A Hero of Our Time
Page 20
CHAPTER V. 29th May.
THE saloon of the restaurant was converted into the assembly room of aNobles' Club. The company met at nine o'clock. Princess Ligovski and herdaughter were amongst the latest to make their appearance. Several ofthe ladies looked at Princess Mary with envy and malevolence,because she dresses with taste. Those who look upon themselves as thearistocracy of the place concealed their envy and attached themselves toher train. What else could be expected? Wherever there is a gatheringof women, the company is immediately divided into a higher and a lowercircle.
Beneath the window, amongst a crowd of people, stood Grushnitski,pressing his face to the pane and never taking his eyes off hisdivinity. As she passed by, she gave him a hardly perceptible nod. Hebeamed like the sun... The first dance was a polonaise, after which themusicians struck up a waltz. Spurs began to jingle, and skirts to riseand whirl.
I was standing behind a certain stout lady who was overshadowed byrose-coloured feathers. The magnificence of her dress reminded me of thetimes of the farthingale, and the motley hue of her by no means smoothskin, of the happy epoch of the black taffeta patch. An immense warton her neck was covered by a clasp. She was saying to her cavalier, acaptain of dragoons:
"That young Princess Ligovski is a most intolerable creature! Justfancy, she jostled against me and did not apologise, but even turnedround and stared at me through her lorgnette!... C'est impayable!... Andwhat has she to be proud of? It is time somebody gave her a lesson"...
"That will be easy enough," replied the obliging captain, and hedirected his steps to the other room.
I went up to Princess Mary immediately, and, availing myself of thelocal customs which allowed one to dance with a stranger, I invited herto waltz with me.
She was scarcely able to keep from smiling and letting her triumph beseen; but quickly enough she succeeded in assuming an air of perfectindifference and even severity. Carelessly she let her hand fall upon myshoulder, inclined her head slightly to one side, and we began to dance.I have never known a waist more voluptuous and supple! Her fresh breathtouched my face; at times a lock of hair, becoming separated from itscompanions in the eddy of the waltz, glided over my burning cheek...
I made three turns of the ballroom (she waltzes surprisingly well).She was out of breath, her eyes were dulled, her half-open lips werescarcely able to whisper the indispensable: "merci, monsieur."
After a few moments' silence I said to her, assuming a very humble air:
"I have heard, Princess, that although quite unacquainted with you, Ihave already had the misfortune to incur your displeasure... that youhave considered me insolent. Can that possibly true?"
"Would you like to confirm me in that opinion now?" she answered,with an ironical little grimace--very becoming, however, to her mobilecountenance.
"If I had the audacity to insult you in any way, then allow me to havethe still greater audacity to beg your pardon... And, indeed, I shouldvery much like to prove to you that you are mistaken in regard to me"...
"You will find that a rather difficult task"...
"But why?"...
"Because you never visit us and, most likely, there will not be manymore of these balls."
"That means," I thought, "that their doors are closed to me for ever."
"You know, Princess," I said to her, with a certain amount of vexation,"one should never spurn a penitent criminal: in his despair he maybecome twice as much a criminal as before... and then"...
Sudden laughter and whispering from the people around us caused me toturn my head and to interrupt my phrase. A few paces away from me stooda group of men, amongst them the captain of dragoons, who had manifestedintentions hostile to the charming Princess. He was particularly wellpleased with something or other, and was rubbing his hands, laughing andexchanging meaning glances with his companions. All at once a gentlemanin an evening-dress coat and with long moustaches and a red faceseparated himself from the crowd and directed his uncertain stepsstraight towards Princess Mary. He was drunk. Coming to a halt oppositethe embarrassed Princess and placing his hands behind his back, he fixedhis dull grey eyes upon her, and said in a hoarse treble:
"Permettez... but what is the good of that sort of thing here... All Ineed say is: I engage you for the mazurka"...
"Very well!" she replied in a trembling voice, throwing a beseechingglance around. Alas! Her mother was a long way off, and not one ofthe cavaliers of her acquaintance was near. A certain aide-de-campapparently saw the whole scene, but he concealed himself behind thecrowd in order not to be mixed up in the affair.
"What?" said the drunken gentleman, winking to the captain of dragoons,who was encouraging him by signs. "Do you not wish to dance then?... Allthe same I again have the honour to engage you for the mazurka... Youthink, perhaps, that I am drunk! That is all right!... I can dance allthe easier, I assure you"...
I saw that she was on the point of fainting with fright and indignation.
I went up to the drunken gentleman, caught him none too gently by thearm, and, looking him fixedly in the face, requested him to retire."Because," I added, "the Princess promised long ago to dance the mazurkawith me."
"Well, then, there's nothing to be done! Another time!" he said,bursting out laughing, and he retired to his abashed companions, whoimmediately conducted him into another room.
I was rewarded by a deep, wondrous glance.
The Princess went up to her mother and told her the whole story. Thelatter sought me out among the crowd and thanked me. She informed methat she knew my mother and was on terms of friendship with half a dozenof my aunts.
"I do not know how it has happened that we have not made youracquaintance up to now," she added; "but confess, you alone are to blamefor that. You fight shy of everyone in a positively unseemly way. I hopethe air of my drawingroom will dispel your spleen... Do you not thinkso?"
I uttered one of the phrases which everybody must have ready for such anoccasion.
The quadrilles dragged on a dreadfully long time.
At last the music struck up from the gallery, Princess Mary and I tookup our places.
I did not once allude to the drunken gentleman, or to my previousbehaviour, or to Grushnitski. The impression produced upon her by theunpleasant scene was gradually dispelled; her face brightened up; shejested very charmingly; her conversation was witty, without pretensionsto wit, vivacious and spontaneous; her observations were sometimesprofound... In a very involved sentence I gave her to understand that Ihad liked her for a long time. She bent her head and blushed slightly.
"You are a strange man!" she said, with a forced laugh, lifting hervelvet eyes upon me.
"I did not wish to make your acquaintance," I continued, "because youare surrounded by too dense a throng of adorers, in which I was afraidof being lost to sight altogether."
"You need not have been afraid; they are all very tiresome"...
"All? Not all, surely?"
She looked fixedly at me as if endeavouring to recollect something, thenblushed slightly again and finally pronounced with decision:
"All!"
"Even my friend, Grushnitski?"
"But is he your friend?" she said, manifesting some doubt.
"Yes."
"He, of course, does not come into the category of the tiresome"...
"But into that of the unfortunate!" I said, laughing.
"Of course! But do you consider that funny? I should like you to be inhis place"...
"Well? I was once a cadet myself, and, in truth, it was the best time ofmy life!"
"Is he a cadet, then?"... she said rapidly, and then added: "But Ithought"...
"What did you think?"...
"Nothing! Who is that lady?"
Thereupon the conversation took a different direction, and it did notreturn to the former subject.
And now the mazurka came to an end and we separated--until we shouldmeet again. The ladies drove off in different directions. I went to getsome supper, and met Werner.
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br /> "Aha!" he said: "so it is you! And yet you did not wish to make theacquaintance of Princess Mary otherwise than by saving her from certaindeath."
"I have done better," I replied. "I have saved her from fainting at theball"...
"How was that? Tell me."
"No, guess!--O, you who guess everything in the world!"