that. This evening Princess Bielokonski is to arrive; shecomes just in time--they have a party tonight. He is to be presentedto old Bielokonski, though I believe he knows her already; probably theengagement will be openly announced. They are only afraid that he mayknock something down, or trip over something when he comes into theroom. It would be just like him.”
Gania listened attentively, but to his sister’s astonishment he was byno means so impressed by this news (which should, she thought, have beenso important to him) as she had expected.
“Well, it was clear enough all along,” he said, after a moment’sreflection. “So that’s the end,” he added, with a disagreeable smile,continuing to walk up and down the room, but much slower than before,and glancing slyly into his sister’s face.
“It’s a good thing that you take it philosophically, at all events,” said Varia. “I’m really very glad of it.”
“Yes, it’s off our hands--off _yours_, I should say.”
“I think I have served you faithfully. I never even asked you whathappiness you expected to find with Aglaya.”
“Did I ever expect to find happiness with Aglaya?”
“Come, come, don’t overdo your philosophy. Of course you did. Now it’sall over, and a good thing, too; pair of fools that we have been! Iconfess I have never been able to look at it seriously. I busied myselfin it for your sake, thinking that there was no knowing what mighthappen with a funny girl like that to deal with. There were ninety toone chances against it. To this moment I can’t make out why you wishedfor it.”
“H’m! now, I suppose, you and your husband will never weary of eggingme on to work again. You’ll begin your lectures about perseverance andstrength of will, and all that. I know it all by heart,” said Gania,laughing.
“He’s got some new idea in his head,” thought Varia. “Are they pleasedover there--the parents?” asked Gania, suddenly.
“N-no, I don’t think they are. You can judge for yourself. I think thegeneral is pleased enough; her mother is a little uneasy. She alwaysloathed the idea of the prince as a _husband_; everybody knows that.”
“Of course, naturally. The bridegroom is an impossible and ridiculousone. I mean, has _she_ given her formal consent?”
“She has not said ‘no,’ up to now, and that’s all. It was sure to be sowith her. You know what she is like. You know how absurdly shy she is.You remember how she used to hide in a cupboard as a child, so as toavoid seeing visitors, for hours at a time. She is just the same now;but, do you know, I think there is something serious in the matter, evenfrom her side; I feel it, somehow. She laughs at the prince, they say,from morn to night in order to hide her real feelings; but you may besure she finds occasion to say something or other to him on the sly, forhe himself is in a state of radiant happiness. He walks in the clouds;they say he is extremely funny just now; I heard it from themselves.They seemed to be laughing at me in their sleeves--those elder girls--Idon’t know why.”
Gania had begun to frown, and probably Varia added this last sentencein order to probe his thought. However, at this moment, the noise beganagain upstairs.
“I’ll turn him out!” shouted Gania, glad of the opportunity of ventinghis vexation. “I shall just turn him out--we can’t have this.”
“Yes, and then he’ll go about the place and disgrace us as he didyesterday.”
“How ‘as he did yesterday’? What do you mean? What did he do yesterday?” asked Gania, in alarm.
“Why, goodness me, don’t you know?” Varia stopped short.
“What? You don’t mean to say that he went there yesterday!” cried Gania,flushing red with shame and anger. “Good heavens, Varia! Speak! You havejust been there. _Was_ he there or not, _quick?_” And Gania rushed for thedoor. Varia followed and caught him by both hands.
“What are you doing? Where are you going to? You can’t let him go now;if you do he’ll go and do something worse.”
“What did he do there? What did he say?” “They couldn’t tell methemselves; they couldn’t make head or tail of it; but he frightenedthem all. He came to see the general, who was not at home; so he askedfor Lizabetha Prokofievna. First of all, he begged her for some place,or situation, for work of some kind, and then he began to complain about_us_, about me and my husband, and you, especially _you_; he said a lot ofthings.”
“Oh! couldn’t you find out?” muttered Gania, trembling hysterically.
“No--nothing more than that. Why, they couldn’t understand himthemselves; and very likely didn’t tell me all.”
Gania seized his head with both hands and tottered to the window; Variasat down at the other window.
“Funny girl, Aglaya,” she observed, after a pause. “When she left me shesaid, ‘Give my special and personal respects to your parents; I shallcertainly find an opportunity to see your father one day,’ and soserious over it. She’s a strange creature.”
“Wasn’t she joking? She was speaking sarcastically!”
“Not a bit of it; that’s just the strange part of it.”
“Does she know about father, do you think--or not?”
“That they do _not_ know about it in the house is quite certain, the restof them, I mean; but you have given me an idea. Aglaya perhaps knows.She alone, though, if anyone; for the sisters were as astonished as Iwas to hear her speak so seriously. If she knows, the prince must havetold her.”
“Oh! it’s not a great matter to guess who told her. A thief! A thief inour family, and the head of the family, too!”
“Oh! nonsense!” cried Varia, angrily. “That was nothing but a drunkard’stale. Nonsense! Why, who invented the whole thing--Lebedeff and theprince--a pretty pair! Both were probably drunk.”
“Father is a drunkard and a thief; I am a beggar, and the husband of mysister is a usurer,” continued Gania, bitterly. “There was a pretty listof advantages with which to enchant the heart of Aglaya.”
“That same husband of your sister, the usurer--”
“Feeds me? Go on. Don’t stand on ceremony, pray.”
“Don’t lose your temper. You are just like a schoolboy. You think thatall this sort of thing would harm you in Aglaya’s eyes, do you? Youlittle know her character. She is capable of refusing the most brilliantparty, and running away and starving in a garret with some wretchedstudent; that’s the sort of girl she is. You never could or didunderstand how interesting you would have seen in her eyes if you hadcome firmly and proudly through our misfortunes. The prince has simplycaught her with hook and line; firstly, because he never thought offishing for her, and secondly, because he is an idiot in the eyes ofmost people. It’s quite enough for her that by accepting him she putsher family out and annoys them all round--that’s what she likes. Youdon’t understand these things.”
“We shall see whether I understand or no!” said Gania, enigmatically.“But I shouldn’t like her to know all about father, all the same. Ithought the prince would manage to hold his tongue about this, at least.He prevented Lebedeff spreading the news--he wouldn’t even tell me allwhen I asked him--”
“Then you must see that he is not responsible. What does it matter toyou now, in any case? What are you hoping for still? If you _have_ a hopeleft, it is that your suffering air may soften her heart towards you.”
“Oh, she would funk a scandal like anyone else. You are all tarred withone brush!”
“What! _Aglaya_ would have funked? You are a chicken-hearted fellow,Gania!” said Varia, looking at her brother with contempt. “Not one ofus is worth much. Aglaya may be a wild sort of a girl, but she is farnobler than any of us, a thousand times nobler!”
“Well--come! there’s nothing to get cross about,” said Gania.
“All I’m afraid of is--mother. I’m afraid this scandal about father maycome to her ears; perhaps it has already. I am dreadfully afraid.”
“It undoubtedly has already!” observed Gania.
Varia had risen from her place and had started to go upstairs to hermother; but at this observation of Gania’s s
he turned and gazed at himattentively.
“Who could have told her?”
“Hippolyte, probably. He would think it the most delightful amusement inthe world to tell her of it the instant he moved over here; I haven’t adoubt of it.”
“But how could he know anything of it? Tell me that. Lebedeff and theprince determined to tell no one--even Colia knows nothing.”
“What, Hippolyte? He found it out himself, of course. Why, you have noidea what a cunning little animal he is; dirty little gossip! He hasthe most extraordinary nose for smelling out other people’s secrets, oranything approaching to scandal. Believe it or not, but I’m pretty surehe has got round Aglaya. If he hasn’t, he soon will. Rogojin is intimatewith him, too. How the prince doesn’t notice it, I can’t understand. Thelittle wretch considers me his enemy now and does his best to catch metripping. What on earth does it matter to him, when he’s dying? However,you’ll see; I shall catch _him_ tripping yet, and not he me.”
“Why did you get him over here, if you hate him so? And is it reallyworth your while to try to score off him?”
“Why, it was yourself who advised me to
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