effective approach in a complicated case such as this.
“And in general,” said the bishop, “it seems to me that the more complex and confused a situation, the easier the way out of it.”
“Oh, how mistaken you are, Father!” Pelagia exclaimed in great agitation. “Those are extremely dangerous words! If you, the wisest and kindest of all the people I know, can reason like that, then what is to be expected from the earthly rulers of men? They are in any case inclined to reach for their swords in the face of the slightest difficulty. Slicing the Gordian knot in two was a deed of no great merit—any fool could have done it. After Alexander's heroic exploit there was simply one less wonder left in the world!”
Mitrofanii was about to object, but the nun began fluttering her hands at him and the pastor stared in astonishment at his spiritual daughter, for he had never known her to behave so disrespectfully before. “There are no simple ways out of complicated situations! You must know that!” the nun exclaimed heatedly. “And your military men do nothing but destroy and ruin! Where tact, caution, and patience are required, they go barging in with their boots, sabers, and cannons, and make such a mess of things that afterward the process of healing, repairing, and general patching up is long and painful.”
The bishop was astonished: “Do you mean to say you think soldiers are not necessary at all?”
“No, of course they are. When an enemy has attacked and the fatherland has to be defended. But they can't be trusted with anything else! Not even civil matters, let alone spiritual ones! But here in Russia military men are trusted to deal with absolutely anything at all! A saber is a useless instrument for repairing a fault in a delicate mechanism. And sending your colonel to Ararat is like letting an elephant loose in a china shop!”
“Never mind,” Mitrofanii interrupted, taking offense for the estate of the military. “Hannibal conquered the Alps on elephants! Yes, Felix Stanislavovich won't stand for any nonsense. If he has to turn the islands upside down, he'll find me the villain who drove Alyosha into the madhouse. Ghost or no ghost—it's all the same to Lagrange. And there's an end of it. Go now, Pelagia. I will not change my decision.”
And he turned away, so angry that he did not even bless the nun in farewell.
THE STEAMSHIP ST. BASILISK slapped the paddles of its wheels against the dark water with brisk efficiency as it sailed across the Blue Lake. The impressive-looking gentleman with a good complexion standing on the upper deck was wearing a checked three-piece woolen suit, white spats, and an English cap with earflaps, and he was absorbed in studying his own reflection in the window of one of the cabins. The panoramic view of the bay wreathed in evening mist and the twinkling lights of Sineozersk held no attraction for this passenger—he had his back toward the lyrical landscape. He turned this way and that to make sure that his jacket sat well on him, fingered the remarkable curls of his mustache, and was satisfied. Naturally, a blue uniform jacket embroidered with gold would be a hundred times better, he thought to himself, but a real man looked well enough even in civilian clothes.
He was not able to continue admiring himself, however, because a light came on in the cabin. That is, first a narrow crack appeared in the darkness and rapidly expanded into an illuminated rectangle, and then a silhouette appeared, outlined against it; then the rectangle disappeared (as the door to the corridor was closed), but a second later the gas burner sprang to life. An attractive young woman removed her hand from the small control lever, took off her hat, and cast an absentminded glance at herself in the mirror.
The passenger with the mustache did not even think of leaving—on the contrary, he moved even closer to the pane of glass and examined the lady's slim figure with the attentive eye of a
“And in general,” said the bishop, “it seems to me that the more complex and confused a situation, the easier the way out of it.”
“Oh, how mistaken you are, Father!” Pelagia exclaimed in great agitation. “Those are extremely dangerous words! If you, the wisest and kindest of all the people I know, can reason like that, then what is to be expected from the earthly rulers of men? They are in any case inclined to reach for their swords in the face of the slightest difficulty. Slicing the Gordian knot in two was a deed of no great merit—any fool could have done it. After Alexander's heroic exploit there was simply one less wonder left in the world!”
Mitrofanii was about to object, but the nun began fluttering her hands at him and the pastor stared in astonishment at his spiritual daughter, for he had never known her to behave so disrespectfully before. “There are no simple ways out of complicated situations! You must know that!” the nun exclaimed heatedly. “And your military men do nothing but destroy and ruin! Where tact, caution, and patience are required, they go barging in with their boots, sabers, and cannons, and make such a mess of things that afterward the process of healing, repairing, and general patching up is long and painful.”
The bishop was astonished: “Do you mean to say you think soldiers are not necessary at all?”
“No, of course they are. When an enemy has attacked and the fatherland has to be defended. But they can't be trusted with anything else! Not even civil matters, let alone spiritual ones! But here in Russia military men are trusted to deal with absolutely anything at all! A saber is a useless instrument for repairing a fault in a delicate mechanism. And sending your colonel to Ararat is like letting an elephant loose in a china shop!”
“Never mind,” Mitrofanii interrupted, taking offense for the estate of the military. “Hannibal conquered the Alps on elephants! Yes, Felix Stanislavovich won't stand for any nonsense. If he has to turn the islands upside down, he'll find me the villain who drove Alyosha into the madhouse. Ghost or no ghost—it's all the same to Lagrange. And there's an end of it. Go now, Pelagia. I will not change my decision.”
And he turned away, so angry that he did not even bless the nun in farewell.
THE STEAMSHIP ST. BASILISK slapped the paddles of its wheels against the dark water with brisk efficiency as it sailed across the Blue Lake. The impressive-looking gentleman with a good complexion standing on the upper deck was wearing a checked three-piece woolen suit, white spats, and an English cap with earflaps, and he was absorbed in studying his own reflection in the window of one of the cabins. The panoramic view of the bay wreathed in evening mist and the twinkling lights of Sineozersk held no attraction for this passenger—he had his back toward the lyrical landscape. He turned this way and that to make sure that his jacket sat well on him, fingered the remarkable curls of his mustache, and was satisfied. Naturally, a blue uniform jacket embroidered with gold would be a hundred times better, he thought to himself, but a real man looked well enough even in civilian clothes.
He was not able to continue admiring himself, however, because a light came on in the cabin. That is, first a narrow crack appeared in the darkness and rapidly expanded into an illuminated rectangle, and then a silhouette appeared, outlined against it; then the rectangle disappeared (as the door to the corridor was closed), but a second later the gas burner sprang to life. An attractive young woman removed her hand from the small control lever, took off her hat, and cast an absentminded glance at herself in the mirror.
The passenger with the mustache did not even think of leaving—on the contrary, he moved even closer to the pane of glass and examined the lady's slim figure with the attentive eye of a
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