hatred. Soldiers will see a maiden of questionable character and immediately begin to hoot and holler, but why not ask them: who are they themselves?”
“They’re not whistling for no reason. That wenches suffocate their illegitimate infants, and then serve hard time, and that Anna Karenina threw herself beneath a train, and that in villages they smear tar onto picket fences, and that you and I, for whatever reason, like that Katya has a purity about her, and that everyone feels a nebulous yearning for purelove, all the while knowing that such love does not exist—is all of this truly prejudice? This, brother, is the only thing that has survived intact of natural selection and if it weren’t for this opaque force that governs relations between the sexes, the lady and mister Laevsky would show you the score, and humanity would degenerate within two years’ time.”
Laevsky entered the drawing room, greeted everyone, and, shaking Von Koren’s hand, smiled ingratiatingly. He waited for the right moment, then said to Samoylenko:
“Pardon me, Alexander Davidich, I need to have a couple of words with you.”
Samoylenko rose, led him by the waist, and both went into Nikodim Aleksandrich’s study.
“Tomorrow is Friday …” Laevsky said, gnawing on his fingernails. “Were you able to get what you promised?”
“I was only able to get two hundred ten. I’ll have the rest today or tomorrow. Rest assured.”
“Thank God!” Laevsky took a deep breath, and his hands began to jitter from joy. “You’re rescuing me, Alexander Davidich, and I swear to God before you, on my happiness or whatever you like, I will send the money to you the very hour of my arrival. And I’ll send the old debt as well.”
“Here’s the thing, Vanya …” Samoylenko said, taking him by the button and reddening. “You’ll forgive me that I’m mixing in your familial affairs, but … why don’t you leave together with Nadezhda Fyodorovna?”
“You odd fellow, how could that possible be? One of us must certainly stay behind, or else the creditors will be inan uproar. You see, I owe around seven hundred rubles to the shops, if not more. Wait, in a little while, I’ll send them money, shove it between their teeth, then she’ll leave this place too.”
“All right … But then why don’t you send her ahead of you?”
“Oh … my God, how could that even be possible?” Laevsky recoiled. “You see, she’s a woman, what would she do there alone? What does she understand? It would be nothing more than a waste of time and an extra expense.”
Well reasoned
…, Samoylenko thought, but, remembering his conversation with Von Koren, cast down his eyes and said sullenly:
“I can’t agree with you. Either travel together with her or send her ahead, but otherwise … otherwise, I won’t give you the money. This is my final word …”
He retreated, cringing, his back slammed against the door, and he exited out into the drawing room red, in a state of frightful embarrassment.
Friday
…
Friday
…, Laevsky thought, returning to the drawing room.
Friday
…
He was served a cup of chocolate. He burned his lips and tongue on the hot chocolate and thought:
Friday
…
Friday
…
For some reason the word “Friday” would not leave his head; there was nothing besides Friday that he could think of, and it was evident to him, not in his head but somewhere below his heart, that he would not be leaving on Saturday. Nikodim Aleksandrich stood before him,carefully kempt, with hair swept up at the temples and asked:
“Eat something, I humbly request that you do …”
Maria Konstantinovna was showing the guests Katya’s grades while protractedly saying:
“It’s horrible now, horribly difficult to study! They demand so much …”
“Mama!” moaned Katya, not knowing where to hide from the embarrassment and praise.
Laevsky looked at the grades and praised her also. Divine Law, the Russian Language,
“They’re not whistling for no reason. That wenches suffocate their illegitimate infants, and then serve hard time, and that Anna Karenina threw herself beneath a train, and that in villages they smear tar onto picket fences, and that you and I, for whatever reason, like that Katya has a purity about her, and that everyone feels a nebulous yearning for purelove, all the while knowing that such love does not exist—is all of this truly prejudice? This, brother, is the only thing that has survived intact of natural selection and if it weren’t for this opaque force that governs relations between the sexes, the lady and mister Laevsky would show you the score, and humanity would degenerate within two years’ time.”
Laevsky entered the drawing room, greeted everyone, and, shaking Von Koren’s hand, smiled ingratiatingly. He waited for the right moment, then said to Samoylenko:
“Pardon me, Alexander Davidich, I need to have a couple of words with you.”
Samoylenko rose, led him by the waist, and both went into Nikodim Aleksandrich’s study.
“Tomorrow is Friday …” Laevsky said, gnawing on his fingernails. “Were you able to get what you promised?”
“I was only able to get two hundred ten. I’ll have the rest today or tomorrow. Rest assured.”
“Thank God!” Laevsky took a deep breath, and his hands began to jitter from joy. “You’re rescuing me, Alexander Davidich, and I swear to God before you, on my happiness or whatever you like, I will send the money to you the very hour of my arrival. And I’ll send the old debt as well.”
“Here’s the thing, Vanya …” Samoylenko said, taking him by the button and reddening. “You’ll forgive me that I’m mixing in your familial affairs, but … why don’t you leave together with Nadezhda Fyodorovna?”
“You odd fellow, how could that possible be? One of us must certainly stay behind, or else the creditors will be inan uproar. You see, I owe around seven hundred rubles to the shops, if not more. Wait, in a little while, I’ll send them money, shove it between their teeth, then she’ll leave this place too.”
“All right … But then why don’t you send her ahead of you?”
“Oh … my God, how could that even be possible?” Laevsky recoiled. “You see, she’s a woman, what would she do there alone? What does she understand? It would be nothing more than a waste of time and an extra expense.”
Well reasoned
…, Samoylenko thought, but, remembering his conversation with Von Koren, cast down his eyes and said sullenly:
“I can’t agree with you. Either travel together with her or send her ahead, but otherwise … otherwise, I won’t give you the money. This is my final word …”
He retreated, cringing, his back slammed against the door, and he exited out into the drawing room red, in a state of frightful embarrassment.
Friday
…
Friday
…, Laevsky thought, returning to the drawing room.
Friday
…
He was served a cup of chocolate. He burned his lips and tongue on the hot chocolate and thought:
Friday
…
Friday
…
For some reason the word “Friday” would not leave his head; there was nothing besides Friday that he could think of, and it was evident to him, not in his head but somewhere below his heart, that he would not be leaving on Saturday. Nikodim Aleksandrich stood before him,carefully kempt, with hair swept up at the temples and asked:
“Eat something, I humbly request that you do …”
Maria Konstantinovna was showing the guests Katya’s grades while protractedly saying:
“It’s horrible now, horribly difficult to study! They demand so much …”
“Mama!” moaned Katya, not knowing where to hide from the embarrassment and praise.
Laevsky looked at the grades and praised her also. Divine Law, the Russian Language,
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