distance from Nastasia.
Rogojin took the chair offered him, but he did not sit long; he soonstood up again, and did not reseat himself. Little by little he beganto look around him and discern the other guests. Seeing Gania, he smiledvenomously and muttered to himself, “Look at that!”
He gazed at Totski and the general with no apparent confusion, and withvery little curiosity. But when he observed that the prince was seatedbeside Nastasia Philipovna, he could not take his eyes off him fora long while, and was clearly amazed. He could not account for theprince’s presence there. It was not in the least surprising that Rogojinshould be, at this time, in a more or less delirious condition; for notto speak of the excitements of the day, he had spent the night before inthe train, and had not slept more than a wink for forty-eight hours.
“This, gentlemen, is a hundred thousand roubles,” said NastasiaPhilipovna, addressing the company in general, “here, in this dirtyparcel. This afternoon Rogojin yelled, like a madman, that he wouldbring me a hundred thousand in the evening, and I have been waiting forhim all the while. He was bargaining for me, you know; first he offeredme eighteen thousand; then he rose to forty, and then to a hundredthousand. And he has kept his word, see! My goodness, how white he is!All this happened this afternoon, at Gania’s. I had gone to pay hismother a visit--my future family, you know! And his sister said to myvery face, surely somebody will turn this shameless creature out. Afterwhich she spat in her brother Gania’s face--a girl of character, that!”
“Nastasia Philipovna!” began the general, reproachfully. He wasbeginning to put his own interpretation on the affair.
“Well, what, general? Not quite good form, eh? Oh, nonsense! Here haveI been sitting in my box at the French theatre for the last five yearslike a statue of inaccessible virtue, and kept out of the way of alladmirers, like a silly little idiot! Now, there’s this man, who comesand pays down his hundred thousand on the table, before you all, inspite of my five years of innocence and proud virtue, and I dare besworn he has his sledge outside waiting to carry me off. He values meat a hundred thousand! I see you are still angry with me, Gania!Why, surely you never really wished to take _me_ into your family? _me_,Rogojin’s mistress! What did the prince say just now?”
“I never said you were Rogojin’s mistress--you are _not!_” said theprince, in trembling accents.
“Nastasia Philipovna, dear soul!” cried the actress, impatiently, “dobe calm, dear! If it annoys you so--all this--do go away and rest! Ofcourse you would never go with this wretched fellow, in spite of hishundred thousand roubles! Take his money and kick him out of the house;that’s the way to treat him and the likes of him! Upon my word, if itwere my business, I’d soon clear them all out!”
The actress was a kind-hearted woman, and highly impressionable. She wasvery angry now.
“Don’t be cross, Daria Alexeyevna!” laughed Nastasia. “I was not angrywhen I spoke; I wasn’t reproaching Gania. I don’t know how it was that Iever could have indulged the whim of entering an honest family like his.I saw his mother--and kissed her hand, too. I came and stirred up allthat fuss, Gania, this afternoon, on purpose to see how much you couldswallow--you surprised me, my friend--you did, indeed. Surely you couldnot marry a woman who accepts pearls like those you knew the general wasgoing to give me, on the very eve of her marriage? And Rogojin! Why, inyour own house and before your own brother and sister, he bargained withme! Yet you could come here and expect to be betrothed to me before youleft the house! You almost brought your sister, too. Surely what Rogojinsaid about you is not really true: that you would crawl all the way tothe other end of the town, on hands and knees, for three roubles?”
“Yes, he would!” said Rogojin, quietly, but with an air of absoluteconviction.
“H’m! and he receives a good salary, I’m told. Well, what should you getbut disgrace and misery if you took a wife you hated into your family(for I know very well that you do hate me)? No, no! I believe now that aman like you would murder anyone for money--sharpen a razor and comeup behind his best friend and cut his throat like a sheep--I’ve readof such people. Everyone seems money-mad nowadays. No, no! I may beshameless, but you are far worse. I don’t say a word about that other--”
“Nastasia Philipovna, is this really you? You, once so refined anddelicate of speech. Oh, what a tongue! What dreadful things you aresaying,” cried the general, wringing his hands in real grief.
“I am intoxicated, general. I am having a day out, you know--it’s mybirthday! I have long looked forward to this happy occasion. DariaAlexeyevna, you see that nosegay-man, that Monsieur aux Camelias,sitting there laughing at us?”
“I am not laughing, Nastasia Philipovna; I am only listening with all myattention,” said Totski, with dignity.
“Well, why have I worried him, for five years, and never let him gofree? Is he worth it? He is only just what he ought to be--nothingparticular. He thinks I am to blame, too. He gave me my education, keptme like a countess. Money--my word! What a lot of money he spent overme! And he tried to find me an honest husband first, and then thisGania, here. And what do you think? All these five years I did notlive with him, and yet I took his money, and considered I was quitejustified.
“You say, take the hundred thousand and kick that man out. It is true,it is an abominable business, as you say. I might have married long ago,not Gania--Oh, no!--but that would have been abominable too.
“Would you believe it, I had some thoughts of marrying Totski, fouryears ago! I meant mischief, I confess--but I could have had him, I giveyou my word; he asked me himself. But I thought, no! it’s not worthwhileto take such advantage of him. No! I had better go on to the streets, oraccept Rogojin, or become a washerwoman or something--for I have nothingof my own, you know. I shall go away and leave everything behind, tothe last rag--he shall have it all back. And who would take me withoutanything? Ask Gania, there, whether he would. Why, even Ferdishenkowouldn’t have me!”
“No, Ferdishenko would not; he is a candid fellow, Nastasia Philipovna,” said that worthy. “But the prince would. You sit here making complaints,but just look at the prince. I’ve been observing him for a long while.”
Nastasia Philipovna looked keenly round at the prince.
“Is that true?” she asked.
“Quite true,” whispered the prince.
“You’ll take me as I am, with nothing?”
“I will, Nastasia Philipovna.”
“Here’s a pretty business!” cried the general. “However, it might havebeen expected of him.”
The prince continued to regard Nastasia with a sorrowful, but intent andpiercing, gaze.
“Here’s another alternative for me,” said Nastasia, turning once more tothe actress; “and he does it out of pure kindness of heart. I know him.I’ve found a benefactor. Perhaps, though, what they say about him may betrue--that he’s an--we know what. And what shall you live on, if you arereally so madly in love with Rogojin’s mistress, that you are ready tomarry her--eh?”
“I take you as a good, honest woman, Nastasia Philipovna--not asRogojin’s mistress.”
“Who? I?--good and honest?”
“Yes, you.”
“Oh, you get those ideas out of novels, you know. Times are changednow, dear prince; the world sees things as they really are. That’s allnonsense. Besides, how can you marry? You need a nurse, not a wife.”
The prince rose and began to speak in a trembling, timid tone, but withthe air of a man absolutely sure of the truth of his words.
“I know nothing, Nastasia Philipovna. I have seen nothing. You are rightso far; but I consider that you would be honouring me, and not I you. Iam a nobody. You have suffered, you have passed through hell and emergedpure, and that is very much. Why do you shame yourself by desiring togo with Rogojin? You are delirious. You have returned to Mr. Totski hisseventy-five thousand roubles, and declared that you will leave thishouse and all that is in it, which is a line of conduct that not oneperson here would imitate. Nastasia Philipovna,
I love you! I would diefor you. I shall never let any man say one word against you, NastasiaPhilipovna! and if we are poor, I can work for both.”
As the prince spoke these last words a titter was heard fromFerdishenko; Lebedeff laughed too. The general grunted with irritation;Ptitsin and Totski barely restrained their smiles. The rest all satlistening, open-mouthed with wonder.
“But perhaps we shall not be poor; we may be very rich, NastasiaPhilipovna,” continued the prince, in the same timid, quivering tones.“I don’t know for certain, and I’m sorry to say I haven’t had anopportunity of finding out all day; but I received a letter from Moscow,while I was in Switzerland, from a Mr. Salaskin, and he acquaints mewith the fact that I am entitled to a very large inheritance. Thisletter--”
The prince pulled a letter out of his pocket.
“Is he raving?” said the general. “Are we really in a mad-house?”
There was silence for a moment. Then Ptitsin spoke.
“I think you said, prince, that your letter was from Salaskin? Salaskinis a very eminent man, indeed, in his own world; he is a
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