The Doll - Bolesaw Prus [265]
What should she decide? What consequences was she to accept? The Countess did not explain.
This year’s stay in the country was profoundly modifying some of Izabela’s opinions: this was not brought about by the fresh air, however, nor the beautiful landscapes, but by events and the opportunity to ponder over them tranquilly. She had come here at the express request of her aunt, for the sake of Starski, who people said would inherit the Duchess’s fortune. But after considering her grandson, the Duchess had declared that she would leave him at most, a thousand a year, which would certainly be useful to him in his old age. She decided to leave her entire fortune to illegitimate children and their unfortunate mothers.
Starski instantly lost all value in the Countess’s eyes. He lost it in Izabela’s by declaring he would not propose to a ‘penniless girl’, but preferred a Chinese or Japanese girl, providing she had some tens of thousands a year: ‘It isn’t worth risking one’s future for anything less,’ said he.
As he said this, Izabela stopped regarding him as a serious suitor. But because he sighed softly and glanced fleetingly at her as he said it, Izabela thought that handsome Kazio must have some romantic secret and that he was making a sacrifice in seeking a rich wife. For whom? Perhaps for her? Poor boy, but there was no help for it. Perhaps she would find a way to sweeten his sufferings one day, but now she must hold him at a distance. This was all the easier because Starski began to insinuate himself very strongly into the favours of wealthy Mrs Wąsowska, and to lurk at a distance around Ewelina Janocka, no doubt to erase the traces that he had once been in love with Izabela: ‘Poor boy, but there’s no help for it. Life has its duties, which we must carry out even though they are hard.’
In this manner Starski, perhaps the most suitable suitor for Izabela, was crossed off her list. He could not marry a poor woman, but had to seek a rich wife: these were two impassable abysses between them.
Her second suitor, the Baron, crossed himself off by becoming engaged to Ewelina. Izabela had felt a horror of the Baron as long as he had been trying to get into her good graces, but when he abandoned her so abruptly, she grew almost alarmed. Could it be that there were women in the world for whose favours it was possible to renounce her? Could it be that a time might come when even such aged admirers would abandon Izabela?
The ground seemed to be giving way underfoot and, influenced by the undefined alarms besieging her, Izabela spoke about Wokulski to the Duchess in quite benevolent terms. Who knows that she mightn’t even have said: ‘What is Mr Wokulski doing? I’m very sorry he may have taken offence on my account. Sometimes I reproach myself for not behaving towards him as he deserved.’
She cast down her eyes and blushed so that the Duchess thought it essential to invite Wokulski to stay: ‘Let them meet in the fresh air,’ thought the old lady, ‘and God will dispose. He’s a jewel among men, and she’s a good girl, so perhaps they will reach an understanding. For I’d wager he has a weakness for her.’
Some days later, Izabela’s disagreeable feelings had begun to wear off, and she started to regret her remarks to the Duchess about Wokulski. ‘He’ll think me ready to marry him,’ she said to herself.
Meanwhile, the Duchess had confided in Mrs Wąsowska, who was also staying with her, that Wokulski was coming to Zasławek, that he was a very rich widower, a man of the most unusual sort, who wanted to marry and who, perhaps, might fall in love with Izabela. Mrs Wąsowska listened to the remarks about Wokulski’s fortune, widowed state and matrimonial qualifications in a very indifferent manner. But when the Duchess called him an unusual man, she grew curious: learning, however, that he might fall in love with Izabela, she recoiled like a pedigreed horse carelessly touched by a spur.
Mrs Wąsowska was the best of women, she had no thought of marrying again, and still less of stealing suitors from other women.