The Man Who Was Afraid [78]
lips as if he tasted the word. "And if you don't understand it, I can explain it to you."
"You had better explain it," said Foma, with a deep sigh, not lifting his eyes off the man.
Ookhtishchev clasped his hands and rushed aside.
"A cocotte, if you want to know it, is a prostitute," said the whiskered man in a low voice, moving his big, fat face closer to Foma.
Foma gave a soft growl and, before the whiskered man had time to move away, he clutched with his right hand his curly, grayish hair. With a convulsive movement of the hand, Foma began to shake the man's head and his big, solid body; lifting up his left hand, he spoke in a dull voice, keeping time to the punishment:
"Don't abuse a person--in his absence. Abuse him--right in his face--straight in his eyes."
He experienced a burning delight, seeing how comically the stout arms were swinging in the air, and how the legs of the man, whom he was shaking, were bending under him, scraping against the floor. His gold watch fell out of the pocket and dangled on the chain, over his round paunch. Intoxicated with his own strength and with the degradation of the sedate man, filled with the burning feeling of malignancy, trembling with the happiness of revenge, Foma dragged him along the floor and in a dull voice, growled wickedly, in wild joy. In these moments he experienced a great feeling--the feeling of emancipation from the wearisome burden which had long oppressed his heart with grief and morbidness. He felt that he was seized by the waist and shoulders from behind, that someone seized his hand and bent it, trying to break it; that someone was crushing his toes; but he saw nothing, following with his bloodshot eyes the dark, heavy mass moaning and wriggling in his hand. Finally, they tore him away and downed him, and, as through a reddish mist, he noticed before him on the floor, at his feet, the man he had thrashed. Dishevelled, he was moving his legs over the floor, attempting to rise; two dark men were holding him by the arms, his hands were dangling in the air like broken wings, and, in a voice that was choking with sobs, he cried to Foma:
"You mustn't beat me! You mustn't! I have an...
Order. You rascal! Oh, rascal! I have children.
Everybody knows me! Scoundrel! Savage, 0--0--0! You may expect a duel!"
And Ookhtishchev spoke loudly in Foma's ear:
"Come, my dear boy, for God's sake!"
"Wait, I'll give him a kick in the face," begged Foma. But he was dragged off. There was a buzzing in his ears, his heart beat fast, but he felt relieved and well. At the entrance of the club he heaved a deep sigh of relief and said to Ookhtishchev, with a good- natured smile:
"I gave him a sound drubbing, didn't I?"
"Listen! "exclaimed the gay secretary, indignantly. "You must pardon me but that was the act of a savage! The devil take it. I never witnessed such a thing before!"
"My dear man!" said Foma, friendly, "did he not deserve the drubbing? Is he not a scoundrel? How can he speak like that behind a person's back? No! Let him go to her and tell it plainly to her alone."
"Excuse me. The devil take you! But it wasn't for her alone that you gave him the drubbing?"
"That is, what do you mea,--not for her alone? For whom then?" asked Foma, amazed.
"For whom? I don't know. Evidently you had old accounts to settle! 0h Lord! That was a scene! I shall not forget it in all my life!"
"He--that man--who is he?" asked Foma, and suddenly burst out laughing. "How he roared, the fool!"
Ookhtishchev looked fixedly into his face and asked:
"Tell me, is it true, that you don't know whom you've thrashed? And is it really only for Sophya Pavlovna?"
"It is, by God!" avowed Foma.
"So, the devil knows what the result may be!" He stopped short, shrugged his shoulders perplexedly, waved his hand, and again began to pace the sidewalk, looking at Foma askance. "You'll pay for this, Foma Ignatyevich."
"Will he take me to court?"
"Would to God he does. He is the Vice-Governor's son-in-law,"
"Is that so?" said Foma, slowly, and made a
"You had better explain it," said Foma, with a deep sigh, not lifting his eyes off the man.
Ookhtishchev clasped his hands and rushed aside.
"A cocotte, if you want to know it, is a prostitute," said the whiskered man in a low voice, moving his big, fat face closer to Foma.
Foma gave a soft growl and, before the whiskered man had time to move away, he clutched with his right hand his curly, grayish hair. With a convulsive movement of the hand, Foma began to shake the man's head and his big, solid body; lifting up his left hand, he spoke in a dull voice, keeping time to the punishment:
"Don't abuse a person--in his absence. Abuse him--right in his face--straight in his eyes."
He experienced a burning delight, seeing how comically the stout arms were swinging in the air, and how the legs of the man, whom he was shaking, were bending under him, scraping against the floor. His gold watch fell out of the pocket and dangled on the chain, over his round paunch. Intoxicated with his own strength and with the degradation of the sedate man, filled with the burning feeling of malignancy, trembling with the happiness of revenge, Foma dragged him along the floor and in a dull voice, growled wickedly, in wild joy. In these moments he experienced a great feeling--the feeling of emancipation from the wearisome burden which had long oppressed his heart with grief and morbidness. He felt that he was seized by the waist and shoulders from behind, that someone seized his hand and bent it, trying to break it; that someone was crushing his toes; but he saw nothing, following with his bloodshot eyes the dark, heavy mass moaning and wriggling in his hand. Finally, they tore him away and downed him, and, as through a reddish mist, he noticed before him on the floor, at his feet, the man he had thrashed. Dishevelled, he was moving his legs over the floor, attempting to rise; two dark men were holding him by the arms, his hands were dangling in the air like broken wings, and, in a voice that was choking with sobs, he cried to Foma:
"You mustn't beat me! You mustn't! I have an...
Order. You rascal! Oh, rascal! I have children.
Everybody knows me! Scoundrel! Savage, 0--0--0! You may expect a duel!"
And Ookhtishchev spoke loudly in Foma's ear:
"Come, my dear boy, for God's sake!"
"Wait, I'll give him a kick in the face," begged Foma. But he was dragged off. There was a buzzing in his ears, his heart beat fast, but he felt relieved and well. At the entrance of the club he heaved a deep sigh of relief and said to Ookhtishchev, with a good- natured smile:
"I gave him a sound drubbing, didn't I?"
"Listen! "exclaimed the gay secretary, indignantly. "You must pardon me but that was the act of a savage! The devil take it. I never witnessed such a thing before!"
"My dear man!" said Foma, friendly, "did he not deserve the drubbing? Is he not a scoundrel? How can he speak like that behind a person's back? No! Let him go to her and tell it plainly to her alone."
"Excuse me. The devil take you! But it wasn't for her alone that you gave him the drubbing?"
"That is, what do you mea,--not for her alone? For whom then?" asked Foma, amazed.
"For whom? I don't know. Evidently you had old accounts to settle! 0h Lord! That was a scene! I shall not forget it in all my life!"
"He--that man--who is he?" asked Foma, and suddenly burst out laughing. "How he roared, the fool!"
Ookhtishchev looked fixedly into his face and asked:
"Tell me, is it true, that you don't know whom you've thrashed? And is it really only for Sophya Pavlovna?"
"It is, by God!" avowed Foma.
"So, the devil knows what the result may be!" He stopped short, shrugged his shoulders perplexedly, waved his hand, and again began to pace the sidewalk, looking at Foma askance. "You'll pay for this, Foma Ignatyevich."
"Will he take me to court?"
"Would to God he does. He is the Vice-Governor's son-in-law,"
"Is that so?" said Foma, slowly, and made a