Sipiagin sat on him somewhat when he went a little too far, but laughed a good deal at his anecdotes and bon mots, although he thought qu'il est un affreux reactionnaire.Kollomietzev declared, among other things, how he went into raptures at what the peasants, oui, oui! les simples mougiks! call lawyers."Liars! Liars!" he shouted with delight."Ce peupie russe est delicieux!" He then went on to say how once, when going through a village school, he asked one of the children what a babugnia was, and nobody could tell him, not even the teacher himself.He then asked what a pithecus was, and no one knew even that, although he had quoted the poet Himnitz, 'The weakwitted pithecus that mocks the other beasts.' Such is the deplorable condition of our peasant schools!
"But," Valentina Mihailovna remarked, "I don't know myself what are these animals!""Madame!" Kollomietzev exclaimed, "there is no necessity for you to know!""Then why should the peasants know?"
"Because it is better for them to know about these animals than about Proudhon or Adam Smith!"Here Sipiagin again intervened, saying that Adam Smith was one of the leading lights in human thought, and that it would be well to imbibe his principles (he poured himself out a glass of wine)with the (he lifted the glass to his nose and sniffed at it)mother's milk! He swallowed the wine.Kollomietzev also drank a glass and praised it highly.
Markelov payed no special attention to Kollomietzev 's talk, but glanced interrogatively at Nejdanov once or twice; he flicked one of his little bread pills, which just missed the nose of the eloquent guest.
Sipiagin left his brother-in-law in peace; neither did Valentina Mihailovna speak to him; it was evident that both husband and wife considered Markelov an eccentric sort of person whom it was better not to provoke.
After dinner Markelov went into the billiard room to smoke a pipe, and Nejdanov withdrew into his own room.
In the corridor he ran against Mariana.He wanted to slip past her, when she stopped him with a quick movement of the hand.
"Mr.Nejdanov," she said in a somewhat unsteady tone of voice, "it ought to be all the same to me what you think of me, but still I find it...I find it..." (she could not think of a fitting word) "I find it necessary to tell you that when you met me in the wood today with Mr.Markelov...you must no doubt have thought, when you saw us both confused, that we had come there by appointment.""It did seem a little strange to me--" Nejdanov began."Mr.
Markelov," Mariana interrupted him, "proposed to me...and Irefused him.That is all I wanted to say to you.Goodnight.
Think what you like of me."
She turned away and walked quickly down the corridor.
Nejdanov entered his own room and sat down by the window musing.
"What a strange girl--why this wild issue, this uninvited explanation? Is it a desire to be original, or simply affectation--or pride? Pride, no doubt.She can't endure the idea...the faintest suspicion, that anyone should have a wrong opinion of her.What a strange girl!"Thus Nejdanov pondered, while he was being discussed on the terrace below; every word could be heard distinctly.
I have a feeling," Kollomietzev declared, "a feeling, that he's a revolutionist.When I served on a special commission at the governor-general's of Moscow avec Ladisias, I learned to scent these gentlemen as well as nonconformists.I believe in instinct above everything." Here Kollomietzev related how he had once caught an old sectarian by the heel somewhere near Moscow, on whom he had looked in, accompanied by the police, and who nearly jumped out of his cottage window."He was sitting quite quietly on his bench until that moment, the blackguard!"Kollomietzev forgot to add that this old man, when put into prison, refused to take any food and starved himself to death.
"And your new tutor," Kollomietzev went on zealously, "is a revolutionist, without a shadow of a doubt! Have you noticed that he is never the first to bow to anyone?""Why should he?" Madame Sipiagina asked; "on the contrary, that is what I like about him.""I am a guest in the house in which he serves," Kollomietzev exclaimed, "yes, serves for money, comme un salarie....
Consequently I am his superior....He ought to bow to me first.""My dear Kollomietzev, you are very particular," Sipiagin put in, laying special stress on the word dear."I thought, if you'll forgive my saying so, that we had outgrown all that.I pay for his services, his work, but he remains a free man.""He does not feel the bridle, le frein! All these revolutionists are like that.I tell you I can smell them from afar! Only Ladisias can compare with me in this respect.If this tutor were to fall into my hands wouldn't I give it to him! I would make him sing a very different tune! How he would begin touching his cap to me--it would be a pleasure to see him!""Rubbish, you swaggering little braggart!" Nejdanov almost shouted from above, but at this moment the door opened and, to his great astonishment, Markelov entered the room.
xNEJDANOV rose to meet him, and Markelov, coming straight up to him, without any form of greeting, asked him if he was Alexai Dmitritch, a student of the St.Petersburg University.
"Yes," Nejdanov replied.
Markelov took an unsealed letter out of a side pocket.
"In that case, please read this.It is from Vassily Nikolaevitch," he added, lowering his voice significantly.
Nejdanov unfolded and read the letter.It was a semi-official circular in which Sergai Markelov was introduced as one of "us,"and absolutely trustworthy; then followed some advice about the urgent necessity of united action in the propaganda of their well-known principles.The circular was addressed to Nejdanov, as being a person worthy of confidence.
Nejdanov extended his hand to Markelov, offered him a chair, and sat down himself.
Markelov, without saying a word, began lighting a cigarette;Nejdanov followed his example.
