Works of Ivan Turgenev (Illustrated) (407 page)

LIZAVETA BOGDANOVNA. I ... I ... I’m thirty.

SHPIGELSKY
[calmly].
And that’s not true, you’re quite forty.

LIZAVETA BOGDANOVNA
[firing up],
I’m
not
forty, only thirty - six.

SHPIGELSKY. That’s not thirty, anyway. Well, Lizaveta Bogdanovna, that’s a habit you must get out of ... especially as thirty - six isn’t old for a married woman. And you shouldn’t take snuff either.
[Getting up.]
I fancy the rain has stopped.

LIZAVETA BOGDANOVNA
[getting up also].
Yes, it has.

SHPIGELSKY. And so you’ll give me an answer in a day or two?

LIZAVETA BOGDANOVNA. I will tell you my decision to - morrow.

SHPIGELSKY. Now, I like that! That’s really sensible! Bravo! Lizaveta Bogdanovna! Come, give me your arm. Let us go indoors.

LIZAVETA BOGDANOVNA
[taking his arm].
Let us go.

SHPIGELSKY. And by the way, I haven’t kissed your hand . . . and I believe it’s what’s done. Well, for once, here goes!
[Kisses her hand.
LIZAVETA BOGDANOVNA
blushes.]
That’s right.
[Moves towards door into garden.]

LIZAVETA BOGDANOVNA
[stopping].
So you think, Ignaty Ilyitch, that Mihail Alexandritch is really not a dangerous man?

SHPIGELSKY. I think not.

LIZAVETA BOGDANOVNA. Do you know what, Ignaty Ilyitch? I fancy that for some time past Natalya Petrovna ... I fancy that Mr. Beliayev. . . . She takes a good deal of I notice of him . .. doesn’t she! And Verotchka too, what do you think? Isn’t that why to - day? . . .

SHPIGELSKY
[interrupting her].
There’s one other thing I’ve forgotten to tell you, Lizaveta Bogdanovna. I’m awfully inquisitive myself, but I can’t endure inquisitive women. That is, I’ll explain. To my thinking, a wife ought to be inquisitive and observant only with other people (indeed it’s an advantage to her husband). . . . You under - stand me -
 
- with others only. However, if you really want to know my opinion concerning Natalya Petrovna, Vera Alexandrovna, Mr. Beliayev, and the folks here generally, listen and I’ll sing you a little song. I’ve a horrible voice but you mustn’t mind that.

LIZAVETA BOGDANOVNA
[with surprise]. A
song! SHPIGELSKY. Listen! The first verse:

‘Granny had a little kid,

Granny had a little kid,

A little grey kid!

Yes, she did, yes, she did!’

The second verse:

‘The kid would in the forest play,

The kid would in the forest play,

Yes, I say, yes, I say,

He would in the forest play.’

LIZAVETA BOGDANOVNA. But I don’t understand. . . . SHPIGELSKY. Listen then! The third verse:

‘The grey wolves ate that little kid
[skipping about]

The grey wolves ate that little kid,

They ate him up, they ate him up,

Yes, I say, they ate him up.’

And now let us go. I must have a talk with Natalya Petrovna, by the way. Let us hope she won’t bite me. If I’m not mistaken, she still has need of me. Come along.

[They go out into the garden]

KATYA
[cautiously coming out from behind the column],
They’ve gone at last! What a spiteful man that doctor is . . . talked and talked and what didn’t he say? And what a way to sing! I’m afraid Alexey Nikolaitch may have gone back indoors meanwhile... . Why on earth need they have come in here!
[Goes to the window]
So Lizaveta Bog - danovna is to be the doctor’s wife. . . .
[Laughs]
So that’s it! ... Well, I don’t envy her. . . .
[Keeps looking out of window]
The grass looks as though it had been washed. . . . What a nice smell . . . it’s the wild cherry. . . . Oh! here he comes!
[After waiting a moment.]
Alexey Nikolaitch! . . . Alexey Nikolaitch!

BELIAYEV
[behind the scenes].
Who’s calling me? Oh! is it you, Katya?
[Comes up to window.]
What do you want?

KATYA. Come in here. . . . I’ve something to say to you.

BELIAYEV. Oh! very well.
[Moves away from window and a moment later comes in at door.]
Here I am.

KATYA. Aren’t you wet?

BELIAYEV. No . . . I’ve been sitting in the greenhouse with Potap . .. he’s your uncle, isn’t he?

KATYA. Yes, he’s my uncle.

BELIAYEV. How pretty you are to - day! [KATYA
smiles and looks down. He takes a peach out of his pocket]
Would you like it?

KATYA
[refusing].
Thank you very much ... eat it yourself.

BELIAYEV. I didn’t refuse your raspberries when you gave me some yesterday. Take it, I picked it for you . . . really.

KATYA. Oh! thank you very much.
[Takes the peach.]

BELIAYEV. That’s right. What did you want to tell me?

KATYA. My young lady . . . Vera Alexandrovna, asked me . . . she wants to see you.

BELIAYEV. Ah! well, I’ll go to her at once.

KATYA. No . . . she’ll come here. She wants to have a talk with you.

BELIAYEV
[with some surprise].
She wants to come here?

KATYA. Yes. . . . Here, you see. . . . Nobody comes in here. You won’t be interrupted here. . . .
[Sighs.]
She likes you very much, Alexey Nikolaitch. . . . She’s so kind. I’ll go and fetch her. And you’ll wait, won’t you?

BELIAYEV. Of course, of course.

KATYA. In a minute. ...
[Is going and stops.]
Alexey Nikolaitch, is it true what they are saying, that you are leaving us?

BELIAYEV. I? No. . . . Who told you so?

KATYA. So you’re not going away? Thank goodness!
[In confusion.]
We’ll be back in a minute.
[Goes out by door leading to the house.]

BELIAYEV
[remains for some time without moving].
How strange it all is! Strange things are happening to me. I must say I never expected all this. . . . Vera loves me. . . . Natalya Petrovna knows it. ... Vera has confessed it herself. .. extraordinary! Vera .. . such a sweet, dear child; but. . . what’s the meaning of this note?
[Takes a scrap of paper out of his pocket.]
From Natalya Petrovna ... in pencil. ‘Don’t go away, don’t decide on anything till I have had a talk with you.’ What does she want to talk about?
[A pause.]
Such idiotic ideas come into my head! I must say all this is very embarrassing. If anybody had told me a month ago that I . . .I . . . I simply can’t get over that conversation with Natalya Petrovna, Why is my heart throbbing like this? And now Vera wants to see me. . . . What am I going to say to her? Anyway, I shall find out what’s the matter. . . . Perhaps Natalya Petrovna’s angry with me. . .. But whatever for?
[Looks at the note again.]
It’s all queer, very queer.

[The door is opened softly. He quickly hides the note.
VERA
and
KATYA
appear in the doorway. He goes up to them.
VERA
is very pale, she does not raise her eyes, nor move from the spot.]

KATYA. Don’t be afraid, miss, go up to him; I’ll be on the look - out. Don’t be afraid.
[To
BELIAYEV.] Oh! Alexey Nikolaitch!
[She shuts the windows, goes out into the garden and closes the door behind her.]

BELIAYEV. Vera Alexandrovna... you wanted to see me. Come here, sit down here.
[Takes her by the hand and leads her to the seat.
VERA
sits down.]
That’s it.
[Looking at her with surprise.]
You’ve been crying?

VERA
[without looking up].
That doesn’t matter. . . . I’ve come to beg you to forgive me, Alexey Nikolaitch.

BELIAYEV. What for?

VERA. I heard . . . you have had an unpleasant interview with Natalya Petrovna . . . you are going . . . you’re being sent away.

BELIAYEV. Who told you that?

VERA. Natalya Petrovna herself. ... I met her just after you had been with her. . . . She told me you yourself are unwilling to stay. But I believe you are being sent away.

BELIAYEV. Tell me, do they know this in the house?

VERA. No . . . only Katya knows. ... I had to tell her. ... I wanted to see you, to beg you to forgive me. Imagine now how wretched I must be. ... I’m the cause of it, Alexey Nikolaitch, it’s all my fault,

BELIAYEV. Your fault, Vera Alexandrovna?

VERA. I never could have thought. . . Natalya Petrovna. . . . But I don’t blame her. Don’t you blame me either.... This morning I was a silly child, but now. ...
[Breaks off.]

BELIAYEV. Nothing’s settled yet, Vera Alexandrovna. ... I may be staying.

VERA
[sadly].
You say nothing’s settled yet, Alexey Nikolaitch. . . . No, everything’s settled, everything’s over. See how you are with me now, and remember only yesterday, in the garden. . . .
[A pause.]
Ah! I see Natalya Petrovna has told you everything.

BELIAYEV
[embarrassed].
Vera Alexandrovna . . . VERA. She has told you, I see it. ... She tried to catch me, and I, like a silly, fell into her trap. But she betrayed herself too. , . . I’m not such a child.
[Dropping her voice.]
Oh no!

BELIAYEV. What do you mean?

VERA
[glancing at him].
Alexey Nikolaitch, did you really want to leave us yourself? BELIAYEV. Yes.

VERA. Why? [BELIAYEV
is silent.]
You don’t answer? BELIAYEV. Vera Alexandrovna, you are not mistaken. . . . Natalya Petrovna told me everything. VERA
[faintly].
What, for instance? BELIAYEV. Vera Alexandrovna ... I really can’t. . . . You understand.

VERA. She told you perhaps that I love you? BELIAYEV
[hesitating].
Yes. VERA
[quickly].
But it’s untrue. . . . BELIAYEV
[in confusion].
What! . . . VERA
[hides her face in her hands and whispers in a toneless voice through her fingers].
Anyway, I didn’t tell her that, I don’t remember. . . .
[Lifting her head.]
Oh! how cruelly she has treated me! And you . . . you meant to go away because of that?

BELIAYEV. Vera Alexandrovna, only consider. . . . VERA
[glancing at him].
He does not love me!
[Hides her face again.]