therefore, as we happen to be at this momentstanding at a crossroad, don’t you think we had better part, you to theleft, homewards, and I to the right, here? I have twenty-five roubles,and I shall easily find a lodging.”
Gania was much confused, and blushed for shame “Do forgive me, prince!” he cried, suddenly changing his abusive tone for one of great courtesy.“For Heaven’s sake, forgive me! You see what a miserable plight I amin, but you hardly know anything of the facts of the case as yet. If youdid, I am sure you would forgive me, at least partially. Of course itwas inexcusable of me, I know, but--”
“Oh, dear me, I really do not require such profuse apologies,” repliedthe prince, hastily. “I quite understand how unpleasant your positionis, and that is what made you abuse me. So come along to your house,after all. I shall be delighted--”
“I am not going to let him go like this,” thought Gania, glancingangrily at the prince as they walked along. “The fellow has suckedeverything out of me, and now he takes off his mask--there’s somethingmore than appears, here we shall see. It shall all be as clear as waterby tonight, everything!”
But by this time they had reached Gania’s house.
VIII.
The flat occupied by Gania and his family was on the third floor of thehouse. It was reached by a clean light staircase, and consisted of sevenrooms, a nice enough lodging, and one would have thought a little toogood for a clerk on two thousand roubles a year. But it was designedto accommodate a few lodgers on board terms, and had been taken a fewmonths since, much to the disgust of Gania, at the urgent request of hismother and his sister, Varvara Ardalionovna, who longed to do somethingto increase the family income a little, and fixed their hopes uponletting lodgings. Gania frowned upon the idea. He thought it _infra dig_,and did not quite like appearing in society afterwards--that society inwhich he had been accustomed to pose up to now as a young man of ratherbrilliant prospects. All these concessions and rebuffs of fortune,of late, had wounded his spirit severely, and his temper had becomeextremely irritable, his wrath being generally quite out of proportionto the cause. But if he had made up his mind to put up with this sort oflife for a while, it was only on the plain understanding with his innerself that he would very soon change it all, and have things as hechose again. Yet the very means by which he hoped to make this changethreatened to involve him in even greater difficulties than he had hadbefore.
The flat was divided by a passage which led straight out of theentrance-hall. Along one side of this corridor lay the three rooms whichwere designed for the accommodation of the “highly recommended” lodgers.Besides these three rooms there was another small one at the end of thepassage, close to the kitchen, which was allotted to General Ivolgin,the nominal master of the house, who slept on a wide sofa, and wasobliged to pass into and out of his room through the kitchen, and upor down the back stairs. Colia, Gania’s young brother, a school-boy ofthirteen, shared this room with his father. He, too, had to sleep onan old sofa, a narrow, uncomfortable thing with a torn rug over it; hischief duty being to look after his father, who needed to be watched moreand more every day.
The prince was given the middle room of the three, the first beingoccupied by one Ferdishenko, while the third was empty.
But Gania first conducted the prince to the family apartments. Theseconsisted of a “salon,” which became the dining-room when required; adrawing-room, which was only a drawing-room in the morning, and becameGania’s study in the evening, and his bedroom at night; and lastly NinaAlexandrovna’s and Varvara’s bedroom, a small, close chamber which theyshared together.
In a word, the whole place was confined, and a “tight fit” for theparty. Gania used to grind his teeth with rage over the state ofaffairs; though he was anxious to be dutiful and polite to his mother.However, it was very soon apparent to anyone coming into the house, thatGania was the tyrant of the family.
Nina Alexandrovna and her daughter were both seated in the drawing-room,engaged in knitting, and talking to a visitor, Ivan Petrovitch Ptitsin.
The lady of the house appeared to be a woman of about fifty years ofage, thin-faced, and with black lines under the eyes. She looked ill andrather sad; but her face was a pleasant one for all that; and from thefirst word that fell from her lips, any stranger would at once concludethat she was of a serious and particularly sincere nature. In spite ofher sorrowful expression, she gave the idea of possessing considerablefirmness and decision.
Her dress was modest and simple to a degree, dark and elderly in style;but both her face and appearance gave evidence that she had seen betterdays.
Varvara was a girl of some twenty-three summers, of middle height, thin,but possessing a face which, without being actually beautiful, hadthe rare quality of charm, and might fascinate even to the extent ofpassionate regard.
She was very like her mother: she even dressed like her, which provedthat she had no taste for smart clothes. The expression of her grey eyeswas merry and gentle, when it was not, as lately, too full of thoughtand anxiety. The same decision and firmness was to be observed in herface as in her mother’s, but her strength seemed to be more vigorousthan that of Nina Alexandrovna. She was subject to outbursts of temper,of which even her brother was a little afraid.
The present visitor, Ptitsin, was also afraid of her. This was a youngfellow of something under thirty, dressed plainly, but neatly. Hismanners were good, but rather ponderously so. His dark beard boreevidence to the fact that he was not in any government employ. He couldspeak well, but preferred silence. On the whole he made a decidedlyagreeable impression. He was clearly attracted by Varvara, and made nosecret of his feelings. She trusted him in a friendly way, but had notshown him any decided encouragement as yet, which fact did not quell hisardour in the least.
Nina Alexandrovna was very fond of him, and had grown quite confidentialwith him of late. Ptitsin, as was well known, was engaged in thebusiness of lending out money on good security, and at a good rate ofinterest. He was a great friend of Gania’s.
After a formal introduction by Gania (who greeted his mother veryshortly, took no notice of his sister, and immediately marched Ptitsinout of the room), Nina Alexandrovna addressed a few kind words to theprince and forthwith requested Colia, who had just appeared at the door,to show him to the “middle room.”
Colia was a nice-looking boy. His expression was simple and confiding,and his manners were very polite and engaging.
“Where’s your luggage?” he asked, as he led the prince away to his room.
“I had a bundle; it’s in the entrance hall.”
“I’ll bring it you directly. We only have a cook and one maid, so I haveto help as much as I can. Varia looks after things, generally, andloses her temper over it. Gania says you have only just arrived fromSwitzerland?”
“Yes.”
“Is it jolly there?”
“Very.”
“Mountains?”
“Yes.”
“I’ll go and get your bundle.”
Here Varvara joined them.
“The maid shall bring your bed-linen directly. Have you a portmanteau?”
“No; a bundle--your brother has just gone to the hall for it.”
“There’s nothing there except this,” said Colia, returning at thismoment. “Where did you put it?”
“Oh! but that’s all I have,” said the prince, taking it.
“Ah! I thought perhaps Ferdishenko had taken it.”
“Don’t talk nonsense,” said Varia, severely. She seemed put out, and wasonly just polite with the prince.
“Oho!” laughed the boy, “you can be nicer than that to _me_, you know--I’mnot Ptitsin!”
“You ought to be whipped, Colia, you silly boy. If you want anything” (to the prince) “please apply to the servant. We dine at half-past four.You can take your dinner with us, or have it in your room, just as youplease. Come along, Colia, don’t disturb the prince.”
At the door they met Gania coming in.
“Is father in?” he
asked. Colia whispered something in his ear and wentout.
“Just a couple of words, prince, if you’ll excuse me. Don’t blab over_there_ about what you may see here, or in this house as to all that aboutAglaya and me, you know. Things are not altogether pleasant in thisestablishment--devil take it all! You’ll see. At all events keep yourtongue to yourself for _today_.”
“I assure you I ‘blabbed’ a great deal less than you seem to suppose,” said the prince, with some annoyance. Clearly the relations betweenGania and himself were by no means improving.
“Oh well; I caught it quite hot enough today, thanks to you. However,I forgive you.”
“I think you might fairly remember that I was not in any way bound, Ihad no reason to be silent about that portrait. You never asked me notto mention it.”
“Pfu! what a wretched room this is--dark, and the window lookinginto the yard. Your coming to our house is, in no respect, opportune.However, it’s not _my_ affair. I don’t keep the lodgings.”
Ptitsin here looked in and beckoned to Gania, who hastily left the room,in spite of the fact that he had evidently wished to say