the wife and other stories-第35部分

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am　sinking；　I　fly　to　you；　I　beg　for　help；　and　you　tell　me　'Sink；　that　is　what　you　ought　to　do。'　〃

But　here　there　comes　a　ring　at　the　front…door。　Katya　and　I　recognize　it；　and　say：

〃It　must　be　Mihail　Fyodorovitch。〃

And　a　minute　later　my　colleague；　the　philologist　Mihail　Fyodorovitch；　a　tall；　well…built　man　of　fifty；　clean…shaven；　with　thick　grey　hair　and　black　eyebrows；　walks　in。　He　is　a　good…natured　man　and　an　excellent　comrade。　He　comes　of　a　fortunate　and　talented　old　noble　family　which　has　played　a　prominent　part　in　the　history　of　literature　and　enlightenment。　He　is　himself　intelligent；　talented；　and　very　highly　educated；　but　has　his　oddities。　To　a　certain　extent　we　are　all　odd　and　all　queer　fish；　but　in　his　oddities　there　is　something　exceptional；　apt　to　cause　anxiety　among　his　acquaintances。　I　know　a　good　many　people　for　whom　his　oddities　completely　obscure　his　good　qualities。

Coming　in　to　us；　he　slowly　takes　off　his　gloves　and　says　in　his　velvety　bass：

〃Good…evening。　Are　you　having　tea？　That's　just　right。　It's　diabolically　cold。〃

Then　he　sits　down　to　the　table；　takes　a　glass；　and　at　once　begins　talking。　What　is　most　characteristic　in　his　manner　of　talking　is　the　continually　jesting　tone；　a　sort　of　mixture　of　philosophy　and　drollery　as　in　Shakespeare's　gravediggers。　He　is　always　talking　about　serious　things；　but　he　never　speaks　seriously。　His　judgments　are　always　harsh　and　railing；　but；　thanks　to　his　soft；　even；　jesting　tone；　the　harshness　and　abuse　do　not　jar　upon　the　ear；　and　one　soon　grows　used　to　them。　Every　evening　he　brings　with　him　five　or　six　anecdotes　from　the　University；　and　he　usually　begins　with　them　when　he　sits　down　to　table。

〃Oh；　Lord！〃　he　sighs；　twitching　his　black　eyebrows　ironically。　〃What　comic　people　there　are　in　the　world！〃

〃Well？〃　asks　Katya。

〃As　I　was　coming　from　my　lecture　this　morning　I　met　that　old　idiot　N。　N　on　the　stairs。　。　。　。　He　was　going　along　as　usual；　sticking　out　his　chin　like　a　horse；　looking　for　some　one　to　listen　to　his　grumblings　at　his　migraine；　at　his　wife；　and　his　students　who　won't　attend　his　lectures。　'Oh；'　I　thought；　'he　has　seen　me　　I　am　done　for　now；　it　is　all　up。　。　。　。'　〃

And　so　on　in　the　same　style。　Or　he　will　begin　like　this：

〃I　was　yesterday　at　our　friend　Z。　Z's　public　lecture。　I　wonder　how　it　is　our　alma　mater　　don't　speak　of　it　after　dark　　dare　display　in　public　such　noodles　and　patent　dullards　as　that　Z。　Z　Why；　he　is　a　European　fool！　Upon　my　word；　you　could　not　find　another　like　him　all　over　Europe！　He　lectures　　can　you　imagine？　　as　though　he　were　sucking　a　sugar…stick　　sue；　sue；　sue；　。　。　。　he　is　in　a　nervous　funk；　he　can　hardly　decipher　his　own　manuscript；　his　poor　little　thoughts　crawl　along　like　a　bishop　on　a　bicycle；　and；　what's　worse；　you　can　never　make　out　what　he　is　trying　to　say。　The　deadly　dulness　is　awful；　the　very　flies　expire。　It　can　only　be　compared　with　the　boredom　in　the　assembly…hall　at　the　yearly　meeting　when　the　traditional　address　is　read　　damn　it！〃

And　at　once　an　abrupt　transition：

〃Three　years　ago　　Nikolay　Stepanovitch　here　will　remember　it　　I　had　to　deliver　that　address。　It　was　hot；　stifling；　my　uniform　cut　me　under　the　arms　　it　was　deadly！　I　read　for　half　an　hour；　for　an　hour；　for　an　hour　and　a　half；　for　two　hours。　。　。　。　'Come；'　I　thought；　'thank　God；　there　are　only　ten　　pages　left！'　And　at　the　end　there　were　four　pages　that　there　was　no　need　to　read；　and　I　reckoned　to　leave　them　out。　'So　there　are　only　six　really；'　I　thought；　'that　is；　only　six　pages　left　to　read。'　But；　only　fancy；　I　chanced　to　glance　before　me；　and；　sitting　in　the　front　row；　side　by　side；　were　a　general　with　a　ribbon　on　his　breast　and　a　bishop。　The　poor　beggars　were　numb　with　boredom；　they　were　staring　with　their　eyes　wide　open　to　keep　awake；　and　yet　they　were　trying　to　put　on　an　expression　of　attention　and　to　pretend　that　they　understood　what　I　was　saying　and　liked　it。　'Well；'　I　thought；　'since　you　like　it　you　shall　have　it！　I'll　pay　you　out；'　so　I　just　gave　them　those　four　pages　too。〃

As　is　usual　with　ironical　people；　when　he　talks　nothing　in　his　face　smiles　but　his　eyes　and　eyebrows。　At　such　times　there　is　no　trace　of　hatred　or　spite　in　his　eyes；　but　a　great　deal　of　humour；　and　that　peculiar　fox…like　slyness　which　is　only　to　be　noticed　in　very　observant　people。　Since　I　am　speaking　about　his　eyes；　I　notice　another　peculiarity　in　them。　When　he　takes　a　glass　from　Katya；　or　listens　to　her　speaking；　or　looks　after　her　as　she　goes　out　of　the　room　for　a　moment；　I　notice　in　his　eyes　something　gentle；　beseeching；　pure。　。　。　。

The　maid…servant　takes　away　the　samovar　and　puts　on　the　table　a　large　piece　of　cheese；　some　fruit；　and　a　bottle　of　Crimean　champagne　　a　rather　poor　wine　of　which　Katya　had　grown　fond　in　the　Crimea。　Mihail　Fyodorovitch　takes　two　packs　of　cards　off　the　whatnot　and　begins　to　play　patience。　According　to　him；　some　varieties　of　patience　require　great　concentration　and　attention；　yet　while　he　lays　out　the　cards　he　does　not　leave　off　distracting　his　attention　with　talk。　Katya　watches　his　cards　attentively；　and　more　by　gesture　than　by　words　helps　him　in　his　play。　She　drinks　no　more　than　a　couple　of　wine…glasses　of　wine　the　whole　evening；　I　drink　four　glasses；　and　the　rest　of　the　bottle　falls　to　the　share　of　Mihail　Fyodorovitch；　who　can　drink　a　great　deal　and　never　get　drunk。

Over　our　patience　we　settle　various　questions；　principally　of　the　higher　order；　and　what　we　care　for　most　of　all　　that　is；　science　and　learning　　is　more　roughly　handled　than　anything。

〃Science；　thank　God；　has　outlived　its　day；〃　says　Mihail　Fyodorovitch　emphatically。　〃Its　song　is　sung。　Yes；　indeed。　Mankind　begins　to　feel　impelled　to　replace　it　by　something　different。　It　has　grown　on　the　soil　of　superstition；　been　nourished　by　superstition；　and　is　now　just　as　much　the　quintessence　of　superstition　as　its　defunct　granddames；　alchemy；　metaphysics；　and　philosophy。　And；　after　all；　what　has　it　given　to　mankind？　Why；　the　difference　between　the　learned　Europeans　and　the　Chinese　who　have　no　science　is　trifling；　purely　external。　The　Chinese　know　nothing　of　science；　but　what　have　they　lost　thereby？〃

〃Flies　know　nothing　of　science；　either；〃　I　observe；　〃but　what　of　that？〃

〃There　is　no　need　to　be　angry；　Nikolay　Stepanovitch。　I　only　say　this　here　between　ourselves。　。　。　I　am　more　careful　than　you　think；　and　I　am　not　going　to　say　this　in　public　　God　forbid！　The　superstition　exists　in　the　multitude　that　the　arts　and　sciences　are　superior　to　agriculture；　commerce；　superior　to　handicrafts。　Our　sect　is　maintained　by　that　superstition；　and　it　is　not　for　you　and　me　to　destroy　it。　God　forbid！〃

After　patience　the　younger　generation　comes　in　for　a　dressing　too。

〃Our　audiences　have　degenerated；〃　sighs　Mihail　Fyodorovitch。　〃Not　to　speak　of　ideals　and　all　the　rest　of　it；　if　only　they　were　capable　of　work　and　rational　thought！　In　fact；　it's　a　case　of　'I　look　with　mournful　eyes　on　the　young　men　of　today。'　〃

〃Yes；　they　have　degenerated　horribly；〃　Katya　agrees。　〃Tell　me；　have　you　had　one　man　of　distinction　among　them　for　the　last　five　or　ten　years？〃

〃I　don't　know　how　it　is　with　the　other　professors；　but　I　can't　remember　any　among　mine。〃

〃I　have　seen　in　my　day　many　of　you