The Complete Novels of Fyodor Dostoyevsky. Fyodor Dostoyevsky

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СКАЧАТЬ and, knowing this, uncle, think for yourself. Could you possibly have done such a thing with your eyes open? As if you don’t understand what’s good for you just as well as your neighbours. I solemnly affirm that you saw all this in a dream!”

      “Of course, of course; un — doubtedly in a dream, un — doubtedly so! What a clever fellow you are, my dear boy; you saw it at once. I am deeply grate — ful to you for putting me right. I was really quite under the im — pression I had actually done it.”

      “And how glad I am that I met you, uncle, before you went in there! Just fancy, what a mess you might have made of it! You might have gone in thinking you were engaged to the girl, and behaved in the capacity of accepted lover. Think how fearfully dangerous —— .”

      “Ye — yes, of course; most dangerous!”

      “Why, remember, this girl is twenty-three years old. Nobody will marry her, and suddenly you, a rich and eminent man of rank and title, appear on the scene as her accepted swain. They would lay hold of the idea at once, and act up to it, and swear that you really were her future husband, and would marry you off, too. I daresay they would even count upon your speedy death, and make their calculations accordingly.”

      “No!”

      “Then again, uncle; a man of your dignity — —”

      “Ye — yes, quite so, dig — nity!”

      “And wisdom, — and amiability — —”

      “Quite so; wis — dom — wisdom!”

      “And then — a prince into the bargain! Good gracious, uncle, as if a man like yourself would make such a match as that, if you really did mean marrying! What would your relations say?”

      “Why, my dear boy, they’d simply ea — eat me up, — I — I know their cunning and malice of old! My dear fellow — you won’t believe it — but I assure you I was afraid they were going to put me into a lun — atic asylum! a common ma — adhouse! Goodness me, think of that! Whatever should I have done with myself all day in a ma — adhouse?”

      “Of course, of course! Well, I won’t leave your side, then, uncle, when you go downstairs. There are guests there too!”

      “Guests? dear me! I — I — —”

      “Don’t be afraid, uncle; I shall be by you!”

      “I — I’m so much obliged to you, my dear boy; you have simply sa — ved me, you have indeed! But, do you know what, — I think I’d better go away altogether!”

      “Tomorrow, uncle! tomorrow morning at seven! and this evening you must be sure to say, in the presence of everybody, that you are starting away at seven next morning: you must say goodbye tonight!”

      “Un — doubtedly, undoubtedly — I shall go; — but what if they talk to me as though I were engaged to the young wo — oman?”

      “Don’t you fear, uncle! I shall be there! And mind, whatever they say or hint to you, you must declare that you dreamed the whole thing — as indeed you did, of course?”

      “Ye — yes, quite so, un — doubtedly so! But, do you know my dear boy, it was a most be — witching dream, for all that! She is a wond — erfully lovely girl, my boy, — such a figure — bewitching — be — witching!”

      “Well, au revoir, uncle! I’m going down, now, and you — —”

      “How! How! you are not going to leave me alone?” cried the old man, greatly alarmed.

      “No, no — oh no, uncle; but we must enter the room separately. First, I will go in, and then you come down; that will be better!”

      “Very well, very well. Besides, I just want to note down one little i — dea — —”

      “Capital, uncle! jot it down, and then come at once; don’t wait any longer; and tomorrow morning — —”

      “And tomorrow morning away we go to the Her — mitage, straight to the Her — mitage! Charming — charm — ing! but, do you know, my boy, — she’s a fas — cinating girl — she is indeed! be — witching! Such a bust! and, really, if I were to marry, I — I — really — —”

      “No, no, uncle! Heaven forbid!”

      “Yes — yes — quite so — Heaven for — bid! — well, au revoir, my friend — I’ll come directly; by the bye — I meant to ask you, have you read Kazanoff’s Memoirs?”

      “Yes, uncle. Why?”

      “Yes, yes, quite so — I forget what I wanted to say — —”

      “You’ll remember afterwards, uncle! au revoir!”

      “Au revoir, my boy, au revoir — but, I say, it was a bewitching dream, a most be — witching dream!”

      CHAPTER XII.

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       “Here we all are, all of us, come to spend the evening; Proskovia Ilinishna is coming too, and Luisa Karlovna and all!” cried Mrs. Antipova as she entered the salon, and looked hungrily round. She was a neat, pretty little woman! she was well-dressed, and knew it.

      She looked greedily around, as I say, because she had an idea that the prince and Zina were hidden together somewhere about the room.

      “Yes, and Katerina Petrovna, and Felisata Michaelovna are coming as well,” added Natalia Dimitrievna, a huge woman — whose figure had pleased the prince so much, and who looked more like a grenadier than anything else. This monster had been hand and glove with little Mrs. Antipova for the last three weeks; they were now quite inseparable. Natalia looked as though she could pick her little friend up and swallow her, bones and all, without thinking.

      “I need not say with what rapture I welcome you both to my house, and for a whole evening, too!” piped Maria Alexandrovna, a little recovered from her first shock of amazement; “but do tell me, what miracle is it that has brought you all to-day, when I had quite despaired of ever seeing anyone of you in my house again?”

      “Oh, oh! my dear Maria Alexandrovna!” said Natalia, very affectedly, but sweetly. The attributes of sweetness and affectation were a curious contrast to her personal appearance.

      “You see, dearest Maria Alexandrovna,” chirped Mrs. Antipova, “we really must get on with the private theatricals question! It was only this very day that Peter Michaelovitch was saying how bad it was of us to have made no progress towards rehearsing, and so on; and that it was quite time we brought all our silly squabbles to an end! Well, four of us got together to-day, and then it struck us ‘Let’s all go to Maria Alexandrovna’s, and settle the matter once for all!’ So Natalia Dimitrievna let all the rest know that we were to meet here! We’ll soon settle it — I don’t think we should allow it to be said that we do nothing but ‘squabble’ over the preliminaries and get no farther, do you, dear Maria Alexandrovna?” She added, playfully, and kissing our heroine affectionately, СКАЧАТЬ