distance. "At -home, in the village, he would soon be put in his place. He would have -got a good lesson before now. But here, they seem frightened of him...."</p> - -<p>Malva stared at Jakoff, and said between her teeth—</p> - -<p>"You don't know the worth of him!"</p> - -<p>"What is there to know?... Ten a penny, that's what he's worth!"</p> - -<p>"That's all you know!" cried Malva, mockingly. "That's what you are -worth!... But he, he has been everywhere, he has wandered all round the -world, and he fears no one."</p> - -<p>"And I, who do I fear?" said Jakoff, blusteringly. She did not answer -him; she followed with her eyes the play of the waves, as they swung -the heavy boat backwards and forwards. The mast inclined sometimes to -the right and sometimes to the left, and the bows rose, and then fell, -striking the water. The noise it made was violent, and seemed almost -angry, as if the boat wished to tear itself away from the shore, and -float out and away into the wide free sea, and was vexed with the cable -which prevented its doing so.</p> - -<p>"Why don't you go?" Malva asked Jakoff.</p> - -<p>"Where should I go?" he replied.</p> - -<p>"You were going to the town."</p> - -<p>"I shan't go."</p> - -<p>"Then go and see your father."</p> - -<p>"And you?"</p> - -<p>"What about me?"</p> - -<p>"Will you come too?"</p> - -<p>"No."</p> - -<p>"Then I shan't go either."</p> - -<p>"Shall you stay tied to my apron-strings all day?" she asked.</p> - -<p>"I don't want you as much as all that," he replied offended.</p> - -<p>And he rose and left her.</p> - -<p>But he made a mistake when he said that he did not need her. He was -bored when she was not near. A strange sentiment seemed to have taken -possession of him since their conversation, an obscure desire to -protest against his hither, a sort of hidden discontent Yesterday he -did not remember having this feeling; nor did he have it to-day before -he had seen Malva. And now it seemed to him that his father was in his -way, although he was far away out there, on a stretch of sand, almost -lost to view.... Then it seemed to him that Malva was afraid of his -father; if she had not been afraid, their conversation would have been -quite different Now he seemed to want her, though this morning he had -not been thinking about her.</p> - -<p>He wandered about on the beach, watching with a melancholy eye the -passers-by, speaking to them sometimes in a listless voice.... Here in -the shade of a boat he finds Sereja seated on a barrel. He is thrumming -the cords of a balalaika, and singing, accompanying his song with -quaint grimaces—</p> - -<p style="margin-left: 10%;"> -"Kind constable,<br /> -Be gentle with me.<br /> -Take me to the police-station,<br /> -For I'm afraid of falling into the mud."<br /> -</p> - -<p>A dozen workmen, as tattered as he is, surround him, and all like him -smell of salt fish and of saltpetre. Four dirty ugly women, stretched -on the sand not far from the group, are drinking tea, which they -prepare in a great iron saucepan. And a workman, already drunk, though -it is still early in the morning, tries to get on his legs and falls -down again. A woman laughs and cries; some one plays on a broken -accordion; everywhere there is the sparkle of fish-scales.</p> - -<p>At noon Jakoff found a sheltered place between the piles of empty -barrels, lay down there and slept till the evening. When he woke up -he wandered about without any fixed plan, though he seemed vaguely -attracted by something unknown.</p> - -<p>After two hours' walking about, he found Malva some way from the -fishery, under the shade of some young willow trees. She was lying on -her side, and held in her hand a well-thumbed book; with a smile she -watched Jakoff approach.</p> - -<p>"Ah! this is where you have got to," he said, seating himself by her -side.</p> - -<p>"Have you been looking for me a long time?" she asked, with some degree -of assurance.</p> - -<p>"Looking for you? What an idea!..." said Jakoff, perceiving suddenly -that this was exactly the truth.</p> - -<p>Ever since the morning till now, he had, without knowing it, been -looking for her. He shook his head with surprise.</p> - -<p>"Can you read?" he asked her.</p> - -<p>"Yes ... but badly, I have forgotten everything."</p> - -<p>"So have I.... Did you go to school?"</p> - -<p>"Yes, the municipal school."</p> - -<p>"And I taught myself."</p> - -<p>"Did you really?"</p> - -<p>"Yes, I was cook at Astrachan, in a lawyer's house, and his son taught -me to read."</p> - -<p>"Then you didn't learn by yourself!" She continued—"Shouldn't you like -to read books?"</p> - -<p>"No.... What should I want to read for?"</p> - -<p>"Oh! I should like so much to read!... Look here.... I asked the -inspector's wife to lend me this book, and I am reading it."</p> - -<p>"What is it?"</p> - -<p>"The story of the saint Alexis, a man of God." And in a serious voice -she told him how a young lad, the son of rich and noble parents, had -left them, had turned his back on all happiness, and finally had -returned, a beggar and in rags, and lived in the kennel with the dogs, -without telling any one till his last hour who he was. She ended by -asking Jakoff in a low voice—</p> - -<p>"Why did he act in this way?"</p> - -<p>"Who can tell?" replied Jakoff with indifference. They were surrounded -by little hillocks of sand, collected by the winds and the waves. A -confused dull noise came round from the direction of the fishery. The -setting sun shed on the shore the ruddy reflection of its rays. The -delicate willows thrilled with the sea-breeze through every one of -their pale green leaves.</p> - -<p>Malva sat silent as if listening.</p> - -<p>"Why did you not go over there to-day, to the cape?" asked Jakoff -"What's that to you?"</p> - -<p>Jakoff plucked a leaf and chewed it between his teeth. He watched the -girl furtively, not knowing quite how to speak what he wanted to say.</p> - -<p>"It's like this; when I am all alone, and it's so nice and quiet, I -want either to sing or cry all the time. Only I don't know any good -songs, and I am ashamed to cry."</p> - -<p>Jakoff listened to the melodious, caressing voice; but her words, far -from touching him, only intensified his desire.</p> - -<p>"Listen," he said to her in a thick voice, and moving nearer to her. -"Listen to what I am going to say to you.... I am young ..."</p> - -<p>"And stupid, very stupid!" said Malva, shaking her head.</p> - -<p>"Well grant that," said Jakoff, becoming suddenly animated. "Why should -one be clever?... I am stupid; all right! Now I am going to ask you. -Will you ..."</p> - -<p>"You needn't say any more.... I won't...."</p> - -<p>"Why?"</p> - -<p>"Because."</p> - -<p>"Don't be stupid" (and he took hold of her gently by the shoulders). -"Do you understand?"</p> - -<p>"Get along with you, Jakoff!" she cried out in a severe tone, shaking -herself loose from him. "Get away with you!"</p> - -<p>"If that's all, I don't care! You're not the only woman here.... You -seem to think that you're better than the others."</p> - -<p>"You are just like a silly little dog," she replied.</p> - -<p>And she rose and shook the dust from her skirts.</p> - -<p>And they walked back side by side to the fishery. They walked slowly, -for the sand was heavy.</p> - -<p>Suddenly, when they were near the huts, Jakoff stopped, and seizing -Malva roughly by the arm, said—</p> - -<p>"It's on purpose then that you excite me?... Why do you do it?"</p> - -<p>"Let me alone, will you?"</p> - -<p>She escaped from him, and ran off, whilst from a corner of the huts -Sereja appeared. He shook his wild unkempt head of hair, and said -threateningly—</p> - -<p>"You two have been carrying on ... all right!"</p> - -<p>"Go to the devil!" cried Malva.</p> - -<p>Jakoff had planted himself opposite Sereja, and was trying to stare -him out of countenance. They were about ten paces from each other, and -Sereja was staring straight into Jakoff's eyes. They remained thus for -about a minute, like two rams ready to butt one another, then each -walked off without a word in an opposite direction.</p> - -<p>The sea was calm and ruddy with the hues of the setting sun. A -woman was singing in a drunken voice with hysterical cadences some -meaningless words—</p> - -<p style="margin-left: 10%;"> -"Ta-agarga, matargarga,<br /> -Matanichka my own,<br /> -Drunken and beaten<br /> -And wild."<br /> -</p> - -<p>And these filthy and meaningless words seemed to fill the air all round -the huts, from which arose exhalations of salt and of rotting fish; -they filled the air, and destroyed the delicious music of the waves -which floated all around.</p> - - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<h4><a name="CHAPTER_IIIb" id="CHAPTER_IIIb">CHAPTER III</a></h4> - -<p>In the pure light of dawn the sea slumbered softly, reflecting the -pearly clouds. At the cape, the half-awakened fishermen were moving -about arranging the nets in the boats.</p> - -<p>This every-day work was executed rapidly and in silence. The grey mass -of the nets seemed to crawl from the sand into the boats, where it lay -heaped at the bottom.</p> - -<p>Sereja, as usual bare-headed and scantily clothed, was in the bows, -shouting directions about the work in a hoarse voice, that betrayed -last night's over-indulgence in vodka. The wind played with his ragged -clothing, and his unkempt hair.</p> - -<p>"Vassili, where are the green oars?" cried some one.</p> - -<p>Vassili, as gloomy as a late autumn day, was arranging the net in the -boat, and Sereja was watching him from behind. He was licking his lips, -which meant that he was thirsty, and wanted a drink.</p> - -<p>"Have you got any vodka?" he asked.</p> - -<p>"Yes," muttered Vassili.</p> - -<p>"All right! then I shall stay on dry land."</p> - -<p>"All aboard?" they called out from the cape.</p> - -<p>"Shove her off!" ordered Sereja, as he got out of the boat "Off you -go!... I stay behind. Look out there!... Full ahead into the open, so -as not to tangle the net ... and tell it out carefully. Don't make any -knots.... Go ahead!"</p> - -<p>They pushed off the boat; the fishermen climbed in, and each taking an -oar, raised them in the air, ready for the word of command.</p> - -<p>"One!"</p> - -<p>The oars struck the water together; the boat swept forward into the -vast plane of glistening water.</p> - -<p>"Two!" sang out the steersman.</p> - -<p>And like the legs of an enormous tortoise the oars moved in the -rowlocks.</p> - -<p>"One!...' Two!..."</p> - -<p>On the shore, at the dry end of the nets, there remained five -men—Sereja, Vassili, and three others. One of the three stretched -himself on the sand, and said—</p> - -<p>"We might perhaps get a nap."</p> - -<p>The two others followed his example, and three ragged bodies threw -themselves down in a heap.</p> - -<p>"Why did you not come Sunday?" Vassili asked Sereja, as he led him -towards the hut.</p> - -<p>"I couldn't come."</p> - -<p>"You were drunk?"</p> - -<p>"No, I was watching your son and his mother-in-law," said Sereja, -unmoved.</p> - -<p>"That's new sort of work for you," said Vassili, with a constrained -smile. "After all, they are not children!"</p> - -<p>"They are worse; one is a fool, and the other is mad."</p> - -<p>"Is it Malva who is the mad one?" asked Vassili.</p> - -<p>And his eyes shone with sad anger.</p> - -<p>"That's it!"</p> - -<p>"Since when?"</p> - -<p>"She has always been mad. She has, brother Vassili, a soul which does -not fit her body. Can you understand that?"</p> - -<p>"It's not difficult to understand!... Her soul is vile."</p> - -<p>Sereja glanced obliquely at him, and replied with an accent of -contempt—</p> - -<p>"Vile? Oh! you earth-grubbers!... you!... you understand nothing of -life. All you want in a woman is great fat bosoms; her temperament does -not matter to you in the least But it's in the temperament that one -finds all the colour of a human being. A woman without temperament is -like bread without salt Can you get any pleasure out of a balalaika -without strings? You dog!"</p> - -<p>"It's yesterday's wine that makes you talk so well!" Interjected -Vassili.</p> - -<p>He longed to know where and how Sereja had seen Malva and Jakoff the -day before, but a feeling of shame prevented him from asking. In the -hut he poured out a full glass of vodka for Sereja, in the hope that -the fellow might get drunk and would himself tell him all, without -waiting to be questioned. But Sereja drank, coughed, and, as if -refreshed, sat down at the open door, stretching himself and yawning.</p> - -<p>"Drinking is like swallowing fire," he said.</p> - -<p>"At all events, you know how to drink!" replied Vassili, astonished -with the rapidity with which Sereja had swallowed the vodka.</p> - -<p>"Ah! yes," said the other, shaking his tawny head; he wiped his -moustache with the back of his hand, and began talking in a confident, -didactic tone—"I know how to drink, brother! I do everything short and -quick, that's all about it!... Make no mistake, I go straight ahead!... -It doesn't matter what happens!... If you start from the ground, you -can only fall on the ground...."</p> - -<p>"I thought you were going into the Caucasus?" questioned Vassili, who -was trying carefully to work round towards his object.</p> - -<p>"Yes, I shall go when I want to. When I have quite made up my mind.... -Then I go straight ahead: one, two! and it's done.... Either I -succeed, or else I come a cropper.... It's all as plain as a pikestaff."</p> - -<p>"Yes, very plain; you might as well have no brain." Sereja continued in -a mocking tone—</p> - -<p>"And you, who are so intelligent!... How many times have you been -beaten with birch-rods in the village?"</p> - -<p>Vassili glanced at him and remained silent "Very often I should -think.... And it's a capital idea of your village authorities to drive -wisdom upwards, from down below.... And you, what can you do with -your brain? Where would you go? What would you invent? Say! Whereas -I, without bothering myself about anything, I go straight ahead, and -there's an end of it. And I believe I shall go further than you."</p> - -<p>"It's possible," Vassili agreed. "Perhaps you will even go as far as -Siberia...."</p> - -<p>"Ah! no fear!"</p> - -<p>And Sereja burst into a frank laugh.</p> - -<p>In spite of Vassili's hope, Sereja did not lose his head; and that -vexed the elder man, who would not offer him a second glass; but Sereja -himself solved the difficulty.</p> - -<p>"Why don't you ask me news of Malva?"</p> - -<p>"What can it matter to me?" said Vassili indifferently, although he -felt a secret presentiment. "As she did not come here on Sunday, you -ought to inquire what she was up to. I know you are jealous, you old -devil!"</p> - -<p>"There are plenty like her," said Vassili carelessly.</p> - -<p>"Many indeed!" said Sereja, imitating him. "Ah! you brutal peasants! -Whether you get honey or tar it's all the same to you!"</p> - -<p>"What do you want to praise her up for? Have you come to offer her to -me in marriage? But I married her long ago on my own account!" said -Vassili.</p> - -<p>Sereja looked at him, was silent a moment, and then placing his hand on -Vassili's shoulder began speaking to him seriously.</p> - -<p>"I know that ... I know very well what she is with you. I did not get -in your way.... I neither tried to get her nor wanted her. But now -this Jakoff, your son, is hanging round her all day; beat him till -you make the blood come; do you hear me? If not, it's I who will do -the beating.... You are a strong fellow, although you are a regular -fool.... But just remember this, I never got in your way."</p> - -<p>"That's what's the matter then! It's you now who are in love with her?" -Vassili questioned, in a thick voice.</p> - -<p>"Get along with you; if I were sure of myself I would have kicked you -all out of the way long ago! But what could I want with her?"</p> - -<p>"Then why are you meddling?"</p> - -<p>Sereja opened his eyes wide and laughed.</p> - -<p>"Why am I meddling?... The devil only knows.... She's a woman, and a -spicy one. She pleases me. Or, perhaps, I pity her...."</p> - -<p>Vassili felt uncomfortable. He realized by the frank laughter of Sereja -that the lad was sincere, and that he was not himself running after -Malva. But he said—</p> - -<p>"If she were a virtuous girl one might pity her. But as it is ... it -seems rather queer, doesn't it?" The other man did not answer; he -watched the boat making a circle, and turning its bows towards land. -Sereja's ruddy face wore an open, good, and simple expression.</p> - -<p>As he watched him, Vassili's feelings grew softer.</p> - -<p>"You are right, she is a good woman ... she is only light-hearted; I -shall have something to say to Jakoff, the young dog!"</p> - -<p>"I can't stand him.... He smells of the village, and that's a smell I -can't put up with!" Sereja declared.</p> - -<p>"Is he running after her?" Vassili asked between his teeth, whilst he -stroked his beard.</p> - -<p>"I should rather think so! You'll see, he'll put himself between you -two like a wall."</p> - -<p>"I would not advise him to try!"</p> - -<p>Far out over the sea the rosy rays of the morning sun opened out -fan-shaped, as the sun rose from the gilded water. Over the noise of -the waves a faint cry came from the boat "Heave!... Ahoy!..</p> - -<p>"Up with you, lads! Give way with the rope!" cried Sereja, jumping -to his feet And soon all the five were hauling at their end of the -net There stretched from the water to the shore a long rope, supple -and vibrating, at which the fishermen, holding on to the extreme end, -pulled and shouted.</p> - -<p>The other end of the net was being drawn ashore by the boat which -glided through the waves, whilst the mast as it swung from side to -side seemed to cut the air to right and left The sun, brilliant and -dazzling, shed its beams across the sea.</p> - -<p>"When you see Jakoff, tell him to come and see me to-morrow," said -Vassili to Sereja.</p> - -<p>"All right!"</p> - -<p>The boat ran up on the beach, and the fishermen, jumping on to the -sand, pulled up their end of the net The two groups were gradually -merged one in the other, whilst the cork floats, bobbing about on the -waves, showed a regular outline in the water.</p> - - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<h4><a name="CHAPTER_IVb" id="CHAPTER_IVb">CHAPTER IV</a></h4> - -<p>Very late, the evening of the same day, when the work-people at the -fisheries had finished their supper, Malva, tired and dreamy, had -seated herself on a broken, upturned boat, and was watching the -sea, over which twilight was gradually falling. Out yonder a fire -was burning, and Malva knew that it was Vassili who had lit it Half -hidden and solitary in the sombre distance, the flame flashed up every -now and then, and then died down as if crushed. And Malva felt sad -as she watched this red spot, abandoned in the waste of waters, and -palpitating feebly amidst the ceaseless and incomprehensible murmur of -the waves.</p> - -<p>"Why do you stay there?" said Sereja's voice behind her.</p> - -<p>"What's that to you?" she replied dryly, without moving.</p> - -<p>"I am curious."</p> - -<p>He watched her silently, and took out a cigarette, lit it, and sat -astride the boat Then as he realized that Malva was not inclined to -talk to him, he added in a friendly voice—</p> - -<p>"What a queer sort of woman you are! At one moment you run away from -everybody, and the next moment you throw yourself at every one's head."</p> - -<p>"At yours, perhaps?" said Malva carelessly. "Not at mine, but at -Jakoff's."</p> - -<p>"Are you jealous?"</p> - -<p>"Hm! Shall we talk to each other straight?" She was seated sideways to -him; he could not see her face, as she interjected in a curt tone— -"Talk away!"</p> - -<p>"Have you quarrelled with Vassili? tell me?"</p> - -<p>"I am sure I don't know...." she replied, after a moment's silence. -"Why do you want to know?"</p> - -<p>"Just out of curiosity."</p> - -<p>"I am angry with him."</p> - -<p>"Why?"</p> - -<p>"He beat me."</p> - -<p>"Is it possible?... He?... And you allowed him to do it?... Well!... -Well!..."</p> - -<p>Sereja could not get over it He tried to catch sight of Malva's face, -and made a mocking grimace.</p> - -<p>"If I had liked I could have prevented him! she replied angrily.</p> - -<p>"How's that?"</p> - -<p>"I wouldn't defend myself!"</p> - -<p>"You care for him then as much as that; that old grey cat?" said -Sereja, puffing out a mouthful of smoke. "Here's a nice business! And -I, who thought you were worth more than that!"</p> - -<p>"I don't care for any of you!" she replied in a voice that had -recovered its indifference, and brushing the smoke away with her hand.</p> - -<p>"You are lying, I bet anything."</p> - -<p>"Why should I lie?" she asked.</p> - -<p>And by the ring in her voice Sereja recognized that she had no reason -to lie.</p> - -<p>"But if you don't care for him, why did you allow him to beat you?"</p> - -<p>"How do I know?... Leave me alone!"</p> - -<p>"It's a queer go!" said Sereja, shaking his head. And they were both -silent Night came on. The slow-moving clouds threw dark shadows over -the sea. The waves moaned.</p> - -<p>Vassili's fire at the end of the cape had died down, but Malva -continued to look out in that direction. Sereja watched the girl -attentively.</p> - -<p>"Listen!" he said, "do you know what you want?"</p> - -<p>"If only I could know!" she replied in a low voice, with a deep-drawn -sigh.</p> - -<p>"You don't know?... That's a bad job," said Sereja positively. "I, I -always know!"</p> - -<p>And with a shade of sadness, he added—</p> - -<p>"Only it's so rarely that I want anything...." "And I, I am always -wanting something," said Malva. "I want ... what ... I don't know.... -Sometimes I would like to jump into a boat, and go out to sea, far, -far out. And at other times I should like to turn all you men into -tops, who would spin and spin in front of me. I should watch them, and -I should laugh. Sometimes I pity everybody, and especially myself; -sometimes I want to kill everybody, and then do for myself some -horrible death. And then I am bored, and then I want to laugh, and men -are all a lot of sticks."</p> - -<p>"They are rotten wood," Sereja agreed softly. "I was right when I said -to myself—'you are neither cat, nor fish, nor bird ... but you have -something of all of them in you. You are not like other women."</p> - -<p>"Thank God!" sighed Malva.</p> - -<p>To their left, behind a chain of sandy hills, the moon rose, flooding -them with its silvery light. Large and soft it rose slowly in the blue -sky, and the sparkling light of the stars paled, and was lost in its -mellow, dreamy light.</p> - -<p>"You think too much.... That's what's the matter!" said Sereja in a -convinced tone of voice, tossing away his cigarette. "And when one -thinks, one becomes disgusted with life.... One must be always moving, -always in the midst of people ... who must be made to feel that one is -really alive. One must knock life about, or it will become mouldy. -Move about in life, here and there, as long as you are able, and then -you won't be bored." Malva grew gay.</p> - -<p>"It's perhaps true what you say. Sometimes I think that if one set -fire one night to one of the huts ... that might make things lively!" -"That's a capital idea!" cried the other one, tapping her on the -shoulder. "Do you know what I would advise you ... we might have some -fun together if you would like?"</p> - -<p>"What is it?" asked Malva, interested.</p> - -<p>"Have you warmed up Jakoff well?"</p> - -<p>"He bums like a clear fire," she said delighted.</p> - -<p>"Is it possible? Set him on to his father. Wouldn't it be a queer -sight?... They would go for each other like two bears ... Warm the old -fellow up a little, and this other one still more ... and then we will -set them on each other." Malva looked hard into his freckled face, as -he smiled gaily. Lighted up by the moon it seemed less ugly than by -daylight It expressed neither hatred nor anything but good humour and -vivacity, in the expectation of a reply.</p> - -<p>"Why do you hate them?" Malva asked suspiciously.</p> - -<p>"I? Vassili is a good sort of fellow for a peasant. But Jakoff is not -worth anything. Generally speaking, you see, I don't like peasants; -they are all knaves. They know how to pretend to be unfortunate, -get bread and everything given to them. And all the time they have a -municipality which looks after them. They have land and cattle. I was -coachman to a municipal doctor—and I saw something of those peasants -then! Then for a long time I was a tramp. When I got to a village and -asked for bread—'Oh! Oh! Who are you? what are you doing? show your -passport!...' I was beaten more than once; sometimes they took me for -a horse-thief; sometimes without any reason they put me in prison.... -They groan and pretend that they can't live, although they have land of -their own. And I, what could I do against them?"</p> - -<p>"Are you not a peasant?"</p> - -<p>"I am citizen," replied Sereja with pride. "A citizen of the town of -Ouglitch."</p> - -<p>"And I of Pavlitcha," said Malva dreamily.</p> - -<p>"I have no one to protect me. But those devils of peasants, they can -live well. They have a municipality and everything."</p> - -<p>"What is a municipality?" asked Malva.</p> - -<p>"A municipality? Devil take me if I know!... It's something made for -peasants; it's their council.... Don't let's talk any more of that. -Let's talk of our own business. Will you arrange this matter, tell -me? No harm will come of it. They will just knock each other about a -little.... I will help you.... Vassili beat you, did he?... Then let -his son give you back the blows that you have received."</p> - -<p>"Why not?" said Malva, smiling. "It wouldn't be a bad thing."</p> - -<p>"Just think a little, isn't it amusing to see how people knock each -other about because of you? You just wag your tongue once or twice, and -it's done."</p> - -<p>Sereja for some time went on exposing to her in a flattering light, -and with much enthusiasm the charms of the part which he proposed she -should play. He was both joking and serious, and was himself carried -away.</p> - -<p>"Ah! if only I were a beautiful woman! How I would turn the world -topsy-turvy!" he cried at the end of their talk.</p> - -<p>Then he took his head into his hands, pressed it, closed his eyes and -was silent.</p> - -<p>The moon was high when they separated After they had left, the beauty -of the night intensified. There remained but the boundless, marvellous -sea, flecked by the silver of the moon; and the star-sown sky. The -little sand-hills, the bushy willows, and the two long rows of huts -like two enormous coffins, appeared quite insignificant in the face of -the sea, and of the stars, which twinkled coldly as they contemplated -it.</p> - - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<h4><a name="CHAPTER_Vb" id="CHAPTER_Vb">CHAPTER V</a></h4> - - -<p>The father and son were seated in the hut opposite each other, and were -drinking vodka, which the son had brought to conciliate the elder man, -and to prevent them being bored in each other's company.</p> - -<p>Sereja had told Jakoff that his father was angry with him because of -Malva, and that he had threatened to beat Malva till she was half dead. -The young woman had been told of this threat, and that was why she had -not yielded to Jakoff. Sereja had mischievously misled him.</p> - -<p>"He'll punish you for your larks. He'll pull your ears till they are -half-a-yard long. You had better not get in his way!"</p> - -<p>This red-headed, disagreeable fellow's chaff provoked in Jakoff a -sharp feeling of resentment against his father ... and against Malva, -with whom he could not get a bit further. Sometimes her eyes seemed to -lead him on, sometimes they looked sad, and then the desire within him -pained him to an extent that became exasperation.</p> - -<p>Jakoff went to see his father. He looked upon him as an obstacle in his -path, which it was impossible to get over, or to push on one side. But -feeling himself as strong as his adversary, Jakoff met his eyes with a -look which seemed to say—"Touch me if you dare!"</p> - -<p>They had each already taken two glasses, without having exchanged a -word, excepting some ordinary remarks about the life at the fisheries. -Alone, in the midst of the sea, they were accumulating within -themselves hatred, and both of them knew that very soon this hatred -would burst out and flame forth.</p> - -<p>The matting of the hut swayed in the wind, the bark of which it was -built creaked, the red rag at the top of the mast was murmuring -something. All these sounds were like a timid, endless, and uncertain -lisping of a prayer. But the waves murmured—free and unmoved.</p> - -<p>"And Sereja, does he still get drunk?" asked Vassili in a harsh voice.</p> - -<p>"He is drunk every evening," replied Jakoff, pouring out some more -vodka for his father.</p> - -<p>"He'll come to no good! This is what a free and easy life leads to.... -And you also, you will become like him."</p> - -<p>Jakoff did not like Sereja, and he replied there-fore—</p> - -<p>"I shall never become like him."</p> - -<p>"No?" said Vassili, frowning. "I know what I am talking about ... How -long have you been here? Already two months! You must soon be thinking -of going back. And how much money have you saved?"</p> - -<p>He swallowed with a look of discontent the vodka which his son had -poured out for him, and taking his beard in his hand he tugged at it so -hard that his head shook.</p> - -<p>"I have not been able to save money in such a short time!" Jakoff -argued with reason.</p> - -<p>"If that's the case, you had better not stay here; go back to the -village!"</p> - -<p>Jakoff smiled.</p> - -<p>"Why these grimaces?" cried Vassili in a threatening voice, vexed with -the calmness shown by his son. "Your father is talking to you, and you -laugh. You are in too much of a hurry to think yourself free! You will -have to get back into harness."</p> - -<p>Jakoff poured himself out some vodka, and drank it These coarse -remarks of his father offended him; but he kept his temper, hiding his -thought and not wishing to drive his father to fury. He began to feel -frightened before this harsh, severe presence.</p> - -<p>And Vassili, noticing that his son had drunk alone without filling his -father's glass, grew angrier still, though he retained an appearance of -calmness.</p> - -<p>"Your father tells you to go home, and you laugh in his face! All -right!... I'll speak to you in a different tone.... Ask for your money -on Saturday and ... be off ... back to the village! Do you hear?"</p> - -<p>"I shall not go," said Jakoff firmly.</p> - -<p>"What?" howled Vassili; and leaning his two hands on the barrel, he got -up. "Am I talking to you, or not? Dog that you are I howling against -your father!... You have forgotten that I can do what I like with you; -you have forgotten that? Eh?"</p> - -<p>His lips trembled, his face was convulsed; two great veins swelled out -on his temples. "I have forgotten nothing," said Jakoff in a low voice, -without looking at his father. "And you, have you forgotten nothing?"</p> - -<p>"It's not your place to preach morality to me; I will break you in -pieces!..."</p> - -<p>Jakoff dodged his father's threatening hand, and feeling a savage -hatred rising within him, he said with clinched teeth—</p> - -<p>"Don't touch me! We are not in the village...."</p> - -<p>"Silence! I am your father, wherever you are...."</p> - -<p>"Here you can't have me beaten with birch-rods. Here it is different!" -Jakoff spoke sneeringly, his face close to his father's.</p> - -<p>And he rose slowly.</p> - -<p>They stood there opposite each other. Vassili with bloodshot eyes, -his head stretched forward, his hands clinched, breathed heavily into -his son's face his vodka-laden breath; and Jakoff crouched back, was -watching his father's movements, ready to parry his blows, apparently -calm, but inwardly raging and sweating. Between them was the barrel -which served as table.</p> - -<p>"You think I won't strike you?" cried Vassili in a hoarse voice, -arching his back like a cat prepared to spring.</p> - -<p>"Here we are all equals; you are a workman, and so am I."</p> - -<p>"That's all you know."</p> - -<p>"Yes, that's what I know. Why do you attack me? You think that I don't -understand?... It's you who began...."</p> - -<p>Vassili shouted and raised his arm so rapidly that Jakoff had not time -to fall back. The blow fell on his head; he staggered, ground his teeth -in the furious face of his father, who was again threatening him.</p> - -<p>"Wait a moment!" he cried, clinching his fists.</p> - -<p>"Wait yourself!"</p> - -<p>"Leave me alone, I tell you."</p> - -<p>"Ah! that's the way you speak to your father? ... your father?... your -father?..."</p> - -<p>They were close together, and their legs were entangled in the empty -bags, the log, and the overturned barrel Protecting himself as best he -could against his father's blows, Jakoff, pale and sweating, his face -darkened, his teeth set firm, his eyes flashing like a wolfs, retired -slowly, whilst his father pressed forward towards him, gesticulating -ferociously, blind with rage, wildly distorted; in his anger his hair -stood up like that of a wild boar.</p> - -<p>"Stop now ... That's enough ... leave off," cried Jakoff, cold and -terrible, as he emerged from the hut.</p> - -<p>His father yelled and came on again, but his blows only met Jakoff's -fists.</p> - -<p>"Take that, and that!"</p> - -<p>Jakoff, who knew himself now to be the stronger and the more agile, led -his father on.</p> - -<p>"Just wait a moment!"</p> - -<p>But Jakoff jumped on one side and ran towards the sea.</p> - -<p>Vassili rushed after him with head down, and arms stretched out, but he -stumbled over some obstacle, and fell, with his chest on the ground. -He rose rapidly to his knees, and then sat down, resting his hands on -the sand. He was completely exhausted by the struggle, and he howled -piteously with unappeased rage, and with the bitter consciousness of -his feebleness.</p> - -<p>"Curse you!" he cried, stretching his neck out in Jakoff's direction, -and shaking the froth from his trembling lips.</p> - -<p>Jakoff was leaning against a boat, and watching him narrowly. With one -hand he was rubbing his injured head. One of his shirt-sleeves hung -by a thread, his collar also was in rags, and his white moist chest -shone in the sun as if he had been rubbed with oil. He was feeling -contempt for his father; he had thought him so strong, and now he saw -him overcome and in a deplorable state, seated on the sand, shaking his -fists, and Jakoff smiled condescendingly with the wounding smile of the -strong over the weak.</p> - -<p>"May the lightning strike you!... Curse you again and again!" Vassili -shouted his curses so loud that Jakoff turned involuntarily towards the -fisheries, as if he thought that the desperate shouting could be heard -there. But over there was nothing but waves and sunlight He spat, and -remarked—</p> - -<p>"Call, call louder! Who are you going to frighten?... And if there has -been something between us I'll tell you at once and make an end of -it...."</p> - -<p>"Hold your tongue! Don't let me see you any more! Go away!" cried -Vassili.</p> - -<p>"I shall not go to the village.... I shall spend the winter here," said -Jakoff, without paying any attention to his father's shouts, though he -watched his every movement "One is better here.... I quite understand -that.... I am not a fool. Work is less hard here, and there is more -liberty.... There you would be always ordering me about but here, -just try it on!"</p> - -<p>He put his thumb to his nose, and laughed a quiet laugh, but in such a -way that Vassili once more seized with fury bounded to his feet, and -seizing hold of an oar shouted—</p> - -<p>"That's the way you treat your father?... Ah! I will kill you!" But -when, mad with rage, he reached the boat, Jakoff was already far away. -He ran on, and the tom sleeve of his shirt floated in the breeze behind -him.</p> - -<p>Vassili threw the oar after his son, but did not succeed in hitting -him. Having exhausted his strength he let himself fall at the side of -the boat, and tore the wood with his nails, whilst his son called out -to him in the distance—</p> - -<p>"What, arn't you ashamed of yourself? You are getting old, and you put -yourself into this state for a woman!... I'm not going back to the -village.... I've had enough of it ... Go back yourself! ... You've -nothing to do here!"</p> - -<p>"Jakoff, hold your tongue!" shouted Vassili; and his voice rose above -that of Jakoff's. "I shall kill you.... Get away with you!"</p> - -<p>But Jakoff was walking away now, and laughing. Vassili watched him with -furious eyes. Now he was getting smaller; his legs seemed to be hidden -in the sand ... half his body had disappeared ... now his shoulders ... -and now his head.... He was no longer to be seen. But some minutes -afterwards, at a few paces from the spot where he had disappeared, his -head showed once more, then his shoulders, then all his body.... He -looked quite small. He was turning round and saying some-thing—</p> - -<p>"Curse you!... Curse you!" cried Vassili.</p> - -<p>The son made a gesture with his hand, and continued to walk away till -he was hidden by a sandhill.</p> - -<p>Vassili looked out in that same direction for a long time, till his -back hurt him from sitting in such an uncomfortable attitude—half -crouched down against the boat, the palms of his hands resting on the -sand. Cramped and aching all over, he rose and staggered, for his limbs -pained him. His belt had got pushed up under his arms, he unfastened it -with his stiff fingers, looked at it and threw it on the sand. Then he -went towards his hut, but stopped as he reached a hollow in the ground, -remembering that it was there that he had fallen, and that if it had -not been for that he might have caught his son.</p> - -<p>In the hut everything was in disorder. Vassili looked round for the -bottle of vodka, and finding it among the sacks, he picked it up, with -difficulty withdrew the cork, and placing the neck of the bottle in his -mouth he tried to drink.... But the bottle knocked against his teeth, -and the liquid ran out over his beard and his chest The alcohol tasted -as flat as water. Everything seemed to turn round in Vassili's head; -his heart felt heavy, his back hurt him.</p> - -<p>"I am old.... That's what's the matter!" he said out loud. And he -threw himself on the sand at the door of the hut. Before him lay the -vast sea, sighing idly, full of strength and of beauty. The waves -were laughing as they always did noisily and light-heartedly. Vassili -contemplated the water for a long time, and recalled the covetous words -of his son—</p> - -<p>"If only that were all land, rich black land that could be ploughed!" -An acute feeling of weariness invaded the peasant's soul. He rubbed his -chest hard, and sighed deeply. His head fell forward, and his back bent -as if an immense weight were crushing him. A spasm seemed to seize his -throat He coughed and made the sign of the cross, looking up to the -sky. Some terrible thought seemed to overwhelm him.</p> - -<p>Because for a lost girl he had abandoned his wife with whom he had -lived honestly for more than fifteen years, the Lord had punished him -through the revolt of his son. Yes, Lord!...</p> - -<p>His son had mocked him, and had tom his heart Killing was too good for -him after what he had done against the soul of his father.... And all -that for a light woman! And he, old already, had become entangled with -her! In his sin he had forgotten his wife and his son....</p> - -<p>And now the Lord in His just anger reminded him of his sin, making -use of his son to strike the father's heart with a well-deserved -punishment. Yes, Lord!...</p> - -<p>Vassili remained seated, making the sign of the cross, and blinking his -eyes to get rid of the tears which blinded him.</p> - -<p>And the sun sank Into the sea, and the red twilight faded out of the -sky. A cool wind came to caress the peasant's face, which was bathed -In tears. Plunged in thoughts of repentance, he remained there till he -fell asleep a short time before dawn.</p> - - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<h4><a name="CHAPTER_VIb" id="CHAPTER_VIb">CHAPTER VI</a></h4> - -<p>The day after the quarrel Jakoff went off with a party of workmen in a -boat, which was taken out by a tug. They were going out to a distance -of about thirty versts to fish for sturgeon in a bay.</p> - -<p>He returned to the fishery at the end of five days, alone and in a -sailing-boat; he had been sent ashore to fetch provisions. It was noon -when Jakoff arrived; the workmen were resting after their dinner. It -was intolerably hot, the sand burnt the feet, the fish-bones and scales -pricked them. Jakoff walked carefully towards the huts, wishing all -the time he had put his shoes on. He hesitated about returning to the -boat, he wanted to eat his dinner quickly and to find Malva. During -the tedious hours at sea he had often thought of her. He would have -liked to have known if his father and she had seen each other, and what -had passed between them.... Perhaps the old man had beaten her? That -wouldn't have mattered; it would have made her more gentle.</p> - -<p>Otherwise she was too provoking, too bold. The deserted fishery -slumbered: the long wooden huts with all the windows standing open, -seemed exhausted with the heat. In the inspector's office a child was -crying.... Behind a heap of barrels the whisper of voices was heard.</p> - -<p>Jakoff went in that direction; he thought he distinguished Malva's -voice. But when he reached the barrels he stopped and paused. In the -shade, lying on his back, his arms under his head, was the red-headed -Sereja. Near him, on one side, was Vassili, and on the other side Malva.</p> - -<p>Jakoff thought, "What is my father doing here? Has he left his -employment so as to be near Malva, and to watch her? The old devil!... -If only my mother knew what he was up to?" Should he speak to them or -not?</p> - -<p>"That's it," Sereja was saying. "Therefore you must say good-bye to -each other. And then be off, and go and scratch your land ..."</p> - -<p>Jakoff started, and his face grew joyful.</p> - -<p>"I am going," said Vassili.</p> - -<p>Then Jakoff stepped forward boldly.</p> - -<p>"Good-morning, all of you!"</p> - -<p>His father threw a rapid glance at him, and then turned away. Malva did -not move. Sereja kicked out his leg, and said in a forced voice—</p> - -<p>"Here is our well-beloved son Jakoff, who is returning from a far -country."</p> - -<p>Then he added in his ordinary voice—</p> - -<p>"Let us skin him alive, and mate drums out of his skin."</p> - -<p>Malva laughed softly.</p> - -<p>"It's hot," said Jakoff, sitting down by them.</p> - -<p>Vassili glanced at him once more, as if unwillingly.</p> - -<p>"I have been expecting you here all the morning, Jakoff. The inspector -told, me that you were to come." His voice seemed to the young man to -be weaker than usual, and his face seemed altered.</p> - -<p>"I have come to fetch some provisions," said Jakoff.</p> - -<p>And he asked Sereja for a cigarette.</p> - -<p>"I have no tobacco for a fool like you!" replied the latter without -moving.</p> - -<p>"I'm going home, Jakoff!" said Vassili gravely, digging at the sand -with his finger.</p> - -<p>"Why?" asked his son innocently.</p> - -<p>"Never mind.... Shall you remain here?"</p> - -<p>"Yes, I shall remain.... What could both of us do at home?"</p> - -<p>"Very well. I have nothing to say. Do as you choose I You are no longer -a child. Only remember that I shan't live very much longer. I shall -keep alive perhaps, but I don't know how I shall manage to work.... I -have lost the habit of working on the land.... Don't forget therefore -that you have your mother there."</p> - -<p>It was evidently painful to him to speak. The words seemed to stick -between his teeth. Whilst he twisted his beard, his hand trembled.</p> - -<p>Malva watched him. Sereja had half closed one eye, and with the other -which was wide open he watched Jakoff. The boy was glad, but fearing to -betray his feelings, he was silent, and hung his head.</p> - -<p>"Don't forget your mother therefore, Jakoff. Remember that you are all -that is left to her!" said Vassilli.</p> - -<p>"I know!" said Jakoff, shrugging his shoulders.</p> - -<p>"That's all right if you know it," added his lather, with a distrustful -glance. "I only warn you not to forget it."</p> - -<p>"All right!"</p> - -<p>Vassili sighed deeply. They were all silent for some minutes.</p> - -<p>Then Malva said—</p> - -<p>"They will soon be ringing the bell for work."</p> - -<p>"I am going," said Vassili, rising.</p> - -<p>And they all rose with him.</p> - -<p>"Good-bye, Sereja. If you ever come to the Volga, perhaps you will -remember to come and see me?... The District of Simbirsk, the village -of Malso, near Nikolo-Livolvsk."</p> - -<p>"All right," said Sereja.</p> - -<p>He shook Vassili's hand, holding it for a long time in his big, -thick-veined paw, covered with red hairs. He smiled into the sad, -serious face of Vassili.</p> - -<p>"Nikolo-Livolvsk is a big town, <i>every one</i> knows it, and we are only -four versts from there," the peasant explained.</p> - -<p>"All right, I will come and see you if I am that way."</p> - -<p>"Good-bye."</p> - -<p>"Good-bye, my dear fellow."</p> - -<p>"Good-bye, Malva!" whispered Vassili, without raising his eyes to her.</p> - -<p>She wiped her lips leisurely with, her sleeve, threw her two white arms -round his neck, and kissed him three times, on his lips and on his -cheeks.</p> - -<p>He was overcome, and muttered some indistinct words. Jakoff dropped his -head to hide a smile; but Sereja was unmoved, and even yawned slightly -as he looked up at the sky.</p> - -<p>"It will be hot walking," he said.</p> - -<p>"Nevermind!... Good-bye to you also, Jakoff."</p> - -<p>"Good-bye."</p> - -<p>They were face to face with one another, without knowing what to do. -The sad word "good-bye," which had just been repeated so many times, -awoke in the soul of Jakoff a feeling of tenderness for his father, -but he did not know how to express it Should he embrace his father as -Malva had done, or shake hands with him like Sereja?... And Vassili was -wounded by this hesitation which was visible in the attitude of his -son, and at the same time he felt something like shame. He remembered -what had taken place at the cape, and he thought of Malva's kisses.</p> - -<p>"Well, think of your mother!" said Vassili at last.</p> - -<p>"Oh! yes!" replied Jakoff cordially. "Don't be anxious ... I know."</p> - -<p>And he shook his head.</p> - -<p>"That's all Be happy! May God protect you.... Don't think ill of -me.... The boiler, Sereja, is buried in the sand, near the bows of the -green boat."</p> - -<p>"What does he want with the boiler?" asked Jakoff suddenly.</p> - -<p>"He has taken my place over there at the cape," explained Vassili.</p> - -<p>Jakoff glance at Sereja enviously, then at Malva, and hung his head to -hide the flash of joy in his eye.</p> - -<p>"Good-bye, brothers, I am going."</p> - -<p>Vassili nodded to them. Malva followed him.</p> - -<p>"I am going to walk with you a little bit of the way."</p> - -<p>Sereja flung himself on the ground and seized Jakoff's leg as this -latter was about to follow Malva.</p> - -<p>"Stop! where are you going to?"</p> - -<p>"Leave me alone!" said Jakoff, moving a step forward. But Sereja had -seized his other leg.</p> - -<p>"Sit down beside me."</p> - -<p>"Why!... What new nonsense are you up to?"</p> - -<p>"It's not nonsense I Sit down."</p> - -<p>Jakoff set his teeth, and obeyed.</p> - -<p>"What do you want?"</p> - -<p>"Wait Hold your tongue ... whilst I think; and then I'll talk to you."</p> - -<p>He looked the lad up and down, and Jakoff submitted.</p> - -<p>Malva and Vassili walked on for a few moments in silence. Malva's eyes -had a strange sparkle in them. And Vassili was gloomy and preoccupied. -Their feet sank into the sand, and they walked with difficulty.</p> - -<p>"Vassia!"</p> - -<p>"Well?"</p> - -<p>He looked at her, and turned away immediately.</p> - -<p>"It was I who made you quarrel on purpose with Jakoff.... You might -have both lived here without quarrelling," she said, in a voice that -was even and unmoved.</p> - -<p>There was not a shade of regret in her words.</p> - -<p>"Why did you do that?" Vassili asked, after a moment's silence.</p> - -<p>"I don't know ... for no reason."</p> - -<p>She shrugged her shoulders and smiled.</p> - -<p>"That's a nice thing you have done," he said irritably.</p> - -<p>She was silent.</p> - -<p>"You will make me lose my boy, lose him altogether; you sorceress! Have -you no fear of God? Are you not ashamed?... What are you going to do?"</p> - -<p>"What ought I to do?" she said.</p> - -<p>A mixture of agony and of despair sounded in her voice.</p> - -<p>"What ought you to do?" cried Vassili, flashing out suddenly into rage.</p> - -<p>He felt a passionate desire to strike her, to throw her down and bury -her in the sand, to kick her in the face and on the bosom....</p> - -<p>He clinched his fists and cast a look behind him.</p> - -<p>Over there near the barrels he saw Sereja and Jakoff, and their faces -were turned in his direction.</p> - -<p>"Get along with you; or I shall do for you!..."</p> - -<p>He stopped and breathed curses into her face. His eyes were bloodshot, -his beard trembled, and his hands were stretched involuntarily towards -Malva's hair, which appeared above her shawl.</p> - -<p>Her green eyes were fixed on him.</p> - -<p>"You deserve to be killed!... But wait a bit. Some one will break your -head one of these days!"</p> - -<p>She smiled, but remained silent. Then sighing deeply, she said—</p> - -<p>"That's enough now. Good-bye!"</p> - -<p>And turning quickly on her heels, she walked back.</p> - -<p>Vassili yelled after her and ground his teeth. Malva, as she walked -tried to put her feet into the footmarks which Vassili had made, -and when she succeeded she carefully destroyed all traces of his -footprints. Finally she reached the barrels, when Sereja received her -with the question—"Well, you walked a bit of the way with him?"</p> - -<p>She made an affirmative sign with her head, and sat down by him.</p> - -<p>And Jakoff watching her, smiled softly, moving his lips as if he were -saying things to her that no one else heard.</p> - -<p>"And when you left him did you cry?" asked Sereja.</p> - -<p>"When are you going over there to the cape?" she asked him, indicating -the sea with a movement of her head.</p> - -<p>"This evening."</p> - -<p>"I shall go with you."</p> - -<p>"Bravo!... I like that."</p> - -<p>"And I also, I shall go!" said Jakoff.</p> - -<p>"Who invites you?" said Sereja, screwing up his eyes.</p> - -<p>The harsh tinkle of a cracked bell was heard; it was the call to work. -The sounds rang out through the air, one following rapidly the other, -as if they feared to be late, or to be drowned in the sound of the -waves.</p> - -<p>"She will invite me," said Jakoff.</p> - -<p>He glanced at Malva defiantly.</p> - -<p>"I?... What should I want with you?" she replied, with surprise in her -voice.</p> - -<p>"Let's speak plainly, Jakoff," said Sereja. "If you bother her I'll -beat you into a jelly. And if you touch her with a finger, I'll crush -you like a fly. I'll give you one over the head that will just finish -you altogether. I'm very straightforward in my ways." His face, his -whole figure and his knotted arms threatened Jakoff's throat, and -seemed to prove eloquently, that in reality, to kill a man was to -Sereja a very simple matter.</p> - -<p>Jakoff stepped back and said in a stifled voice—</p> - -<p>"Wait a minute! It's she who..."</p> - -<p>"Hold your tongue, and there's an end of it! What does all this mean? -It's not you, you dog, who are going to eat the lamb. If you get the -bones thrown to you, you may say thank you. We've had enough of this."</p> - -<p>Jakoff looked at Malva. Her green eyes were laughing in a way that -wounded him, and she rubbed up against Sereja in such a coaxing way -that Jakoff felt the perspiration break out all over him.</p> - -<p>They walked off side by side, and then both of them burst out laughing. -Jakoff crushed his right foot hard into the sand, and remained standing -thus, his body stretched forward, his face red, his heart beating.</p> - -<p>Far away over the dead ripples of the sand, the outline of a small dark -human figure was moving; on his right shone the sun and the mighty -sea, and on his left, as far as the horizon, there was sand, nothing -but sand, smooth, vast and silent. Jakoff watched the solitary man and -blinked his eyes, which were full of tears—tears of humiliation and -of painful uncertainty—and he rubbed his chest roughly with both his -hands.</p> - -<p>At the fishery, work was going on briskly. Jakoff heard the deep, -melodious voice of Malva, saying angrily—</p> - -<p>"Who has taken my knife?"</p> - -<p>The waves rippled, the sun shone, the sea laughed.</p> - -<h4>THE END</h4> - - - - - - - - -<pre> - - - - - -End of Project Gutenberg's The Orloff Couple and Malva, by Maxim Gorky - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE ORLOFF COUPLE AND MALVA *** - -***** This file should be named 55582-h.htm or 55582-h.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/5/5/5/8/55582/ - -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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