The Argonauts. Eliza Orzeszkowa

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СКАЧАТЬ he was silent a while. What duty? Yes, what kind of duty?

      "Naturally the duty of labor, hard labor."

      The flush on Cara's face increased; she was all curiosity, all eagerness to hear her father's words.

      "Labor, for what, father, dear?"

      "How? for what?"

      "For what purpose? For what purpose? because no one labors for the labor itself. For what purpose?"

      For what purpose? How that child pushed him to the wall with her questions! With hesitation in his voice, he answered:

      "There are various purposes—"

      "But you, father, for what are you working?" continued she, with eager curiosity.

      He knew very well for what purpose he wished now to undertake the gigantic labor of erecting a multitude of buildings for the residence of an army, but could he explain that to this child? Meanwhile the dark eyes of the child were fastened on his face, urging him to an answer.

      "What is it?" said he. "I—labor gives me considerable, sometimes immense profits."

      "In money?" asked she.

      "In money."

      She made a motion with her head, signifying that she knew that this long time.

      "But I," began she, "if I wanted to work, should not know what to work for, I should not know for what object I could work."

      He laughed.

      "You will not need to work; I will work for you, and instead of you." "Well, father!" exclaimed she, with a resonant laugh, "what can I do? To worship, to love, is exaltation—duty is labor, but if I may not labor, what am I to do?"

      Again she opened her small hands with astonishment and inquiry; her eyes were flashing, her lips trembling.

      Darvid, with marks of disagreeable feeling on his face, reached for his watch.

      "I have no time," said he; "I must go to the club."

      At that moment the servant announced from the antechamber, through the open door:

      "Prince Zeno Skirgello."

      Delight burst forth on Darvid's face. Cara sprang up from her knees, and looking around, called:

      "Puff! Puff! Come, let us be off! doggy."

      "Where is the prince?" asked Darvid, hurriedly. "Is he here, or in the carriage?"

      "In the carriage," answered the servant.

      "Beg him to come in, beg him to come in!"

      In the delight which the unexpected arrival of the prince caused him at that time, he did not notice the expression of regret on Cara's face. Raising the little dog from the floor and holding him in her arms, she whispered:

      "This is the third time, or the fourth—it is unknown which time it is!" Darvid sprang toward her.

      "You may remain! You know the prince—"

      "Oh, no, father, I flee—I am not dressed!"

      Her white robe with blue dots had the shape of a wrapper, and her hair was somewhat dishevelled. With the dog on her arm she ran to the door beyond which was darkness.

      "Wait!" cried Darvid, and he took one of the candles which were burning on the desk in tall candlesticks. The prince was coming up the stairs slowly. "I will light you through the dark chambers."

      Saying this he walked with her to the second chamber, and when passing through that, she, while going at his side with the dog on her arm, and with her short step, which gave her tall form the charm of childhood, repeated:

      "This is the fourth time, perhaps—it is unknown how many times it will be in this way!"

      "What will be in this way?"

      "Just when I begin to talk with you. Paf! something hinders!"

      "What is to be done?" answered he, with a smile; "since your father is not a hermit, nor a small person on this world's chessboard."

      They went hurriedly, and passed through the second chamber. The flame of the candle which Darvid carried cast passing flashes on the gold and polish of the walls, and the furniture. These were like tricky gnomes, appearing and vanishing in the silence, darkness, and emptiness.

      Darvid thought:

      "How dark it is here, and deserted!" Cara divined this thought, as it were, and said:

      "Mamma and Ira are invited to dine to-day at—"

      She gave the name of one of the financial potentates, and added:

      "After dinner they will come to dress for the theatre."

      "And thou?" inquired Darvid.

      "I? I do not go into society yet, and so far the doctor forbids me to go to the theatre. I will read or talk with Miss Mary, and amuse myself with Puff."

      She stroked with her palm the silky head of the little dog. Darvid halted at the door of the third chamber, and gave Cara the light, from the weight of which her slight arm bent somewhat.

      "Go on alone; I must hurry to the prince."

      She bent down to his hands, covered them with hurried, ardent kisses. With the flame of the candle before her rosy face, with the dog at her breast, and the pale, golden hair pushed back on her shoulders, she advanced in the darkness. Darvid returned through that darkness in the opposite direction, and when he had passed the two spacious chambers hastily, he felt in the twinkle of an eye as if from behind, from that interior, some weight had been placed on his shoulders. He looked around. There was nothing but vacancy, obscurity, and silence.

      "Stupid! I must have the house lighted!" thought Darvid, and he hurried into the study, where, with movements a little too vivacious, with a fondling smile, and with repeated declarations that he felt happy, he greeted the prince, a man of middle age, of agreeable exterior, affable and pleasant in speech. When they had sat down in armchairs, the prince declared the object of his visit, which was to invite Darvid to a hunt which was to take place soon on one of his estates. Darvid accepted the invitation with expressions of pleasure, a little too prompt and hearty. But he was never so well able to measure his words and movements in presence of those high-born people as in presence of others. He felt this himself, still he had not the power to refrain. In presence of them he found himself under the influence of one of his passions, and it carried him too far. The prince spoke of the sculptor, whose gifts he esteemed highly; the young man had gone directly from Darvid to him and told of all that he had heard, and what he had experienced.

      "I was really affected by your kindness toward this youthful genius, and am delighted that he found in you a patron so magnanimous."

      Darvid thought that in every case his arrows always struck the mark. To that act of his he was surely indebted for this unusual visit of the СКАЧАТЬ