Short Stories
"You imagine, perhaps, that I am asking for money," said the mysterious
gentleman, with a wry smile, laughing hysterically and turning pale.
"Oh, dear, no."
"No, I see that I am tiresome to you! Excuse me, I cannot bear myself;
consider that you are seeing a man in an agitated condition, almost of
insanity, and do not draw any conclusion...."
"But to the point, to the point," responded the young man, nodding his head
encouragingly and impatiently.
"Now think of that! A young man like you reminding me to keep to the point,
as though I were some heedless boy! I must certainly be doting!... How do I
seem to you in my degrading position? Tell me frankly."
The young man was overcome with confusion, and said nothing.
"Allow me to ask you openly: have you not seen a lady? That is all that I
have to ask you," the gentleman in the raccoon coat said resolutely at
last.
"Lady?"
"Yes, a lady."
"Yes, I have seen ... but I must say lots of them have passed...."
"Just so," answered the mysterious gentleman, with a bitter smile. "I am
muddled, I did not mean to ask that; excuse me, I meant to say, haven't you
seen a lady in a fox fur cape, in a dark velvet hood and a black veil?"
"No, I haven't noticed one like that ... no. I think I haven't seen one."
"Well, in that case, excuse me!"
The young man wanted to ask a question, but the gentleman in raccoon
vanished again; again he left his patient listener in a state of
stupefaction.
"Well, the devil take him!" thought the young man in the wadded overcoat,
evidently troubled.
With annoyance he turned up his beaver collar, and began cautiously
walking to and fro again before the gates of the house of many storeys. He
was raging inwardly.
"Why doesn't she come out?" he thought. "It will soon be eight o'clock."
The town clock struck eight.
"Oh, devil take you!"
"Excuse me!..."
"Excuse me for speaking like that ... but you came upon me so suddenly that
you quite frightened me," said the young man, frowning and apologising.
"Here I am again. I must strike you as tiresome and queer."
"Be so good as to explain at once, without more ado; I don't know what it
is you want...."
"You are in a hurry. Do you see, I will tell you everything openly, without
wasting words. It cannot be helped. Circumstances sometimes bring together
people of very different characters.... But I see you are impatient, young
man.... So here ... though I really don't know how to tell you: I am
looking for a lady (I have made up my mind to tell you all about it). You
see, I must know where that lady has gone. Who she is--I imagine there is
no need for you to know her name, young man."
"Well, well, what next?"
"What next? But what a tone you take with me! Excuse me, but perhaps I have
offended you by calling you young man, but I had nothing ... in short, if
you are willing to do me a very great service, here it is: a lady--that is,
I mean a gentlewoman of a very good family, of my acquaintance ... I have
been commissioned ... I have no family, you see...."
"Oh!"
"Put yourself in my position, young man (ah, I've done it again; excuse me,
I keep calling you young man). Every minute is precious.... Only fancy,
that lady ... but cannot you tell me who lives in this house?"
"But ... lots of people live here."
"Yes, that is, you are perfectly right," answered the gentleman in raccoon,
giving a slight laugh for the sake of good manners. "I feel I am rather
muddled.... But why do you take that tone? You see, I admit frankly that I
am muddled, and however haughty you are, you have seen enough of my
humiliation to satisfy you.... I say a lady of honourable conduct, that is,
of light tendencies--excuse me, I am so confused; it is as though I were
speaking of literature--Paul de Kock is supposed to be of light tendencies,
and all the trouble comes from him, you see...."
The young man looked compassionately at the gentleman in raccoon, who
seemed in a hopeless muddle and pausing, stared at him with a meaningless
smile and with a trembling hand for no apparent reason gripped the lappet
of his wadded overcoat.
"You ask who lives here?" said the young man, stepping back a little.
"Yes; you told me lots of people live here."
"Here ... I know that Sofya Ostafyevna lives here, too," the young man
brought out in a low and even commiserating tone.
"There, you see, you see! You know something, young man?"
"I assure you I don't, I know nothing ... I judged from your troubled
air...."
"I have just learned from the cook that she does come here; but you are on
the wrong tack, that is, with Sofya Ostafyevna ... she does not know
her...."
"No? Oh ... I beg your pardon, then...."
"I see this is of no interest to you, young man," said the queer man, with
bitter irony.
"Listen," said the young man, hesitating. "I really don't understand why
you are in such a state, but tell me frankly, I suppose you are being
deceived?" The young man smiled approvingly. "We shall understand one
another, anyway," he added, and his whole person loftily betrayed an
inclination to make a half-bow.
"You crush me! But I frankly confess that is just it ... but it happens to
every one!... I am deeply touched by your sympathy. To be sure, among young
men ... though I am not young; but you know, habit, a bachelor life, among
bachelors, we all know...."
"Oh, yes, we all know, we all know! But in what way can I be of assistance
to you?"
"Why, look here: admitting a visit to Sofya Ostafyevna ... though I don't
know for a fact where the lady has gone, I only know that she is in that
house; but seeing you walking up and down, and I am walking up and down on
the same side myself, I thought ... you see, I am waiting for that lady ...
I know that she is there. I should like to meet her and explain to her how
shocking and improper it is!... In fact, you understand me...."
"H'm! Well?"
"I am not acting for myself; don't imagine it; it is another man's wife!
Her husband is standing over there on the Voznesensky Bridge; he wants to
catch her, but he doesn't dare; he is still loath to believe it, as every
husband is." (Here the gentleman in raccoon made an effort to smile.) "I am
a friend of his; you can see for yourself I am a person held in some
esteem; I could not be what you take me for."
"Oh, of course. Well, well!"
"So, you see, I am on the look out for her. The task has been entrusted to
me (the unhappy husband!). But I know that the young lady is sly (Paul de
Kock for ever under her pillow); I am certain she scurries off somewhere on
the sly.... I must confess the cook told me she comes here; I rushed off
like a madman as soon as I heard the news; I want to catch her. I have long
had suspicions, and so I wanted to ask you; you are walking here ...
you--you--I don't know...."
"Come, what is it you want?"
"Yes ... I have not the honour of your acquaintance; I do not venture to
inquire who and what you may be.... Allow me to introduce myself, anyway;
glad to meet you!..."
The gentleman, quivering with agitation, warmly shook the young man's hand.
"I ought to have done this to begin with," he added, "but I have lost all
sense of good manners."
The gentleman in raccoon could not stand still as he talked; he kept
looking about him uneasily, fidgeted with his feet, and like a drowning man
clutched at the young man's hand.
"You see," he went on, "I meant to address you in a friendly way.... Excuse
the freedom.... I meant to ask you to walk along the other side and down
the side street, where there is a back entrance. I, too, on my side, will
walk from the front entrance, so that we cannot miss her; I'm afraid of
missing her by myself; I don't want to miss her. When you see her, stop her
and shout to me.... But I'm mad! Only now I see the foolishness and
impropriety of my suggestion!..."
"No, why, no! It's all right!..."
"Don't make excuses for me; I am so upset. I have never been in such a
state before. As though I were being tried for my life! I must own
indeed--I will be straightforward and honourable with you, young man; I
actually thought you might be the lover."
"That is, to put it simply, you want to know what I am doing here?"
"You are an honourable man, my dear sir. I am far from supposing that you
are _he_, I will not insult you with such a suspicion; but ... give me your
word of honour that you are not the lover...."
"Oh, very well, I'll give you my word of honour that I am a lover, but not
of your wife; otherwise I shouldn't be here in the street, but should be
with her now!"
"Wife! Who told you she was my wife, young man? I am a bachelor, I--that
is, I am a lover myself...."
"You told me there is a husband on Voznesensky Bridge...."
"Of course, of course, I am talking too freely; but there are other ties!
And you know, young man, a certain lightness of character, that is...."
"Yes, yes, to be sure, to be sure...."
"That is, I am not her husband at all...."
"Oh, no doubt. But I tell you frankly that in reassuring you now, I want to
set my own mind at rest, and that is why I am candid with you; you are
upsetting me and in my way. I promise that I will call you. But I most
humbly beg you to move further away and let me alone. I am waiting for some
one too."
"Certainly, certainly, I will move further off. I respect the passionate
impatience of your heart. Oh, how well I understand you at this moment!"
"Oh, all right, all right...."
"Till we meet again!... But excuse me, young man, here I am again ... I
don't know how to say it ... give me your word of honour once more, as a
gentleman, that you are not her lover."
"Oh, mercy on us!"
"One more question, the last: do you know the surname of the husband of
your ... that is, I mean the lady who is the object of your devotion?"
"Of course I do; it is not your name, and that is all about it."
"Why, how do you know my name?"
"But, I say, you had better go; you are losing time; she might go away a
thousand times. Why, what do you want? Your lady's in a fox cape and a
hood, while mine is wearing a plaid cloak and a pale blue velvet hat....
What more do you want? What else?"
"A pale blue velvet hat! She has a plaid cloak and a pale blue velvet hat!"
cried the pertinacious man, instantly turning back again.
"Oh, hang it all! Why, that may well be.... And, indeed, my lady does not
come here!"
"Where is she, then--your lady?"
"You want to know that? What is it to you?"
"I must own, I am still...."
"Tfoo! Mercy on us! Why, you have no sense of decency, none at all. Well,
my lady has friends here, on the third storey looking into the street. Why,
do you want me to tell you their names?"
"My goodness, I have friends too, who live on the third storey, and their
windows look on to the street.... General...."
"General!"
"A general. If you like I will tell you what general: well, then ...
General Polovitsyn."
"You don't say so! No, that is not the same! (Oh, damnation, damnation!)."
"Not the same?"
"No, not the same."
Both were silent, looking at each other in perplexity.
"Why are you looking at me like that?" exclaimed the young man, shaking off
his stupefaction and air of uncertainty with vexation.
The gentleman was in a fluster.
"I ... I must own...."
"Come, allow me, allow me; let us talk more sensibly now. It concerns us
both. Explain to me ... whom do you know there?"
"You mean, who are my friends?"
"Yes, your friends...."
"Well, you see ... you see!... I see from your eyes that I have guessed
right!"
"Hang it all! No, no, hang it all! Are you blind? Why, I am standing here
before you, I am not with her. Oh, well! I don't care, whether you say so
or not!"